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Monday, March 30, 2015

Inspired by . . . The Triumphant Entry: A Palm Sunday Reflection

 

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is he,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zec 9:9

 YellowCallaLily

 

Reading Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem always leaves me with mixed emotions.  I wonder if Jesus felt the same. Not to say that I can identify with Him, but because He can identify me.

He knows what is in the hearts of men. He knows my heart.

 

But Jesus on His part did not entrust Himself to them,

because He knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man,

for He Himself knew what was in man. Joh 2:24-25

 

I rejoice over the picture of Jesus riding on a young colt. To see Him coming in humble majesty fills my heart with JOY.  I can picture His mother watching. Thinking of another time, years before, when she bore Him on the back of a donkey.

Despite the shouts of the crowd, Jesus still comes quietly.

This is no picture of a conquering king. 

And yet that is what the people wanted. That is what God's people have always wanted. {1Sa_8:5-6} I wonder if that's why their hearts turned so quickly against Him. They wanted a king to rule them, to save them from the Romans.

But Jesus came to save them from themselves.

 

CallaLily_kk_tuesday

kk_tuesday

 

He comes the same way today.

It pains me to know that the same crowd that shouted, "Hosanna!" on this day, shouted, "Crucify him!" just a few days later. It pains me because I love Him.  and because I know if I'm not careful, I can do the same.

For us, Palm Sunday is all sunshine and shouts of praise. But as our Savior rode into the city, He saw the shadow of a scourged and beaten man carrying a cross pass by. A man Whose heart was heavy with the sting of rejection, and Whose ears heard cries of hatred.

This account, found in all four gospels, reminds me to be careful. It reminds me to question the motives of my fickle, human, heart.

Am I looking for a King when I really need a Savior?  Do I reject the blessing when it doesn't look the way I thought it would?

 

PurpleCallaLily

 

These are good questions to ponder. Questions that shed Light in dark places.

Because just as Jesus died and rose again, there are things in our lives that have to die before we can take up our cross and be made more like Him.  Luk_9:23

In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Heb_12:4

 

As we travel the road to the cross this week,

may our steps take us deeper into the

heart of our Savior.

 

Shalom,

June

 

Sharing inspiration here:

#TellHisStory

Holly Barrett

GraceTruth_Friday Beauty in His Grip Button

Kim Klassen {dot com}     PlayDatesGod

10 comments:

  1. How beautiful, June. This I loved: "...may our steps take us deeper into the heart of our Savior." Yes, this is what I want, more than anything, especially this week as I remember what He did.



    GOD BLESS!

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  2. Wonderful purple lily. I saw this quote somewhere and it has stuck with me because it is true:


    "The first time Jesus came, people were expecting a lion, but got a lamb. The second time He comes, people will expect a lamb, but get a lion."


    Sobering indeed. We also need to know that this is our season of redemption, season of freedom.

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  3. June, Your callalily photographs are beautiful, and they make the perfect companion to your gentle thoughts regarding Palm Sunday. I especially relate to your sentence regarding questioning your own motives. I find this to be an essential part of my daily life - often asking myself why? When I am honest, the answer is often pride or ego or fear or some other selfish motive - and then I am sometimes able to move past myself and closer to God. Thank you for your encouragement - always!

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  4. Praying that for you this week, Sharon!

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  5. Wonderful thoughts and truths, Abrianna! Thank you for sharing them here! Blessings on your Easter.

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  6. "move past myself" Yes, that! I'm always so blessed when I accomplish that, Donna. Love how you worded it. I'm always blessed by your visits here. Have a blessed week!

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  7. Thank you, Marilyn! They were taken at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens last year. Mom and I went for Mother's Day. It was lovely. Have a blessed week!

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  8. I love your thoughts on the triumphant entry, the hearts of the people at that time. Thanks so much for linking with us at Grace & Truth!

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  9. Thanks for stopping by, Holly! I hope you and your family had a blessed Easter!

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If you read something here that inspired you, I’d love to hear about it. Please know I appreciate every comment! Thanks so much for stopping by! Blessings, June