Christmas To Do-ers List, 2017: Day 2, Make Room for Him

Christmas To Do-ers List

Day 2: Make Room for Him

She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

No Room

Can you imagine being Mary perched on a donkey, already in the pangs of labor, as they entered the city of Bethlehem? I am sure she was hoping for a quiet place, a haven to give birth to her son. But that’s not what greeted her. A city teeming with people and noise, with nary a haven in sight.

Or perhaps you identify more with Joseph, with the full responsibility of Mary and the imminent birth on his shoulders. Every inn was packed; every door he desperately knocked on slammed in his face. No room.

Make RoomMake Room Day 2 jpeg

As we consider Mary and Joseph’s plight that night, one of the most important lessons we can take from this story is to make room for the Savior in our lives.  In the whole city, one innkeeper took pity on their plight and offered what he had for their use.

What about us? Do we make room for the Word Made Flesh in our lives? John 8:37 tells the sad story of those who have no room for the word. But when we make room for Jesus, when we give Him what we have, He changes everything. The more room we give Him in our lives, the more changes He makes. And the more He uses what we give Him.

While it’s a good start, Jesus is asking for more than just Sunday morning. We need to make room in our schedules, in our homes, in our leisure time, in our work, in our hearts.  

Rather than being a once-a-week commitment, Jesus wants to be our everyday priority.
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Rather than being a once-a-week commitment, Jesus wants to be our everyday priority.

When we pray about our schedules, Jesus can multiply our time, help us to make the right connections and opportunities. When we invite Him into our families, He can soften and quicken the hearts of ourselves and our loved ones to bring about necessary change. When we pray about our leisure time activities and hobbies, He can spark creativity and opportunities we may not  have had otherwise. When we give Him our work, He can help us weather difficulties and inspire us with new ideas. When we step out in ministry, he can bless our five loaves and two fish into much more than we imagine. Making room for Him is the key to change in our own lives.

Action Points:

Determine how you will make room for Jesus this Advent.

  1. What does your devotion time look like? Are you meeting with Jesus in the morning or evening? If not, when can you make time for Him?
  2. Is there an area of your life that you have put up the “no vacancy” sign at, that you haven’t yet yielded control of to Jesus?
  3. Can you make room for an extended time of prayer once during Advent? Perhaps as a mini-retreat in your own home or somewhere else?
  4. Is there a step of ministry God is asking you to take for Him?

Please share any ideas of how you will make room for Jesus this season in the comment section below and enjoy the music selection for today: Do You Have Room?, by Shawna Edwards.

Let’s be To Do-ers of His word this Christmas season by making room!

Previous Posts:

Day 1: Believe Him

 

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Christmas To Do-ers List, Day 7: Serve Him

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Christmas To Do-ers List

Day 7: Serve Him

36 “Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”

Luke 2:36-38

There are over 120 miracles recorded in the Bible. Memorable deeds, acts of bravery and great faith which are recorded for all eternity in God’s word: Moses parting of the Red Sea,  Peter walking on water, David slaying Goliath. Saints brought down walls, survived fiery furnaces, raised the dead and healed the sick.

There is one woman we must remember,

Anna the prophetess. Remember her miraculous deed for the Lord? I didn’t either at first. What did Anna do?

She fasted and she prayed.

For over eighty years, she lived in the temple and served God.  Eighty years of fasting, praying and serving?  That’s a miracle.

What did Anna pray about?

Serve Jesus this Christmas

I imagine as Anna was constantly in the temple, she saw many people come with their sins and their sacrifices. Perhaps some with tears and anguish mingled on their faces.  It would not be unlikely to assume Anna watched and  prayed for these people as they worshiped.

I also think Anna spent much of her time praying for her nation and for the coming Savior. Because she was constantly in the presence of God, her heart was tender to His sudden appearing with His mother and father, Mary and Joseph.

No service is too small when you serve a great God.
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The heroes of old listed above were blessed because they saw the hand of God in their circumstances. Anna, after a lifetime of service, was blessed to see the face of  God in her Savior Jesus.

Action Points:

  1. Who needs a little help today? Perhaps an elderly neighbor needs help wrapping presents, baking cookies or shoveling snow. Be the hands of Jesus and serve a neighbor.
  2. Who in your family needs a little help today? Does your spouse need help with a chore or their to-do list? Does another family member need encouragement? Be the hands of Jesus and serve your family.
  3. Pray and ask Jesus to show you someone who needs help today. Be looking for opportunities to share the love of Christ. Be the hands of Jesus and serve a stranger.

Please comment on how you plan to serve other today.

Serve others by serving Him. Merry Christmas.

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Please enjoy the Christmas music below.



Christmas To Do-ers List, Day 5: Seek Him

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Christmas To Do-ers List

Day 5: Seek Him

“Behold, I send My messenger,  and he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,”
Says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:1
O come, O come, Emmanuel.
Come Emmanuel, to our homes, to our workplaces, and to our churches. Come Emmanuel to our prisons, hospitals, schools, nursing homes, slums, street corners, and to our hearts. God promises when we seek Him,  He will come.

.

Seek.

To seek. In the Ancient Hebrew, baqash, means “to seek, require, desire, exact, request.” Do we seek God in everything we do, every place we go, in every decision we make?  Do we require His presence in order to do life or do we trudge along without Him?
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Seek Him.

Baqash also means “to search for as by touching.”  When do we search by touch? When we can’t see. Tripping through the darkness with hands outstretched to protect ourselves and find our way.  Stumbling because we are blinded by the darkness of our own sin and frailty. Grappling in the shadow of our guilt, hands reaching through the blackness until we grasp the One we seek, the One we long for.  Jesus. Our Emmanuel.
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Seek the face of God.Seek Day 5 jpeg

As traditions states, the Wise Men sought His face, wet with sweat and blood at the manger. We seek His face, wet with sweat and blood at the foot of the cross. So begins our journey with God, a lifetime of searching, seeking and finding as Jesus reveals Himself to those who seek Him.
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Seek the face of God this Christmas.

Most significantly, baqash translates “to seek specifically in worship or prayer.”  The keys to finding Jesus this Christmas: prayer and worship.  In the midst of the merry making, the caroling, the tree and the stockings, remember the reason we’re celebrating: Jesus
We don’t need more Christmas spirit, but Holy Spirit.
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Seek His word, His will, His wisdom, His presence,  seek Him through prayer and worship.
Seek Him.

Action Points:

  1. In order to seek Jesus, we must think of places where He may be found. List a few places or activities in which you can meet with Jesus. Pick one to do today.
  2. Jesus can always be found when we seek Him in His Word. Play the beautiful Christmas music embedded below, get your Bible and read Luke 2. Write down what God speaks to your heart as your seek Him.
  3. Seek Jesus while enjoying His creation. Unplug. Leave the phone at home and just listen to Him.

How will you seek Jesus today? Please comment below.

Be a doer of the word!

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Christmas To Do-ers List: Watch For Him, part 2

Christmas Bible study, Advent Bible study

Watch for Him

To help you continue to watch for Jesus this Christmas season, please read the Scriptures below. Consider how Zachhaeus watched for Jesus. What can you learn from Zacchaeus? How can you watch for Jesus today? Please comment on what you learned in the Comment section below. Remember,  be a doer of His Word this Christmas season!

Jesus Comes to Zacchaeus’ House

1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.
4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him,  and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”Watch Day 3jpg
6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.
7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

How can you watch for Jesus today?

Be a doer of His Word!

Merry Christmas

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“Blue Letter Bible – Luk 19: Gospel of Luke 19 (Blue Letter Bible: NKJV – New King James Version).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 6 Dec, 2015. <http://www.blueletterbible.orghttps://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/luk/19/1/p1/s_992001>.



Christmas To Do-ers List, Day 3: Watch for Him

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Christmas To Do-ers List

Day 3: Watch for Him

“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Luke 2:8

Day in. Day out.

Looking. Watching. Waiting. Shepherds in the fields faithfully caring for their sheep. Diligence is their watchword.  Always searching for the finest pasture, the best shelter, and the freshest water.  Looking, watching, and waiting, day in and day out. Night after night. Until one night. O Holy Night!

“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

Faithfulness in their daily work allowed the shepherds to see Jesus. Had they not been diligent in their mundane tasks, they would have missed the angel’s message,  and they would have missed Jesus. Shepherds watching for the Good Shepherd.

Look. Watch. Wait.

The same thing we do for Jesus.

Look for Jesus this Christmas season. Watch for glimpses of Him as you go through  your ordinary days. Wait for Him to act. Chores, tasks, errands, and suddenly He’s there—teaching, comforting, directing, healing, and loving.

Ordinary made extraordinary by the presence of Jesus.
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  Watch for Him in your everyday chores and holiday tasks.

Look. Watch. Wait.Watch Day 3jpg

The same thing Jesus does for us.

Jesus constantly looks out for our best interests and watches over our every concern. He waits to draw us into closer relationship, greater trust, and deeper faith. Stolen moments in the crush of the day. Precious minutes at His feet in the rush of the season. Day after day, silent night after silent night.

He looks, watches, and waits for you.

Action Points:

  1. Look for Jesus today. Notice the blessings He sends your way and then look for ways to be a blessing to others.
  2. Watch for Jesus today. What is He trying to say to you? What is He telling you? What does He want you to do differently this Christmas season?
  3. Wait for Him. Jesus is calling you to rest in heavenly peace with Him. Tarry with Him for a few moments. Get your Bible, turn to Luke 2 and listen to the beautiful music below. Wait for Him to restore your soul.

How will you watch for Jesus today? How will you make time to wait for Him? Please leave a comment in the Comment section below on how you plan to watch for Jesus, or how you saw Him today.

Did you miss a day? Don’t fret, just click on a link below.

Day 1: Believe Him

Day 2: Make Room

Watch for Him.

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Christmas To Do-ers List: Believe Him part 2

Christmas Bible study, Advent Bible study

A little something extra for Believe Him, Day 1! Please read the scripture below. Comment on how you see Ruth exercising her belief in God and what God wants you to believe today. Happy Advent!

Elimelech’s Family Goes to Moab

1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. 3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

Naomi Returns with Ruth

6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread. 7 Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.”
So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”Day 1 Believe jpg
11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, 13 would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!”
14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
15 And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”

Ruth’s Commitment

16 But Ruth said:
“Entreat me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.
17 Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
The LORD do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me.”
18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.
19 Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “Is this Naomi?”
20 But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.”

Don’t forget to comment below on how you will continue to believe God today!

Believe Him.

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“Blue Letter Bible – Rth 1: Story of Ruth 1 (Blue Letter Bible: NKJV – New King James Version).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 30 Nov, 2015. <http://www.blueletterbible.orghttps://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/rth/1/1/s_233001>.