| Scripture
and Prayer Guide
Scripture and Prayer Guide
April 9-13, 2007
"24 Hours That Shook The World - He Goes Before You"
Readings for living the resurrection life - post Easter
Monday, John 11:25-26
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He
who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives
and believes in me will never die.
Jesus said this to Martha upon the death of her brother, Lazarus. They
were some of Jesus' closest friends. Jesus wept when he saw the grief
of Lazarus' family. Even those who believe, who know there is resurrection
coming can grieve. Pray for those who grieve and await the dawning of
new life.
Tuesday, Romans 6:1-8
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may
increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through
baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly
also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old
self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away
with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone
who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
Easter also means that our life is transformed here and now. Eternal life
is a present reality, and does some earthly good right now. Pray for the
things in your life which bring death and decay; pray for the power of
Christ to bring His life, new life, into you.
Wednesday, 1 Corinthians 15:12-14
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead,
how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been
raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless
and so is your faith.
Most people, but not all, believe in some sort of life after death. Perhaps
it is a loosely held belief for some. Perhaps it is simply hoping there
is something rather than nothing. But some (even in church) do not believe.
Pray for those who do not believe with the great prayer of a boy's father
who went to Jesus for his son's healing: "I do believe; help me overcome
my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)
Thursday, 1 Corinthians 15:35-44
35 But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind
of body will they come?" 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come
to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that
will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But
God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he
gives its own body. 39 All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of
flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There
are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor
of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies
is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and
the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown
is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it
is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44
it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
We want answers. We want facts. We want footnotes to that last verse:
what is, exactly, a spiritual body? What is the resurrection like? What
is heaven like. There's only one way to find out for sure. And most of
us are willing to wait awhile to take that journey. Pray that we can trust
that God will provide what is good, what is best, what is beyond our imagining.
Friday, Philippians 3:7-11
7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of
Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing
greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost
all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found
in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,
but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that
comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power
of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming
like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection
from the dead.
"Oh, to know the power of Your risen life, and to know You in Your
sufferings;
to become like You, in Your death, my Lord, so in You to live and never
die:
knowing You, Jesus – there is no better thing."
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