Devotional For the Week 19 July 2004

The Gospel Encounters – When others let you down.
Reference: Luke 24:13-32.

We live our lives like machines and we tire ourselves out. However, we need to rest or be aware of God’s presence in our lives. Jesus said to His disciples in John 15:5, “for without Me you can do nothing.”

We have experienced how people have let us down and how we have let others down ourselves. Why then do we feel let down? This type of disappointment is generally caused by unmet expectations. Think for a moment how often we were disappointed because someone or something did not happen as we would have expected. It is not wrong to have expectations. However, in order to avoid human disappointment, we need to manage our expectations.

Road to Emmaus
In Luke 24:13-35, we learn from the conversations between two disciples on their way to a village called Emmaus. The disciples would not have been sad or disappointed (verse 17) had they understood all that Jesus told them would happen. The two disciples were disappointed by what had happened to Jesus because they had a different expectation of Him. They had hoped Jesus was going to a political messiah who would redeem Israel from Roman rule (verse 21).

God’s plan or our plan.
What do the disciples want, permanent freedom or temporary freedom? The disciples wanted Jesus to deliver Israel from Roman rule or from the kingdom of darkness. We need to learn to “let go and let God” instead of putting conditions in our prayer and our obedience to Him.

God told them His plan and all that was to come. He spoke about Moses and all the prophets and that it would end with Himself. We know that even our lives are not in our own hands. Therefore, the little difficulties we face in lives are to help us see God more clearly.

How to walk with God.
People are able to go through every difficult situation, even death, if they have God in their lives. What we need is to practise dwelling in the presence of God, uninfluenced by the affairs of the world. Jesus Himself said, “What I hear I speak what I see I do.” We can be busy doing everything for God but are still not with God.

We want to be real witnesses for God. There is a difference between these two words, “Ideal” and “Practical”. We don't want to speak empty words or cliches but have real-life experiences in witnessing.

We must not practise self-importance, ie. God must meet our expectations and not we meeting God’s expectations.

Reflections from the Word of God
God wants us to return to Him and be conscious of His presence in our lives. We need to recognise that the Father’s love is still restoring people’s lives.

• If we are ever discouraged, we can depend on God. (Luke 24:37) Read how God met the needs of the people but not their expectation.

• If our wounds are too deep, we should read about Joseph in Genesis.

• If we are faced with difficulties, read how God provided for the children of Israel in Exodus.

• If our opponents are too strong, read about how God’s delivered the lands into Joshua’s hands in the book of Joshua.

• If disappointments were too heavy, read about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. How God came into their lives.

God is the same yesterday, today and forever. In this journey of our life, we must walk with Christ as our companion and have conversation and communion with Christ in our daily act of worship.

- Pastor Vincent Goh