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, & use as much or little as you’d like.
GET FOCUSED | Start by simply thanking God for who He is & what He’s done.
+ Practice gratitude while singing/playing some worship music from Paradox on Spotify.
+ Spend a few moments meditating on today’s Old Testament Scripture: Proverbs 19
+ From your reading, finish the sentence “God, you are ___.”
Take time to thank & worship God for the ways you’ve seen Him be/do that in your life.
MORNING PRAYER FOCUS | Prayer involves both talking and listening to God.
+ Pray the Lord’s Prayer, or slow down to pray it using this Lord’s Prayer guide.
+ Use “Lectio Divina” to listen to God in this morning’s Psalm: Psalm 69:1-12
Reading 1 = Focus. What is one word or phrase that Holy Spirit puts on your heart?
Reading 2 = Feelings. Focus on that word or phrase while you read. What do you feel? What specific situation in your life today relates? Reflect and talk with God about it.
Reading 3 = Invitation. What is God’s personal invitation to you from the Scripture?
Take time to journal anything you feel the Lord might be saying to you.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FOCUS | Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth.
Today’s New Testament reading is from 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:11
Highlight verses that capture your attention, and ask three simple questions as you read…
Observe. Pay attention to what the text says. Ask who, what, when, where, & why.
Interpret. What’s the main point or meaning? What does it teach about God? Yourself?
Apply. Apply this truth to your own life. What can you put into practice today?
A THOUGHT FROM TODAY’S READING…
You ever notice how certain smells stick with you? When I was a kid, my dad would come home from the shop smelling like grease and hard work. These days, I carry the smoky aroma of Sunday night cigars with the guys or the scent of fresh-cut grass on a spring afternoon. My kids come in from playing and I swear I can smell “outside” in their hair. The truth is, we carry the fragrance of where we’ve been. And Paul says in 2 Corinthians that we carry the aroma of Christ—meaning people can smell where we’ve been spiritually too. When we’ve been with Jesus, it lingers. It shows up in our peace, our patience, our kindness—especially in hard moments.
Maybe you’ve been in the stinky “deep mire” of life, like Psalm 69 says. If that’s where you’re coming from, Jesus is near, waiting to meet you in it. You don’t need to try to clean up or get rid of the “stench.” Cry out to Him from the depths - even praise Him in it! It’s a fragrant aroma of worship. So here’s a challenge—spend some extended time with Jesus today. Let His grace rub off on you. Then go bring that aroma into your world. Maybe it’s in how you respond to stress, or how you speak life to someone who needs it. Let the scent of Heaven linger where you walk with Proverbs 19 wisdom. - Dave Kubiak
EVENING PRAYER FOCUS | Re-Focus on Jesus by returning to prayer each evening.
Replay = Replay your day. What made you happy, joyful, 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 = Ask to see God’s presence more clearly & walk w/ Him more closely tomorrow.
+ Practice hearing from God by asking questions like, “Father, what do you want me to know about you?” or “Father, what do you want to say about your love for me?” Simply be still and listen, or journal anything that comes to mind. Learn more about hearing from God using the Tending Your Heart guide.
SHARE THE FOCUS |
+ Pray a Ripple Prayer or use Nations Prayer to pray for the nations & those serving them.
+ Text someone an encouragement, or share a thought/question with us in the Forum.
+ Invite someone to read the Focus with you. Text “FOCUS” to (586) 200-6277.
+ Who can you share what you’re learning with today personally?
That’s all for today.
Stay focused on Jesus, and make it a great one!
