One of the great ironies in the gospel
accounts of Jesus' last days on earth is the
story of His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.
We still remember and commemorate this
event each year on Palm Sunday.

The Bible tells us that Jesus sent two
disciples to find a donkey colt no one had
ever ridden before and to bring it to Him.
They did. And then they put their cloaks
across the little animal's back for a saddle.

Then Jesus rode from the Mount of
Olives, across the valley and through the
narrow streets up to the gate of Jerusalem.
A multitude of people prepared the way for
Him, spreading their garments and strewing
branches from trees in His path.

"Hosannah!" they cried. "Blessed is He
that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosannah in the highest!"

So Jesus entered Jerusalem, and into
the Temple, with the adulation of the
multitude who hoped He would become their
new king. Sadly, only a few days later,
many of these same people would join the
throngs demanding that Christ be crucified!

But there's a part of the story about the
Triumphal Entry that has always fascinated
me. It's about the donkey colt Jesus rode
that day. That little animal has some
important lessons for us, I think.

The donkey was available

First, the little donkey was available,
ready to be used. Jesus knew the colt was
there and sent His disciples to the particular
place they could find him. And when
the animal's owners were told that the
Master had need of the donkey, they willingly
let him go.

But the donkey was willing, too. Mark's
Gospel says no man had ever sat on his
back. He was unbroken, untamed,
untrained. But he was available.

Why didn't Jesus choose a larger,
better-qualified animal to carry Him -- a
spirited riding horse, or at least the mother
of the colt? Why did He ask for such an
humble little animal?

I believe the reason might be to show us
that the Lord can use small things -- if they're
available and ready to be used. One doesn't
have to have a great voice to sing God's
praises. Nor is it necessary to have great
talent and training to teach a Sunday school
class. One need not have "a way with words"
to send birthday greetings, get well, or
sympathy cards to people who need to hear
from someone who cares.

Are you available? Are you willing to do
what you can for the Lord, however small
your talent or ability seems to you? There
is something you can do -- God has given
each of us spiritual gifts to use in His service.

But we have to be available. Had the
little colt been hidden away where the
disciples couldn't find him, he would have
missed having the Son of God ride upon his
back!

Remember the story of the five wise and
five foolish virgins who were invited to the
marriage supper. When the bridegroom
came, the five foolish virgins were gone --
not available to go into the wedding.

How many times do you and I miss out
on God's great blessings simply because
we're not available when the Lord desires to
use us?

The donkey was submissive

I don't know a lot about animals, but
I've been told that horses, mules, and
donkeys have to be broken, or trained, to be
ridden. They have to learn to accept the
burden of a rider and to respond to his
direction and guidance.

This wild little donkey had never been
ridden before -- no man had ever sat on his
back. But when the disciples brought him
to Jesus and put a cloak on his back for a
saddle, he was submissive. There is no
record in the scripture that he protested,
bucked, or rebelled.

He couldn't have known what was
happening, or what was ahead. One moment
he was standing peacefully at his mother's
side -- the next he was dragged away and a
heavy burden was put upon him. And as
far as we can tell, the little donkey submitted
to these strange events without a fuss.

How often do we balk and buck when
asked to carry out some assignment or bear
some burden? "Why me?" we cry. "Get
somebody else."

So often we tend to hold back until we
can see the end from the beginning. We
want to see the light at the end of the tunnel
before we go into it. We want to
understand everything happening in our lives
before we submit to it. But that's not the way
life works. Submission is more than
agreeing just with what we understand and
approve.

How proud and presumptuous to say to
God, "Show me Your will for my life, then if
I like it, I'll do it!" The Apostle Peter warns,
God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to
the humble. Humble yourselves therefore
under the mighty hand of God, that he may
exalt you in due time (1 Peter 5:5,6).

When God leads us to do something for
Him, rather than worrying about being
embarrassed, put on the spot, or even
misunderstood or disliked by other people, we
should submit immediately, trusting in Him.
We need to be willing to be led by the Holy
Spirit in such a way that we will obey --
blindly, if need be -- no matter what God asks.

