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.
Simply pray the prayer Jesus taught his followers: the Lord’s Prayer, or pray it using this Lord’s Prayer guide.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS | Today’s reading is from Acts 21:37-40; Acts 22:1-29
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…
Why do we love exclusivity so much? Ads are peppered with products, services, and memberships that are “exclusive”. Why? Because it works. There is a part of us that likes the idea that we posses something or access to something that others don’t. It makes us feel special and the product/service we hold seems more important. In fact the more rare and exclusive the thing is, the more value we ascribe to it.
In today’s reading, Paul addresses a group of Jewish men and shares his testimony. They are leaning in quietly as Paul describes how he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, was blinded and healed, was baptized in the name of Jesus, and then given a new life mission: to share the good news of Jesus. The crowd is engaged and listening until Paul gets to one seemingly trivial part of his story. Because of his background as a Jewish leader who persecuted Christians, God sends Paul out to the Gentiles (non-Jews). THIS is the detail that sets the crowd into a tizzy. Not the claims of voices from heaven, or miraculous healing, or being baptized in Jesus’ name…but the fact that Paul went to invite GENTILES into relationship with the Living God…THAT is worthy of throwing dirt into the air and screaming murderous requests. Why? Because in the minds of those Jewish men, they alone are God’s people. He choose them in the past, so he should be exclusively their God.
But here’s the thing…it didn’t make God any less special that he chose to invite Gentiles into relationship, but it did make the Jews feel less special. Instead of being thankful and honored that God walked primarily with them for hundreds of years, and brought his Messiah, Jesus, out of their people to save the world; many of them are angry at the mere idea that others should be granted access to their exclusive God. They were making it about themselves and embracing exclusivity.
So what about us today? Well most of us reading this are Gentiles. We should be filled with gratitude that God extends his saving grace through Jesus to us, and we should be thrilled that we are called to invite others, of all backgrounds and walks, into similar relationship. Let’s be careful to not let our human bent toward exclusivity get the better of us. When we encounter someone who doesn’t know God, even if there is something about them that we would deem unworthy or difficult to deal with, let’s remember that Jesus died once for ALL. Let’s be like Paul and invite everyone to join our inclusive club. - 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!