Good Morning!
Let’s focus our day by spending some time with Jesus before it begins.
If you’re new to the Daily Focus, read this first.

GET FOCUSED | Worship can be as simple as thanking God for who He is & what He does. (Psalm 100:4)
Spend a few moments in silence, meditating on scripture, or writing/saying 3-5 things you’re thankful for.
Play or sing some worship music you love, or use a playlist from Paradox on Spotify.

MORNING PRAYER FOCUS | Prayer is a conversation that involves both talking and listening to God.
Use the PRAY acronym to guide your prayer this morning. 
P = Pause. As you start your time of prayer, begin by pausing and being still before the Lord.
R = Read. Read the Scripture Focus slowly and focus on words/phrases the Holy Spirit highlights as you read.
A = Ask. Ask God to come and speak to you. Open up your heart to Him as your heavenly Father.
Y = Yield. We want to yield our lives to the words we have prayed and commit to follow Jesus’s way.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS | Today’s reading is from John 20:1-18
Pray a simple prayer before reading, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth. (John 14:26)
Highlight verses that capture your attention, and ask three simple questions as you read…
S = Say. What is the main point? What does it teach about God (Jesus) & yourself?
O = Obey. What can you apply (practice) from this passage today?
S = Share. Who can you share what you’re learning with today?

A THOUGHT FROM TODAY’S READING…
In today’s scripture we read of Thomas, who famously declares that he will need to physically touch the risen Jesus or he will “never believe”. Thomas had the eye witness testimony of his friends and the very words of Jesus himself from just days before saying that he would be rising from the dead, but that was not enough for him. Contrast his case with that of an Ethiopian eunuch that you can read about in Acts 8. This guy was from a foreign land, not a Jew by birth, and he was struggling to read and understand the prophet Isaiah when God prompted Phillip, an apostle, to go explain things to him. By the end of the conversation the eunuch accepts that Jesus is God’s son, the Messiah, and he is pointing out the closest water and asking to be baptized immediately. What a difference between these two men!
Thought #1 - Be a eunuch, not a Thomas! That is, be like the man who easily chose to accept the truth that leads to life, not the one who made it more difficult than it needed to be. John ends his gospel: “these (signs Jesus did) are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have LIFE in his name.”
Thought #2 - There are lots of eunuchs out there! That is, there are many people whom I believe are primed and ready to “believe and have life in his name”, they just need someone to point them in the right direction.
Jesus said “blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.” Be blessed by exercising easy faith today, and be a blessing to someone else by helping them to do the same! - Mike Nank

EVENING PRAYER FOCUS | Re-Focus on Jesus by praying a Daily Examen each evening.
Replay = Replay your day. What made you happy or joyful? What made you anxious or burdened?
Rejoice = Give thanks to God for the small and the significant things from the day.
Repent = Ask God for forgiveness where you need. Receive His forgiveness afresh.
Refocus = Commit to walk with Jesus tomorrow. Ask for grace to see His presence more clearly.
*For help or an audio prayer version, use the Lectio 365 app.

SHARE THE FOCUS |
1. Text someone a prayer/encouragement, or share a thought/question with us in the Forum.
2. Invite someone to read the Focus with you. Text “FOCUS” to (586) 200-6277.

That’s all for today.
Stay focused on Jesus, and make it a great one!