BBD 01.20.15 Give Him the Keys (Classic)
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The Burning
Bush Devotional
Classic
from 2007
01.20.15
Give Him the Keys
When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. And it
came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain
called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, “Go into the village
opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has
ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you
loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’” So
those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them.
But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you
loosing the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of him.” Then they brought
him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus
on him. - Luke 19:28-35 NKJV
.
Carjacking has become a serious problem in the United
States. Statistics on a national level available for the five-year period of
1998-2002 indicates that there were 2.1 carjackings per 10,000 people a year.
This was an increase from 1.3 per 10,000 people during the previous five-year
period. In 74 percent of the carjackings, a weapon was used. However, according
to one police officer when a man with his head covered comes at you yelling
obscenities most people will let them have their car, even if the carjacker
does not have a weapon.
Penalties for carjacking are severe, because the federal
Anti-Car Theft Act of 1992 made it a federal offense with a maximum penalty of
life imprisonment. The 1994 Crime Bill increased the punishment to include the
death penalty if an innocent victim is killed as a result of the crime.
Although severe, the punishments do not quite measure up to the Old West
punishments for horse stealing. In the Old West, a horse thief if caught was
quickly put to death by hanging. One page I found about the reasons for this
said, “A man coveted his possessions in the west in
this order: first his horse, second his rifle, third his dog, and fourth his
wife. Steal his wife but beware of the wrath rendered if one was to steal his
horse.”
Depending upon the situation, usually you are safer just
to give your vehicle to the carjacker instead of risking the outcome of a
confrontation. All of us, however, would be upset if we were the victim of a
carjacking. But what if we found someone stealing our car and when we asked
them what they were doing they said, “Because the
Lord has need of it.” Our first response
might be, “You’ve got to be kidding!”
I am amazed at the depth of faith that the owners of the
donkey had when they willing gave it to the disciples for use by Jesus. Once
they knew that Jesus needed their donkey, there was no need for further
questions they simply allowed the animal to be taken. The owners in effect gave
the keys to Jesus.
Jesus is still asking for the keys. He wants the keys to
your heart. He wants the keys to your time. He wants the keys to your money. He
wants the keys to all of your possessions. What usually happens when you hear
that still small voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to you about what Jesus
wants in your life? What usually happens for the vast majority of Christians is
that they act as if Jesus is a carjacker trying to wrench something away from
them. Is that how you have responded when the Holy Spirit speaks and says, “The Lord has need of it?”
When we receive Christ as our Savior, we often speak of
giving our heart to the Lord. The spiritual fact is that it was not to be a
temporary condition. Your heart was not something that the Lord wanted for a
few minutes of time. No, He still has need of your heart, and all that you are
and have. Isn’t it time that you give Him the keys?
Copyright © 2007-2015. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
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