Would You Make Room in the Inn?

Would You Make Room in the Inn?

Often times I find myself wondering why all of these people denied Mary and Joseph a room in their inn. I mean, didn’t they know Mary was carrying the Son of God. But, the thing is, they didn’t. Mary and Joseph were just two more weary travellers in an already too packed town. We know the importance of Mary’s baby, but they didn’t. They did not have the whole picture. What we know, they didn’t and that makes how we approach the story so much different.

We know what Jesus did and who is. We find it so easy to judge the people of the past for not letting him in, but we are just as guilty. We don’t let Jesus into our hearts. We say, “Sorry, Jesus. I’m at capacity.” But what amazing things would happen if we began to unlock our closed hearts to Jesus.

Imagine your heart as an inn. An inn is a place that provides accommodations, food, or drink. If your heart was an inn, it would be a place that the most important things to you abide in. What and who do you let into your inn? Do you let envy and hate in, leaving no room for Jesus? Do you have other tenants, other priorities, that keep God from getting a room?

Keep your heart and mind open to Jesus. Don’t close your the door of your inn. Let Jesus in and see the wonderful things he will do in your heart. Amazing things happen when Jesus is the center of your life.

Prepping Your Heart for Christmas

Prepping Your Heart for Christmas

Hey y’all. Sorry I haven’t posted in awhile, but life has been pretty crazy. Every free moment of mine has been spent on studying and doing projects. But today, with all my projects turned in and my study guides completed, I wanted to refocus on the Christmas season. Why do we celebrate Christmas? Why do we give gifts and have a tree? Why do we visit our families or go to church? What is the point? Why do we stress so much during what should be a joyful time?

Christmas is a celebration of Christ coming down to Earth to save us all. We celebrate that Jesus loved us so much he came down to our horrible and evil world. He loves us so much, so we need to remember that. There is no need to worry about the tree, the ham, or the presents. Christmas is a day of hope and joy. It is a reminder of the immense and vast love Jesus has for us.

We celebrate Christmas with all the gifts because Jesus is the gift God gave to the world. Very symbolic, very cheesy, probably very pagan. But, if you give with a joyful heart and give to others out of love, you will find that the season takes on so much more. As Jesus says in Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” You don’t have to give the perfect, super expensive gift. Give your time, talents, and wisdom. Those are the gifts worth giving. We give to others freely because the ultimate gift was given to us.

Take some time this season to reflect on what God is doing in your life. Stop the craziness of shopping, studying, travelling, working, and rest in the peace that is only found in Christ Jesus. He is truly the reason for the season. Keep Jesus in your heart and mind this Christmas and you will be amazed at the work he will do in your heart.  

Prophecies About Jesus

Prophecies About Jesus

1. The Messiah would be born of a women. This was prophesied in Genesis 3:15, in which it says, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” This is describing the battle between Jesus, the woman's offspring, and the serpent. The serpent will have a minor victory in striking his heel, but the Son of God wins in the end by crushing his head.
2. The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. In Micah 5:2 it declares, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” This verse states that from Bethlehem will come one who will rule over Israel. Jesus is the king and he was born in the “little town” of Bethlehem.It also describes him as being from ancient times and as John 1 states, “he was in the beginning with God”.
3. Messiah would be born of a virgin. “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”(Isaiah 7:14) Here it clearly states that the sign that the Messiah has come would be that a virgin would have a son.
4. The Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. There are many verses that concern the genealogy of Jesus. Genesis 22:18 and Genesis 17:19 talk about how God will bless the Earth through the lineage of Abraham and Isaac.Numbers 24:17 declares that a descendant of Jacob will rise from Israel and crush the heads of their enemies. 2 Samuel 7:12-13 says that the an offspring of David will establish the throne of heaven. Isaiah 9:6-7 tells us that the government will be on his shoulders as he sits on David’s throne. We can see the complete lineage of Jesus in Matthew 1.

There are so many prophecies about Jesus’s birth, life, and death. God gave us these prophecies so the people would know the Messiah had come. As we can see in these few examples, Jesus fulfilled the prophecies that were declared about him. There is so much we can learn about Jesus and how God works through these prophecies. It is so amazing to be able to see strong connections in the work God does.

