Make Room for Jesus Part 2 (The Story Continues)
Matthew 1:18 This is how the birth
of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to
Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the
Holy Spirit.
As we think about the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem,
we can romanticize this in our minds. We imagine a full moon with the
silhouettes of Mary and Joseph against a starlit sky, and soft, angelic music
playing in the background. But the fact of the matter is that this was a very
hard journey. It would have been difficult under any circumstances, but the
fact that Mary was so late in her pregnancy made it even more so. It was
approximately a 90-mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
In those days, people would travel about 20 miles a day.
They didn’t travel on a flat, paved road, but rugged terrain that would go up
and down. It likely would have been in the dead of winter, with temperatures in
the 30s. At night, it would have been freezing cold. Add to that the danger of
wild animals—not to mention the threat of potential robbers and bandits.
Mary and Joseph probably comforted themselves with the
thought of a warm bed waiting for them in Bethlehem. But that was not to be the
case. When they arrived, they found there was no room for them at the inn, so
Mary had to give birth under unexpected, unideal circumstances; the Savior of
the world was possibly born in a stable or cave (Luke 2:7).
There was no room for Jesus at the inn, just like there’s
no room for Him in some people’s lives today. And even during a season He’s
meant to be the center of, some still don’t make room…
Is there room for Jesus in your life right now? As we move
deeper into the Christmas season, and as we prepare to start a new year with
new opportunities, will you make room in your life for Jesus?
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