Dave's Diary

Prayer

Briefly prepare your heart in silence, and ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your sense of anticipation that God is about to speak to you through His Word. Then, before you read, I invite you to pray this prayer based on Psalm 46:1-2,

Lord, You are my refuge and strength,
and my ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore I will choose not to fear,
even if the earth gives way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.
O Lord, give me the courage of my convictions today.
Amen.

Reading

Luke 19:28-40

In Luke 19, Jesus entered Jerusalem with high drama to make a prophetic statement about His identity as the anointed King of God’s Kingdom (the Messiah). His entry on a donkey fulfilled Zechariah 9:9 and dramatically declared, “I am the King whose coming was prophesied by Zechariah”.

The great crowd of disciples travelling with Jesus undoubtedly made the connection, so they cried out in praise of Jesus:

‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!’
‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’ (v.38)

For someone whose life was under threat because of His bold teaching and honest claims, this dramatic and very public entry into Jerusalem, the heart of political and religious power, was incredibly brave. To make such a public statement of the truth about Himself in the “backyard” of the very religious leaders who were already plotting to assassinate Him, revealed Jesus’ immense courage and His commitment to fulfilling the Father’s will.

Yesterday we saw how Zacchaeus was willing to follow Jesus’ Way even though it cost him a great deal financially. In today’s reading, that admirable commitment is utterly overshadowed by the level of Jesus’ commitment to following the Father’s Way. Jesus was willing to follow even though He knew it would cost Him His life!

And so the only adequate response we can make is to follow the example of the great crowd of disciples, and declare our allegiance to King Jesus. Like them, our convictions about Jesus deserve to be declared as boldly, loudly, clearly and publicly as necessary. Jesus deserves our unashamed allegiance!

Today that declaration of faith in Jesus is far more likely to be met with callous disregard or scornful sneering than with the actual life-threatening violence it would have elicited in the 1st Century. Nonetheless, we are often inclined to shy away from paying even that small social cost.

Let us resolve to be unashamed today and let us lovingly declare our allegiance to Jesus our King at every opportunity.

Contemplation

Please take time to ponder what Jesus has commanded us. Turn this declaration over and over in your mind. Keep it in mind throughout the day and live in step with Your King, Jesus.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ:

• I will respond to the love of Jesus by lovingly declaring my allegiance to Him as my King, at every opportunity.

Holy Spirit, strengthen my resolve to be an unashamed disciple of Jesus, and empower me to declare my allegiance boldly. Amen.