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.
Journal or say out loud 3-5 things you’re thankful for in the last 24 hours.
Going Deeper: Pray Isaiah 61. 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 6:15-23
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 Galatians 5:1, 13-14. Jesus sets us free, so what are we to use our freedom for? What are some ways you see sin as slavery? How can serving/loving others be freedom?

A THOUGHT FROM TODAY’S READING
In an admittedly imperfect analogy (verse 19), Paul compares following Jesus to slavery. Many irreligious people would agree - but Paul says that it isn’t like not following Jesus is a life of total freedom either. In fact, he says that everyone is going to be a slave (or obedient) to something… it’s just that some masters are better than others. Obeying the master of sin will lead to all sorts of pain, suffering, heartbreak, brokenness, and ultimately death. Serving Jesus, on the other hand, actually looks a lot more like freedom, and the outcome is better, fuller, more abundant and eternally-lasting life. The last verse (23) is pretty famous, and pretty poignant. You want to “work for sin” or try to get free from the slavery of sin by working harder? The wage or payout you’ll earn for both is death. But there’s another, better way. It’s the way of the gift. Gifts aren’t earned or deserved… that’s what makes them gifts. (If they were, it would be a payment or a wage.) Gifts are given freely. And the only way to receive a gift is freely. Sit on that for a minute… Jesus freely gives the free gift of freedom to those who are willing to step off the never-ending cycle of work, earning, deserving, consuming, grasping at, and holding on and simply receive it. Then, get ready to go to work - you’re free to! - Dave Kubiak

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!