"?a huge crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to
meet Him. They shouted, "Praise God! Bless the one who comes in the name
of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!"

I sat around the pool at our hotel, thankful that God had given us a few days of relaxation in that beautiful desert country where the palm trees and cactus grow profusely. The temperature was a pleasant 75 degrees and the sun was shining brightly. All around me orange trees were loaded with fruit.

As I gazed into the blue sky with gorgeous palm trees circling the pool, I thought of the day long ago when palm branches were spread before Jesus as He made His entry into Jerusalem.

"Hail to the King," was their cry as He arrived to announce that He was indeed the awaited Messiah.

"Crucify Him," became their proclamation when they discovered that Jesus had not come to be a national leader who would restore Israel to glory.

Whether today brings you much joy or temporary heartache and disappointment, let us never be guilty of turning against the One who gave His life that we might live eternally.

May we always lovingly and freely praise Jesus, who came in the name of the Lord to show us the way to salvation and eternal life.

Melva Cooper, Copyright 2004
Used with permission.