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Thursday
in Easter Week
First Lesson
Ezekiel 37:1-14
1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the
spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley
which was full of bones,
2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there
were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And
I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto
them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause
breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon
you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall
live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there
was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together,
bone to his bone.
8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon
them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath
in them.
9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son
of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from
the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that
they may live.
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into
them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding
great army.
11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole
house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our
hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause
you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land
of Israel.
13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your
graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall
place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD
have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
1st Lesson Questions -
What bones of mine are dry, theologically speaking? Can they live again? How? Recite - pray - the lyrics of hymn 375 each morning for the next nine days. RESOLVE.
Second Lesson
Philippians 3:7-21
7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered
the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may
win Christ,
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which
is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ,
the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and
the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto
his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the
dead.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already
perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for
which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this
one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and
reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I
press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God
in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and
if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even
this unto you.
16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk
by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which
walk so as ye have us for an example.
18 (For
many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even
weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose
glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look
for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like
unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is
able even to subdue all things unto himself.
2nd Lesson Questions -
What is the "prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus?" (V. 14) How does one walk in life as an enemy of the cross of Christ? (V. 18) When was the last time I did? Why? RESOLVE.