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Don’t Miss Jesus at Work
Read John 4:10.
Right now there are TV and radio waves all around you. If you had a tuner, you could see what’s on those waves. But just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t real. You’re just not tuned in.
That’s what it was like in Bethlehem on the night of the first Christmas. Despite the fact that Bethlehem had an inn with the sole purpose of taking care of travelers, there was no room in that inn for undoubtedly the most significant family of travelers in Bethlehem that night.
This Christmas, don’t miss an important parallel of this story to our own hearts. Your heart was made to hold God. You were made by God and for God. Until you understand that, life will never make sense. Unfortunately, we fill our lives with other things. We invite other guests into our homes. Our heart is filled with other ideas, interests, values, loves, and commitments.
Our lives are so full that we’re not even aware when Jesus shows up around us. God shows up in our lives all the time, providing opportunities we never thought we’d get, in the midst of problems we didn’t know we were going to have. But often, we just don’t see him.
This happened in the Bible all the time. Jesus would show up and talk to people who never realized who he was. In the book of John, Jesus was sitting by a well when a woman came up to him, looking for water. She didn’t recognize Jesus. In fact she got in a religious debate with the Son of God! Then Jesus said, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water” (John 4:10 NLT). But the woman didn’t recognize Jesus.
God is at work all around you — not just during Christmas but also throughout the whole year. Is it possible that you or the people you love are missing him?
Read John 4:10.
Right now there are TV and radio waves all around you. If you had a tuner, you could see what’s on those waves. But just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t real. You’re just not tuned in.
That’s what it was like in Bethlehem on the night of the first Christmas. Despite the fact that Bethlehem had an inn with the sole purpose of taking care of travelers, there was no room in that inn for undoubtedly the most significant family of travelers in Bethlehem that night.
This Christmas, don’t miss an important parallel of this story to our own hearts. Your heart was made to hold God. You were made by God and for God. Until you understand that, life will never make sense. Unfortunately, we fill our lives with other things. We invite other guests into our homes. Our heart is filled with other ideas, interests, values, loves, and commitments.
Our lives are so full that we’re not even aware when Jesus shows up around us. God shows up in our lives all the time, providing opportunities we never thought we’d get, in the midst of problems we didn’t know we were going to have. But often, we just don’t see him.
This happened in the Bible all the time. Jesus would show up and talk to people who never realized who he was. In the book of John, Jesus was sitting by a well when a woman came up to him, looking for water. She didn’t recognize Jesus. In fact she got in a religious debate with the Son of God! Then Jesus said, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water” (John 4:10 NLT). But the woman didn’t recognize Jesus.
God is at work all around you — not just during Christmas but also throughout the whole year. Is it possible that you or the people you love are missing him?
Scripture
About this Plan
For too many people, Christmas has become a long to-do list that leaves them weary and wishing for Dec. 26. In this series of messages, Pastor Rick wants to help you remember the reason you celebrate Christmas and why it should change not just the way you celebrate the holidays but the rest of your life as well.
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This devotional © 2014 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
