The Preeminent One

Matthew 21:1-11

The Triumphal Entry
1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5"Say to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "[a]

6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"[c]
"Hosanna[d] in the highest!"

10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"

11The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

Reflection of Bee:

In the same village there were those who knew Jesus and those who didn't. Similarly today, some know Jesus, some do not. For those of us who know who He is, we need to proclaim Him to those who don't.

Yes, my church will be having an evangelistic drama show this coming Good Friday to proclaim the One we believed in. I am inviting some non-believing friends to come along. I pray that they will know who the Preeminent One is.

Dear Lord,
May You bless this coming Good Friday as we take the opportunity to share Your love with others. I pray for the friends we have invited that You will remove all obstacles that may hinder their coming. May You touch their hearts as they watch the drama.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen





Reflection of Tommy:

Every Palm Sunday, we lift up glad hosannas of praise to Jesus, our King of kings and Lord of lords. We shout that He is truly the preeminent One, the greatest and most important person in our lives.

But, do we truly see Him as the almighty and sovereign Ruler for the rest of the days? Do we often feel helpless and easily crushed by circumstances around us? Has we been disillusioned by how God works or bad things that has happened to us? Do we sincerely trusting Him to be in control and to rest in His loving care?

Dear Father, thank You for reminding me to mean everything I say. I thank and praise You for Your sovereignty and the compassionate abundance of the love of Jesus for me. Teach me to always trust in You and see You working in every areas of my life, even when there’re no or lack of tangible or instant results.

Lord, remind me always not to anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, presenting my requests to You (Philippians 4:6). And Your peace, which transcends all understanding, will guard my heart and mind always in Christ Jesus. Amen.

What Is In The Name

Exodus 20:1-7

The Ten Commandments
1 And God spoke all these words:

2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3 "You shall have no other gods before me.

4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Reflection of Bee:

Because God is the one who brought us, Christians, out of our "slavery" to sins and the devil (v2) He earns the right to command us not to have "other gods" before Him (v3) or "idols" in our life (v4). These "gods" and "idols" may be in the forms of our work, or our wealth, or someone close to us, or even ourselves. Our God is a "jealous God" (v5) and we belong to Him alone.

Not only that we are to honour God's name and not "misuse" it (v7) in any way. None of us like our name to be misused too, for our name represents us and we want others to respect our name. So all the more the name of Jesus is not to be taken lightly.

9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
- Philippians 2:9-11

Dear Lord,
May Your name be glorified in my life.
In Jesus most wonderful name I pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:

We always hear people use the name of God and Jesus frivolously. The name of God is like any other word that they can flippantly misuse to express shock, surprise or even disgust. To them, calling out His name neither bring any significant meaning nor sense of respect for a Creator that has created their very being.

As Christian, we pray the Lord’s Prayer by saying “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name”. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the word ‘hallow’ means “to respect or honor greatly”. Thus, we need to revere the holy Name of God in this way, instead of misusing it like another flippant phrase on our lips.

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me to honor Your holy Name with my words. Lead me in every way possible; to honor and protect Your holy name, preserving its use only when I’m truly speaking of You or addressing You in faith and in total reverence. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.