These are just a few of the prophecies about Jesus, so if you find one that is really mind-blowing, please share it. I’d love to hear from you.

Christmas Music

Modern Christmas Music

There is so much amazing Christmas music out there. Many of my favorite christian artists put out special songs, albums, and EPs just for the Christmas season. I have compiled a list of some of those artists and next to their name I put the album title and my favorite songs they have released for Christmas.

For King and Country

• “Into the Silent Night”- “Baby Boy” and “Little Drummer Boy”

Sidewalk Prophets

• “Merry Christmas To You”- “Oh What A Glorious Night” and “Hope Was Born This Night”

TobyMac

• “Christmas in Diversity” - “Carol of the Kings” and “Mary’s Boy Child”

MercyMe

• “It’s Christmas”- “Sleigh Ride” and “Hold on Christmas”
• “The Christmas Season”- “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear”

Francesca Battistelli

• “Christmas”- “Go, Tell It On The Mountain” and “Christmas is”

Matt Maher

• He doesn’t have an album, but his song “Glory” is amazing.

Matthew West

• “Unto Us: A Christmas Collection”- “Unto Us” and “Join The Angels”  
• “The Heart of Christmas”- “Leaving Heaven” and “Come on Christmas”

Chris Tomlin

• “Adore”- “A King Like This” and “Bethlehem”
• “Glory In the Highest”- “My Soul Magnifies the Lord”

Josh Wilson

• “Noel”- “Jesus is Alive” and  “Almost Christmas”

Rend Collective

• “Campfire Christmas”- “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Ding Dong Merrily on High”

Matt Redman

• “These Christmas Lights”- “Oh Little Town” and “His Name Shall Be”

Unspoken

• Again, they don’t have an album, but “Christmas Everyday” is absolutely wonderful.

Brandon Heath

• Christmas is Here”- “Just a Girl” and “Oh Come All Ye Faithful/ Angels We Have Heard On High”

Did any of your favorites make it onto this list? Is there any song or album I left out that you love? Tell me in the comments! I would love to hear from you!

The Christian Christmas Gift Guide

The Christian Christmas Gift Guide

What should you get for your best christian friend? Look no further than this list.

1. Christmas Albums. Here are a few suggestions:

• TobyMac “Christmas in Diversity”
• Rend Collective “Campfire Christmas”
• Matthew West “The Heart of Christmas”
• MercyMe “ It’s Christmas”
• For King and Country “Into the Silent Night”
• Chris Tomlin “Adore”

2. A Journaling Bible
3. A new bible in general. If they are anything like me, they might be a bible hoarder. A few I have my eyes on are:

• The WayFinding Bible
• Jesus Centered Bible
• NIV Study Bible

4. A mug or bracelet made by women in Africa. They make these, so they can receive things that are required to live through the organization they sell them through. Feed My Starving Children have some amazing, high-quality, and simply beautiful pieces.
5. An animal. Wait, what? With organizations like World Vision you can by a chicken or a goat for a impoverished village. Give the person you bought it for a certificate or an ornament shaped like the animal you sponsored.
6. Chessy Jesus T-shirts. Every good christian has a few. I really like this one.
7. A new devotional for the new year. My all time favorites are Reckless Devotion and Devotions for the God Girl.
8. Christian Books. I love Annie Downs, Kyle Idleman, and Jefferson Bethke. There are so many amazing books out there, so you really can’t go wrong.
9. Get a frame with their favorite bible verse in it. Hobby Lobby has lots of cute ones.
10. Still Stuck? Get them a Family Christian or Life Way gift card.

I really hope that this was helpful for you! Happy Gifting and Merry Christmas!

Angels at Christmas

Angels at Christmas

What role do the angels, the messengers of God, have to play in the Christmas story? Where do they fit in? Why are there so many songs that reference them?The angels were the ones who told the people what God’s plan was and what he wanted for them to do.

Joseph and Mary were pledged to be married. But, Mary became pregnant and Joseph considered divorcing her. The came to Joseph and they told him not to divorce Mary because she was pregnant with the holy spirit. They also told him that the child’s name is to be Jesus, as he will be the one to save the people from their sins.

Mary was in Nazareth, pledged to be married to Joseph. An angel came to her and told her that the Lord has found favor with her. He told her she would conceive through the holy spirit and that she needed to name the child Jesus. They also informed her that her sister Elizabeth will have a child, even though she is old. Then the angel of the Lord left her.

