Christmas is a time of joy, cheer, and festivities. Its a time when we gather around the Christmas tree, all bundled up and enjoy the company of family. For many of us, each and every year, around this time we pull out our Bibles and we read the classic tale of the true meaning of Christmas. Luke 2:1-21 tells the story of Jesus Christ being born unto this world to save us all from our sins. But this article isn't about baby Jesus, it is about the inn keeper.
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7, KJV)
Luke 2:7 tells us that when Jesus was born, he was born in a barn, and laid in a manger because there was not a space for them in the inn. Our great Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who died to save our sins, was denied space in the inn. He was born inside of a dirty barn, where the animals were confined to live. And there was no crib for him, so therefore Mary laid him in a manger, where the animals eat. It blows my mind that someone so great was given so little.
When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, they stopped and sought to stay in an inn. They were denied a room, for the inn keeper had no rooms to give. Instead, he offered them a place in his barn, out of what I believe to be commission. Now, this man that we call the inn keeper had no idea that the child that Mary was carrying would grow up to be the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. But, we all stand to learn a lesson from this.
In our lives we have the gift of choice. It is a blessing from our heavenly father, who wants us to choose to follow him. One of the choices that we have to make is whether or not to make room in our hearts for Jesus, or rather to let Jesus in and give Him our whole heart. As believers, we often struggle with priorities. We say we love and follow the Lord, and we mean well. However, sometimes we tell Jesus that he can stay near us, but that there is no room for him in our hearts.
Much like the inn keeper denied baby Jesus room in the inn, we deny Jesus a home in our hearts. The only difference is that we know Jesus and we know that he wants to live in our heart. Do not make the feeble mistake of denying him a room. Jesus Christ so desperately wants to move into your heart and your life. He wants to protect and guide you. This is a man that came from nothing. He was born in a glorified trough that animals ate out of, under the rotting roof of a dirty barn. He had nothing and yet he wants to give you everything. He wants to give you his Grace and his Love to cover all your mistakes.
So this Christmas, as you sit with your family and pull out the old Christmas story, let it serve as a reminder to let the Lord into your life so that he can take care of you. I promise that letting him take control will change your life more than any new years resolution ever will. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to everyone reading this. May your days be filled with Love and Grace and may this new year bring peace to our world.
