I love Christmas.
The Christmas decorations… love those!
The Christmas music… Little Drummer Boy… c’mon, best song ever!
The Christmas gifts… giving and receiving gifts… super fun!
The Christmas food… eggnog in July, nasty, but in December… amazing!
The Christmas movies… Elf, The Polar Express, Arthur Christmas… so good!
So much to LOVE about Christmas, but truth be told, the ONE thing that gets me every Christmas season is how quickly it comes and goes.
22 DAYS.
As of today, Wednesday, December 3rd, we have 22 DAYS until Christmas morning, which means in 23 days, Christmas 2025 will have come and gone :(.
For me, and I hope for you as well, I want to make the most of the next 22 days. And when I say ‘make the most of the next 22 days’, I simply mean that I don’t want anyone of us to miss what God desires to give us… to give through us in this most excellent season.
What does God have for me… for you? Well, I don’t know, but I know this… it will be easy to miss it if we’re not ready to receive.
So, in many ways, the question becomes…
ARE YOU READY TO RECEIVE?
2,000 years ago… they were not ready.
I’ve always been thankful for the detail that Luke, the author of the gospel Luke provides around the birth of Jesus. He lets us know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem during a Roman census under Caesar Augustus. Luke gives a picture of the characters surrounding Jesus’ birth… Elizabeth, Zechariah, Mary, Jospeh, Simeon, Anna, and lots of Angels.
Love the details that Luke provides, but the ONE DETAIL I love and appreciate most is found in Luke 2:7…
“And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Two words that have always stood out to me, better said, convicted me…
NO ROOM.
No judgement on the owner of the Airbnb in Bethlehem that had no room for Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, but here’s the thing, if we’re going to receive ALL that God has for us in the coming 22 days, we must… MAKE ROOM.
As we all know, in the month of December, there are PLENTY of things to be distracted by. And if we’re not careful, what happened in the 1st century will be repeated by you and me in the 21st century… NO ROOM (or margin) to receive ALL that God has for us.
With 22 days to go… are you ready to receive?
With 22 days to go… is there room within your life (heart, mind, schedule, etc.) to embrace ALL that God has to share with you?
With 22 days to go… is there any ‘clutter’ or ‘obvious distractions’ that might cause you to miss what your Heavenly Father has for you?
With 22 days to go… I’m praying for ALL of us that we would not miss what God wants to accomplish in our lives, and through our lives.
And with 22 days to go… I’m praying for ALL of us that we would have more than enough room in our lives to receive ALL that God desires to give.
