Good Morning!
Let’s focus our day by spending some time with Jesus before it begins.

WORSHIP FOCUS | 5-15 Minutes
Worship can be as simple as thanking God for who He is & what He does. (Psalm 100:4)
Each day of this study, look for the #21DaysofThankfulness challenge in the Focus.
1. In order to thank God “consistently” or “always,” we need to find specific times to practice. Start by committing to thanking God at every meal - just like Jesus seemed to do.
2. Play or sing some worship music you love, or use this Thanksgiving Playlist.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS | 5-15 Minutes
Pray a simple prayer before reading, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth. (John 14:26)
Today’s reading is from Ezra 3:11, Acts 2:42-47, Ephesians 5:15, Philippians 4:4-9 & Colossians 4:2
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?
One of the best ways to learn more about the Bible is by discussing it with others.
Work through this week’s Discussion Guide and meet up with a Paradox Lifegroup.

A THOUGHT FROM TODAY’S READING…
All throughout the Bible it is spoken on how to give thanks. At least for me I am not sure this was emphasized to me growing up in church. Yeah, we learned the big bible stories and sang hymns but restraint was also taught. Restraint meaning not getting into the feeling of the message or allowing yourself to be taken over by the Holy Spirit flowing through the room. It was almost like we were completing items on a weekly checklist of being a good Christian. I didn’t really understand what “Giving thanks to God” meant until I started doing prison ministry. I met people from both sides of the fence who really knew how to give thanks. Not only did they learn the stories from the Bible they knew how to apply them to their own lives. In Philippians 1:27, Paul writes “Only live your life in a manner worthy of Christ…” I met people who were serious about living into this. No more only wearing my church-self at church. They convinced me that I need to wear it 24/7/365. No matter where I go, no matter what I am doing I need to be living into something worthy of Jesus. I began to meet people who were so touched by the song we were singing that got up and danced. Some were even so touched they began to cry. Not just tears of sorrow but tears of joy and thankfulness. I began to sing and feel the emotion and message of what we were singing about. Many times my thankfulness was that God was only asking for a “joyful noise” and not good singing. We should be worshiping God with everything we have. And to top this all off, we need to be sharing about the Good News of the Gospel with everyone we meet. This gift of forgiveness for our sins that we didn’t earn should be shared with anyone we meet. Too many people are struggling behind a wall of unforgiveness that is unnecessary since they have already been forgiven. We thank sports figures by paying them millions of dollars because they can catch a ball and we can't stop talking about how good they are at catching this ball. Jesus died to pay a debt for sins he didn’t commit. He did this for us because we couldn’t figure out how to reconcile ourselves with God. He gave his life so we could be forgiven and many won't even share this gift with the person standing next to them. Who would you rather thank? Personally, I am going to be thanking God by sharing this good news with everyone I meet. And I am going to worship louder and pray harder just to let him know what this gift of grace means to me. God loves you and so do I, - Scott Rose

PRAYER FOCUS | 5-15 Minutes
Prayer is a conversation that involves both talking and listening to God.
1. Try memorizing and meditating on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 during this study.
2. Read Philippians 4:4-9 again. Try to be thankful and even find joy in every worry as you pray.

SHARE THE FOCUS | 1-5 Minutes
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!