Make Room: A Devo by Mark Hall From Casting CrownsPrøve

Being His When the innkeeper informed Joseph and Mary he had no room for them at his inn, it was the first time I noticed that idea in Scripture. No room for Jesus? The notion is striking now for believers. Yet Scripture records another time when the people had no room for Jesus. In the middle of a long discussion with adversarial Pharisees, Jesus has the audacity to look them in the eye and tell them the same message: “You seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you” (John 8:37). Does God’s word find a place in you today? Is there room in your heart for God to write his story? When I wrote, “Make Room,” I wanted to challenge all of us to be more intentional about what we believe during the Christmas season. I don’t want this song to be a rallying cry to start saying, “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays,” because if God doesn’t change a heart, all we’ve done is change a slogan. I want the song to stir a desire that goes much deeper than simple acts. It’s not about doing for Jesus. It’s about being for him. It’s about being his. Think about what it cost Jesus to make a way for us to regain an unstained relationship with God. When I think of the manger, I remind myself that, even as a baby, Jesus was the Savior of the world. And the hope of the world, the hope for all of us, was in those tiny little hands that someday would be split apart by nails. I think of Jesus cooing in the manger and remember how innocent and pure and perfect babies are in human terms. Everything is just right about a baby. They haven’t made a mistake. They haven’t chosen a wrong path. They haven’t hurt others. Yet they’re still fallen because they’ve been born into sin. Not Jesus. This Christmas season, let’s remember that Jesus was just as pure on the cross as he was in the manger, but he willingly took on our sin. Let’s remember that Jesus never felt the pleasure of sin, only the pain of it. Then let’s live in gratitude and let him write his story in our hearts.