shortlady
Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2005
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Palm Sunday
With Easter just a week away, that would have made this Sunday, Palm Sunday. Can you imagine? Jesus makes his famous Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, with the crowds hailing Him as the Messiah. They cry out, "Hosanna", and lay palm branches on the road before Him. The amazing part is this. Just five days later, these same people are screaming, "Crucify him! Let his blood be upon our heads." What a difference 5 days can make. We are forewarned of this turn for the worse by the words of Jesus just after His Triumphal Entry. He cries out, "How often I wanted to gather your children together...and you were unwilling." He knew, even then, that this fickle crowd of followers would be led astray and seek His blood.
A short while later, in his first, last, and greatest sermon, Stephen said this to these same people. "You men who are stiff-necked... are always resisting the Holy Spirit... You have become the betrayers and murderers of the Righteous One." I'm talking about human free will. It is another variable that affects our prayers and our lives. People are free to choose to follow and obey or resist and rebel. What about you? Perhaps you once bowed before Him, hailing Him as your Lord and Savior, but now a few days have passed, or months or years. Where do you stand now? Are you daily choosing to be His faithful follower, or have you fallen in with the fickle crowd? Could it be that you are a bit like those first century Jews, who believed in God, yet crucified His Son? Has your experience of yesteryear become just some religious guilt that haunts you? Don't let that happen. Stand up at work, or school, or in your family, or with your friends, and declare as Joshua did, "Choose for yourselves whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." God be with you all...
With Easter just a week away, that would have made this Sunday, Palm Sunday. Can you imagine? Jesus makes his famous Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, with the crowds hailing Him as the Messiah. They cry out, "Hosanna", and lay palm branches on the road before Him. The amazing part is this. Just five days later, these same people are screaming, "Crucify him! Let his blood be upon our heads." What a difference 5 days can make. We are forewarned of this turn for the worse by the words of Jesus just after His Triumphal Entry. He cries out, "How often I wanted to gather your children together...and you were unwilling." He knew, even then, that this fickle crowd of followers would be led astray and seek His blood.
A short while later, in his first, last, and greatest sermon, Stephen said this to these same people. "You men who are stiff-necked... are always resisting the Holy Spirit... You have become the betrayers and murderers of the Righteous One." I'm talking about human free will. It is another variable that affects our prayers and our lives. People are free to choose to follow and obey or resist and rebel. What about you? Perhaps you once bowed before Him, hailing Him as your Lord and Savior, but now a few days have passed, or months or years. Where do you stand now? Are you daily choosing to be His faithful follower, or have you fallen in with the fickle crowd? Could it be that you are a bit like those first century Jews, who believed in God, yet crucified His Son? Has your experience of yesteryear become just some religious guilt that haunts you? Don't let that happen. Stand up at work, or school, or in your family, or with your friends, and declare as Joshua did, "Choose for yourselves whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." God be with you all...
