Good Morning!
Let’s focus our day by spending some time with Jesus before it begins.

WORSHIP | 5-15 Minutes
Worship can be as simple as thanking God for who He is & what He’s done.
Start by playing some worship music you love, or choose from one of our Spotify Playlists.
Journal or say out loud 3-5 things you’re thankful for in the last 24 hours.
Going Deeper: Pray Deuteronomy 32:3-12. Focus on one truth about who God is & thank Him for it.

PRAYER | 5-15 Minutes
Prayer is a conversation that involves both talking and listening to God.
Start praying for yourself using the Lord’s Prayer or pray for others using a Ripple Prayer.
Going Deeper: Learn more about prayer & try out a practice at paradoxchurch.com/pray.

SCRIPTURE | 5-25 Minutes
Our scripture focus for this study is Romans 3:23-24. Try memorizing it!
Today’s reading is from Romans 9:19-33
Ask the following SOS Questions & journal your thoughts…
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
Today’s reading is difficult, no doubt. After reminding us that we are clay, crafted for a purpose by our creator, Paul poses a string of tough questions. Essentially: what if the creator fashions some of his creation for destruction, or to be used to help draw closer to himself the other part of creation he made for life? This is a popular set of verses used by those who posit that some people are predestined by God for salvation and others not. We don’t have space in this context to fully flesh out the arguments of predestination vs free will, but I believe both sides end up arriving at the same place: TRUST. We ultimately have no choice but to trust that God is sovereign, holy, wise, merciful, and loving, and that we are what he wants us to be. When we make decisions to align with his will, whether we do so out of internal programming by him or personal passion for him, we need to own those choices. We need to trust. We need to have faith. Paul said many are not right with God “because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. (v32)”. So let us lean not on our own understanding today or put our faith in what we can do, but rather trust in his understanding and put our faith in what he has done. -Mike Nank

SHARE | 1-5 Minutes
Text someone a prayer/encouragement, or share a thought/question with us in the Forum.
Going Deeper: 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!