HAPPY PALM SUNDAY!

Palm Sunday was the day of Jesus' triumphant entry to Jerusalem and the beginning of Holy Week. The following week would change the course of history and open up the choice of salvation to everyone in the world, not just Jews, as it had been traditionally. During His entry, Jesus did not make himself stand out, as a king normally would. No; even though Jesus was a king - THE King - He humbled Himself and rode into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey. What?! Jesus, the Son of God, the One who totally deserves the attention and praise of everyone, did what? He humbled Himself. Why would a King do that? He did it not only because it would fulfill Scripture (Zechariah 9:9), but also because a donkey is a symbol of peace. See, many Jews believed that when the Messiah would come, He would rescue them from the oppressive Romans. But instead of coming with a huge heavenly army, the Messiah came alone; humble and looking as normal as everyone else (Isaiah 53:2). Though He was fully man and fully God, many would never guess that based off of His appearance and dress. Jesus was modest, though He deserved more glory. He was peacefully even when He had the reasons to be angry at God's adulterous people. In short, Jesus was not what everyone thought He would be like. Though we often have expectations set in our minds about what our ideals look like, Jesus didn't look ideal. He looked less than ideal. I think the irony of this goes to show that our ideals aren't the same as God's. Look at 1 Samuel 16:7. God tells Samuel not to focus on the outward appearance but the heart. This verse is still applicable today. We focus on the outward appearance when we could be delighting in something much better, which may not necessarily look great on the outside. Look at Jesus. "He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty" (Isaiah 53:2). But inside, He was God, and still is. In other words, don't miss the gold by focusing on the pyrite.

This Holy Week, I pray that you would truly understand and believe in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we continue the Holy Week 2017 series, we'll go over the power of Jesus' life and how it can affect us even today, 2,000 years later. He came not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17). God is waiting for you to accept this priceless gift. If you just believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven and to have a personal relationship with God, then it will be granted to you just like that. Your life will be transformed and enlightened in so many beautiful ways. He gives you purpose and meaning to life. I know it may seem too good to be true, or too easy, but that's kind of the beauty of it. God loves each and every one of us, so He is giving us the choice to choose this. Are you willing to make Him the King of your Heart, or will you continue to live the life of darkness?

I feel that a lot of times, the Holy Spirit is referred to as "it" instead of "He." Even though the Holy Spirit is a part of the trinity, He is usually, I don't know, sort of an after thought, and I'm guilty of thinking that. For me, I automatically think of Jesus and God as God, forgetting the third person. This verse really hits me. If we speak against the "Son of Man," or Jesus, we will be forgiven. But if we speak against the Holy Spirit, we won't be forgiven. This signifies the Spirit's huge role in the trinity. Don't forget how vital the Holy Spirit is. It is the Spirit that helps us in our weakness by interceding for us (Romans 8:26), who gives life and peace to the mind filled with the Spirit (Romans 8:6), and who enabled the apostles to speak in tongues (Acts 2:4). Take the time to thank God for His gift of the Holy Spirit.

Even if it hurts while you're waiting for the Lord to answer, know that He is faithful, and will answer you in some way. It may not be the answer you want, but He will respond somehow. If you are waiting for the Lord, "Be strong, and let your heart take courage," for the Lord is faithful. I know of a couple who wanted more children for a long time, but God didn't give that family another baby for four years. Many people prayed for them. Finally, He gave them a sweet baby. Even though that baby didn't come immediately, God still answered.

God works in mysterious ways. He brings people into your life that you never thought would come into your life. I know that because it has happened in my life. When I switched homeschool groups, I went from a mega group to a micro group. I felt a little alone, like I was a flower plucked out of a vast garden with similar flowers and re-planted into a small dirt patch with a bunch of different flowers. A huge difference between the groups was that there were no girls my age. If you're an older reader, you might say, "Oh, it's not really a big deal." But there were barely any girls around my age, and the ones that were were all younger. I felt unhappy and alone, especially because my best friend had just moved across country. I know friends don't have to be exactly the same, but I had no similar friends. My bestie was gone, and the other girls I knew were in the other homeschool group. On top of that, a lot of the families at church with girls happened to move with the church plant. It was hard. Even with technology and everything, it was difficult to keep up with my other friends.

But even though I didn't pray much about it (which I really should have done), God knew how I felt, and how long I had waited for another sister in Christ, close to my beliefs and my age. Even though it wasn't as soon as I wished, I know God had a special plan and that somehow, being "alone" would help me learn about true friendship. I learned that friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. It took a lot of years for me to finally find that friend. She is a strong, godly girl, encouraging and funny. Though she isn't what I thought I was looking for, she is a wonderful friend who challenges me to live like Him, and I thank God for her. Strangely, even though I didn't really "take courage," God still heard my yearning for a close friend. That, my friends, is grace. So the next time you find yourself wondering if God will ever reply to your prayers, "Be strong, and let your heart take courage." God will answer you, whether it be in five minutes, or in five years. He is so gracious, and He will not forget you. He promises.

"Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." - Matthew 21:22

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: