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.
Practice hearing from God by asking questions like, “Father, what do you want me to know about you?” or “Father, what do you want to say about your love for me?” Simply be still and listen, or journal anything that comes to mind. Learn more about hearing from God using the Tending Your Heart guide.
SCRIPTURE FOCUS | Today’s reading is from Acts 23:12–35; Job 33:4; 2 Corinthians 4:8–12
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…
The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4 verse 9 that we are “persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed.” This pretty much frames how I have felt for the last month. On July 24th, DJ and I had to let his mom go to be with our lord. On Aug 15th, we had to put down Deann’s dog Casey. It’s been a devastating month to say the least and I have hardly felt empowered for anything, let alone serving the Kingdom of God.
That was all changed by two phone calls. One was from a pastor friend that I received just as I was getting home from Deann’s funeral. He had called to apologize for not being able to make it. In our conversation, he reminded me of a simple conversation that he and I had a few years ago. He was struggling with making the decision to accept God’s call to serve at a church as its pastor. Off the cuff, I told him that he had better make the decision quickly because there were plenty of others standing in line behind him ready to answer God’s call if he didn’t. Joe thanks me for the push of encouragement nearly every time I see him.
The other phone call came from someone I do Keryx prison ministry with. He called the night that we had to put the dog down to see how we were doing. He was asking about who the people he had met at the funeral were. He commented how awesome it was that Deann and I had touched the lives of that many people in our walk with Jesus. God was using him to remind me of verse 10 from 2 Corinthians 4 that says, “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.” Meaning that even in my tough times I still can find ways to share the love of Christ through my interactions with people and how I convey the love of Jesus to them.
Jesus empowered us through the great commission to spread the gospel of Jesus to all peoples. We pass this on through our interactions with the people we meet and encouraging them to give their life to Christ and become empowered themselves. Sometimes this is through conscious discipleship actions and sometimes it’s just through casual interactions. When was the last time you stopped to think of the people you have impacted as you journey along your walk with Jesus? Our Christian walk can sometimes almost feel unfulfilling since we don’t always get to witness the fruits of our labor. Crazy thing is, sometimes we don’t even realize the impact that we may have had on someone. When you pray, thank God for the empowerment of the great commission and ask him to look after those you impact both known and unknown. We planted the seed, now it's God’s turn to make that seed sprout and grow. God Loves You and So Do I - Scott Rose
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!
