“And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger” (Luke 2:7).
Today, across the globe, hundreds of millions of us will sing this familiar refrain: “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head.”
It’s a warm, tender hymn from our childhood. But we run into trouble when we try to keep Jesus in the manger. We can handle a holy infant that we celebrate a few weeks out of the year. After all, a baby makes no demands. But when Baby Jesus leaves the manger and becomes the grown-up Jesus who wants to rule and reign in our hearts, we have trouble with that.
Today, celebrate the child of the manger. But don’t leave him there. Hear him as he teaches. Watch him as he heals. Follow him as he ministers. And walk with him . . . all the way to the cross.
Recovery Step: Today, after you carve the turkey or ham, carve out five minutes for the Savior.
