Are You Making Room for the Lord?

December 27, 2022

By Brooke Holt

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2:4-7

God came into Judea, and no one knew it! Granted, God was hidden in the womb of a young woman. There was nothing extraordinary about Mary to make her stand out or draw attention, nothing except the call on her life to bear the Christ child. Hidden within this young woman was God incarnate, the very one for whom the Israelites had long waited and prayed fervently. Yet, no one knew. There was no red carpet laid out for the mother of Jesus and certainly no royal delivery room. Instead, Luke’s gospel tells us: "’Because there was no place for them in the inn” (verse 7).

If these people had only known who Mary carried within her womb, would they have created room? Would they have prepared a way for her to deliver the Son of God in a more royal atmosphere? Perhaps they would have stopped all the craziness of the registrations to marvel at this young woman, to marvel at God’s work within her, and to consider how life would never be the same because God was coming to dwell among his people.

One can only speculate about how things might have been different if these Israelites knew the identity of this baby that Mary carried. What you can do is consider how you have received the birth of the Christ child. Have you made room in your life to build a relationship with him? Have you made room in your day to read his word and to pray?

With Christmas day just a couple of days behind you, are you continuing the celebration of what God has done for you in sending his Son? Are you allowing the Son to captivate your heart, mind, and spirit so that you focus on building his kingdom here on the earth?

Every day, you are called to make room in your life for Jesus. In fact, he desires not just one space within you but all of you. Maybe this Christmas season could be focused on you opening your heart, mind, and spirit to Jesus. Make room for the Lord in this world, and he will make room for you in his kingdom to come.

Reflection:

How can you make more room in your life for the Lord? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Recommended Resource:

Let's face it, the Christian life is hard. Relationships take work. Christians forget. Sometimes it is tempting to go back to the days when God was not the center of our lives - to backslide. We are all faced with tremendous pressures to drift away from intimacy with Jesus and the community of the Church. However, the Lord invites us to pay attention, to move forward, to draw near, and to live lives of worship. Draw Near: Hebrews on Christian Worship is a small group Bible study on the Book of Hebrews intended to lead participants into a deeper intimacy with the living God in the context of New Testament worship. Draw nearer to God in authentic worship today!