Are You Willing?

This morning I got up grudgingly. Like every Monday morning I had to drag my butt out of bed to do my devotions. I sat down at my desk and opened my Bible to Matthew 21. I wasn't prepared for what I was about to read. I read the whole chapter, but verses 1-11 stood out to me the most, and particularly verse 8. Here's the passage in its entirety:

1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethpage, to the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them' and he will send them at once." 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet saying, 5 "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'" 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son
of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up saying, "Who is this?" 11 And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."

If I'm going to be honest, when I read verse 8 where Matthew records that most of the crowd lay their cloaks in the road, I thought, "I probably wouldn't be one of the most. I would be the exception." I pictured my fluffy black winter coat being trampled on by a donkey. I pictured the furry hood caked with mud.

And then I saw Jesus look at me in my mind's eye, and shame filled my heart.

I knew that this revealed a heart attitude that I needed to take care of. It showed that I was holding onto my possessions more than I was valuing Jesus. At that moment, when all I could picture was my coat being trampled by a donkey, I had lost sight of the worth of my Savior. Isn't He so much more valuable than anything money can buy? And shouldn't everything He's graciously given me stewardship over be used to bring Him glory?

So my challenge for myself was Am I willing to give up everything to serve Jesus? Earlier I had read in Matthew 19:16-30 about the rich young ruler, who wasn't willing to give up all his riches to serve Jesus. As I read Matthew 21:1-11, the verses of Matthew 19 echoed in my ear: "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first" (verses 29-30). If I'm trying to be first in this world, holding onto everything that I think will make me rich, I've lost the Truth that Jesus is the only thing that will truly make me rich - and He's all I need.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot