Saturday, December 22, 2018

No Room for Him

Each time I read the Christmas story, I marvel that the Son of God, the promised Messiah, left His throne in Heaven and came to us in human flesh (John 1:14) to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21). Yet the birth of Jesus Christ, Lord of Lords, and King of Kings (Revelation 17:14; 19:16), happened in the most lowly of circumstances. He was not born in the comforts of a royal palace, but in a cold and drafty stable, among the odors of barnyard animals, laid in the scratchy hay of a feeding trough (Luke 2:7).

Why? Because there was no room for Him and His parents in the inn (Luke 2:7). Each time I read that, I cringe to think what it means to have no room for the Saviour. What blessings did the innkeeper miss because he did not joyfully relinquish his best room to the Holy Child? What blessings did God’s chosen people miss because they did not recognize or receive Christ, their Deliverer? (John 1:11-12; 5:43)

What blessings will our nation lose because we no longer have room for Him in our schools, our courtrooms, and our public squares? Even those churches will be held accountable that no longer have room for Him and His Word. Instead, they are devoted to preaching a prosperity or social gospel, to false doctrine (Matthew 7:15; Ephesians 4:14; 2 Peter 2:1), to entertainment, to ostentation, and to social networking, all in the name of building their numbers while falling away from the One Sure Foundation (Luke 6:48-49; 1 Corinthians 3:10-11).

What blessings did I miss in those many long years before I was born again (John 3:3-8) by turning away from my sins and believing in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only Way to Heaven? (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; John 14:6). Before I was saved, my life was strangely empty, yet so filled with pursuing wealth, status, and other worldly treasure that I had no room for Him. What blessings am I missing now when worldly distractions (Hebrews 12:1) take up valuable space in my heart -- space that should be completely dedicated to Him?

So many today are like the fool whose chief concern is that he has no room to store his great accumulation of stuff, and decides to build a bigger storehouse for it all, failing to realize that he can’t take it with him (Luke 12:15-21). When death comes knocking, he who has the most toys does not win, but only he who has Christ living in his heart (2 Corinthians 1:22). All others will slip into eternity only to spend it in hell (Luke 16:22-26), forever separated from the God Who would have saved them had they found room for Him (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13).

But yesterday, as I reread that there was no room for Jesus in the inn, I realized something new to me -- that was a good thing! With God, there are no accidents and no surprises, for He works all circumstances together for the good of those who love Him, to His glory (Romans 8:28). Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-6) to fulfill the prophecies that the Christ, the Deliverer and Ruler of Israel, would be born there (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:4-6).

The town was packed out because Caesar commanded that all who hailed from there should return to be taxed (Luke 2:1-5). But had God the Father wanted His Son to be born in the best room Bethlehem had to offer, surely that would have happened, despite the overwhelming crowds and the modest means of His earthly parents (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:27; Matthew 19:26).

But how would that have changed the course of history? Had Jesus been born in the privacy of a secluded, comfortable room tucked away in an inn, how would the shepherds have worshipped Him?

In those days, shepherds were on the lowest rung of society – outcasts and vagabonds who traveled about with their sheep, and not above stealing one another’s animals, food or possessions if they could get away with it. That was one reason why they had to keep watch over their flocks by night (Luke 2:8) Like all of us, they were sinners (Romans 3:23), but unlike many, they admitted their sins and longed for the change of heart only a Saviour can bring.

No wonder they were terrified when the angel of the Lord appeared to them (Luke 2:9). Yet the angel came not to condemn them, but to bring them the great news that their Saviour was born! (Luke 2:10-11) How like Jesus, Who came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10), to send His first birth announcement to lowly sinners who knew they needed Him!

Immediately the shepherds made peace with one another and agreed to leave everything behind and to rush off to worship the Son of God (Luke 2:15-16). The angel had told them they would recognize their Lord, for He would be wrapped in swaddling clothes, laying in a manger (Luke 2:12).

True, the angel could have said, “He’s at the inn on Main Street, second floor, first door on the left.” But how would even one shepherd have made it past the innkeeper, let alone the whole throng of shepherds visited by the multitude of the angelic host? Even if they had, how would they all have fit in a small room?

No, it took an open, vast, unguarded space for the King of glory to be adored by all those who wanted to fall down before Him. We tend to think of the stable as a small but cozy wooden enclosure, but it most likely would have been built into a cave on the side of a hill. The mouth of the cave would have been open, allowing the hillside and adjoining fields to be filled with hordes of shepherds worshipping Him.

