"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your King is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey! Zachariah 9:9

Zachariah was a prophet who wrote these words 500 years before we read of the fulfillment in Luke 19:30-31:

"Go into the village ahead of you; there as you enter, you will find a colt on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here."

As we continue in the following verses we see exact fulfillment in the finest details of what was prophesied by Zachariah, again, 500 years earlier! Continuing on in luke we read how the disciples put their coats on the donkey and put Jesus on it. At this moment He had great favor as they praised Him for all the miracles they had seen shouting, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest." The disciples believed their liberation was at hand…without the cross. We must realize God’s ways are higher than ours. He is God and we are not. We must submit to His way – always.

Somehow I feel we are at a very similar time in history. Just before this took place in Luke 19 Jesus had given His disciples the parable of the ten talents. Scripture tells us the reason He had done this was because He was near Jerusalem and they supposed the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. In verse 14 it reads:

"But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, "We do not want this man to reign over us."

The parable ends with verse 27:

"But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence."

There is the prophecy of the second coming of Christ that has not been fulfilled, but has been prophesied long before its fulfillment as the first coming; and rest assured it will be fulfilled exactly as written in God’s Word. However, we still have the same problem we had at the first coming. We want to be liberated, but without a cross. Paul defines enemies of the cross in Phillipians 3:18-19:

"For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things."

What is your mind set on? May we ask ourselves have we become enemies of the cross as we look to a great awakening and revival, but we want it to come without the cross. In Luke 9:23 Jesus said to them all:

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, He is the one who will save it."

We like to proclaim Jesus paid it all, andHe did for our salvation. But if you choose to become His disciple or bondservant you must deny your flesh and take up your cross daily and follow Him. This is His words to His disciples, not mine. May we learn from the mistakes and sin the Bible reveals over and over that we might truly be prepared for His second coming. Without the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross there would be no salvation for mankind. But know this – until we deny ourselves and allow our flesh to be crucified that we may live in the Spirit we cannot be a true follower of Christ. He told us so repetitively in His word. He is the way, the truth and the life. No man or woman comes to the Father, but through obedience to His Son, Jesus.
In His love.

Teresa Roberts

Masterpiece Fitness

www.masterpiecefitness.com

276-237-6680

A very beautiful, peaceful closing of the day from home this week.