ESOCS Devotional 6 October 2023 – God’s Word is Dependable
MEMORY VERSE: “Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.” Luke 24:25
TEXT: LUKE 24:13 – 35 (NIV)
And behold, that very day two of [the disciples] were going to a village called Emmaus, [which is] about seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 And they were talking with each other about all these things that had occurred.
15 And while they were conversing and discussing together, Jesus Himself caught up with them and was already accompanying them.
16 But their eyes were held, so that they did not recognize Him.
17 And He said to them, What is this discussion that you are exchanging (throwing back and forth) between yourselves as you walk along? And they stood still, looking sad anddowncast.
18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, Do you alone dwell as a stranger in Jerusalem and not know the things that have occurred there in these days?
19 And He said to them, What [kind of] things? And they said to Him, About Jesus of Nazareth, Who was a Prophet mighty in work and word before God and all the people—
20 And how our chief priests and rulers gave Him up to be sentenced to death, and crucified Him.
21 But we were hoping that it was He Who would redeem and set Israel free. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things occurred.
22 And moreover, some women of our company astounded us and drove us out of our senses. They were at the tomb early [in the morning]
23 But did not find His body; and they returned saying that they had [even] seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive!
24 So some of those [who were] with us went to the tomb and they found it just as the women had said, but Him they did not see.
25 And [Jesus] said to them, O foolish ones [sluggish in mind, dull of perception] and slow of heart to believe (adhere to and trust in and rely on) everything that the prophets have spoken!
26 Was it not necessary and essentially fitting that the Christ (the Messiah) should suffer all these things before entering into His glory (His majesty and splendor)?
27 Then beginning with Moses and [throughout] all the Prophets, He went on explaining andinterpreting to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning and referring to Himself.
28 Then they drew near the village to which they were going, and He acted as if He would go further.
29 But they urged and insisted, saying to Him, Remain with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent. So He went in to stay with them.
30 And it occurred that as He reclined at table with them, He took [a loaf of] bread and praised [God] and gave thanks and asked a blessing, and then broke it and was giving it to them
31 When their eyes were [instantly] opened and they [clearly] recognized Him, and He vanished (departed invisibly).
32 And they said to one another, Were not our hearts greatly moved and burning within us while He was talking with us on the road and as He opened and explained to us [the sense of] the Scriptures?
33 And rising up that very hour, they went back to Jerusalem, where they found the Eleven [apostles] gathered together and those who were with them,
34 Who said, The Lord really has risen and has appeared to Simon (Peter)!
35 Then they [themselves] related [in full] what had happened on the road, and how He was known and recognized by them in the breaking of bread.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
Anything that is dependable can be worthy of reliance. It is safe and secure to be trusted. It can be reliable, useful and cannot fail when needed. Even when it is put under test, stress or pressure will remain unbroken. Anything that is dependable will yield faithfully the expected result. This is the nature of the Word of God. It is dependable. It is too faithful to fail. It is spoken by God and therefore it is too faithful to fail. It is spoken by God and therefore it is as faithful as God is. David speaking about God and His words in Psalm 138:2 said, “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth: for thou has magnified thy Word above all thy name.” Here is making us know that the integrity of God and His name is sustained by the faithfulness of His Word. If His word fails, His name has failed too. For God to remain in honour, His Word must be dependable. And it is!
Beloved, His Word can never fail. In Psalm 119:89 – 90, it says, “Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled (stands firm) in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations.” Hallelujah!
Our Lord Jesus Christ who is the incarnate Word of God said that the scriptures cannot be broken (John 10:35), because of that, whatever the Word speaks to must be fulfilled or performed. Isaiah 55:10 – 11 confirms this “for as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and breed to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
So, in our text of the day Luke 24:13 – 35 our Lord was so upset with the disciples for their confusion concerning the events surrounding His person. When they ought to be rejoicing, following the reports of the women who went to the tomb, that said He is raised, they were all the more confused. His resurrection points to the surety of God’s Word.
He had to rebuke them by stating that all that happened to Him were written in the scriptures. And because they are the Words of God revealed through the prophets, they are dependable and can be counted upon to come to pass. Our actions must demonstrate our reliance on His word.
In the memory verse (Luke 24:25) our Lord revealed how we are to relate, respond or react to the Word of God. For us to benefit from the dependability of the word of God we must wholeheartedly believe the Word. Without believing it, we may not be beneficiaries of the performance of the Word of God: “And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord” (Luke 1:45). Belief in the Word is key.
Beloved, we need our hearts to be quickened to receive the Word of God and to have implicit faith in the word of God. Therefore, a lifestyle of hearing the word and fellowshipping with the Spirit of God will be of great help. This will reveal to us the dependable Word of God.
- Consciously open your heart and yield it to the Word; it is capable of doing what it says.
- Father, may your Spirit help us to receive your word with open heart and faith.
FURTHER READING: 1 Chronicle 29:20–end; Esther 6:1–7; Jude 1:1-16
Thank you for reading the ESOCS Devotional today. Please share and follow us on all our platforms to contribute to the spread of the Gospel.
ESOCS Devotional 6 October 2023