The little donkey submitted to Jesus... and so should we.

The donkey was unafraid

Can you imagine a more difficult and
frightening time to be ridden for the first
time than this colt experienced? He had no
preparation, no training. He is snatched
away from his mother by strangers, another
stranger gets upon his back, and he bears
his first burden through narrow streets
crowded with excited, shouting people,
waving tree branches and clothing,
crowding around him from every side.

Such an experience would be enough to
excite any animal and make him nervous
and skittish. But the little donkey didn't
kick anybody or try to get away. He just
kept going along, carrying Jesus the way
He wanted to go.

I'm sure the Lord must have leaned over
and whispered to the little animal, "Don't
be afraid. Don't fear -- I'm with you." And
in the most confusing circumstances, with
the press of the multitude all around, the
colt kept calm and cool. He just kept on
doing what he was supposed to do, going
where he was supposed to go. And because
Jesus was with him, he was not afraid.

God's supreme sacrifice

Bible scholars tell us there was great
significance in Jesus' visit to Jerusalem at
this time, just before the Passover
sacrifices. The gate Jesus entered to reach the
city was the one through which people
brought their sacrifices to the Temple. No
doubt the streets were full of sheep and
lambs being led to the sacrificial altar. And
here comes God's Son, riding on a donkey,
about ready to be offered up as the
supreme sacrifice for the sins of the world!

So, because he was available,
submissive, and unafraid, the little donkey played
a key role in one of the most riveting events
in all of history.

If the donkey could speak to us today,
what do you suppose he would say?

It would not be the first time a donkey
spoke. The Old Testament, in Numbers 22,
tells of Balaam's donkey who chided the
prophet who rode him, for opposing the will
of God. The donkey saw what Balaam's
spiritually blinded eyes did not -- the angel
of the Lord with a drawn sword, standing in
the path.

If you listen very carefully with the ears
of your heart, I think you can hear the little
donkey's voice even now. He's saying --

"If God could use me, He can use you,
too. No one is too humble or insignificant to
have a place in God's service.

"Just be available -- stay where the Lord
can reach you. Keep an open heart, an
open, holy life.

"Then, trust God enough to submit to
Him. Don't buck and kick against the
unknown. Decide that the Lord knows what's
best and simply do what He asks. He'll
never steer you wrong!

"And last, you don't have to be afraid
when Jesus is with you. His presence, His
touch, will calm your fears and keep you on
track no matter what goes on around you.

"Maybe you've never done anything great,
or accomplished very much before. But
your life can be different. If you're
available, submissive, and unafraid, who knows
what you'll be chosen to do and how
important it may be to the world.

"After all, you're even more important to
God than a little donkey such as I. And the
very first time I was ridden, I carried the
King!"

I heard her crying the minute I got out
of the car!

Dr. Van Impe and I had just arrived home
from a crusade trip on a beautiful August
night several years ago. It was almost 3
o'clock in the morning and we were eager to
get the car unpacked and get inside.

But we heard a little cry -- almost like
the sound of a baby. I hurried over to some
nearby shrubbery, reached down...and there
was a tiny little kitten!

I picked up that wee ball of fur and
gently stroked her. She was so little, so
lost, so alone. Our house was not near the
city or heavily-traveled areas, so I couldn't
imagine where that cat could have come from.

Later, I decided the Lord just allowed
her to come to our house.

"Can I feed her?" I asked my husband.

"That's really not a very good idea," he
said. "Once you feed her, you'll have a cat.
And you know we're traveling all the time,
often by air. That cat could never travel
with us. So I don't think you'd better feed
her."

Well, I finally went to bed that night, but
I didn't sleep. I kept thinking about that
poor little kitty outside. As soon as it got
light the next morning, I was up. And there
was the kitten out on our patio!

"Can't I feed her just a little now?" I asked.
And Jack gave in. So I got her some milk.

Winning our hearts

As we cared for that tiny animal, she
quickly began to win our hearts. We could
see that she was very hungry, weak, and
sick. But she was so sweet and appreciative
of the attention we gave her.

