Good Morning!
Let’s focus our day by spending some time with Jesus before it begins.

WORSHIP Worship can be as simple as thanking God for who He is & what He’s done.
Play some worship music you love, or choose from one of our Spotify Playlists.
Say or journal what you’re thankful for in the last 24 hours.
First Step: Start by playing or singing 1 song & writing 1 thing. Grow to 3-5 from there.
Next Step: Read Ecclesiastes 7:20. Focus on one truth about who God is & thank Him for it.

PRAYER Prayer is a conversation that involves both talking and listening to God.
Start praying for yourself using the Lord’s Prayer or pray for others using a Ripple Prayer.
First Step: Start by praying for 2 minutes. Then, work your way up to 5, 10, or 15 minutes.
Next Step: Learn more about prayer & find help at paradoxchurch.com/pray.

SCRIPTURE Our memorization & meditation focus for this study is Romans 3:23-24.
Today’s reading is from Romans 3:1-20
Families: Get Focused together using the Parent Cue app.
First Step: Ask the following SOS Questions & journal your thoughts.
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?
Next Step: Dig deeper in Bible Study & discuss your answers with a Lifegroup.
Read Galatians 3:22. Do you agree that both living in sin AND trying to follow the law can “imprison” us? How?

A THOUGHT FROM TODAY’S READING
Paul’s message in Romans is the GREAT NEWS about God’s amazing grace. He explains that a complete cure for sin is available to all, everyone who suffers from sin is eligible to receive it. But the problem is people will not seek a cure for anything, until they know they are ill. This is why Romans begins with one of the darkest descriptive passages in the Bible; Romans 3:9-18. Paul concludes, “There is no one who is righteous, not even one.” The entire world is doomed to spiritual death unless a cure for sin can be found. Paul continues to say in verse 19-20; “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For no human being will be justified in his sight by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” Dwelling on this, I began to think, when did I first truly sense my sin and a need for God? I was brought up in a Pentecostal, Baptist Church, so I was always aware of people and their sinful nature. As a child it never occurred to me that this included me! I joined the Presbyterian Church at 13 (a whole other story). During my years in bible study, I came to realize that, yes, I was also inclined to a sinful nature, more so at that age in thinking than in deeds. It wasn’t until I was about 18 or 19 years old, that I had my first encounter with Jesus. Thankfully I learned right away that He loved me. Whew, that was a relief, but I also came to realize that He LOVES ALL of us! This was the message that Paul was trying to get across to the Jews in Rome. Though Paul never stopped thinking of himself as a devout Jew, he spent much of his life explaining that Jews and Gentiles were equally loved by God. Considering this I have come to the conclusion that today many people talk about racial reconciliation, while Paul was one of the first to fight for it. He struggled hard against those who wanted Gentiles to submit to the whole Jewish law. Non-Jewish Christians, he was determined, should also be considered first-class citizens of the kingdom of God. Faith in Jesus is all that God requires. Now is the time to confess our sins and reconcile with God, so that we too can become first-class citizens of heaven.
- Dawn Custer

SHARE The good news comes to you on its way to someone else.
First Step: Share a thought/question or send an encouraging text from today’s reading.
Next Step: 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!