Chasing Solomon

“As you make your plans for this new year, be careful not to fill your Inn and crowd out Jesus.”

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

As you begin this New Year, ask yourself this question. Have you left room for Jesus in your Inn?

I was intrigued at how this particular part of the Christmas story grabbed me this year. The Inn can be representative of our lives. There are just so many rooms in our lives and it is amazing how fast we can fill them with meaningless pursuits. There are so many different “guests” wanting to come occupy our hearts. As you make your plans for this new year, be careful not to fill your Inn and crowd out Jesus. If you find that your Inn is overbooked, remember that you are the Inn keeper, and you are the one that gives out the keys to the rooms of your life. Is your “Inn” full?

I was reminded that God avoided using the “power play” to force His way into the Inn. Think about it. The mother of the Messiah, carrying the Son of the living God, was told there was no room for them in the Inn. If there ever was a time to invoke some rights, this was probably it. But God was ushering in a new kind of Kingdom dynamic in Christ. Throughout His life, Jesus would set the stage and turn all the past kingdom ideas on their head. Before he was even born, he was already refusing to use the power play. He displayed the same refusal of power as he was hung on the cross by people who wanted to crowd Him out of their lives. As followers of Christ, have we also refused to use the “power play” in our plans for the year?

I also looked at the story from the Inn keeper’s perspective. I bet he dreamed of the day when he would finally be at full occupancy. Day after day, year after year, he might have worked to bring in the business. And finally he had made it. Or had he? What will success look like for you this year?

Be careful that you don’t find yourself in the place of the Inn Keeper in the Christmas story. He had an Inn full of guests, but was never as empty as he was when he realized Jesus was not present in his Inn. You can have everything that this world can offer you, but if Jesus is not present, your Inn will be empty.

Finally, don’t get comfortable in your Inn this year. I don’t know what all was going on in the Inn that night, but I bet the guests were real glad they had a room. I bet they felt secure and comfortable. But they missed where Jesus was. There are times when we get so comfortable in our Inn that we neglect the needs of others that find themselves not having a room in the Inn. There are lots of “Nativity scenes” during the Christmas holidays but I have never seen an “Inn scene.” That’s because the true meaning and purpose of our lives occurs in a worship of God and a relationship with His Son Jesus. Do you have plans to get outside of your Inn this year and join Jesus where He is?

Jesus not only wants a little room in your Inn, He wants to take up residence and fill your Inn with Himself. He won’t force Himself in. He won’t make you give him a key. He stands at the door and knocks. Is there room in your Inn for Him this year?

Happy New Year!