MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Luke 2:11-14
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Darkness was setting in quickly a d from the valley below we could hear a deer walking at a steady pace. It sounded to us like a buck on a mission. I had rattled and called a few minutes earlier as one last ditch effort as there was only 10 minutes left on our hunt. Suddenly, there he, a huge buck, was standing in a narrow lane 60 yards below us. Linda couldn't find him the growing darkness and after 20 or 30 seconds, he walked off and the season was over. If was a sad missed opportunity.
There is no other event throughout each year that gets more attention than Christmas. Within a day or two of Halloween, the big box stores start piling the Christmas stuff in the main isles. In November the TV starts feeding our kids advertisements for the latest toys and nonprofit organizations run one TV commercials after another. By the day after Thanksgiving radio stations are slipping Christmas music into the playlist. By now every department store and many street corners have a chubby guy dressed in a red and white suit, ringing a bell. You can't miss this season in public.
But many people see the season all around them and they might actually take part in the world's celebration.... But they miss the real celebration, the miss the real, "reason for the season". They miss an eternal opportunity.
This is nothing new, the innkeeper in Bethlehem lived right through the birth of the King of his people and he was too busy to notice. We can imagine the number of people coming into this little village for the census. The innkeeper was probably tickled to have no room and I'm sure he didn't know who he was turning away when he said, "no vacancy".
The Bible tells the story like this in Luke 2:7,
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7)
The innkeeper missed the greatest opportunity ever, his name could have been on the wall of every Holliday Inn as the "employee of all eternity". But because he was too busy, he missed it.
Are you too busy with your work, school activities, play, even ministry or something else to make room for Jesus this Christmas? Does your schedule or your budget restrict you from letting Jesus in this Christmas?
The innkeeper missed out on the biggest opportunity of his life, are you too missing out on what could be your most important moment? A time when you allow Jesus in? The reason for the season is a celebration of Jesus' birth... but if we don't receive Him in and accept the gift He brought, we've missed that greatest of all opportunities.
If we have no time or interest, that opportunity, like the innkeeper, was wasted on us. Getting to know God is the opportunity of a lifetime. You don't want to miss it! Is there a place for Jesus in the room of your life? Or is there "no vacancy"?
Help achieve the mission - GIVE today
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