Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51: 12 NIV

Jesus the King arrived in Jerusalem with shouts of praise and glory! He was welcomed with '‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Hallelujahs were heard from those who waved palm branches to share their love.   

Sometimes we forget to share our excitement and offer Jesus prayers of praise. Distractions rob us from traveling His path of peace. But Christ covers us with grace and never walks away from His desire to be welcomed.  

He came to Jerusalem knowing He would die. Jesus suffered a horrible death! But the story doesn’t end there. His journey is our journey too! If we humble our hearts for His, we will begin to recognize the power of God's plan as He nurtures thankfulness. 

God loves us! As we enter Holy Week, we should take time to consider the joy of our salvation, reflect on the cross and surrender what’s holding us back from welcoming JOY.  We mustn’t be afraid to let go of doubt and allow Jesus to renew us with a spirit of good.  

How can we welcome Christ in our hearts and make room for Him to dwell? We must begin by recognizing He is the Son of God; worthy to be praised, even in broken hallelujahs. He knows our hearts. If we humbly turn from selfish ways, Jesus will open our eyes and we will clearly see we're heading in the right direction. 

He will carry us over bumps in the road and share our burdens.  The One without sin will lead us to the Father and make sure we are readied to rise. He will shine the light of His love and travel with us. We must be ready when He calls us to go.  

Jesus is deserving of praise and adoration! He will bring content to our hearts as we remain tethered to His faithful love. "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." John 15: 13 NIV

Dear God, thank you for Jesus! As we welcome Him with PRAISE, humble our hearts with a willingness to be receivers of His love. We will say, “yes” when Jesus asks us to follow and learn to walk closer to You. We will glorify Him with hallelujahs and remember He is deserving of MORE than mere morsels of our love. Amen