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 Revelation 21:1-6. 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 8:18-30
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 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Why does Paul not want believers to be “uninformed?” What should this knowledge produce in us, and what should we do with it?

A THOUGHT FROM TODAY’S READING
Here Paul is reminding us that God has a plan for us whether we can see it or not. God’s plan will be revealed to us when God is ready. Things may seem tough now but the plan Paul is referring to is our salvation. Our adoption as brothers and sisters in God’s family. It is our faith and hope for a plan we can not yet see or know that provides for our salvation. As it says in verse 24 “Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees?” If we could see the plan for us would we still want to see it through the end? We would know the troubles and low points that we would have to encounter to reach the end game. Not sure if many of us would have traveled the paths that brought us to where we are today if we knew what it involved. I don’t think I would have chosen my path. But I now know that the trials I experienced all have a purpose and a knowledge behind them. I have even already been able to experience some of the fruits of my trials as I continue my walk today. We are to approach even the tough times as teachable moments that will help us later on in our walk. Paul’s words about prayer in verse 26 kinda caught me for a moment and I had to reread the verses a couple of times to wrap my head around them. Should we know what we need prayer for? Thank God for the Spirit that intercedes in our prayers and passes to God what we are really praying for even if we are not sure why or for what we are praying. One of my mentors was praying for people at the end of the service at his church. When he asked the person standing in front of him how he can pray for them, their response was “Whatever God puts on your mind to pray.” I wonder if this is the way we all should be answering that question when asked. How can we ask for prayers knowing we can’t see the future? In any given situation, we don’t know what is best for us and we may pray for something that doesn't quite fit in God’s plan for us. Once again, the Holy Spirit is there to intercede for us and offer up the prayers we should be making! - Scott Rose

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!