INTRODUCTION

The story is told of a young man who desperately wanted a new car from his parents for his birthday.  When he was handed what was obviously a Bible, wrapped in thin, white tissue paper, he became very angry.  He threw the gift to the ground, screamed horrendous insults at his parents, and stormed out of the house—vowing to never speak to them again.  Though they tried to contact their son many times, he was so bitter that he ignored their phone calls and refused to open their letters.  Ten years later, the man's parents were tragically killed in a terrible car accident.  After the funeral, he went through their things and found that Bible.  It was still wrapped in the tissue paper; it had never been opened.  Unwrapping it, he found a letter in the cover, and when he opened it, a small piece of paper fluttered to the floor.  Reaching down, he picked it up only to find it was a check.  The date was his birthday—ten years before.  The letter read:

Dear Brad,

Happy Birthday!  We are so proud of you, we wanted to give you two gifts.  The first one is this Bible, which is one of the treasured heirlooms of our family.  It belonged to your great-grandmother, who used it to teach Sunday School for many years.  We thought you would like to have it.  And second, here is a check for $40,000.00 so you can buy the car of your choice.  We love you.  Happy Birthday and many Happy Returns.                                 Love, Mom and Dad

Imagine!  Ten years of separation, heartache, and alienation—all because he had refused to open the gift!  Now, this tragically sad story may seem like a strange way to begin an Advent Devotional Booklet, but it really isn't.  As you probably already know, the Christmas story revolves around what happened as Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem to register for a new census.  When they arrived, they settled into a stable, simply because there was no room for them in the Inn.  But the issue is far deeper than that, so in these subsequent pages, we share with you several events in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, and specifically consider the same issue—who would and who would not make room for Jesus?  And not just "make" room, in the sense of just giving Him enough of our lives to justify wearing the label of "Christianity", but to give Him all of the room He wants—namely, the entire life.  When we get half-way through the season of Advent, the focus will switch to the events that surround the birth of Jesus, as they are found in the early chapters of Matthew and Luke.

It is our hope and prayer, that, through these daily readings, the Lord will encourage you to see the One who came at Christmas as the greatest and most precious gift ever given.  Will it be left unopened and thrown to the ground, or will it be thankfully received?  This Christmas, make sure you give Him plenty of room in your heart and life—yes, even all of it!

Christ Our Rock Bible Church