COUNTDOWN TO CALVARY

"And they brought him [the colt] to Jesus and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying "Blessed be the King that comes in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest"....and He taught daily in the temple. " Luke 19: 34-38, 47.

Today is Monday. If you knew that you were going to die an excrutiating death on Friday, what would YOU be doing today?

Can our minds even begin to comprehend that thought? Can we possibly imagine what it would be like to KNOW that in 4 days we are going to die? I think not.

We have a friend who has recently been told he possibly only has 3 years left to live. It has totally changed him and his family. Until you are there, you cannot imagine. Until YOU hear the words spoken about YOUR life, it is just too surreal.

Jesus knew that Friday was coming. He knew what it held for him....the CROSS.

Yet in the days leading up to that day, He was still teaching. He was still trying to prepare His disciples. He was still sharing the good news.

We do not know the day nor the hour that Jesus will return to rapture His church. Only God knows that. But He has given us signs to look for, clues that it could be soon. I believe we are seeing some of those clues today.

If this is true, what are we doing with our last days? Are we going about our lives with a 'business as usual' attitude?

Maybe it's time that we stop and think what is really important. I've been told by those who are facing their own death, that things take on an entirely different priority when you are faced with a limited amount of time. Things that once seemed SO important take a back seat to those things which really matter most.

Jesus had only a few days left to live and He spent that time teaching others about the good news, warning them of what was to come. Should we do any less?

We are here for a purpose. We are here to glorify God with our lives and to point others to Him.

As Easter approaches, may we truly search our hearts and see where our priorities are. May we be reminded today that Jesus did not die on that fateful Friday so that we could live wonderful, comfortable lives of ease and pleasure. He died that we might live. He suffered and bled and died to give us the ultimate gift. May we show our gratitude today by not trashing that gift but by sharing it with someone who has yet to receive it.