GO!

“Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As soon as you enter it you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.” Mark 11:2 (NLT)

Have you been given instructions that didn’t make sense? Or told to do something you didn’t want to do, let alone had time to do? How did you respond? Or react?

I’m like most (I think) when given a task that derails my to-do list. It irritates me. I have a laundry list of things to do and places to be. I like to have my planner and my stuff. Notice the problem? There’s a lot of mine going on and it’s not about gold.

It’s about selfishness and wanting to do things my way, rather than obeying what I have been asked to do. Yes, we are adults and no, we don’t have to be given orders, but let’s face it, stuff needs to get done and there are people who have a master plan for this event, that event, and more. We cannot do it all, in case you hadn’t noticed. It takes lots of people to make the stuff happen.

We can either be a team player or we can balk. And aren’t we the ones who complain when others balk? How would it be if we obeyed with a great attitude and did what we had been asked to do, even if we didn’t understand?

What does it look like?

Obedience. Yes, it’s obedience. Jesus told His disciples to go into the village (most likely Bethphage) and find the donkey tied up. These 2 disciples didn’t question Jesus, they didn’t argue, and they didn’t offer their own solutions. They obeyed. At once. Without question and without hesitation. Pretty amazing.

Am I as quick to respond to a command of Jesus? Do I come up with a list of why I can’t, shouldn’t, and don’t want to? Am I eager to serve my Master no matter what? I think that is the ticket. True obedience is exactly that – obedience in the most basic sense.

They had been living with Jesus for 3+ years and they had seen His steadfast obedience to His Father. They didn’t quite get what was ahead for Him and them that week. But they did know Jesus had His face set like flint and He was talking with them about a Cross, death, and resurrection.

Maybe they were getting some of it. And what’s more – when they went to the village, it happened just as Jesus said it would. They saw first-hand God’s leading and provision. If they had stalled or disobeyed they would have missed out on seeing yet another miracle – and this one was prophesied hundreds of years before in Zechariah 9:9.

It would have been an awe-inspiring moment for sure. What happens when we obey? Well, maybe we don’t have a donkey waiting to untie, but we do ignite a chain of events that will be set in motion by our one act of obedience.

What is God calling you to do?

Father God, I thank You for calling me to obey. I honestly want to follow You and obey Your leading. Help me to be quick to respond, slow to speak, and not complain. Help me to be willing to do a task that doesn’t make sense – even if it means untying a donkey. You need it, so it’s good enough for me. I love You Lord, and I want to please You with my obedience. AMEN