Formoso Community Church

06/24/2026

From this morning’s reading

1 Samuel 16:6,7
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Certainly the Lord’s anointed one is here before Him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”

When Samuel was sent to anoint the next king, he knew it would be one of Jesse’s sons, but didn’t know which one it would be. As soon as he saw Eliab Samuel was sure this was the one. Eliab was tall and very impressive, but God told him not to look his appearance because looks don’t determine what’s in a man’s heart. Fortunately for us, God judges, not by appearance, but by faith and character. Only God can see on the inside, He knows what’s in our heart, He is the only one who can accurately judge us. Some people spend a lot of time, and sometimes a lot of money, trying to improve their looks. But they should be more worried about their inner character. Everyone can see our outward appearance, but only God knows what our heart really looks like. What steps are you taking to improve the attitude of your heart?

06/23/2026

From this morning’s reading

1 Samuel 15:13-15
When Samuel came to him, Saul said, “May the Lord bless you. I have carried out the Lord’s instructions. Samuel replied, “Then what is this sound of sheep and cattle I hear?” Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites and spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but the rest we destroyed.”

What Saul saw as a great victory, God saw as a failure. God had instructed Saul to destroy every living thing. Saul had disobeyed God and lied to Samuel, but the only one he was deceiving was himself. When dishonest people begin believing their own lies, they soon lose the ability to tell the difference between truth and lies. In doing this, people not only deceive themselves, but lose all credibility in their relationships with others, but worst of all, they alienate themselves from God. Honestly will always win out in the end.

06/22/2026

From this morning’s reading

1 Samuel 13:8-13
He waited seven days for the appointed time that Samuel had set, but Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal, and the troops were deserting him. So Saul said, “ Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” Then he offered the burnt offering. Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. So Saul went out to greet him, and Samuel asked him, “What have you done?”
Saul answered, “When I saw the troops were deserting me and you didn’t come within the appointed days and the Philistines we’re gathering at Michmash, I thought: The Philistines will now descend on me at Gilgal, and I haven’t sought the Lord’s favor. So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”
Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command which the Lord your God gave you.”

In his anxiousness and under pressure from the approaching army, Saul took thing into his own hands. In doing so, he went against God’s law and against Samuel’s direct instructions. He thought he was doing the right thing, but he did it in the wrong way. Sometimes it’s hard for us to trust God when things are slipping away from us. Saul saw time running out and became impatient waiting for God’s timing. He thought the ritual was all that mattered, so he substituted it for faith in God. Don’t allow your own thoughts, your impatience, to drive you into disobedience. When you know what God wants, follow his plan and don’t think about the consequences. God will take care of everything. We must remember that the methods we use to accomplish God’s work are just as important as the goals themselves.

06/21/2026

From this morning’s reading

1 Samuel 12:23
“As for me, I vow that I will not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. I will teach you the good and the right way.”

The words Samuel uses here seem to say that it is a sin against the Lord if we fail to pray for others. Samuel also illustrates two of our responsibilities as Christians. That we should consistently pray for others and that we should teach others the right way to God.
Samuel strongly disagreed with the Israelites demand to have a human king; but he assured them that he would continue to pray for them and continue to teach them.
We are going to disagree with others, but we should never fail to pray for them. We should always continue to teach others the way to God.

Ephesians 6:18
Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.

2 Timothy 2:2
And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

06/20/2026

From this morning’s reading

Proverbs 12:13
An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech, but a righteous one escapes from trouble.

Evil people twist the facts to support their claim. When they do this they become trapped by their own lies, failing to remember exactly what they have said before, or saying things that can be proven wrong. But those who always tell the truth, the unchanging facts, the plain truth, have nothing to worry about. If you find yourself always defending yourself to others, maybe you’re not being as honest as you should be.

06/19/2026

From this morning’s reading

1 Samuel 6:9
Then watch: If it goes up the road to its homeland toward Beth-shemesh, it is the Lord who has made this terrible trouble for us. However, if it doesn’t, we will know that it was not His hand that punished us—it was just something that happened to us by chance.

The Philistines thought they had defeated God when they captured the ark and brought it back to their homeland. They worshipped many gods and thought they had just added another. The more gods they had, the more secure they felt. Then God began to destroy them with a plague, many were getting sick and dying. This was a God they couldn’t control so they were putting it out of their lives. How many times do we do the same thing? Think of God as just one little part of our lives? Then when things don’t go according to our plan we do the worst thing we could possibly do—we remove Him from our lives. God doesn’t want just a small part, He wants our total devotion to Him. When we are finally willing to totally commit our lives to Him, this is when we will find true security.

06/18/2026

Let us know if you are able to come join us for VBS!

Mark your calenders: July 20-24 5:30-8:00pm
Inviting those having completed one year of PreK - going into 6th grade!
We'll be learning about David from the Bible and how God is a Good Shepherd!

06/18/2026

From this morning’s reading

1 Samuel 3:12,13
On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I said about his family, from beginning to end. I told him that I am going to judge his family forever because of the iniquity he knows about: his sons are defiling the sanctuary, and he has not stopped them.

When Eli found out everything his sons were doing, he ignored their sins. He was honoring his sons above God. Eli was the high priest but he continued to let his sons take advantage of the people they were supposed to serve. He had spent his entire life in service to God. It was his responsibility to oversee all the worship in Israel. But he neglected his responsibilities in his own home. Never let yourself get so caught up in your desire to do God’s work that you neglect your family. In doing this, your mission to serve God will become a quest for personal importance, then your family will suffer the consequences of your neglect.

06/17/2026

From this morning’s reading

1 Samuel 1:10,11
Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the Lord and wept with many tears. Making a vow, she pleaded, “Lord of Hosts, if You will take note of Your servants affliction, remember and not forget me, and give Your servant a son, I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut.”

In Old Testament times, a barren woman was considered a failure. But instead of giving up hope, Hannah brought her problem honestly before God. We should do the same, bring all of our problems before God in all honesty. But we must be careful what we promise God when we pray. Hannah wanted a son so badly, she was willing to promise to give him up to the priesthood after his birth, and God took her up on this promise. To her credit Hannah followed through on her promise. Although we shouldn’t barter with God, He may choose to answer your prayer that has a promise attached to it. Before you pray this kind of prayer, ask yourself this question, “Will I follow though and keep any promise I make to God?” If we ignore that promise, we are lying to God, and that can have some serious consequences. God always keeps His promises, and He expects us to do the same.

06/16/2026

From this morning’s reading

Psalm 72:12-14
For He will rescue the poor who cry out and the afflicted who have no helper. He will have pity on the poor and helpless and save the lives of the poor. He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious in His sight.

God cares for the poor, the oppressed, and the weak. They are precious to Him. How can we ignore those God feels so strongly about, those He loves and cares about? We need to examine what we are doing; are we reaching out to help meet their needs, or are we totally ignoring them, doing nothing to help better their plight.