Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9
For today, I maintain a pause on my study of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) to prepare for leading Sunday school tomorrow on round 2 of OT prophecies of Jesus. Based on this resource on Preaching.com, round 1 last Sunday looked at the first six prophecies listed under "the life of Jesus" while this Sunday's round 2 will cover the last six:
- Isaiah 40:3-4 – Jesus’ ministry would be preceded by a voice calling in the desert
- Isaiah 42:1-4 – Jesus’ message of salvation would also extend to the Gentiles
- Isaiah 53:3 – Jesus would be despised and rejected
- Isaiah 61:1 – Jesus would be the anointed on to proclaim good news to the poor
- Zechariah 9:9 – The King would come riding on a donkey
- Zechariah 11:13 – Jesus would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver
From the presentation I prepared to lead our Sunday school class tomorrow morning, as I reviewed Zechariah 9:9, I emphasized how Jesus arrival in Jerusalem was not the expected arrival for the coming King...it was a humble beginning, consistent with his incarnation as a baby and how He came to serve and not be served. Humility is a significant theme in scripture as is pride (antithesis of humility), and pride is often referred to as the antithesis of humility. Believers are called to deny themselves and follow Jesus in how He came to serve. I also found this resource on C.S. Lewis exploring humility and he recommends that prayer is a means by which you can cultivate humility by praying for other people....and we are encouraged to avoid prayer as if we are "reading over a laundry list to God, but offer deep, imaginative, caring and concerned prayers like you are holding someone else’s life, their existence, their well-being in your hand and holding that person up to God." Worthy thoughts indeed!
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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good and You are always working for me and even when You were the incarnate Son of God during Your time in ministry on earth - You ceaselessly served, putting others above Yourself, including me. Thank You Jesus for Your humility. I am not deserving of how You serve, my sin is great and it continues...daily. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.