In the fields nearby the town of Bethlehem, shepherds were watching over their flocks. An angel appeared to them and told them that the Son of God had been born. They told the shepherds not to be fearful, but to rejoice. They angles filled the sky and began singing the praises of the Lord. The shepherds went into the town to see the child the Lord had told them about.

Angels are so important to the christmas story. They are the messengers of God, so their job was to inform the people of the coming of the Christ. Imagine if the angels had not intervened in the story when they did. They are the reason that the story works out. This is so important because God told his people what they needed to know to prepare for the coming of Christ.

Finding Jesus In Chaos

Finding Jesus In Chaos

There are a few times of the year that are classified as pure chaos. One of these times is endearingly called “The most wonderful time of the year”. Yes, you know what it is. Christmas. There are presents to be bought and wrapped, a ham to cook, family to visit, a tree to decorate, secret santas and white elephants, and so much more. It makes your head spin just thinking about it.

So, how can we make it through the busy times in life, whether it be Christmas, summer vacation, or finals week?

This may seem really hard when you are in the midst of the chaos, but take a step back. Slow down, those 5 minutes won’t make that much of a difference. Take a deep breath, there is no need to get so worked up. Take time to be with yourself and God. Pray, meditate, journal. Give your crazy schedule over to God and rest in the fact that everything that needs to happen will happen.

No matter the season in our lives, we need to slow down and spend time with God. It is okay to take a break. It is okay to let go of the reigns. It may be hard to give your plans over to God, but once you do, a burden you didn’t know you were carrying will be lifted off your shoulders.

One of my favorite sayings is, “Give it to God and go to sleep.” I find such comfort in the fact that once I have given God my plans, worries, and problems, I don’t have to think about it anymore. They are no longer my burden to bear. So give your chaos to God and rest in the peace that will rush over you.

Traditional Christmas Carols

Christmas Carols

Now that it is December, I am so excited to be posting lots of Christmas content, both here on my blog and on my Instagram (@undeniable.joy). There is nothing that gets me more in the mood for Christmas than Christmas music, so today I have compiled a list of my favorite Christmas carols. These aren’t in any particular order (except Go Tell it on the Mountain, which is my all time favorite).

1. Go Tell it on the Mountain is a song of joy proclaiming the birth of Christ. It is credited to John Wesley Works, who included it in his song book in 1907.  
2. O Holy Night was penned in 1847 in France by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure, a poet. He  wrote it based on the gospel of Luke and his friend Adolphe Charles Adams put it to music.
3. O Come O Come Emmanuel is based a Latin poem, which was written around 1100. The modern version of this hymn was written by John Mason Neale in the mid 1800s.
4. O Come All Ye Faithful is a hymn calling all of the followers of God to rejoice in the birth of the Messiah. The original hymn was written by John Francis Wade in the middle of the eighteenth century, but the modern english version was written by Frederick Oakeley in 1852.  
5. Angels We Have Heard On High is based on the gospel of Luke and the account of the angels the shepherds saw in Bethlehem. It is a traditional French carol dating back to the 18th century.
6. Joy to the World was written in 1719 by Isaac Watts. He based the lyrics off of Psalm 98. The song as we know it today was composed by G. F. Handel in 1742.
7. Silent Night is based on Luke 2:16. It was written in 1816 by Joseph Mohr and composed in 1818 by Franz Gruber. It originated in Germany, but it one of the most widely known carols.
8. Hark the Herald Angels Sing was written by Charles Wesley, brother to John Wesley (the founder of the Methodist Church) in 1739. It is saying to listen because the messengers of God are singing.
9. Away in a Manger is also based on Luke’s account of the gospel, specifically Luke 2:7. The lyrics were penned in 1885, but the composer is unknown. This song was featured in one of Martin Luther’s song books for the Lutheran Church and stanza three was added years later, also with no specific author.
10. We Three Kings of Orient Are was written by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. around 1857. It describes in detail the magi and the gifts that they brought with them.

Here is a spotify playlist of all the best traditional carols! Happy December!   https://open.spotify.com/user/lkkmusic6/playlist/7qORuJENc2Uv4rWtAfkulp