ESOCS Devotional 23 August 2024 – Pay Attention to the Rules
MEMORY VERSE: “He said to them, ‘There is a large harvest, but few workers to gather it in.’” Luke 10:2
TEXT: LUKE 10:1-15
After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 5 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ 12 But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.
13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.
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Those whose ultimate goal is success, must do well from the beginning to learn the rules of the game. If you finish the game before others, and it is found that you ran off track, you may take the back seat and the last becomes the first. The way out of it is to pay attention to what the scripture teaches about what you are. Jesus chose 72 men for the purpose of evangelism. He made them evangelists (Luke 10:1). What are you?
Truly, there are very many churches set up by men of God. There are also very many people who are Christians by religion who attend these churches. If we go by the number of men of God and their followers, one will think that they are such that can influence majority to live a righteous life. But what do we have in our country today and the world over? We have a situation where corruption and perversion are the order of the day. We seem not to get it right in the churches and the government of the day. The truthful messengers of God are few. Our Lord lamented: “There is large harvest but few workers to gather them” (Luke 10:2).
This calls for the need for us all to pay attention to what the scripture teaches about the ways of God. Learn the rules of the Lord governing the life of men on earth. It will help you to remain on the track. The devil and his agents are ever ready to welcome and use you against the Kingdom. Very many men of God and their followers are indeed working against the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, “Go, I am sending you like lambs among wolves” (Luke 10:3).
You will surely run out of track if your target in the kingdom ministry is to make personal gains. Discard that mindset. The work of the Kingdom is a sacrificial enterprise that yields great gains from the Pay Master. Jesus is our Pay Master. He rewards abundantly and with justice. He does not use and dump. His blessings are upon those He has choosen (Luke 10:4-15; Psalm 128).
- Do you desire to remain on the track to the end?
- Father, give me the Grace to follow your path to the end, in Jesus name. Amen.
Further Reading: Genesis 28:10-17; Judges 5:19-end; John 1:43-end
ESOCS Devotional 23 August 2024
