These Christian devotionals cover many topics to get you thinking and to further your walk with God, and hopefully, to grow you spiritually. We write of everyday struggles, how to get through certain situations that life throws at you, and a slew of...
This devotional was inspired by the message I heard from church this morning. Or, at least, part of it.
Before Jesus's birth, Joseph and Mary were on their way to Bethlehem to pay taxes, as Caesar Augustus wished to take a census of all of Rome. Mary, of course, was an expectant mother who was full term and ready to have her child at any moment.
Since they were not at their home, it was hard for the couple to find a place to have the child comfortably. So, they tried to find an inn-keeper (you could think of it as the modern equivalent of a motel room, but a lot less advanced). These inn keepers would house the swathes of people that had come to pay their taxes from across Rome as Caesar Augustus had demanded.
We're told that there was no room for Mary and Joseph in the inn, though. Luke 2:6-7 (NIV) says,
6 "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
7 "and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in clothes and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them."
For context, a manger is a feeding trough used for animals. Here is what they look like:
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I included these pictures because for the longest part of my childhood, I had no idea that these troughs were used for feeding animals. I was never taught in Sunday school (at least, not that I remember) that Jesus Christ had been born in a filthy place in a huge animal food bowl. From all that I remember learning and seeing pictures of, Christ's birth was the most adorable, clean scene I had ever seen.
The birth of Christ was not glorious in terms of where he was born on farmland in a feeding trough. Yet, it was the most glorious birth of any before and all afterward, bringing to Earth mankind's savior.
Perhaps the birth of Christ could have been inside a clean shelter had an inn-keeper allowed Joseph and Mary inside, but all inn's were filled with people! Besides, I'm sure all happened as God ordained it to happen.
Now, this may seem like your typical Christmas message about a savior who was born to mankind, but there's a twist: We can still apply this story of the inn-keeper into our own lives.
We shouldn't deny Jesus if he knocks on the doors of our hearts like the inn-keepers denied Joseph and Mary. We need to let him in.
Not letting Christ into our hearts will lead us in the opposite direction of Heaven.
In Revelation 3:20 (NIV), Jesus says, "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 that person, and they with me."
Let Christ into your heart! Without Christ, there is no hope of salvation or of Heaven. With Christ in your heart, you can rest assured knowing that:
You'll have a friend even when none of your Earthly friends are there for you. In John 15:15 (ESV), Jesus says, "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."
You have salvation. John 1:12 (ESV) says, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." Romans 10:9 (ESV) says, "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."
You receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and he will be your guide through life and will never leave you. He also prays for you and intercedes on your behalf, especially when you can hardly pray for yourself or ask for forgiveness for any sin. Romans 8:26 (ESV) says, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."
So much more! Add other affirmations that you know to be true in the comments, even testimonies! We love hearing from you! (Tag me, @NBNiar, so I'll see them too!)
I assume that most of you who are reading are already saved, so send this to a friend! Luke 15:10 (NIV) says, "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (This came after Jesus told the parable of a single lost sheep. In short, a single sheep became lost, and the shepherd left 99 other sheep behind to find that single sheep. When he found the sheep, he rejoiced! The same is true for a single sinner coming into the light through repentance who gains the free gift of salvation.)
