The Second Chance

I flipped the calendar page over.

December 1st.

I smiled smugly. “I’ve got this,” I bragged to myself. “This year December is going to be different. I am ready.”

Tired of warp-speeding through the days leading up to Christmas every year and only occasionally giving Jesus an obligatory nod, I was determined that my dear Savior would finally have center stage. What a novel thought! Jesus coming first on His birthday!

I was resolute. I was unwavering. I was adamant. This was the year.

My “spot,” my cozy living room chair where I love to meet with my Father, was all nicely prepared. My Bible, four or five devotionals I love, my prayer journal, and the new LFA advent calendar were all piled neatly beside me on the floor. It was happening.  And I was pretty proud of myself.

Fast forward a couple of weeks. My spot was deserted; my books and the calendar barely touched.

But as December 18th dawned, I opened a devotional we keep in the bathroom.  Max Lucado confronted me with a title, Room for God?  

He wrote,

“Some of the saddest words on earth are: ‘We don’t have room for you.’

“Jesus knew the sound of those words. He was still in Mary’s womb when the innkeeper said, ‘We don’t have room for you.’

“And when he was hung on the cross, wasn’t the message one of utter rejection? ‘We don’t have room for you in this world.’

“Even today Jesus is given the same treatment. He goes from heart to heart asking if he might enter.

“Every so often, he is welcomed. Someone throws open the door of his or her heart and invites him to stay. And to that person Jesus gives this great promise: ‘There are many rooms in my Father’s house’ (John 14:2).

“What a delightful promise he makes us! We make room for him in our hearts and he makes room for us in his house.”

Room for Jesus. That was what I had determined to have….in November.

I heard that little annoying Dr. Phil I sometimes have in my head say, “So how’s that working for you?”

Why, this is one of my favorite Christmas themes—room for Jesus. I’ve written about it, sung about it, read about it, and agonized about it for too many decades to count. And this year, once again, I was nearly three weeks into the month and I had literally made room for just about everything and everybody else but my Sweet Jesus.  And this after all my big plans and good intentions! Tears slipped down my burning cheeks.   

If I were to place my hopes and expectations and desires of December 1st up against my December 18 reality, I would discover that I was, again, a dismal failure. Where had December gone? What had happened to my resolution to keep Him first, to throw open the door and welcome Him?

Jesus didn’t go anywhere. He was near, knocking. And I was too busy to notice. 

No wonder there was so little peace and joy….

Well, that was then and this is now. Here we go again.

I’m about to flip the calendar page to January 1st and I want a second chance. How thankful I am for God’s grace!

I look ahead—not to a mere 25 days of keeping Jesus in His proper place—but to 365 uncharted, unexplored, not-yet-filled days of grand possibilities and adventures, each one a gift from the Father. Will I make grandiose, pious, and meaningless promises to make room for Jesus every day only to quickly forget in my busyness once again? Or will I really keep the door open for Jesus in my 2020?

I want to.  I hope you do too.

Our caring pastors have been reminding us this Advent Season that Jesus came to earth to bring us faith, hope, joy, and peace. Isn’t that what you and I are so very busy scrambling and scratching to find? And we are so preoccupied with that exhausting quest that we simply make no time for Jesus. Do you see the irony in that? How very foolish we are to persistently pursue everything, everyone and looking everywhere to find the very things Jesus alone can give us! And He wants to. He is patiently knocking. Do you understand what happens when you open the door to your heart and give Him room?

Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

When I obediently and humbly make room for Jesus, when I passionately seek His presence, I have everything—and more—of all I have been frantically searching to find. What an amazing God!

Slow down. Give Him room. Open the door. Pay attention.

Not just at Christmas either. 

There’s a whole new year He wants to spend with you.

—Eileen Hill

Mary's Choice

So it’s the day before Christmas. Our society wants us to run around like frantic people getting everything for everyone. Making sure everything is just right. Decorations, tree, presents, food, etc. As I re-read what I just wrote, something pops into my head. An actual story that occurred 30 or so years after Christ was born.

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

There are really a lot of ways this story could speak to us, and it doesn’t really come across as a Christmas story. But what I want to share with you is what Jesus said: “But one thing is necessary.” In this short little paragraph, that one phrase sticks out. In our minds, all the preparation, all the getting things together and being just right is important. And in some way it is, but it doesn’t compare to the necessity of sitting with Jesus and taking in the message, the ministry, the Word of God.

