Daily Devotions

There was a sense that something big was about to happen on the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowds thought "the Kingdom of God would begin right away" (Luke 19:11). Scripture does teach the Messiah will come and establish His kingdom on earth. That is still in our future. But Scripture also teaches, in places like Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, that the Messiah first would come and suffer and die for the sins of the world. Yet that concept was largely lost on the people of this day.

They wanted Jesus as their king—as long as it was on their terms. They wanted a deliverer and a Messiah that would conform to their plan—instead of theirs to His. They wanted Jesus to destroy Rome—not their cherished sins or their hypocritical, superficial religion.

There are people like this today. They will sing the praises of a Jesus who will give them wealth, success, and personal happiness. But they recoil from the idea of a God who would ask for obedience, commitment, and sacrifice. They like God as long as He fits into their plans. But the moment He does something they don't like, they get mad at Him. It is okay to say we don't understand God. It is okay to ask God, "Why?" But we have no right to be angry with Him. And it is ridiculous for us to say that we are. Who are we to argue with God?

As Chuck Swindoll says, "God is able to do what He pleases with whomever He chooses whenever He wishes." This is called the sovereignty of God. We don't always like it, because it is not what we want. But God can do what He wants when He wants to do it.