Good Morning!
Let’s focus our day by spending some time with Jesus before it begins.
Play or sing some worship music you love, or use a playlist from Paradox on Spotify.
If you’re new to the Daily Focus, read this first.

WEEKLY 40 FOR 40 FOCUS | Demonstrating Love (Malachi 4:4-6, Psalm 103:17-18)
Over the 40 Days of Lent, add 40 minutes of prayer to your week - either 1x/week or 7 minutes/day.
This week, pray that hearts would be restored to the Father, families would be healed, and generations would be united in love. We’re praying God would allow us to be part of 40+ Baptisms at Paradox in 2024.
Ask, Who am I praying for healing/reconciliation with? Who am I praying would start or restart a relationship with their Father God in 2024?

DAILY PRAYER FOCUS | Use the PRAY acronym each morning. 
P = Pause. As you start your time of prayer, begin by pausing and being still before the Lord.
R = Read. Read the Scripture Focus slowly and focus on words/phrases the Holy Spirit highlights as you read.
A = Ask. Ask God to come and speak to you. Open up your heart to Him as your heavenly Father.
Y = Yield. We want to yield our lives to the words we have prayed and commit to follow Jesus’s way.
Begin your prayer with “Father, I remember your faithfulness to…” and respond with, “Give me faith to…”

SCRIPTURE FOCUS | Today’s reading is from Deuteronomy 6
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…
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you rise.” - Deuteronomy 6: 4-7

I grew up knowing this verse - maybe you were too. It is part of the Jewish daily prayer called the Shema. The word Shema means to hear, just as this passage begins with Moses telling Israel to listen carefully to what God has to say to them, it is also to remember all that the Lord has done for them. The Lord delivered them from slavery, and brought them into the land that He promised them. The Lord was very visible to the Israelites during their time of deliverance, He knew that once He was not constantly visible, it would become an issue of “out of sight, out of mind.” Therefore He commanded that we constantly talk about how He has saved us from bondage. But most importantly He commanded us to teach our children all about Him.

Today this commandment is for ALL of us, not just parents. You see Moses was speaking to ALL of the Israelites, therefore, all were responsible for spreading the Word and teaching about the wonders of our God. I was a youth leader for 20 years, and my most treasured times were those spent with my group studying the Word of God. I loved sharing His wonderful news, that we are loved beyond measure, and if we put Him first in our lives, when we look back, we will see His hand all over our lives.

Deuteronomy 6 is a reminder of who God is, all that He has done for us, and how we can respond in love. We are reminded to tell God’s story to all of His people, but especially to His children. So remember to tell God’s story well, tell it to your children, tell it to all children, tell it often, tell it a million times, tell it with your words, but most importantly, tell it with your life. - Dawn Custer

REMEMBERING PRACTICE | (Optional) Practice remembering with a Daily Examen each evening.
The Examen prayer was made popular by Ignatius of Loyola (1491 – 1556). It has helped Christians for centuries to re-center themselves on Jesus as they come to the end of long days. We are using a variation creat-ed by Pete Greig from his book, How to Pray, to help us remember Jesus at the close of our days.
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.
Reboot = 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 | 1-5 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!