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 1 Corinthians 4:14-21
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…
For better or worse, kids often follow in the footsteps of their parents. It is natural to see the person further down the road of life from you and emulate their ways. In today’s scripture, Paul invites the Corinthians to think of him as their spiritual father. As he is ahead of them on a journey with Jesus, they can look to his way of living and loving others as a template to follow. In fact he “urges” them to imitate him. This begs two questions:
Are we living a life worth imitating?
Who are we imitating?
Summer is a great time to make a connection with someone in a discipling relationship where one person is learning from another who is a bit further in their walk with Jesus. Is there someone less spiritually mature you can be pouring into? You don’t have to be perfect to mentor someone, just available and striving after Jesus. A side perk is that having someone looking to you as a spiritual father might make you walk a straighter path. Maybe you are in need of a spiritual father (or mother). Ask God to show you a person you can meet with regularly to learn from and imitate. We can, of course, learn from the Holy Spirit directly, and we have the life of Jesus to imitate. However, God made us to be relational, and the concept of following a human, spiritual parent has been tried and true since Paul instructed Timothy. Find your Paul. Find your Timothy. - 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!