Yes, the dishes will get washed, the trash will make it out to where it goes, the things we feel need to happen probably will. Maybe not exactly the way we want them to, but they do.

Tonight is an opportunity to sit at His feet and take it all in. The Christmas Eve service celebrates Christ.

As the passage with Mary and Martha probably didn’t take place during Christmas, it’s a reminder that at any time we can be side tracked from taking Mary’s choice, “Sit, be still and know that I am God.” He has shown me how important it really is to sit at His feet and listen. Personal Bible study, church groups, Sunday church, worship, and how about “Alpha”? These are all things that God parts the waters of time for me to know He wants me to do them.

I pray that your Christmas Season is filled with Joy of knowing Christ and that we all make the choice to sit at His feet along the way.

Merry Christmas!

—Brian Rainey

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room

The other day I was having breakfast with my wife and it dawned on me how much thought, energy and resources go into gifting others during the Christmas season. The next thought stopped me in my tracks: “What am I really giving others?” Pondering this question requires slowing down and taking time to listen to God, the One who sent us the Savior. Doing this may help us prepare room for Jesus in our hearts and offer others the better gifts. For more inspiration as you slow down, I recommend you read this encouraging short article.  Click here to read it.

—Diego Cuartas

A Birthday Party

There was no cake with candles;

There was no shiny toy,

Not anything that one might bring

To celebrate a boy.

But there were cows and chickens

And one white wooly sheep,

All standing there so quietly

To guard a baby’s sleep.

A Savior in a manger;

He didn’t have a bed,

He had a straw-filled feed trough

Just as the angel said.

A baby King! To change the world

And take all sin away!

No wonder, then, the angels sang

The glory of that day!

The party filled with wondrous joy,

So very blessed to share

This night with one small donkey

Who carried Mary there.

—Norma Stockton

God's Nearness

“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
    In the secret place of the steep pathway,
    Let me see your form,
    Let me hear your voice;
    For your voice is sweet,
    And your form is lovely.”

~ Song of Solomon 2:14

Can we comprehend God’s ultimate purpose for our lives? Is it possible to believe that He wants to actually be intimate with His people?

My inclination had, at first, been to discount this notion. Now, after many dangers, toils and snares, I’ve come to believe that God wants to be with me in every moment—no matter how fun, mundane, or difficult.

What follows is a rumination on this thought, based on the above verse from Song of Solomon, as he considered his bride. Realizing that God considers me His bride has enabled me to understand that I’m truly loved by an infinite God and that, whatever else I may face in life, I belong to Him and that I’ll never be alone again.

Yes, guys—we, too, belong to the Bride of Christ. Consider this thought, men and women, and rest in the knowledge of Jesus’ love for you.

You and I belong to each other.
     What’s mine is yours;
     what’s yours is mine.
     all that I’ve overcome is not yours to bear;
     I have borne it all for you,
     and I still bear your burdens.
    all you can’t face is now mine to face for you.
     This is what I will teach you
     when you are in my presence.

With me, you’re no longer alone,
     you’re no longer ill-equipped.
     you’re no longer a foreigner,
     you’re no longer a stranger or an outcast.
     Instead, you’re a part of me;
     you’re a part of all that I have,
     a part of all that comes from being mine.

You are therefore safe; you are protected;
     You are welcome; you are fully endowed,
     Empowered, provided for, armored, commissioned,
     Made my personal heir, a personal conqueror,
     Overcome and daily overcoming.

I would spend our days together
     teaching you to hear my voice,
     to know, as the bride knows,
     that my voice is as gentle, flowing waters,
     not the angry falls that throw you down.
     I’m here to tenderly proclaim my love for you;
     mine is not the face of disappointment,
     but of my unique care for all of you:
     all that you are; all you do, think and feel.

This is how I would be known by you,
     for my purpose in you is to
     dispel the conditioning of the world
     that would try and tell you otherwise,
     the programming that would attempt to
     cancel my work on the cross,
     on your behalf, for my beloved.
    Wrath is reserved for those
     who do not belong to me.
     wrath is not reserved for you.

—Kevin Hutchins