NO ROOM IN THE INN

Luke 2:5-7 (TNIV) “(Joseph) went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”

It's a big deal to have a son be born to you even now, but back in the days of Christ it was a bigger deal because of the declaration the angel had made to Mary prior to the birth. This was to be the Christ child, the Son of Almighty God. Talk about pressure. They didn’t need ultrasound back then to know the gender of the baby, God orchestrated it and allowed Mary to know who she was carrying. Normally, the birth of a son would mean that there was now an heir to carry on the family name. In THIS case the son was the Son and His birth was far more important for all creation then just carrying on a family’s name.

Ever been on the road late at night?  You’re traveling and need a place to stop and rest for the night.  You have your very pregnant wife with you and you find that all the hotels are full up for miles around because there is not just ONE convention in town that day, but TWO. You really need to stop for the night. You are getting a little bleary eyed and your body needs to shut down for the night to recoup for tomorrows travels. You happen to run into a farmer at the gas station where you are filling up. You strike up a conversation. You end up telling him your plight. He graciously offers a stall in his barn to spend the night in. You gratefully accept.

You hardly notice the smell of animals and raw waste as you settle in for the night on a bed of hay.  You thank God for His hand of mercy and ask Him to bless the farmer for his generosity. Your wife is close to giving birth as sleep overtakes you and you drift off.

This is what it might be like if the birth of Christ were to take place today.  Would people believe in this miraculous birth any more than they did back then? Today, unfortunately, a pregnant, unwed mother would not be all that unfamiliar of a sight. If she insisted that an angel told her she was carrying the Messiah, the Chosen One of God, she might be carted off to a mental hospital or at the very least the emergency room to do some tests on her, some psychological. Ah, how things have changed. But God has remained the same. Well, hasn’t He? What about God has changed?

This time of year brings to mind many warm, wonderful memories for millions of people. However, to some it is the annual reminder of a lost loved one. To still others, it is a reminder of being mistreated by a parent. Through all this, God has remained the same. He has never NOT known all that was going on. If you probe the deeper recesses of your subconscious mind you just may find the ways He helped you cope with the bad experiences. Perhaps you were too stung or bruised to notice then, but God is always working on our behalf. We only need to surrender to His will and way.

The cool thing about babies is that sometimes they grow up to be pretty neat people. In the case of Jesus, He grew up to fulfill His Father’s plan for the salvation of all mankind. You and I will never do that, 1) because it has already been done and doesn’t need to be REdone; 2) God has other plans for us. Are you loving Him today? Are you available to be used by Him today? Is your life all about YOU or is it all about OTHERS, as God wants it to be. We all need to focus in on the bigger picture. Christ wasn’t JUST born to die so we could be forgiven from all our sins; no, He was also born so that we could see a living, breathing example of how we were to act and react in this world. His teachings are eternal; His examples of how to intermingle with others and tap into the Father’s Spirit to bring mercy, comfort, peace, healing and  hope are unprecedented. He was and is God’s only begotten Son; perfect in every way. Our responsibility as “little Christ’s” is to strive to be more like Him each and every day.
WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!