WOTD: When Jesus was ready to make His way into Jerusalem to be crucified, He could have just walked into town like he did everywhere else. Yet scripture tells us, 1 When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus 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 her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” Mat. 21:1-3
So why did He borrow someone’s animals (outside of to fulfill OT prophecy)? Jesus created an opportunity for others to be blessed through His ministry. How would you feel if the King of Kings needed to borrow your minivan for the day? And it’s not just something that God does sparingly. God habitually blesses the world through others even though He could fulfill His plans without us. Think about it? Did God need David to defeat Goliath? Did Moses really need to raise a staff to part the Red Sea? What a humble God we serve who (in all of His power) lets us partake in His glory. What a blessing!
Sometimes I feel that we can (think too highly) of ourselves as we serve along side the King of Kings, yet outside of His provision, we really can’t bring much to the table. Yet when we look at this example of scripture, the ones who were blessed the most didn’t even get their names mentioned in the story. Someone provided the Lord a colt and a donkey and we may never know their names. One thing is for sure though, I bet they were blessed.
In the Kingdom of God we function as one body in Christ. How far can the body walk without a foot, and how quickly can it move without an ankle? In Truth, God has blessed each of us in ways to help the body of Christ glorify the Father. In fact, if we truly believe in Christ, the Holy Spirit provides each of us (unique) spiritual giftings to bless others through our actions. And once we discover and embrace these gifts, we are blessed as we use them to glorify God.
There are times in scripture where Jesus needed something and a person was blessed as that need was fulfilled. What we need to realize today is that God still works the same way. Sure, He could do it without us, but He wants to bless us as we serve God through His power and strength. Therefore, let all of us strive to remain open to the needs of the Lord, for it is much better to be an ordinary part of the body of Christ, than to be marked as one of the most prestigious in this world. And be content with the place God is leading you. Some of the greatest blessings in history take place when Godly men serve in humble roles.
With that said, our ministry here in Bock is in need. We could use a piano player so that we can better worship the Lord with the hymns we sing. We could use a person who can develop a praise team to lead some vetted contemporary songs with a guitar and help craft a small worship service that is not seeking to entertain, rather strives to worship God intimately in various ways. We say that our ministry needs these things, yet in reality we can boldly proclaim, “The Lord Has Need of it”. Are you busy on Wednesday nights? Are you currently using the musical gifts God has given you? Maybe the Lord is calling you to serve with us for a season. We can’t offer a glorious position with great monetary reward; however, the Lord has a blessing waiting for those who are willing to serve.
For all of us, whatever we do, let us do it for the glory of God. He is our hope and salvation. He is our peace. What could we ever do to repay the blessings He has given us? If He needs our limbs, He can have them. If he requires our life, we will freely give it. We forfeit our will to take on His desires. We surrender our lives to fulfill any need the Lord requires of us. We are the Blessed…