Day 4 of 40 Days to Celebrate the King: Untying a Colt

Day 4 of 40 Days to Celebrate the King: Untying a Colt

Today we read Psalm 44 again and Luke 19:22-40

You may not be used to following the Liturgical Calendar Readings and The Book of Common Prayer. Usually, there is a suggested Psalm that is read for an entire week. Something happens in my understanding when I read the same thing for 7 days. I begin to look for and find deeper insights, nuanced understandings. God just seems to finally break through my casual, “oh, I know this,” attitude and teach me. The same is true for repeating the same written prayer each morning for a week. Try it. 😊

If you’ve played much golf you know there is a funny (or not) trick you play on the “other” two guys in your foursome. You usually wait until about the 12^th hole. The two carts stop at the green and everyone walks up to make their putts. You slip back to the cart behind you, the two guys that are playing the round with you, and unstrap their golf bags. You have to tuck the straps behind the bags so they aren’t seen. Everybody comes back to the golf carts, slams their putters in their golf bags because by this time they are playing terribly, and jump in the carts. The guy driving the carts stomp on the gas pedal and take off, only to hear a crash as both golf bags fall off the carts and, if you’re lucky, clubs and tees and balls go flying everywhere. It is hilarious.

On a side note, no one ever invites me to play golf with them anymore.

Whether it’s golf clubs or pocketbooks, most of us keep things that we value tied up, strapped down, or held tightly to our chests. We protect our resources, guard our assets, hide our bank accounts. We have learned, sometimes the hard way, to lock our doors and not let anyone untie what we have worked so hard for. And so it must have been for the guy in Luke 19 who has his colt tied up. But Jesus says, “Go untie it and bring it to me.”

Can you imagine what that felt like to the unnamed colt owner? He probably was as happy as my golfing buddies on the 12^th hole. This was no laughing matter to him. Some people he doesn’t know, come in the name of someone he has never heard of, and without asking start untying his colt.

In the NLT, the translation I read this morning, verse 19 begins, “After telling this story…” I went back and looked at what story Luke was talking about. It was the story of the talents. You remember. Rich guys is going away. He calls in three servants. He says to one, “You take my golf clubs.” To another, “I’m leaving you my two cars.” And to the last one, “I want you to look after my five mutual funds.” He leaves and when he comes back the mutual fund servant has reinvested and made a mint. The car guy has started an UberEats business and doubled his fleet. But the golf club guy just played golf and did nothing to improve the standing of the rich guy. (Come on, I know you remember this story) Rich guy is happy with the two servants but not so much the one who wasted his resources.

Are these stories connected? Maybe so. Maybe God is saying to me today, “You have some things tied up that I want to use. It’s time for you to untie the colt and give it to me.” What about you? What are you holding so tightly that God can’t get ahold of it? Do you have a house that would be great for hosting a Life Group, or inviting new people from church to lunch? Is there a dusty old guitar in the closet that could be tuned up and you could play for the Wednesday night service? Do you have a fishing boat that you could use to take some Sunday School kids out fishing every once in a while? Think about your resources, your talents, your hobbies for a minute and ask yourself, “Could God be asking me to untie a colt?”

Sunday is the first day of Advent. Our focus will change in this study to a more inner heart searching. Preparing ourselves for the Coming King. But this week is the last week of the Liturgical Calendar. It is one final time to take inventory and see if and where we could do better serving the full-grown Messiah and giving our talents to His Kingdom. I don’t know about you but I have a few colts that I have kept closely tied. Maybe I could do a better job of untying them because “the Master has need of them.”

Here are some questions to ponder today:

What thoughts went through the mind of the colt owner when the disciples took it?

Where in my life do I need to untie a few things in order to serve God better?

See you tomorrow. If you haven’t, enter your email on the Branchesblog.com page in order to get a daily 40 Day blog, and for a chance to win a new set of golf clubs.  😊 That’s not true, I just thought it was funny.