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Luke 2:7 And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed Him in the manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  At this time of year when we are busy wrapping our gifts and decorating and entertaining, we tend to put aside the most important gift that we can receive. We see all the expensive gifts and decorations and busyness but we overlook the simple life-changing gift that is priceless and free.
When Christ came to us, He came as a defenseless infant, born of poor parents in very modest circumstances. We pay more attention to great fanfare events, celebrity appearances and royal weddings. We don't take time to make room in our lives for the blessings that come disguised and wrapped in simple cloths. How full is your inn? Have you filled all your rooms with the things that break, rust, dent or spoil? How many of the gifts that you received last year do you remember? What would it take to refocus your attention on the eternal instead of the temporal? Rev 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Jesus is standing at your door. He is knocking. He is waiting for you to open your door to Him so that He can come in. He wants you to make room at your inn so that He can fill you with blessings, satisfy your hunger, and heal your broken places. Make room in your inn for the Prince of peace, the wonderful counselor. He has been patient with us for a very long time. He is waiting for us to make a place for Him in our hearts and minds and lives. Make this the year that you receive the greatest gift that will not be forgotten. This gift is an ongoing gift. It is new every morning and never loses it's value. It is free but it is also priceless. Receive the gift and the Giver. Spend an eternity celebrating with the One Who loves us enough to come to an inn that has no room. He knocks and patiently waits for us to open the door. He loves you.
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 John 3:14-16 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
We have heard John 3:16 so often it has lost its tremendous power to fill us with awe. It no longer thrills us as it once did. This verse has so much power to make the message of the cross clear. We see it displayed, we recite it as an opening to the redemption story. But when was the last time we really looked at it, tore it apart and feasted on the true meaning. We were given the greatest gift possible. The One Who created the universe and us, set aside His deity and came to dwell among us. He desired to help us to understand God the Father. He wanted us to have a deeper appreciation for the power of the Holy Spirit. Those that had the greatest knowledge of the scriptures were the ones that rejected the Son. The gift of eternal life is a gift that we can share and it becomes more valuable. The more we share it with the lost sheep, the more it becomes part of our thoughts and hopes. We, as children of God, are commanded to speak the truth to those around us. This gift will not be forgotten quickly. It will not rust, break or get stolen. It is given freely but the benefits are eternal. Normally when a child is born, gifts are given to the parents, but this Child gave us a gift instead. We are given the opportunity to spend eternity in the presence of the God of the universe. We won't need the sun because we will have the Son. We will spend eternity praising and worshiping with the angels. As you sit together to celebrate Christ's birth, remember to thank Him for His gift to us. When you are out shopping and the cashier tells you, "Happy holiday", remind them that the word 'holiday' is really Holy Day. Remind them that this holiday is the celebration of the birth of your Savior. We are told if we are not ashamed to speak His name, He won't be ashamed to speak our name to His Father. Matthew 12:8 "For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath." Mark 2:27 Then He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."  Many times throughout the Gospels, Jesus would withdraw from the crowds but they would follow Him where ever He went. Nearing the end of His earthly ministry, He showed signs of exhaustion. He fell asleep in the back of the boat in the midst of a storm. He was able to sleep through the raging winds and the driving rains. His exhaustion had to be great. When you read His schedule during His three years on earth, there was little time for rest.
The crowds followed Him everywhere. Even when He sought time alone with His disciples or time alone with His Father, they were there. Even time to grieve was not given to Him. His cousin, John the Baptist, had been beheaded. He crossed the sea with the twelve to have some down time but the crowd followed Him. He 'had compassion on them and healed their sick.' (Matthew 14:14) After He fed the crowd, He sent His disciples back across the sea. He dismissed the crowd and sought time for prayer. It was not unusual for Him to spend the night in prayer and then spend the next day healing and teaching. In the Song of Solomon, we are told to 'come away, My beloved.' Jesus wants us to step away from the stress and unending rush of our lives and spend time alone with Him. We can learn from Him the best when we separate from our busy lives and spend time at His feet. He praised Mary for doing just that. The work will still be there but the time apart is manna to our souls. We can refuel our energy by feeding on His word then step back into the world. Jesus knows the cost of running on empty. He desires that we learn from His human experience. He desires that we seek Him when the way gets hard, when the shadows seem to overcome the sunshine. There will be times of storms and sorrow but He has walked that path and will walk it with us as we journey through this life and prepare for eternity. Luke 1:7 And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  When royalty is born, there is great rejoicing and many gifts. When the Savior of the world was born, He had no place to lay His head. Later in the gospels, He said, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head." (Matt 8:20) Nothing changed throughout His life.
Many put great emphasis on our roots and importance in the worldly things, but the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, Son of God, had no such earthly possessions. He didn't care. He trusted the Father to supply all His needs, just as ours are provided. Did you ever notice that Mary did not wrap Him in clothes? She wrapped Him in 'cloths'. There is no mention of blankets or a bunting or a onesie. She had little to give her Child. Yet she gave Him the greatest gift a mother could give. She nurtured Him. She raised Him and held all the memories deep in her heart. Jesus lived a life of poverty and shame, yet He was faithful to the will of His Father. He gave the message of eternal life to all. He did not count the world's evaluation of what matters as anything to be concerned about. He just poured out love on those most in need. He poured out truth to those who buried themselves in the law and offered them a gift of eternal life that could only come from Him. There was nothing they could do themselves to earn it. He offers the same gift to us. It means little where we were born or what circumstances we were born into. He offers the same message to all. He offers us a place to rest. A place to calm our spirit, and refuel our souls. He wraps us in the cloths of righteousness. He offers us a retirement home out of this world. An old song tells us that 'the things of life become strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.' When we see the Lord face to face, we won't even remember the things that seem so important now. |
AuthorPlease join us as we grow in Christ through our weekly devotions, written by Catherine Donaldson 
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