Celebrate Jesus by making room for Him

Good morning everyone,

Our theme or this month: “A season of celebration”

Our Bible verse for today: “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:6-7 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Celebrate Jesus by making room for Him”

One of the curious aspects of the birth of Christ is the fact that when the time for His birth arrived, there was no room for Him in the inn. He was therefore born in some outdoor structure such as a stable or perhaps a cave. It was a shelter for animals, and his bed was a manger or feeding trough.

If you’re familiar with the backstory, then you know that the reason Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem was because of a government-ordered census that they were required to participate in. Bethlehem was Joseph’s ancestral hometown. Since it was an event that affected everyone, there were many travelers on the roads and therefore all the inns were full. As D.L. Moody once observed, “For four thousand years the world had been looking for Christ. Prophets had been prophesying, and the mothers of Israel had been praying and hoping that they might be the mother of that child; and now that he has arrived, we find He is laid in a borrowed cradle because there was no room in the inn.”

In Bethlehem there was no room for Him in the inn. Today many people have little or no room for Him in their lives. Not even at Christmastime. It’s true for Christians as well. We allow our lives to get so filled with other things that there’s little or no room for Jesus. That’s true on even a normal day in say, July, or September, but it can be especially true when all the hustle and bustle of Christmastime is added into an already over-busy life. Then we end up with little or no time for the very One whose birthday it is we’re supposed to be celebrating.

How much room do you have in your life for Jesus this year at Christmas? The Christian thing to say is something like, “Jesus is at the center of my life all the time. My life revolves around my faith in Christ.”, or words like that. We say it, but is it true? In a real and practical way, is it true? Often it isn’t. Not really.

I encourage you to make Jesus the focal point of your Christmas celebration. Don’t just include Him among all the other faces and names and activities. Make sure that in your life, there is indeed room for Jesus.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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