Renewed Within: Palm Sunday
What are your expectations?What do you expect from God?
Do you expect Him to provide an easy life, a successful career, or a happy marriage?
What should our expectations be? I’ve read the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey many times (Matthew 21:1–11). And often I’ve wondered: how did the crowds go from shouting “Hosanna!” and laying down their cloaks before Him to crying out “Crucify Him!” before Pilate (Matthew 27:22–23) less than a week later?
As I reflected on this, it became clear that the people believed Jesus would finally conquer the Roman Empire, ascend the throne of David, and restore the kingdom to Israel. They longed to be free from Roman oppression. Their expectation was immediate and political. They focused on the now.
Even the disciples misunderstood. In Mark 10:35–37, James and John asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left in His glory. They, too, were anticipating an earthly kingdom. And just before Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples were still asking the same question in Acts 1:6: “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
"Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"Act 1:16
Only after Jesus’ death and resurrection did they begin to grasp His true mission.
The crowds wanted freedom from Rome. Yet Jesus came with a deeper purpose, not to establish an earthly kingdom, but to offer God’s free gift of eternal life and freedom from sin and death (Romans 6:23 )
Too often, we are like the crowds, expecting God to meet our immediate needs, comfort, success, ease. But Jesus calls us to something greater: trust, obedience, and eternal hope.
So today, ask yourself:
What do I expect from God?
Am I seeking temporary relief—or eternal transformation?
And as we grow in our Love and trust of God, we’ll find it easier to believe and obey Matthew 6:33 which commands us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
May we welcome Christ not only with branches and praise, but by following Him through every suffering into the joy and victory of His resurrection.
"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace… will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."1 Peter 5:10–11
Provision far beyond what we expect
For those living in desperate poverty, their most urgent needs are often food, shelter, and warm clothing. And these needs are real. Yet their deepest need—just like ours—is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sometimes, we expect God to meet our immediate needs or solve our present struggles. But as we reflect on His work in people’s lives, we see that His greatest provision is far beyond what we expect—eternal hope and life in Him.
At Mission Without Borders, we seeks to meet both physical needs and eternal hope.
