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.
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.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS | Today’s reading is from John 21:20-25
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…
These verses make me thankful that we have a God of second chances. I am sure Simon felt this way too. In these verses Jesus is working with Simon to get him to focus on his call going forward and get back in front of the movement that they had started. In the verses 16, 17, and 18, Jesus is reminding Simon of his call by asking Simon if he loved him. When Simon answers yes, Jesus responds “Tend my sheep.” With this question Jesus is telling Simon that his call is to continue to tend to Jesus’ sheep, his followers. I think Simon is still struggling with having denied Jesus in his time of need, especially after having told Jesus that he would always have Jesus’ back. We need to be reminded once in a while of what our call is in the kingdom. I catch myself getting involved in all kinds of things that either make it harder to answer my call or just completely get in the way of answering it altogether. There are a lot of distractions in this world and we have to be mindful of not getting caught up in them. Even if they are kingdom work, is this the work that we are called to do? Along with being reminded of what our call is, sometimes, like Simon, we need Jesus to nudge us back into the saddle. Tough times come along that test us, and we need Jesus to encourage us and get us going again. Even at church in the past, I’ve caught myself doing things just because I could do them and then realizing that I shouldn’t have been doing it because it was having a negative impact on the things I was being called to do. I had to realize that I needed to get out the way of the people who were called to do those things. In Romans 12:4 the apostle Paul writes, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function…” For my part, I need to be sure that I am leaving room for those whose call (their function) is the task that I am trying to do instead of answering my own calling. Everyone should be offered room to move into their call. It’s a big kingdom and there is plenty to do out there. No reason for us to be falling all over each other trying to do the same thing differently. God Loves You and So Do I - Scott Rose

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!