(Matthew 21:1-7a)
1 When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with it. Untie them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them on immediately.” 4 Now this took place so that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled:5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold your King is coming to you,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt...
TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:
Yesterday's devotion looked at our response to the Lord's calling: to serve Him with our time, resources, energy and willingness. Today is more about "the why". Jesus came to earth in flesh, not to be served, but to serve, as an example for us to follow. And even here, the Lord Jesus - the sovereign King of kings - the One who has more power than all powers put together - exemplifies this in the simple act of presenting Himself to the people, riding into the city on a donkey.
In those days, a horse represented war, as well as triumph in war. Just so, at the end of the Tribulation, Jesus will ride in on a horse, and at the Armageddon battle, He will have victory over evil. He will then lead all those who become believers during those seven years into the Millennial kingdom. With righteousness and justice, Jesus will sit on the throne, to serve all people, by establishing worldwide peace, both physical as well as spiritual.
As well, in those days, for a king to ride in on a donkey represented peace. When Jesus came to earth in flesh the first time, to serve all people, He came to establish spiritual peace. Throughout His ministry, we see how Jesus is our perfect example of being humble, as well as being a peacemaker. Being meek is another term used, although, in our society, this word can come across as sounding very pathetic - but it is not. To be gentle (meek) involves compassion and mercy, as opposed to exploiting one’s power for selfish gains. Right!? This sounds more like it!
Let us not redefine the word "compassion" to mean tolerating sin and crime and/or excusing the actions of bullies, criminals or terrorists. God's words clearly tell us that we are to stand up for justice to protect the victims, the weak and vulnerable. Jesus didn't die on the cross to justify sinful actions, He humbly died on the cross to forgive sins - to anyone who humbly repents and confesses their sins and puts their belief, faith and hope in Him! Making Jesus our personal Savior and King, this is how true spiritual peace will reign within our hearts. And having a relationship of peace with Jesus, helps us to have relationships of peace with others!
Without having the Lord in our lives, and embracing a close relationship with Him, we will struggle with being humble and selfless, because we need Him to change us from the inside out. Just in becoming a believer begins with us humbling our hearts, realizing our need to be forgiven and saved. And then continuing on in our relationship with Jesus, He helps us realize our continuous need for His direction and help, to understand that it is the Lord who wants to bless us as we allow Him to work for us, within us, and through us, all to His glory!
No comments:
Post a Comment