ANY AVAILABLE INN?
Luke 2:1-7, John 2:13-25

Do you have a room for the Lord in your inn? At the time of the birth of our Lord and Savior, there was no available inn for the Lord to come forth into the wicked world. At the time of the birth of Jesus, Joseph must have been exhausted in his attempt to locate any inn and as a result, they ended up in a manger. The Bible also records, “So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 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 2:6-7) Can you account what or who has filled up your inn? Many are celebrating the birth of Jesus without Jesus having a place in their inn. It is important to have Him in your inn and celebrate. It is not important and neither does it add anything to you celebrating the birth of Jesus without you having Him in your inn. Most inns back then and still so today are filled with self, moneychangers, deceivers and those who have no regard for the business of the Lord. Thus so when the Lord arrived in a town where there was no room for Him in the inn, He had to lay and dwell in a manger. Imagine having Jesus’ birth in a specific inn at the time of His birth. Such an inn would have become the biggest hotel franchise in the whole world today. God is a perfect God and knows tomorrow from today. If you will consider yourself as an inn for a moment, do you have a place for the Lord to enter? Just as He could not be brought forth in the inn, so He could not allow Himself to be drawn to the life in the temple. The temple was supposed to be used for the glory of God, but it was being used as a den of thieves. Jesus “… found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, ‘Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!’” (John 2:14-16) Jesus was not recognized at the inn during the time of his birth and while He was around the temple was also relegated from what He should be. Can you create a place for His birth in your inn? Celebrating His birth without Him in your inn will not prevent eternal termination when the trumpet sounds.

Prayer for today: Lord Jesus, instruct and teach me in the way I should go; guide me with Your eye.

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE
Luke 2:1-24

God alone will make a way where there is no way. God alone will convert frustration to celebration. He will convert mockery to miracle and will turn stagnation to motion. With God, nothing is impossible but all things are possible. As a believer in the name and the power of the Almighty God, you can rest assured that nothing should be considered accident anymore based on the understanding that God has delivered you. God is not a God of accidents, but rather is a God with a divine purpose and agenda. It was not an accident when the angel of the Lord visited Zacharias to announce the birth of John the Baptist neither was it an accident when it was revealed to the Virgin Mary that she was going to have a child who was to be named Emmanuel. That same angel during his visit to Mary to reveal the birth of Jesus stated, “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”(Luke 1:36-37) Are you experiencing or dealing with a situation that seems to have no way out? Are you living a Godly life? With God nothing will be impossible. The angel from the Lord said to Mary that there is nothing impossible with God. What He said to one speaks to all and if you are on God’s side, nothing is impossible. The One who came through an avenue that is impossible has made every situation to become possible in your life. Also, it was not an accident when Caesar Augustus was passing a decree that requested for the entire world to register for census. Caesar August was ignorantly passing a decree for the divine plan and purpose of God to come to a manifestation at the appointed time in the appointed place. At the time of registrations for the census, Joseph went with Mary to go and register in Bethlehem where it had been foretold would be the birthplace for Jesus Christ. Luke 2: 6-7, “So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 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.”It was not an accident that shepherds were the only available ones and not doctors, priests or government officials to pay the first visit to Jesus. Accidents do happen and any kind of accident that is beyond your control is within God’s control if you will begin to see through the eyes of God. It is never too late for Him to turn around all the impossibilities to possibilities. Believe in Him who came through an impossible avenue and He will touch your impossibility.

Prayer for today: Lord let Your living Word have its rightful place in my life.

