“Sometimes I get the impression that God wants me to give him something and sometimes I don’t give it because I don’t know for sure, and then I feel bad because I’ve missed my chance. Other times I know he wants something but I don’t give it because I’m too selfish. And other times, too few times, I hear him and I obey him and feel honored that a gift of mine would be used to carry Jesus to another place. And still other times I wonder if my little deeds today will make a difference in the long haul. Maybe you have those questions, too.
All of us have a donkey. You and I each have something in our lives, which, if given back to God, could, like the donkey, move Jesus and his story further down the road. Maybe you can sing or hug or program a computer or speak Swahili or write a check. Whichever, that’s your donkey. Whichever, your donkey belongs to him. It really does belong to him. Your gifts are his and the donkey was his. The original wording of the instructions Jesus gave to his disciples is proof: “If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, you are to say, ‘Its Lord is in need.'”
Max Lucado in And the Angels were Silent (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1987) 54.
I was talking with a ministry leader this past week who was praying for technical assistance with the ministry he’s served with for nearly five years. I urged him to put the word out that “the Lord has need of such skills.”
What’s your donkey? Remember, your stewardship is based on what you have, and faithful stewards put to work the gifts and goods that God has entrusted to them. And what’s your response when asked to put your donkey to work?
As you think about Jesus’ humble entry into Jerusalem today, don’t forget that an open-handed steward released that donkey when the Lord had need of it. Let’s go and do likewise.