No Vacancy

Christmas is over and New Year’s Day is almost upon us.

The stores have now cleared the shelves of all the decorations, lights, cards, wreaths and anything else Christmas related.

Now these items have been relegated to bargain bins where their prices will drop in stages until they are all sold.

They have been displaced by candy, cards, flowers, gifts and other items associated with Valentine’s Day.

It is as if the merchants are telling us in a not so subtle way that there simply is no room for Christmas anymore.

This brought to my mind a particular verse from Luke.

Luke 2:7 (NET) - And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

I once heard a minister on television say something that I will always remember.

He referred to Easter and Christmas as ‘the annual pilgrimages’ which brought a laugh from his congregation.

I’ve always held that in every bit of humor there is at least a grain of truth.

Speaking in very broad terms, some do seem to make a big fuss about Jesus once or twice a year but not nearly as much the remainder of the year.

Now that Christmas is over, we go back to our routines.

Our time away from work and school is over and the demands on our time and resources begin to pile up.

Little by little things begin to creep in and place demands on our attention.

We may start by thinking about things like bills that need to be paid and taxes that never go away.

The well being of family and friends are an ever present concern.

Our profession, or our education, then make huge demands of us.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

You see, some have made room for Jesus in the inn that is their heart over Christmas.

That is a good thing.

But now that Christmas is over, some will become preoccupied by these other things.

Little by little, they will allow these things to occupy more and more space in their hearts.

The room they have created for Him will grow smaller with each passing day.

Eventually, like the inn in Luke, there will no longer be any room left for Him.

Just like the Christmas merchandise that now resides in bargain bins, they will set Him aside until next Christmas, or perhaps Easter.

What a pity that is.

Especially when you consider all that He has done for us.

Each of us probably knows at least one person who has made room in their heart for Jesus this Christmas.

Why not help them keep room in their heart for Him.

Here is a great place to start.

Romans 10:9 (NET) - because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 4, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, January 11, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.