July 19 - Can These Bones Live?

Today's Reading:
Ezekiel 37:1-38:23
Matthew 18:21-19:12
Proverbs 16:28-17:4 
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Focus Verses:
Ezekiel 37:3-6
3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "

Insight:
God has the power to restore life. He can raise the dead. Those who are dead in their transgressions are not beyond God's resurrection power. The messed up and broken world is not beyond God's power to revive and restore. God can take a dead end and turn it into a new life. By the power and grace of God's Spirit, death gives way to breath.

Response and Action:
I need to look to God for life and restoration. Can God raise these bones and give them life? Yes. I must not give up on life or on the possibilities of change and transformation. In situations where things seem as hopeless as a pile of dry bones, I must remember that God can raise even dry bones into a mighty army to serve his purposes.

O God, give me faith in your power to save and restore. Help me to remember that you are able to conquer death with life. My hope is in you. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who lives in me, the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 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. Do you believe this?"

Resources:
Living the Resurrection: The Risen Christ in an Everyday Life
by Eugene Peterson