Room for Jesus, King of Glory?

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“She brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn”
Luke 2:7

Through the words of Luke, “there was no room for them in the inn” I’m sensing the Holy Spirit speaking to me:
“Poppy, Is there room in your life for Jesus?”
Do you ever ask yourself that?
 

Last month I started praying and thinking about what God wanted me to teach the three women’s groups I lead at my church. What came to mind was developing a series on “Make Room for Jesus”. Some of the topics I’m developing are:

• Who Is Jesus?
• Why make room for Him in my life?
• What is my life about—in the end, what do I want to be remembered for?

As you can see, this involves prayer for guidance, time for study, and a lot more work! But I’m excited to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading on this important topic. Why? Because our lives are so easily clogged with what doesn’t really matter in the end. At least, mine is all too often!

Here are the four main themes on my heart for this series (some of which I’ll share with you in the coming months):

The Purposeful Life – Why is it important?
The Packed Full Life – What Stress does this produce?
The Pared Down Life - How can I Declutter from the Inside Out?
The Pursuing Life – What Pathways lead to making room for Jesus?
 
Christmas is the time when we both give and (hopefully!) receive gifts. Some gifts are just fun, but some are precious and we take special care of them.
 

In Jesus, God has given us the most precious gift of all.
 

Speaking to the Samaritan woman, Jesus said: “If you knew the gift of God you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water” (John 4:10). 

Paul wrote: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—it is the gift of God…” (Ephesians 2:8).

The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Unlike gifts that wear out, date out, or fizzle out, this gift grows more precious with time and never stops being a blessing.

• This amazing gift of God changes who you are forever! You are no longer who you used to be. You no longer need to live with shame, guilt, failure, and pain.
• It changes how you can live. You can have purpose, peace, joy and freedom to live fully.
• It changes your priorities. You can live for a greater goal than your own desires, pleasing the One who gave Himself for you.
• It changes your source of fulfillment and joy. You can know an inner well of delight, one that brings you to tears of praise as the amazing grace and love of God envelops your soul.

Enjoy your Christmas gifts, my friends—but delight far more in the gift of God, Jesus, who transforms you at your core and who you will enjoy for eternity.

Merry Christmas!   
Poppy