“When they drew near to Jerusalem,.. Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, “Why are you doing this?” say, “The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.”’ And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. Some of those standing there said, ‘What are you doing, untying the colt?’ And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches they had cut. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'” Mark 11:1-9
The disciples obeyed Jesus, not fully understanding the meaning of His need for the donkey. As they’d thrown their lot in with him a few years earlier, they cast their cloaks on the colt as a gesture of love and respect for their Master, a small surrender for His sake. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, others joined in throwing off their cloaks and shouting praises to this One they assumed was their triumphant Deliverer. Little did any know the significance of their actions and His mission.
Every time we obey or greet or praise Jesus, we cast to Him a bit of ourselves. With the buzz and pull of life, we can get swept up in selfish agendas and holding tightly to our stuff, so the letting go to serve Him takes a deliberate act of will. He is honored by our willingness, whether we understand fully or not, to give anything for His sake.
How often, when the Holy Spirit prompts us to cast off an attitude or habit or idol interest, do we reject His appeal and insist on our own way? What smack of pride, greed, or ingrained selfishness or stubbornness keeps us clinging to our ‘cloaks’ when the Lord would exchange them with garments of praise? What is He nudging us to cast off in repentance, generosity, or honor, for His sake today? (Isaiah 61:3; Jeremiah 18:11-12; Colossians 3:5-17)
“Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.
Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee.
Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne.
Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.” ~ Frances Ridley Havergal (1874)
Amen, Lord, amen!
As the rain and snow 