"Palms"

The palms and the praise,

On one of the days,

That led to His death on the cross.

Short-lived as it was,

And only because,

He counted His life as a loss.

To ransom all men,

And pardon our sin,

A donkey His ride into town.

And all so that we,

Could finally be free,

From everything that had us bound.

His entry that day,

Will forever replay,

‘Cause connected to what happened then,

The King humbly came,

To kindle the flame,

Of salvation He bought for all men.

“For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” (1 Peter 1:18-19, NLT)

The day Jesus made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem must have been a magnificent moment. People praising Him, the Temple being cleansed, and wonderful miracles! But less than a week later He is tortured and nailed to a cross. How shocking when you stop to think about it. Yet from start to finish the whole thing reflects God’s intentionality concerning our salvation. He paid the price, both because of our great sinfulness and great value in God’s eyes. How serious is both our need and worth, that Jesus shed His blood. It is amazing grace indeed!

Lord, help us realize both our sinfulness and our worth, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bill Owen, used by permission. Thanks, and God bless. (cowhorsegallery.com)