A little boy who lived far out in the country in the late 1800s had reached the age of twelve and had never in all his life seen a circus. You can imagine his excitement, when one day a poster went up at school announcing that on the next Saturday a traveling circus was coming to the nearby town. He ran home with the glad news and the question, "Daddy, can I go?" Although the family was poor, the father sensed how important this was to the lad. "If you do your Saturday chores ahead of time," he said, "I'll see to it that you have the money to go."
Come Saturday morning, the chores were done and the little boy stood by the breakfast table, dressed in his Sunday best. His father reached down into the pocket of his overalls and pulled out a dollar bill - the most money the little boy had possessed at one time in all his life. The father cautioned him to be careful and then sent him on his way to town.
The boy was so excited, his feet hardly seemed to touch the ground all the way. As he neared the outskirts of the village, he noticed people lining the streets, and he worked his way through the crowd until he could see what was happening. Lo and behold, it was the approaching spectacle of a circus parade!
The parade was the grandest thing this lad had ever seen. Caged animals snarled as they passed, bands beat their rhythms and sounded shining instruments, midgets performed acrobatics while flags and ribbons swirled overhead. Finally, after everything had passed where he was standing, the traditional circus clown, with floppy shoes, baggy pants and a brightly painted face, brought up the rear. As the clown passed by, the little boy reached into his pocket and took out that precious dollar bill. Handing the money to the clown, the boy turned and went home.
What had happened? The boy thought he had seen the circus when he had only seen the parade!
In just a few days, we will celebrate Palm Sunday. The day we remember Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey while people waved palm branches and shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Matt. 21:9)
It is wonderful to think about the pomp and circumstance that Jesus Christ enjoyed as people gave Him a hypothetical high-five. Despite the fact that there was misunderstanding of why He had come to Jerusalem, they were still lifting Him up and applauding Him.
The Word of God is full of verses that command us to "praise the Lord"; and rightly so. Even Jesus told the Pharisees who were upset that the disciples were praising Him on this day: "If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out" (Luke 19:40).
However, don't get caught up in the parade! The Christian life is a marvelous adventure, an exciting journey. Many people - including Christians - seem to be content to float in a sea of mediocrity, settling for second best; settling for just the parade. Do you want the abundant life that Jesus promised? Do you want to live life to the fullest? Are you experiencing all that God has for you? Then aim higher. Don't set your sights too low. Determine to become all that God created you to be. Give yourself to Christ, follow Him completely, and allow the Holy Spirit to work in you and through you. You ain't sen nothin' yet!!!!
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