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.
Use the PRAY acronym to guide your prayer this 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.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS | Today’s reading is from 1 Corinthians 15:12-34
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…
Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. I’ll bet you’ve heard it, but did you know it came from the Bible? Here’s the thing - that’s what Paul said, but that’s not what he was saying! As with many things in this letter to the Corinthians, Paul is responding to specific questions and disagreements. This one is about whether or not people would rise from the dead, aka the reality of the afterlife. I love that scripture always begins and ends with Jesus. Paul points out that people will rise from the dead because that’s what Jesus did. He just did it first. He builds on the premise from there. Just like Adam was the first one to sin, which resulted in the “fruit” of death for every person who followed (aka being “in Adam”), the fruit of following Jesus is resurrection life (aka being “in Christ”)! When we follow Jesus, we follow him! We do what he did first. Think about it - we love because he first loved us. That’s the gospel. And when we trust (believe and follow) Him, we are in Christ and the fruit of that follows. Paul’s argument is this - if people don’t rise from the dead, then neither did Jesus. And if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, there’s no forgiveness or hope. You and I are still dead in our sins Adam-followers. If that’s the case, you might as well live for today. It’s a way of living that leads to death. But because Jesus did rise, someday you will too. So live for that day. Live today that you might live tomorrow. Some day, Jesus, who rose from the dead, will return. And when he does, those who are “in Christ” will rise from the dead too. And when we do, we’ll never die again. We’ll eat and drink at the feast of the Lamb - because on that day we’ll live. How is Jesus inviting you to follow Him and live today in light of the hope of tomorrow? - Dave Kubiak

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!