I must recognize the danger in following Jesus Christ. That danger is best described in the behavior of the multitudes who followed Christ on His triumphal entry and shouted, Hosanna … Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! (Matthew 21:9, NIV). When the multitudes reached Jerusalem, they were quickly chilled by the angry Pharisees, and later they dispersed in coldness and defeat.
It is so easy to follow a bandwagon for Jesus. He is often popular and widely acclaimed, and then I am strongly tempted to cash in on His popularity. Many of our programs, our crusades, and our missions have a dash of Jesus about them, but they also can be ego trips or publicity splashes that promote me as a spiritual leader, a notable man of God. Jesus did not call me to be a leader; He called me to be a servant. The servantship concept is not to be understood as a proud butler, rigid and starched, but rather a doormat for everyone to walk on. It is not in my victories that spiritual power is generated, but in my defeats; as Paul says, When I am weak [helpless], then I am strong [dynamite] (2 Corinthians 12:10).
The tragedy of the Hosanna shouters was that their discipleship was too weak, too shaky. The Pharisees easily scared them and, even worse, cowed them into shouting, Crucify, crucify, just a few days later. Weak discipleship can easily degenerate into deluded opposition to the Christ we once followed.
Lord, may I never use You as my pole vault to success, and may I never shout Hosanna unless I can shout it at the foot of the cross. Thank You, Lord, that You are able to keep [me] from falling onto dry-rot discipleship, and finally to present me to the Father with exceeding joy (Jude 24, KJV).
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud, and like the dew which goes away early (Hosea 6:4).
Daily with the King 