Not only were the shepherds the first souls to be born again, but they were the first missionaries! After they witnessed the Child with their own eyes and found room for Him in their hearts, they told everyone who would listen what the angel had told them, that Jesus was their Saviour, Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11,17)

As a result, many considered this testimony and no doubt were born again themselves (v. 18). The shepherds' testimony was a confirmation to Mary (v. 19), strengthening her for the difficult journey she faced mothering the Son of God, and their praise and faithfulness brought glory to God (v. 20).

So, had there been room for Jesus and His earthly parents in the inn, many would not have known of Him at that time, because there would have been no room for the shepherds to worship Him!

Later, Jesus continued to have the problem of “no room,” because news of His teachings and miracles caused great throngs of people to crowd around Him (Matthew 5:1; 13:2; 14:14-21; 21:9). Often, there was “no room” for those desperate for His healing word or touch, yet that often emboldened those in need.

The woman with the issue of blood fought her way through the crowds, risking being condemned as unclean, just to touch the hem of His garment (Luke 8:43-48). The friends of the man with palsy cut a hole through the roof of the house where Jesus was, having no doubt that He would help their sick friend (Mark 2:1-12). In every case, Jesus rewarded the faith of those who would not accept “no room” as their final answer.

God is not stingy in doling out blessings. Instead, He loves to shower blessings on His children, answering our prayers exceeding abundantly beyond what we could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20; 1 Timothy 1:14). If we seek Him first, He heaps good things on us until we have no room to store them up inside, and they overflow to all those blessed to be in our path (Luke 6:38; 12:29-32).

May His Living Water flow through us like a river nourishing the parched soil around us! May His Light shine through us so that it cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:15), but illuminates the lives of all we meet! May we give Him all the room in our heart, so that we have no room for worldly cares or sorrows, and not enough room to contain all the joy and peace He gives us!

© 2014 Laurie Collett
Reposted from the archives
children's ministry blogs

6 comments:

Brenda said...

Hi Laurie,
I can not imagine my life without the Lord, and the humble way that He came into this world reveals that high esteem in this world means nothing to God. The power that followed Jesus birth, through belief in Him as our Lord and the teaching of the Holy Spirit, is the only power that can bring eternal life.
May we all celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus at this festive time.

Frank E. Blasi said...

Dear Laurie,
Having been to Bethlehem and visited the star that is supposed to have marked the exact spot where Jesus was born, I'm glad that you agree that his birthplace could have been a cave, for this adds support to the idea that the Church of the Nativity was built over one.
Of course, the present crypt has absolutely no resemblance to a cave, and because of this, many Protestants refuse to believe in the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox tradition of the actual site of Christ's birth. And as for the site of the Crucifixion and burial, the same applies, denying the authenticity of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in favour of the Garden Tomb, located north of Jerusalem Old City. Fortunately, I have visited all three sites.
But as you say, finding room for Jesus is much more applicable to the heart rather than physical location. For everyone who says there is room in his heart for the Lord to dwell in, the same will be told by the Lord that there is room for him in his heavenly kingdom.
An excellent blog for Christmas, and Alex and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous year ahead. God bless.

Laurie Collett said...

Amen, Brenda! Without Him, we are nothing, but with Him, all things are possible. It is a mystery to man how God the Savior could humble Himself to take on human flesh, to minister as a servant, and to suffer and die in our place so that all who trust Him will have eternal life. May those who do not yet know Him have their hearts softened to His Word at this very special time of year.
Love in Christ,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Dear Frank,
You are blessed to have been able to visit the holy Land, and we are blessed that you so vividly share your experiences with us. May we all open our hearts to Jesus Christ in this season celebrating His birth, and forever after.
Thanks as always for your encouraging comment. Thank you for the Christmas wishes, and may you and Alex be richly blessed at Christmas and in the coming year,
Laurie

Donald Fishgrab said...

Merry Christmas, Laurie. What a great post. I am amazed that only a few shepherds and the people they told, some of those who were present at his dedication, and some wise men from hundreds of miles away were aware of His birth, while the religious leaders and others who knew the scriptures were oblivious until the wise men asked, perhaps as much as two years later.

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Donald,
Very true -- the so called religious experts failed to recognize the Messiah, not only at His birth but even during His ministry, crucifixion and resurrection. God chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and made the first announcement of His birth to professed sinners who were ceremonially unclean.
Thanks for your encouragement and insights. Merry Christmas and God bless!
Laurie