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 29
+ 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 52
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 1 Corinthians 5:9-6:8
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…
Is it fair to have different standards for people who have different backgrounds? Of course!
Let me give you an example…
April and I hosted foster kids years ago. These were elementary age kids and it was when our girls were also that same age. We had rules in the house about obvious things like cleaning up your toys, doing your school work, and respecting/obeying adults. If a foster child who just arrived at our house wouldn’t clean up their mess, refused to do schoolwork, or called me a crude name when I ask him to do these things; should I have treated their disregard for the rules and my authority the same as I treated my own daughters? Of course not! My daughters had the benefit of learning the rules over time, seeing the fruit that comes from following them, and most importantly, feeling the love and care from the parents who made the rules and are enforcing them. The child that was outside of that relationship base COULDN’T be expected to “fall in line” instantly. On the flip side…my daughters knew that there would be loving discipline and careful correction that would come if they strayed outside of the rules designed for their good.
This is, I believe, the gist of what Paul was saying to the church in Corinth in today’s reading. He is clarifying a previous statement in which he said: do not associate with rule breakers. He specifies that he is talking about brothers and sisters WITHIN the body of Christ, aka those who know better. Those who know the love of the Father and have seen the fruit from following the life giving rules that he has given. It is incumbent upon us, as good siblings, to remind the rule-breaking brothers and sisters among us of the Father’s love and encourage them to return to following His plan. But, we are not to accept their sinful behavior.
Those outside the family, however…we are called to meet them where they are and invite them to come and meet Jesus. Browbeating them for breaking rules that they can’t yet understand to be life giving or scolding them for disrespecting a Father whose love they have not yet felt is not helpful, and can in fact be counter productive.
Above all, let’s strive to be very attuned to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Let’s invite him to do three things:
1) Help us to know where/when/how to best speak truth in love to our siblings who are struggling.
2) Embolden us to invite those outside God’s family to meet Jesus.
3) Convict us if it is WE who are breaking God’s life giving rules and pulling away from the love of the Father.
- Mike Nank
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!
