HAVE YOU MADE ROOM FOR JESUS?

With the hurry of finishing all our pre-Christmas tasks, it can be hard to find time and room for Jesus. I pray this season He will reign in Your hearts through your busiest hours. Merry Christmas!

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVES        by Sally Bair

Making room

When my family and I moved from a four-bedroom house to a small, two-bedroom, we had some hard choices to make. What should we sell or give away? Would we have room to keep our extras? Would all our furniture fit? Since we had a small shed on our new property, at least we could store some of our things.

We tend to collect things as we live from one season to the next. After the childhood toys, we collect bigger toys. Man-sized toys like boats, four-wheelers and RVs are common sights in many garages or back yards. Household items multiply, too, for the industrious, modern homemaker. She really needs that bread maker, blender and toaster oven if she’s to feed her family properly. And to make the house look nice, that new collection of knickknacks is the perfect touch, so she believes.

No matter where we live, we tend to reach a point where we don’t have enough room.

The same can be true of our spiritual lives. We may clutter our days with endless, sometimes useless activities. Even if we claim to love God, we may relegate Him to the garage or shed of our minds, often closing the door except for an occasional peek when we feel we need Him.

When we think about the innkeepers who had no room for Jesus at His birth, we wonder what they would have done if they’d have known He was the expected Messiah. They surely would have made room for Him.

What does it take for us to make room for Jesus in our heart, soul and mind? Things we hold onto with an iron grip, such as bitterness, worry or our earthly pursuits of pleasure, crowd Him out of our lives. However, when we recognize His love for us, we can welcome Him with open arms. He awaits our welcome. He pursues it. He invites us to accept Him wholeheartedly. When we make room for Him, all other things become less important.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)

Lord, thank You for your invitation. Unlike the innkeepers in Bethlehem, we choose to make room for You in our heart, soul, body and spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.