So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:6-7 NKJV
We’ve all watched the Christmas pageants that portray Joseph and Mary going through Bethlehem desperately searching for a room for the night. We see the innkeepers all shaking their heads. Everyone from Bethlehem was called back there for the census. There were no rooms to be found. But we know someone offered up their stable to Joseph and Mary so that baby Jesus could be born and laid in a manger.
My question for you today is have you made room for Jesus in your heart, your life and your schedule? We all like to sing Christmas Carols and hymns during this time of year. One of my favorites is Joy to the World. It begins by saying, “Joy to the World, the Lord is come, let earth receive her king, let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing…”
Has your heart prepared room for Him? I can recall watching many Christmas programs and wondering about the whole stable and manger thing. I often wondered if these people that claimed to have no room realized that they were turning the Savior away? I feel sure that most of them had no idea. They just saw a young couple with a young woman that was very close to going into labor.
In Luke they refer to a physical space for the young couple to stay in where Mary would give birth to baby Jesus. But today I am referring to our hearts and our spiritual selves. This world is so full of distractions that it is very easy to get tangled up in things of this world. It is easy to forget why we are here and where we are headed. We often find ourselves trying to juggle our schedules to be able to include all these earthly things that in the end will mean nothing.
In our Sunday School lesson, we have begun to study Abraham. I never thought about the fact that while Abraham was the father of a great nation, he never even lived in a house. He and his wife Sarah lived in tents. God promised him that he would be the father of a great nation. He promised him that his descendants would be as plentiful as the stars in the sky and the sands on the seashore and God fulfilled that promise but not in Abraham’s lifetime. Abraham did not live to see the fulfilment of God’s promises, but he trusted that God would do as He has promised. Abraham never worried about building a house or a city because he was focused on his heavenly home. He was focused on where he was going and not on where he was. He knew that this life was very temporary.
In Matthew 6:19, Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Where is your heart this holiday season? Is it focused on getting just the right present for those on your list? Is it focused on your finances as you wonder how you will ever pay off those gifts you are buying? Is it focused on all the things you must accomplish before Christmas gets here? Focus on Jesus, make room for Him. Teach your children to focus on Him.
Jesus said in John 14:2, “In my father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” If Jesus can prepare a mansion for us, can’t we prepare room in our hearts for Him? If we fail to prepare room in our hearts for Him, we will find that He has no mansion available for us. This is a promise Jesus was making to His disciples.
My friends, I beg of you to prepare room in your heart for Jesus Christ if you have not already done so. If you have not surrendered yourself to Him, there is no better time than now to do so. Don’t turn Him away saying you have no room or time or whatever. Open your hearts and your minds to Him today.
Have a great day!