“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..”
-1 Peter 3:5
The old hymn entitled “Have You Any Room For Jesus” says this in the chorus:
Room for Jesus, King of Glory!
Hasten now His Word obey;
Swing the heart’s door widely open,
Bid Him enter while you may.
It begs the question of us today – do you have room for Jesus in your crazy busy life, and if so, how much room are you giving him? Do you rent out that space to him only on the weekends and Sunday or is this a daily, moment by moment relationship? We live in a very convenient world. We have apps on our phone that help us with shopping lists and keeping notes, and tracking our daily steps so that we stay in shape. There are even apps to remind us to have devotions as we attempt to fit all of our business into our day. But when it is all said and done, beyond our modern conveniences, is there truly room in our hearts for God? Have we intentionally invited him into our moment by moment existence? Can we boldly declare that in all things we are giving God praise?
The priority here is not witnessing. That might sound shocking to some of you. But the very first priority is being holy people. When we live up to being truly set apart for God, then the outpouring of our hearts will be our testimony and our praise to Him. Sometimes we are so action oriented and about getting things done and checking another item off of our “to do” list that we forget to simply be in the presence of God. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” This isn’t some egotistical announcement from God, instead it is a reminder of the very first priority of our life – Keep God first above all other things! Set apart in your heart a place for Him – in ALL THINGS! When we place this at the forefront of all that we do, we will find that everything is now viewed through the lens of God – and this will make all of the difference. Forget about what you will say to others about Jesus…that might sound funny. But stop worrying about what comes next in your witness to others, and BE in the presence of God – from this will flow your adoration and love so that others will see and believe.
So how about it?
Are you prepared to not only set apart you heart and life to the Lord? Are you prepared to sit in His presence? It starts here…have you any room?
Prayer: Lord, help me to approach this life with the right priorities. I confess that there are times when I have not made you my first priority. Help me to invite you into every aspect of my life. Help me to see that without you I will lose focus and my witness in this crazy world. Be with me today, I invite you in, and in the empty spaces, Lord fill it with your holy presence. In your name I pray all of these things. -Amen.
Pastor's Ponderings 
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