Daily Devotional

-December 21, 2020-

Good morning, happy Monday, Merry Christmas,

-Jesus Born In A Manger, On Earth A Stranger-

“So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her first born Son, wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

(Luke 2:6-7).

God moves in wonderful and mysterious ways. He used a secular ruler Caesar Augustus to degree that a world wide census be taken. Under their requirements, each person was to return to their city, i.e. the city they were born in. In the U.S. we just completed the 2020 census. We take one every ten years.

This meant that Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary had to travel all the way from Nazareth of Galilee to Bethlehem of Judea to be counted. Joseph was of the house and lineage of David. We thank God that He leads us and guides us as well. Nothing happens by accident, chance, luck, fate, or karma in the lives of God’s people. In the case of Mary and Joseph, it was preordained and part of God’s prophetic plan.

While in Bethlehem, it was time for Mary to give birth. Because of the Passover, every room in the inn was full. The owner of the inn graciously offered his manger or cattle stall to the needy couple and there Jesus was born. God wanted it to be that way. His will was not a palace, which would have been worthy of the Son of God. Instead, it was a humble, lowly manger. From His birth to His death, He was the homeless stranger. Jesus once said, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). He often slept under the stars on the Mount of Olives and other places. He had no home, no more than one outer garment to call His, and had no money either. He laid aside His royal vestiges to wear the clothes of a servant.

There was no room for Him in the inn nor was there room in many human hearts. In 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul wrote, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” He left all the splendor of heaven, where He was worshipped and adored to become the Man of Sorrows and be rejected by men and crucified for us. Only His great love for us made Him leave heaven to come to this sin cursed earth. He was God manifested in the flesh. The perfect God-Man.

The hymn writer Henry Barraclough wrote, “Out of the ivory palaces into a world of woe, only His great eternal love made my Savior go.” He loved you and me so much that He came to where we were in our sin and brought us to where He is in heaven. He sacrificed all, shed His blood, and died for us on the cross. He rose from the dead and ascended back to heaven, and now sits at the right hand of the majesty on high.

Praise God for the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord, for His life of serving the Father, His death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection. The Babe of the Manger became the homeless Stranger. Thank God we have received Him as our Lord and Savior. Let us serve Him as humble, willing, servants whether we have much or little, giving all to Him.

Have a blessed day contemplating who Jesus is and what He has done for us. May He find room in our hearts to sit on the throne of our hearts. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean