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.
Use the PRAY acronym to guide your prayer this morning. 
P = Pause. As you start your time of prayer, begin by pausing and being still before the Lord.
R = Read. Read the Scripture Focus slowly and focus on words/phrases the Holy Spirit highlights as you read.
A = Ask. Ask God to come and speak to you. Open up your heart to Him as your heavenly Father.
Y = Yield. We want to yield our lives to the words we have prayed and commit to follow Jesus’s way.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS | Today’s reading is from Acts 14; Colossians 4:2-4; 2Timothy 3:10-12
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…
Today’s reading from Acts has me wondering some things…
Paul and Barnabas were able to harness God’s power to do “signs and wonders” like healing a man lame since birth, and if they were already miraculously rescued from jail on previous occasions, then why did they feel the need to run away from Iconium when threats came, and why did Paul get stoned (nearly to death!) in Lystra? I mean, shouldn’t they have been able to use God’s power to protect themselves? Maybe they could have used the Jedi mind trick: “these are not the apostles you are looking for”. And even if they couldn’t save themselves with God’s power, shouldn’t God have protected them himself since they were on HIS mission doing work for HIS kingdom. God coulda sent an angel of something…he’d done it before.
I am honestly not sure how and under what conditions followers of Jesus are able to harness God’s miraculous power. I am also not clear why God allows bad things to happen to his children, especially when they are doing his work. But, there are a few things that are clear from scripture.
1) The ability to harness God’s healing power is somehow tied to faith. Paul healed the lame man in today’s reading after “looking directly at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed”. The woman who touched Jesus was healed instantly and he said it was her faith that made her well. Jesus praised the Centurions faith to heal his servant from a distance.
2) God’s will is immutable and mysterious. Why save the apostles on some occasions from persecution and death, but then at other times allow it to happen? I don’t know. The only thing that makes sense is that God is able to see a bigger picture. At times it for the best that someone might suffer for the ultimate betterment of many others. Sometimes a person’s time to suffer has not yet come and God needs them whole a while longer so he intervenes. Jesus himself modeled both of these.
3) If we are following God and willing to serve him in this world, we are going to suffer at some point. In fact Paul, writing to Timothy of what happened in Iconium said: “all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”. This seems like bad news, but if we trust God and remember that this life is but a tiny spec of eternity, then we can believe troubles that come our way while serving Him are a blessing (Matthew 5:10-12). God is refining us through our hardship and accomplishing his broader purposes through our sacrifice. We can also take comfort knowing we are in good company, as again, Jesus modeled this pattern and he now sits at the right hand of God in glory.
Excited may be too strong a word, but I am ready for some persecution. Are you? - Mike Nank

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!