December 11, 2008

The Inn

Luke 2:6-7 (HCSB) 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough—because there was no room for them at the inn.
Devotion
As we think again about the smells of Christmas Mary and Joseph travel to an Inn in Bethlehem.
Now you may remember the good or bad smells associated with a hotel room, but you have probably never experienced the smell of staying at an Inn in the first century. Now move outside, because Joseph and Mary stayed in the stable. You know what kind of smells are in a stable!
There was no room for Jesus in the Inn.
It’s easy for us to sit back a criticize the Innkeeper (who is not in the Bible by the way) or the town of Bethlehem, however, the truth is, we are not very good at giving Jesus room in our lives either.
Many people leave Jesus just a small amount of room at Christmas and Easter. Others are a little more giving, providing him an hour a week.
The problem is, Jesus wants more. He wants a lot more. Jesus wants complete control of all of our life.
The good news is, that when we give Him that control, he is very generous to provide us with a very abundant life filled with family, fun and great things.

Questions for Discussion
Are there times when you don’t want to make room for Jesus?
How have you allowed Jesus to control your life?
What good things have you gotten since giving Jesus control?

Prayer
Dear God, please help me to give Jesus complete control of my life. Amen.

Song
“O Little Town of Bethlehem”