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: Job 12:13-13:19
+ 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 46
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 Romans 15:17-29
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…
We have all heard the old adage “No good deed goes unpunished.” I am sure that is what Job was thinking when he was pleading with God for an explanation as to why God was letting all this misery and trouble come into his life. Job had been a faithful servant of the Lord, but when the evil one made a wager with the Lord that Job would turn on the Lord if his life wasn’t going smoothly, things took an ugly turn. Job proved the evil one wrong. But…. Job was pleading with God as to why? And he wanted to be able to defend himself. Job knew that the Lord was good and had good plans for him, but what was all this tragedy going on in his life about? When life is not going smoothly and one thing after another seems to strike, we can be a lot like Job - asking the Lord why? How many of us have been angry or turned our backs on the Lord when He didn’t come to our rescue after we prayed for release from what was going on in our lives? It’s something to honestly ask ourselves. I know I have been there. When God did not heal my mother in law’s cancer and she died, I was angry. I refused to speak to Him for a year. Thankfully He never left me - He waited patiently for me to come home to Him. He knew my heart and worked to heal the pain of losing mom. He then went on to bless me tenfold in the following years.
Now, if you read further into the book of Job, God blesses him abundantly and more than restores everything Job lost. Here’s the thing: He told us His ways are not our ways. We may think we understand this and try to live with this mindset, but, just like Job, we demand an explanation and reason as to why these things are happening to us. Job goes on to say, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1). He realizes that our life here is brief in the grand scheme of things, and that trouble will come our way. He also goes on to say that he trusts that the Lord has a plan for all of us, even if we are confused and unsure of why things happen. This verse calls us to live with an eternal perspective, to recognize our time here is limited, but that we have the promise of God’s presence to be with us through all of our suffering.
We need to remember this verse when life seems to be against us, (Psalm 34:18) “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Because our life here is brief, we can see it as an invitation from a God who loves us, to seek Him with all our heart, and live for a future in His presence for eternity. His love for us is revealed through His patience and grace, giving us time to turn to Him in this broken world. I pray you remember that you are never walking through this life alone, He is with you always. - Dawn Marie
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!
