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Thursday
The First
Lesson
Esther 2:5-8, 17-23
5 Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name
was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of
Kish, a Benjamite;
6 Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity
which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter:
for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair
and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were
dead, took for his own daughter.
8 So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree
was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto
Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was
brought also unto the king's house, to the custody of Hegai,
keeper of the women.
17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained
grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that
he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead
of Vashti.
18 Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and
his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the
provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.
19 And when the virgins were gathered together the second time,
then Mordecai sat in the king's gate.
20 Esther had not yet shown her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai
had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai,
like as when she was brought up with him.
21 In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two
of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which
kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay hand on the king
Ahasuerus.
22 And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther
the queen; and Esther certified the king thereof in Mordecai's
name.
23 And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found
out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written
in the book of the chronicles before the king.
1st Lesson Questions -
Do I have the ear of a powerful person? What do I say to that person and why? RESOLVE.
The Second
Lesson
Acts 27:27-44
27 But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven
up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that
they drew near to some country;
28 And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had
gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen
fathoms.
29 Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast
four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
30 And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when
they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though
they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,
31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these
abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her
fall off.
33 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to
take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have
tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your
health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any
of you.
35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks
to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he
began to eat.
36 Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some
meat.
37 And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and
sixteen souls.
38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and
cast out the wheat into the sea.
39 And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered
a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded,
if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.
40 And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves
unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoisted up the
mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
41 And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the
ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable,
but the hinderpart was broken with the violence of the waves.
42 And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest
any of them should swim out, and escape.
43 But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their
purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast
themselves first into the sea, and get to land:
44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of
the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe
to land.
2nd Lesson Questions -
What's the spiritual shoal upon which I have become stuck? RESOLVE.