I took her to a veterinarian who found
that she had mites in her ears, intestinal
worms, and that her eyes were infected. He
gave me some medicine for her, and told me
she was about four weeks old. He said she
apparently had been abandoned by her
mother, and that if we had not cared for
her, she would have certainly died.

When I got home with her, Jack said,
"We'll feed her and nurse her back to health,
but she has to stay out in the garage -- she
can't come inside the house." So we fixed
up a comfortable place for her and she got
stronger and better by the day.

I was so happy to have this little stray
kitten because, with our travel schedule,
we'd never even considered having a pet of
any kind. We decided that the man who
mowed our grass during the summer could
come by the house every day when we were
gone and feed Finica.

That's what we named her -- Finica, a
derivative of the Flemish word for Josephine.
The "CA" on the end of the word indicates
precious or beloved. And so she is!

Finica's bed in the garage lasted for one
trip. I could hardly wait to get back home
to check on her. And she was so glad to see
US.

Jack said, "Now, we can't let her into
the house, you know." And I replied, "Oh,
let's just take her in for a little while so I
can love her a little bit."

The moment she set foot inside the door,
Finica became queen of the house. And
she never went back to the garage again!
In two weeks' time, she went from an
abandoned stray to a member of our family.

For many years now, she has been a
great joy! And we have learned so many
lessons from her -- gentleness, unqualified
love, dependence with dignity, devotion, and
patience.

Little traveler

She immediately adapted herself to our
life-style. Because we spend so much time
working, she learned independence and
self-entertainment. She has always required
a minimum of fuss.

And she took to travel like a real trooper.
She began traveling in the car when she
was just a month old. Unlike many animals,
she never was nervous or upset, and never
had to be tranquilized.

So when it came time to fly, she went
right on the plane with me. She's been on
hundreds of flights -- even all the way to
Alaska. She adapts to different hotel rooms
without complaint. When we come in at
night, tired from a busy evening, there she
is with a gentle purr, ready to cuddle for a
while. It's just like having "family" on the
road with us.

Although she still goes with us all the
time, now that she's getting older, Finica
does enjoy home life a bit more than traveling.
She especially loves to lie in front of
the fireplace on a cold evening, or just sit
and look out the window during the day.
She doesn't require a lot to be content.

And you know, the one who first said,
"Don't feed her" -- I just don't know what he
would do without her now. Jack loves Finica
as much as I do. Some might have a hard
time visualizing this manly, busy scholar
having time for a cat -- but you should just
see them together! They're quite a pair.

When we travel, he never complains
about going to the airport a little early to
make special arrangements for Finica. He
likes to take her with us and would do
anything within reason for her.

So often when I'm enjoying the
companionship of my beloved friend and pet, I think
of what we would have missed had we not
taken her in. We had to get involved -- we
fed her, nursed her, met her needs. And
over the years, she's required some of our
time and attention. But, oh, how much
she's given back to us! How we've been
blessed in return.

Dare to get involved

So often in today's world, we miss out
on the opportunities God gives us to be
enriched and blessed by avoiding those we
could help. "I know that person has a need,"
we say, "but I don't want to get involved. It
would be too much trouble...take too much
time...and it might be risky."

So even when we have the resources to
share and wisdom that is needed, we pass
on by...or sit back doing nothing. We let
the inconvenience of caring rob us of the
rewards of becoming involved. Who knows
when the person you minister to in Christian
love will turn out to be a dear friend -- a
"beloved" one? And what greater incentive
could we have to show love than the example
of our Saviour and the teachings of the
Word of God?

John, the Apostle of Love, wrote, But
whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his
brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels
of compassion from him, how dwelleth
the love of God in him? My little children, let
us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in
deed and in truth (1 John 3:17,18).

I can think of no greater joy than to get
involved spiritually with people. How
wonderful to lead someone to Christ and see
changes begin to take place in his life. What
a thrill it will be to see that dear one in
heaven!

That's why Dr. Van Impe and I just
cannot give enough these days -- of our time,
our talents, our best efforts, or our personal
funds -- to get involved with people crying
out for spiritual help.

We care! We are involved. And, oh, how
we are blessed!