Success Or Failure—this Is The Test
And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She … placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Luke 2:7
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The “No Vacancy” sign was prominently displayed that night in Bethlehem. And 2,000 years later it still hangs in many lives.
Normally, a woman in Mary’s condition might expect the simple courtesy of a place to stay. But those were not normal times.
James Hastings paints a word picture of that crowded night in Bethlehem.
WALK WITH JAMES HASTINGS
“It was a time when every available accommodation was called for, and the people of the inn were too busy to recognize that here was a claim which, in their less occupied moments, they never would have denied. And so Christ was simply crowded out. There was no room.
“Without doubt it is the same today. Every chamber of the soul is so filled with human interests that there is little room for Christ. There is little—if any—time for him.
“And this is true because a thousand other things demand our time. Our interest is drawn off in other directions. Our life is crowded with possessions and pleasures until, strange though it seems, there is no room for the Savior … except in the stable.
“If we are so preoccupied as to have no room for Christ in our life, then our life is a failure. This is the test of everything: room for Christ.”
WALK CLOSER TO GOD
There is a way to discover the passions of your life. Simply check your schedule. Find out what consumes your hours.
You’ll quickly discover that if something—or someone—is important enough, you’ll never allow it—or them—to be crowded out by other interests.
If the innkeeper on that Christmas Eve had known who would be born in his stable, surely the “No Vacancy” sign would have come down.
Can there be any good reason to leave it hanging in your life?
