No Room at the Inn; Is There Room in Your Heart?

Luke 2:4-7: "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 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."

These verses here speaks about the savior, Jesus, who was born to Mary, and didn't have a place to sleep. They had tried to get a room at the inn, but the inn keepers turned them down, so Mary had to place her baby in a manger, which is a trough for animals. Because there was no room at the inn, Jesus had to sleep in a place that was made for animals to eat out of. The savior of the world had to sleep in a place that we wouldn't think of putting our children in today. It sounds like a pretty awful way to treat our savior, doesn't it?

This situation got me thinking. Do we do the same thing to Jesus in our lives? Do we let him into our lives and hearts, or do we send him away? Many times in my life, I push God away, and put Him out in the cold. This is no way to treat the One who saved us from eternity in Hell, and gave us a spot in Heaven.

Not only for this Christmas season, but throughout your life, make sure there's room for Jesus in your life. Don't put Him out in the cold because that isn't what He did with us. He has given us the greatest gift in the world; salvation and a Heavenly home. Give God a place in your heart, and you will see the blessings from His presence.

It's Easy to Leave God, but Hard to Get Back to Him.

On our way to church a couple of Sundays ago, my dad said something that stuck with me. He said the words, "It's easy to leave God, but it's a lot harder to get back to Him." I thought about this, and I have found this to be true in my own life. There are many times that I fail God, and it seems to become harder every time that I sin against God to get back to the place I was before with Him. For a while, I'll do everything that I can for God, but then, I'll slowly make my way back to not praying and reading my Bible as much as I should. During the times that I serve God, I am at my happiest, but once I sway away from God, that happiness fades, and it becomes harder to worship God the way that I would like to.

Of course, we can repent for our sins, but that's not all we have to do to get back to where God wants us. We have to pray, pray, and pray to get back in the Lord's will. We have to read our Bibles and live right to get back where we were before. It's well worth the efforts, but it's much easier to continue on our path and not waver.


Isaiah 59:2 - "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear."

When we let our sin get in-between us and God, God isn't going to hear us when we pray like He would if we are doing His will. For example, if you and your best friend are fighting. Say, your friend throws your phone down and stomps on it. Are you going to be okay with that, or is it going to take an apology and time to forgive? That friend is going to have to keep trying and trying to repair the relationship. The same is with God. When we sin, it hurts God, and although he is forgiving, it still takes repentance and efforts to repair that part of the relationship with God. It's not going to be instant, it's going to take time. We have to build back up to the relationship that we had with God, which can be harder than it sounds.

Psalms Chapter 1

"1. Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2. But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

When we walk for God, and put our sin in the past, we will be blessed for that. It is impossible to fully live for God if we still have sin in our lives. For example, I used to love to wear denim shorts that were much shorter than I should have been wearing. That was a problem for me in my spiritual walk with God. I still long to go back to the way that I lived before I began living for God sometimes because my flesh longs for that kind of life.

Having the strength to fight the sinful urges of the world is so important to God. When He sees our efforts to live for Him, we will be blessed for it. If we continuously make decisions in our lives that abide by God's law, that is when we are going to be at our happiness. Sure, sin can bring about happiness, but it's only temporary, and will only lead to a dark path. The effort to live for God is well worth it, for God is the greatest friend that we could ever know, and losing Him would be the worst thing that could ever happen to us.