Friday, March 8

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 | Life-on-Life Discipleship (2 Timothy 2:2)
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 we would faithfully be & make disciples of Jesus. We’re praying for 40+ Discipling Relationships at Paradox in 2024
Ask, Who can I ask to disciple me in this season? Who can I invite into a discipling relationship?

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 16:1-17
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…
Some of my best memories are from holidays. Traditions, food, activities, gatherings with family… holidays have a way of creating memories as people get together to remember important or significant events in our story. The people of Israel would gather three times a year - the feast of Passover, Weeks, and Tabernacles - to do exactly that. Remember. And in doing so, create memories. But these memories centered around more than the food and the fun, the story they were remembering became etched on their mind and engrained in their heart as they stopped to remember, reflect, and refocus. Failing to reflect on what God has previously done for us can hinder our ability to recognize what He is doing right now. The busyness of life often crowds out time to refocus, examine our priorities, and give God the recognition He deserves. How can you purposefully refocus your attention on God? What specific provision can you thank Him for? How has His love, mercy, grace, or holiness been evident to you this year? Starting right now, make spiritual reflection a regular practice. Then celebrate what God has done and worship Him for Who He is.  - Dave Kubiak

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!

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