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: 1 Chronicles 9:35-11:3
+ 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 8
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 Acts 11:25-12:5
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…
One of my favorite things to do in the winter is to look up at the night sky and simply take in the vastness of the stars and the sky. There is something so big and majestic about it… I feel like I can even hear the quiet. It all makes me feel a little… small. I think along with the psalmist, “Who am I that you, God, are mindful of me?”
Have you ever felt like your life is too ordinary to matter in the grand story God is writing? As I was reading today’s scriptures, what stood out to me most was how God often works through the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary… even in the verses themselves! In 1 Chronicles, we see the family history of Saul—names most of us might skim over. Yet from these seemingly ordinary people, God raised up a king. Psalm 8 takes this further, reminding us how small we are compared to the vastness of creation—yet God cares for us. In Acts, we see Barnabas and Saul, two ordinary men, being sent out from the church in Antioch to spread the gospel, and Peter experiencing God’s miraculous deliverance from prison. These passages remind us that God doesn’t choose people because of their greatness—He chooses them (and us) because of His great plans. No matter how ordinary or insignificant you might feel, God has a purpose for your life. Just like He used Saul, Barnabas, and Peter, He can use “little” you to work His “big” plans in the world. How? Trust Him with the small, everyday moments of your life—they might just be the very place where He begins His extraordinary work through you. - Dave Kubiak
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!
