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As the time of the Feast drew near, Jesus sent two of His disciples on a strange mission. He said, “Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any man say unto you, ‘Why do ye this?’ say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, ‘What do ye, loosing the colt?’ And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go” (Mark 11:2-6).
Can you imagine yourself standing by, and seeing two men walk up off the street and start to untie a colt which you know is not theirs? When you ask them, “Just what do you two think you’re doing?” and they reply, “The Lord needs it,” would you immediately say, “Okay,” and let them continue?
In our skeptical society, it seems preposterous to think such a scene would play out like that. To begin with, many modern religious teachers encourage us to focus on our own “needs,” presenting them to God, and expecting Him to meet them without hesitation. Have you not heard it said, “God wants you to be happy”? But what of His needs? Have you ever considered that the Lord has need of something? “But that’s my colt!”
Have you considered that you have something that the Lord needs? The Lord needed John the Baptist to be obedient and baptize Him. He needed twelve men to follow Him, one of whom He needed to betray Him. He needed Peter to feed His sheep, and Paul to preach the Gospel among the Gentiles. He needed a woman to anoint His feet for His burial, and He needed someone to bring the loaves and the fishes to Him, so that He could multiply them to feed the multitude.
The Word of God cannot fail. Prophecies must yet be fulfilled, and the Lord requires that there be some faithful men and women, willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill the will of God. Are you willing to let go of your “colt,” that God’s purpose might be accomplished. Are you willing to sacrifice your two loaves and five small fishes? Are you willing to give up the dearest things to you, so that God might be glorified?
God is not asking for much. He is only asking for us to be wholly dedicated to Him. He gave His only begotten Son for you and me. Jesus suffered, and bled, and died that we might obtain the hope of life eternal. How can we hang on to the temporal things of this life – houses, careers, even family – when so great a price was paid for our redemption?
The promise of our Savior is crystal clear: “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matt. 19:29). Likewise, Jesus said, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:35).
God has set before you this day a chance to choose. You can give yourself to Him, accept His Son as your Savior and Lord, and serve Him with all you have, or you can take man’s way, pursue a “dream” of happiness, and die without hope.
Turn your heart to the Master today, and yield yourself to Him completely. Only then will you be truly satisfied, as the will of the Almighty is fulfilled in your life! Let the words of the song be our anthem: “Lord, Whatever it takes … that’s what I’ll be willing to do.”