"...and laid Him in a manger, because 
there was no room for them in the inn." - Luke 2:7

I'm Dreaming of a "Right" Christmas 
A RIGHT Place

I know how they must have felt.

My wife and I set out from Manila, Arkansas headed for Cleveland, Ohio. It was a long, long trip. It took around 14 1/2 hours to get there. When we arrived it was around midnight. We stopped in at the first hotel that we saw and were dismayed to find out that THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR US IN THE INN!

We drove down the road a short way and tried our luck at another hotel. Same results.

We tried another hotel, again with the same results. Over and over again we got out of our car, went into the hotel and heard the same reply from the clerk on duty, "No vacancy."

Seems there were several huge conventions in town. We continued on and on further away from Cleveland, searching for a  hotel room. Time after time we faced rejection. Time after time our spirits sunk deeper and deeper into despair. We were exhausted. It had been a long trip and we had now been searching for a hotel for two hours without success.

Finally, at around 3:00 in the morning we found what I will very flatteringly say was, "the worst excuse for a hotel I have ever seen in my entire life." Words do not do this place justice as to how terrible it was. There were bugs everywhere. It stunk. It  was damp and musty. But, it was the only place there was...so we took it. We paid $85 for a room that normally wouldn't fetch $10.

It was almost comical to see a Corvette, a Lincoln and other very nice vehicles parked in front of this dump. Apparently we were not the only ones without a place to stay.

I know how Joseph and Mary must have felt. You have to realize they undoubtedly were exhausted. The Bible says that they  started out from Nazareth and went to Bethlehem. Near as I can figure it, that is approximately 175 miles that they traveled...without the luxury of an automobile. They arrived only to find that there was no room for them in the inn.

It must have broke Joseph's heart to see his sweet wife in such a state. She was moments away from giving birth, worn out from an incredibly long trip and had no place to rest, except for a barn.

And that's where the King of Kings made His entrance into the world. Nothing flashy. Nothing noteworthy. No parade or fanfair. He silently arrived in the company of barn animals.

From His less than spectacular arrival on this earth, there has been no room for the King. This world has always been without a place for Him. He was born in a barn and his first bed was a manger, a feeding trough, because there was no room for Him in the inn.

When the boy became a man and Jesus began His ministry, He again was thrust into a place where there was no room for Him. Opposition by religious leaders, rulers and even His own people drove Him to the cross, because there was no room for Him in their plans.

From Calvary He was placed in a borrowed tomb, because there was no room for Him on His own.

Death could not keep Him, as He arose three days later, because there was no room for Him in the grave.

Now, in the hearts of multitudes of those alive today, Jesus is merely a figure who plays second fiddle to Santa Claus at this time of year, because there is no room for Him in their hearts.

What about you, Christian? Is your life so cluttered with the things of this world that you have no room for Him in your life? What's on your schedule for today? Does it include room for the King?

I pray that when Jesus knocks at the door of my heart and your heart today, He doesn't find a sign that says, "No Vacancy."

Have a "Wonderful DAY in Christ,"
Jimmy D. Brown
\o/ Praise Jesus!