"Palms"

They waved the palms for Jesus,

Threw cloaks down on the street,

Hailed Him as Messiah,

With shouts and laughter greet.

But only short days later,

Shouted crucify,

The ones that gave Him worship,

Wanted Him to die.

I know God sent Him for it,

I know He died for all,

But when it comes down to it,

Theirs was a shameful fall.

I’ve wondered lots about it,

And prayed about it, too,

I’ve thought it should be different,

When it comes to me and you.

But I too have been fickle,

About the Lord, my King,

Greeted Him on some days,

And some days not a thing.

I only say I’m thankful,

God gives patient grace,

And He is more than willing,

To help me run the race.

And when I’m inconsistent,

He is faithful still,

Forgives and energizes,

To love and do His will.

“Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around Him were shouting, ‘Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in the highest heaven!’” (Mt. 21:9, NLT)

Jesus was in the center of the procession, and in the center when He was crucified a few days later. What position does He hold in our lives? That becomes the critical question. Does everything revolve around Him or something less? The fickleness of human nature causes us to go after almost anything that can capture our attention. We are spiritually ADD. That’s why the infomercials urge us to call NOW! I had a judgmental spirit toward those who praised Jesus and then wanted Him dead until I realized I was full of inconsistency, too. When we surrender wholeheartedly to Jesus, and strive to relinquish control of our lives, His Spirit will help us become more and more faithful. Spiritual consistency is based on the process of dying to selfishness daily and letting the Spirit flow through.

Lord, free us from our fickle and inconsistent attitudes. Help us to live in daily surrender to You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by R.S. Riddick, rsriddick.com. Used by permission.