Welcome to encouragement now from your friends at Our Daily Bread.

The reading for today titled The Winning Goal was written by Kenneth Peterson.

On February 5, 2023, Christian Atsu kicked the winning goal for his football team in a match in Turkey.

A star international player, he learned to play the sport as a kid running barefoot in his home country of Ghana.

Christian was a believer in Christ.

Jesus is the best thing that ever happened in my life, he said.

Atsu posted Bible verses on social media, was outspoken about his faith, and put it into action by

helping finance a school for orphans.

The day after his winning goal, a devastating earthquake shook the city of Antakia, once the

biblical city of Antioch. Christian Atsu's apartment building collapsed, and he went to be

with his savior. Two thousand years ago, Antioch was the

fountainhead of the early church. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. One apostle,

Barnabas, said to be a good man, full of the Holy Spirit, was instrumental in bringing people to Christ.

A great number of people were brought to the Lord.

We look to the life of Christian Atsu, not to idolize him, but to see in his example an opportunity.

Whatever our circumstance in life, we don't know when God will take us to be with him.

We do well to ask ourselves, how can we be a Barnabas or a Christian Atsu and showing others

the love of Christ?

That, above all, is the winning goal.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Acts chapter 11,

verses 19 through 30. Now, those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed

traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews.

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