Our voices resonating throughout the living room, last Christmas Eve was like many others as we read Scripture, took communion, and sang together. However, the words of one song took on new meaning. Having recently sold our home, we had been living for the past month and a half with my husband’s parents. Graciously, they had not only offered us the use of their home as they traveled but had even thinned out closets and emptied dresser drawers for our use.

In the midst of their making room for us, though, we had still encountered the challenges of living with our belongings on top of someone else’s. They had offered us space, but, rightfully so, the home was still theirs. Singing the line, “Prepare Him room,” I realized again the difference between simply giving Jesus space in our hearts and making Him Lord.

More than packing up a few boxes and moving items to the back of the closet, the good news of Jesus requires nothing less than everything (Galatians 2:20). It’s a transfer of ownership, a total exchange of our agenda for His. Jesus put it this way: “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).

Though we enjoy celebrating the miraculous birth of the precious Christ-child (Luke 2:6-7), we must also remember the relentless love of the Savior expressed in His brutal death for us (Isaiah 53:3-6). His life for ours, ours for His—to what extent have we emptied our hearts so that He might fully reign?

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Romans 12:1-21