«Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them’ » (Matthew 21:1-3).
ACCORDING TO TODAY’S PASSAGE, how did Jesus know that the donkey was exactly in that place, that she was tied up, and that a colt was by her side? According to The Desire of Ages, He knew this by virtue of His divinity, He knew in advance the circumstances of the case.—ch. 63, p. 570.
However, it is not this fact that most catches my attention to this passage, but what an author calls «God’s uncommon use of the common.» What did he mean? Well, can there be anything more common, more «ordinary» than a beast of burden? Still, it was on one of those animals that the King chose to make His triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
But it was not just the colt. There is a long list of «ordinary things» that are used in Scripture as a means of fulfilling God’s purposes: Moses’s rod, the red cord that Rahab tied to the window to signal to the Israelites, the slingshot David used to kill Goliath, the donkeys jaw that Samson used to kill a thousand Philistines, the manger where the Child slept, the lunch of a little lad that Jesus multiplied, the cross where Jesus died.
Do we get the idea? The list is so extensive that we could very well build something like a Gallery of the Ordinary. All of which leads us to the following question: whether God uses such ordinary things to achieve extraordinary results; if He could even turn a cross of torture into an instrument of salvation, could he not also use our ordinary talents to do wonders on His behalf? Could He not also use our little acts of service today—a glass of water for a thirsty individual, a bite of bread for the hungry, a visit to the sick—for His honor and glory?
The message is clear: no matter whether our talents are few or many, whether our abilities are ordinary or extraordinary, or whether our resources are scarce or abundant, the point is that the Lord needs them, and today it is our privilege to use them in His service.
«The question that most concerns us is not, How much have I received? but, What am I doing with that which I have?»—Christ’s Object Lessons, ch. 25, p. 329.
Dear Jesus, I know that I have no extraordinary talents or resources, but if You need them, please use them, Lord, according to Your will and for Your glory. There is no greater privilege than being able to serve You.