Blessed is the King who Comes!
“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall
have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is
thy victory?” 1 Corinthians 15:53-55 KJV
It was five years ago, on 11th April, that my darling husband, George, graduated to Heaven! That year, 2020, it was on a Saturday, at Easter weekend. This year it is Palm Sunday weekend and next week will be Easter and Passover. Of course, at such a time, my thoughts go back to this occasion, where it was a parting for me, but a greeting in Heaven for George, where he would have met many loved ones and see at last his blessed Saviour, having experienced his own personal resurrection!! Tomorrow we will be visiting his grave, tidying
up, cleaning the headstone, putting fresh flowers and thanking the Lord for the gift of George’s life, and for the blessing he was to others.
Next week we will celebrate Easter and Passover time, when we remember how Jesus was crucified for our sins, and rose again by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible verse above reminds us that our mortal bodies will one day be changed to immortal, because of the victory Jesus procured for us, and that the sting of Death has been broken. Because Jesus humbled himself, even to the death on a cross, God has highly exalted him and given him a Name which is above every Name. A Name higher than any famous celebrity or politician, a
Name full of power, a weapon against Satan and his schemes.
The beautiful picture above shows Jesus riding on a donkey, making his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The crowds waved palms and laid down clothes and branches for him to ride over, and the children cried “Hosanna”. This was the fulfilment of the prophecy which we read in Zechariah 9:9 (NIV):
“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Luke 19:37+38 (NIV) tells us:
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is the king who
comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
This was too much for the Pharisees and they told Jesus to rebuke his disciples. But Jesus replied, that if they kept quiet, the very stones would cry out!!
I wonder if the disciples thought that at last Jesus would take over his Kingship, setting them free from the cruelty of Rome’s occupation. Some of them had already been imagining which position they would be given in Jesus’ new earthly kingdom! Yet, he had told them many times that he was about to suffer and be taken from them, but unbelief, deception and pride were blinding them to the truth. His kingdom was not of this world.
So dear devotionalsjust4u!! Friends, let’s also shout and sing our praises to our mighty Saviour this weekend, and let this King of kings take a fresh triumphal entry into our heart! Let’s do it intentionally, allowing him to come into every area of our lives, in a way we haven’t done before. I believe we’ll see an enormous positive difference!
God bless you all today