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, & use as much or little as you’d like.

GET FOCUSED | Start by simply thanking God for who He is & what He’s done.
+ Practice gratitude while singing/playing some worship music from Paradox on Spotify.
+ Spend a few moments meditating on today’s Old Testament Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7
+ From your reading, finish the sentence “God, you are ___.”
Take time to thank & worship God for the ways you’ve seen Him be/do that in your life.

MORNING PRAYER FOCUS | Prayer involves both talking and listening to God.
+ Pray the Lord’s Prayer, or slow down to pray it using this Lord’s Prayer guide.
+ Use “Lectio Divina” to listen to God in this morning’s Psalm: Psalm 143:1-6
Reading 1 = Focus. What is one word or phrase that Holy Spirit puts on your heart?
Reading 2 = Feelings. Focus on that word or phrase while you read. What do you feel? What specific situation in your life today relates? Reflect and talk with God about it.
Reading 3 = Invitation. What is God’s personal invitation to you from the Scripture?
Take time to journal anything you feel the Lord might be saying to you.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FOCUS | Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth.
Today’s New Testament reading is from Luke 1:32-33, 5:1-10, Matthew 22:41-46, & Acts 2:29-36
Highlight verses that capture your attention, and ask three simple questions as you read…
Observe. Pay attention to what the text says. Ask who, what, when, where, & why.
Interpret. What’s the main point or meaning? What does it teach about God? Yourself?
Apply. Apply this truth to your own life. What can you put into practice today?

A THOUGHT FROM TODAY’S READING…
Everything is going according to plan: One of the beautiful things about God's Word is that it tells a story of things to come from the Old Testament to the New Testament. One of the ways we see this most beautifully demonstrated is through prophecy. Prophecy is a critical piece of evidence that points to the inspiration of Scripture. We can look in centuries past to see where God spoke of things to come, and then fast forward to the New Testament writings to see these prophecies come to pass. The reason this is powerful evidence is because only God can know the future. This is critical, because King David wrote about the coming Messiah 1000 years before Jesus was even born.

In Acts 2, Peter tells the Israelites that Jesus is the Messiah and that God has raised Him from the dead. Peter also says that God promised to place one of David's descendants on the throne, and that David spoke of the Messiah's resurrection. This is incredible news! Furthermore, when Jesus was on the cross, He quotes the psalm of David. Psalms 22 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This is extremely important because the Jewish audience who was listening to Peter, would be able to see these breadcrumbs that the Holy Spirit had placed all throughout scripture, pointing to Jesus the Christ, the Anointed One, the prophesied Messiah. The Israelites are moved and ask Peter and the other apostles what they should do. Peter tells the Israelites to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. He also says that they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. What incredibly good news, especially when we think about the Christmas season and how chaotic things can get. There's so many people we want to get gifts for, and probably a few things we want to receive ourselves. But nothing compares to the greatest gift - and that is salvation through Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that is gifted to every believer in Christ.

Nothing catches God by surprise, even in the moments in our life where it seems like things don't make sense. Let us be reminded that God is the author and the finisher of our faith, and that everything happens for a reason. One day, we'll be able to look back and see things more clearly - that through our trials and our victory, God has had our end already prepared from the beginning. And He is creating a beautiful story that includes us as His children, and He, as the hero and savior of all. That being said, there's no need to worry. Jesus has already finished the work on the cross and it's been prophesied from millennia past: everything is going according to plan. (Romans 8:28)  - Jewaun Glenn

EVENING PRAYER FOCUS | Re-Focus on Jesus by returning to prayer each evening.
Replay = Replay your day. What made you happy, joyful, 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 = Ask to see God’s presence more clearly & walk w/ Him more closely tomorrow.
+ 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.

SHARE THE FOCUS |
+ Pray a Ripple Prayer or use Nations Prayer to pray for the nations & those serving them.
+ Text someone an encouragement, or share a thought/question with us in the Forum.
+ Invite someone to read the Focus with you. Text “FOCUS” to (586) 200-6277.
+ Who can you share what you’re learning with today personally?

That’s all for today.
Stay focused on Jesus, and make it a great one!