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

WORSHIP | 5-15 Minutes
Worship can be as simple as thanking God for who He is & what He’s done.
Start by playing some worship music you love, or choose from one of our Spotify Playlists.
Say out loud or journal 3-5 things you’re thankful for in the last 24 hours.
Going Deeper: Pray Isaiah 57:14-19. Focus on one truth about who God is & thank Him for it.

PRAYER | 5-15 Minutes
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.
Going Deeper: Learn more about prayer & try out a practice at paradoxchurch.com/pray.

SCRIPTURE | 5-25 Minutes
Our scripture focus for this study is Romans 3:23-24. Try memorizing it!
Today’s reading is from Romans 5:1-11 (Families: Get Focused together using the Parent Cue app)
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?
Going Deeper: Read Ephesians 2:11-22. How does believing the good news and building on its firm foundation bring peace in your life or circumstance?

A THOUGHT FROM TODAY’S READING
I don’t know about you, but when I read a passage containing much information, I step back and look at who received this letter. The Roman church was persecuted in horrific ways. They were fed to lions and pierced on stakes and lit on fire for Nero’s evening parties. Paul knew this church needed reminders of where their salvation came from and how much God loved them. How about you? Are you facing challenges in your life or watching the news and getting overwhelmed? Where does our hope come from, how do we obtain it, and how do we keep it? Our hope comes for our heavenly Father, God Himself. He offered this hope while we were still sinners. This is the depth of His love towards us. And as we read in Chapter 2, it is not obtained through any work of our own but through His grace. This gift of hope is obtained through faith in Jesus and belief in His death on the cross to pay for our sins and His resurrection from the dead on the third day. This belief through faith provides us with the gift of eternally being removed from the penalty of sin - justification. And with this faith and justification, we STAND in grace. The troubles we face in our own lives or bear witness to on the news do not have to weaken us or drag us down. Our faith in Jesus and His sovereignty allows us to stand upright WITH HIM leading us to rejoice in the HOPE of seeing the glory of God face to face . This is not our home or final destination, friends. Our home is with God and the revelation of His glory. Eternal life with God is our hope! This world and its chaos are temporary. Paul knows these Roman Christians are in the thick of persecution for their faith, and their hope with be tested - just like those of us reading this thousands of years later. He leads them through the development and solidification of their hope. God doesn’t waste time or experiences. We will have suffering, but this leads to endurance, which leads to character building followed by the production and solidification of the hope we started with when we first believed. Satan wishes to destroy our hope with suffering, but God uses suffering to solidify our hope. We cannot escape suffering. We may have a break from it, but we cannot escape it. Jesus tells us in John 16:33, “I have told you these things so you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I conquered the world.” This hope of heaven and being in God’s glory, this hope of peace in Jesus’s victory over this world, and its sufferings, is permanent and won’t fade, if we continue to live our lives with Jesus and trust in Him. Friends this hope will be challenged. I have had my hope challenged but each time I turn to Jesus in prayer, reading the Bible, and asking others to pray for me and with me. We have peace, hope, and strength in Jesus and His church. So who’s going to STAND with me in this HOPE?! - Renee Richter

SHARE | 1-5 Minutes
Text someone a prayer/encouragement, or share a thought/question with us in the Forum.
Going Deeper: 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!