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.

GET FOCUSED | Worship can be as simple as thanking God for who He is & what He does. (Psalm 100:4)
Spend a few moments in silence, meditating on scripture, or writing/saying 3-5 things you’re thankful for.
Play or sing some worship music you love, or use a playlist from Paradox on Spotify.

MORNING PRAYER FOCUS | Prayer is a conversation that involves both talking and listening to God.
Simply pray the prayer Jesus taught his followers: the Lord’s Prayer, or pray it using this Lord’s Prayer guide.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS | Today’s reading is from John 21:1-14 & Hebrews 2:17-18
Pray a simple prayer before reading, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth. (John 14:26)
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…
I’ll never forget the day I returned to my elementary school as an adult. It had been MANY years since I had been in that building and I was immediately stunned at how short everything was. The coat hooks. The library shelves. The monkey bars. All these things I needed to reach up for as a child, now literally beneath my line of sight. I remember in the library specifically, squatting down to recreate the vantage point of my youth, trying to better understand what life was like for little Mikey. The world can be a complex, confusing, and scary place for kids from their vantage point, not just physically, but with their level of understand of how things work.
I love that we have a God that squatted down to our vantage point to better understand our experience. The writer of Hebrews says Jesus “had to be like” us “in every way” in order to become the sacrifice needed for our sins. He also needed to experience temptation in order to be able to help us through it. Because not a lot is recorded about Jesus’ young life or daily adult life outside of when he was ministering to people, I think we forget that for 30 some years he was a human, experiencing everything we go through. This is profound, and beautiful. His human experience allows God to understand the human experience, and meet us where we are. God is like a good parent stooping down to a child at their level, explaining things in terms they can understand with the loving assurance that they need.
We see an example of this in John 21 today when Jesus reveals himself his disciples after his resurrection. After a long night of frustrating and fruitless fishing, he greets them in a fun, familiar throwback to the day he met several of them for the first time. He meets them right where they are, helping them with their labor, greeting them with breakfast, and most importantly reassuring them in their faith through a very personal interaction. It is almost as if he knew exactly what they needed!
I follow an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent being, in part, because he was willing for a time to give up his “omni” existence to understand my “nomi”nal existence.
Thank you, Lord! - Mike Nank

EVENING PRAYER FOCUS | Re-Focus on Jesus by praying a Daily Examen each evening.
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.
Refocus = 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. 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!