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 Amos 5:14-15. 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 16
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 3:20-21, Jude v24-25

A THOUGHT FROM TODAY’S READING
This final chapter contains an interesting list of Paul’s friends and co-workers in the faith. Many of these people would have been unknown to us except for Paul mentioning them here in this letter. Many of the people listed surprisingly, especially for this time; were women in the church: Phoebe, Pricilla, Junia, Tryphaena, Tryphosa, and Persis. He also mentions people who had common slave names along with prominent and possible royalty. By mentioning all of these people Paul is pointing out exactly what Jesus taught: we are all children of God. He lists the attributes of these faithful servants of Christ to emphasize how the new church in Rome should model themselves. I keep thinking, I can hear Paul saying, “Can’t we all just get along?” No matter what your station in life is, you are welcome into the family and house of God. Paul tells them to beware of those that “cause dissensions and offenses, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them. For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites,” Wise words to heed to this day. Remember we are all children of our Holy Father, and we should treat one another as such. - Dawn Marie Custer

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!