BE POSITIVE
Luke 1:39-56

As a child of the Most High God, allow positive thinking to take over your mind set. Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established.”  As a high priest, the work of Zacharias was committed to God. However, when it was time to have his thoughts established, he could not get it right. Having been barren for long, the angel visited him while he was standing on the right side of the altar of incense. (Luke 1:11) The angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” (Luke 1:13)  Zacharias could not receive his prophecy and questioned the angel when he responded, “And Zacharias said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.’”(Luke 1:18) Zacharias’ thought was not in line with his prayer request at the time of his visitation. Zacharias’ response prompted the angel’s statement, “But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” (Luke 1:20) Having positive thoughts can make a whole lot of a difference in how the journey on earth is propagated. As a child of God whose work is committed unto God, it is important not to think and see our request as being there when it is yet there to be seen. Just as Zacharias was visited, so Mary received her visitation when the angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.” (Luke 1:31-32) Mary did not dispute the message, but asked an appropriate question of how that could be. As a virgin, it could be considered as an appropriate question; unlike Priest Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, who served God in the highest ground and yet could not place God in a higher area of trust in his thinking. Zacharias was mute through the pregnancy of John the Baptist. Have you been placed on a higher ground of service in the Lord? If yes, much is expected of you and any less can bring forth painful consequence. Mary did not dispute, but rather received the message of the angel stating, “…’behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.”(Luke 1:38) Mary heard the message and she received it by seeing when it was not yet there.

Prayer for the day: Open the eyes of my heart Lord and cause me to constantly receive Your message.

REPENT AND BE RESTORED
Luke 15:11-31

A parable is an everyday truth that has spiritual application. It is an earthly truth with a heavenly meaning. Jesus spoke many times using parables. Among His many parables is the parable of the lost son. This parable clearly connotes the mind of God concerning repentance and restoration of man from sin. Jesus said, “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.” (Luke 15:11-14) Jesus’ coming is like our portion of good from God. The younger had his portion of good and went far from his father. We cannot afford to have Jesus and go far from the presence of God in this wicked world. Going far is choosing our way which will always be a way of death. Going far from Him will lead to a debased extravagant life and it is a wasted life. A waste life will always provoke a life of want and relegation from what God wants for us to be. Going far from Him will expose us to every trouble in the land; such as famine. Are you consciously living within the presence of God? Have you gone far from Him like the prodigal son? “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,  and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’” (Luke 15:17-19) It is time to come back to yourself just like the prodigal son. The prodigal son arose and came to his father. “But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’”(Luke 15:20-21)Repentance from the heart will bring forth restoration. He repented and his father gave him full restoration. God is a merciful God waiting for us to repent and wait on Him. Despite all, the father received his son back. “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.’” (Luke 15:31)All that He has for us is Jesus. Accept Him and have life. 

Prayer for today: Take my days and moments and let them be concentrated unto You.

LIFT UP EYES TO HIM
Exodus 14

At every confronting challenge that is beyond our understanding or capacity, dealing with such challenge, requires help. How and where we seek help will define how we come out of any of our challenges. As a child of the Most High God our help is always there when we choose to take it up to Him. The psalmist testifies, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:1-4) The psalmist must have been in a position or situation that called for help when he made his choice to look up to the hills for help. God is above all the hills and He is the loving Father who will not neglect any of His creation that takes time to call on Him. He does not sleep nor slumber; God was awake before the creation and He will be awake forever. Who do you look up to during your confronting challenges? The children of Israel were encountered with grave challenge when Pharaoh, his chariots, his horse men and his army overtook them as they were camping at the sea side. Under every challenge, fear will show just as it did for the children of Israel. However, it was in the capacity of the children of Israel to know how to respond. Exodus 14:10-12“And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, ‘Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.’” The children of Israel saw wrongly when they lifted their eyes onto their grave challenge when they rather should have lifted up their eyes onto the Lord who had never failed them. In lifting their eyes to the challenge, they saw death and their thought was negative. By their negative seeing, they also confessed negatively. When you wrongly behold, negativity will hold you down and fear will ride over you. Lift your eyes to God! His testimonies are sure to make the wise simple. It is wisdom and simple deliverance when we look up to Him. Behold God and hold on in faith.

Prayer for today: Lord I thank You because You have always been on my side. Take all the glory.