Word For Today The Journey

Word For Today

The Journey

If you are a disciple of Jesus you are committed to His command “Follow Me”

No matter what you are walking through He is there and is speaking to you

You, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus

May not realize it until you are done with the walk

If you don’t like walking or the walk you are on

 You will want to get to your destination

But it is not the destination, but the journey

It is in the journey where the Word of the Lord comes

That will cause you to appreciate the destination

Many believers have said 

“I would not want to go through that again but I would not trade it for anything”

Keep walking for the Word of the Lord is with you

You will soon break bread and your eyes will be opened

The Journey

The NIV uses 230 times the phrase…

“The Word of the Lord”

That may seem like a lot to you especially

if you are in a place where you need

some direction from the Lord.

I am one of those who is

jealous of the twelve disciples.

They had the opportunity every day

to look Jesus in the eye and talk to

Him about what was on their minds.

They were the privileged who heard Him

speak and afterwards had a back stage

pass to get the deeper understanding.

I like to micro manage so details matter to me.

I want the Word of the Lord for every detail.

I am definitely into the 21 Century

where everything is instant.

I hate to wait for an answer,

I want it now.

One of the things I come to realize as I follow

the disciples is, they did not always get it.

They were face to face with God and

struggled with the Word of the Lord.

There were times Jesus would say

go make preparation for the Passover

or go into town and you will find a colt.

But for the most part when they heard the Word

of the Lord, they experienced the same things I do.

They experienced a lack of understanding.

They did not understand Jesus when

He spoke about His resurrection.

 John 20:19

Remember when Jesus fed the multitudes with

the five loaves and Jesus made the comment…

“Do you still not understand?”

Matthew 16:9

The disciples also got confused when

they heard the Word of the Lord.

    

One time Jesus’ disciple were arguing about bread,

concerned about what they would eat.

I get that, there is not a day of

my life I am not thinking about what

I have to do to put food on the table.

Most of the time when I want a

Word of the Lord, it is for direction

on how to get food on the table.

Or, how do I balance serving

the Lord and working for food.

When the disciples were getting worked

up with each other about bread,

 the Word of the Lord from Jesus was…

 “How is it you don’t understand”

Matthew 16:8-11

Even the disciples being face to face with Jesus

found the Word of the Lord hard to understand.

The Word of the Lord came to

the disciple like it comes to us.

So often the Word of the Lord comes in Parables.

We need to realize there is a big

difference between heaven and earth.

The Word of the Lord comes from heaven…

From the Kingdom of Heaven.

It is a different language, a different culture.

So often, like the disciples, the Word of the Lord

comes to us but we do not recognize it.

 So how do we recognize it when

the Word of the Lord comes to us?

Recognizing the Word of the Lord is a process.

You can’t get up in the morning and close your eyes,

open your Bible and point to a verse and say

this is the Word of the Lord to me today.

But you can read the Bible, and like Mary,

the mother of Jesus, take the Word of the

Lord and store it in your heart for a day

when it will come alive to you.

Recognizing the Word of the Lord is a process.

After Jesus rose from the dead

He walked with some disciples…

These disciples did not recognize who Jesus was.

         

It was after the walk and Jesus broke bread

with them that their eyes were opened.

The Word of the Lord comes to us the same way…

We are walking through life and at

times troubled, like the disciples…

God is with us, but we don’t recognize it.

Then at the end of the walk, God opens

our eyes as we break bread with Him.

If you are a disciple of Jesus,

you are committed to His command…

 “Follow Me”

No matter what you are walking through,

He is there and is speaking to you.

You, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus,

may not realize it until you are done with the walk.

If you don’t like walking or the walk you are on,

you will want to get to your destination.

But it is not the destination, but the journey.

It is in the journey where the Word of the Lord comes

that will cause you to appreciate the destination.

Many believers have said…

 

“I would not want to go through that again

but I would not trade it for anything.”

Keep walking for the Word of the Lord is with you.

You will soon break bread and your eyes will be opened.

Scripture Reading

Luke 24:13 - John 1:1

13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.

17 He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"

They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"

19 "What things?" he asked.

"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."

25 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?"  27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.

30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 

37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." 

40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?"  42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.

44 He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." 

45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." 

50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.