‘Moving Jesus Out of the Stable’

Daily Devotional December 9th

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

If the inn keeper had known the identity of the baby about to be born, would he have directed the couple from Nazareth to the barn? Or on recognizing how great an honour it would be to host God the Messiah, would he have given up his own bed to make room? He would have fallen all over himself to provide only the best! But he didn’t know who this desperate couple at his doorstep were. He wasn’t opposed to them or had anything against them. He was simply preoccupied with his inn full of other guests; but feeling sorry for them, offered the only free space.

I suspect we act like the inn keeper from the Christmas story more often than we care to admit. We’re not opposed to God, we just don’t see the value of giving over to Him time that we need for other pursuits. God the Messiah is right at our doorstep asking to spend time with us, but we’re preoccupied. Some ignore His knock...eventually He’ll go away, like an unwanted salesman. Many, including His followers, relegate Him to the stable. They won’t give Him a regular place in their lives, but they’ll say grace before each meal, a prayer just before drifting off to sleep...if they remember, they’ll keep a devotional booklet on hand to read on occasion. They won’t make regular time for Him, but He can have what’s left over...the stable.
​
If this is our attitude, however, whether intentionally or subconsciously, we only bring harm to ourselves. Jesus reminds us that a focus on the things of this world to the soul’s neglect will result in the greatest of tragedies. We may enjoy all that the world has to offer–a mere lifetime on earth–only for our soul’s to suffer for an eternity. It is imperative that we put just as much, if not more, conscious effort into the health of our spiritual lives as that of our physical. What condition will your soul be in when you once and for all step from this earthly life into the hereafter? We need to invite our Lord to leave the stable of our leftovers to take up residence in the main part of our house around which our lives revolve.
~ Pastor Jane