“And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.” (Luke 2:6-7 NLT)
Have you ever been lost? The last church I pastored was in Florida and the city in which we lived seemed to me to be the hardest place I’d ever lived to find my way around. This was before I had GPS so I was limited in the number of ways I could find directions. On one occasion I was late for an appointment, and I just could not find my way.
Finally, I saw a mail carrier and asked him if he knew how to get to the address I was looking for. He did, and it was, at least that time, a happy ending. How frustrating it must be for many very religious people whose beliefs require them to search for and find God. What a hopeless journey!
Jesus made it so easy for us because He didn’t wait for us to come to Him, He came to us. He said in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” How sad that so many, even professing believers, carry such heavy loads, but never seek the Lord.
The story is told of a little boy who was lost on a street corner in New York city. A police officer saw him and asked, “Can you tell me your address or your phone number?” but the boy couldn’t remember. Finally, he thought of something important, so he said to the officer, “Sir, there’s a big church next to my house, and there’s a big cross on the top. If you can get me to the cross, I can find my way home.” So can you, my friend, so can you!
The infant in the manger became the Savior on a Cross in order that anyone who wanted to find their way home to Him could easily do so. Isn’t it ironic that we search the world over for what can only be found when we open our heart and invite Him to come in?
When I was a young boy, I remember hearing the song: “Prayer is the key to heaven, but faith unlocks the door.” On a Spring night in 1963 I knelt at an altar of prayer in a small church in West Virginia and asked the Lord Jesus to forgive me, cleanse me of my sin, and give me eternal life. I didn’t have to beg Him and He didn’t come to me with lots of conditions, He simply forgave, embraced me with His loving Holy Spirit and promised He’d always be with me.
Have you made that decision in your life? Have you invited the Christ of Christmas to be your Lord and Savior? You see, the irony of Christmas is that as hard as you search, you’ll never find Him. It’s only when you stop running and simply invite Him to find you that you can have the life He was born and died to give you.
Like any journey, it begins with a single step. All you need to do is open your heart to Him in humility and submission, asking Him to enable you to walk in His will for you. He wants to give you a brand-new life, one that you never dreamed you could ever have. It begins with a single step of faith that will lead to His forgiveness and the cleansing of your sin that only He can give.
What a wonderful gift you could allow the Lord to give you this Christmas – the gift of His holy presence in your heart and soul, to guide, bless, and help you see Him and follow Him closely. If you’re not sure how to do that, please click the highlighted link that will take you to Ron Hutchcraft’s Bridge to God. Just say “yes” to the God who comes to you this Christmas.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 