MAKE ROOM (Jonathan McReynolds)

Sometimes a song meets you right where you're at in your spiritual journey.

I had never heard of "Make Room" by Jonathan McReynolds before, but this song has been echoing in my head for days. It is a simple message focused on the importance of priority in our lives, and none more critical than our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I confess even though I write personal reflections, I struggle reading my Bible daily and prioritizing prayer. If anything, writing devotions holds me accountable to ensure I spend time in God's Word and soak upon the wisdom of His absolute truth for my life.

Prioritizing quiet time with the Lord requires dedication and intentional effort to maintain consistency over an extended period of time so the habit becomes effortless, but I often fall short of finding my daily rhythm of praying to God and reading His Word amidst the demands of my schedule and busyness of life in general.

I know I always have time to prioritize God first, but more often than not, I prioritize other people, duties, responsibilities, and personal desires before Him.

I believe many of us within the church can relate to the struggle. Life tends to get increasingly busy, idols begin to surface, and before we realize, we have abandoned our first love for a mirage that will never quench our thirst for peace, joy and contentment.

Jesus said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). When we allow our minds to be consumed with fear or anxiety, we lose focus of not only what is important, but WHO is most important.

Therefore, when the Lord is prioritized first and foremost in our lives, the cares of this world become meaningless and void of value. It does not mean we are required to take a vow of poverty in order to be like Jesus, but we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven with hands clenched to the cares of this world.

"And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17). 

God simply delights when our hearts give freely and seek to bless others unconditionally. Therefore, we are wise to train our minds to be selfless vs. selfish, and guard our hearts from fruitless idolatry which supplants our devotion to the Lord.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19–21). 

LYRICS: "I find space for what I treasure. I make time for what I want. I choose my priorities and Jesus, You're my number one. I will make room for You. I will prepare for two so You don't feel that You can't live here. Please live in me."

Personally speaking, far too often I have made excuses for my lackadaisical efforts toward implementing spiritual disciplines in my life, and the opening verses of this song point directly to the reason why.

The sad truth is when I reflect upon my past, more often than not, I have deemed the pleasures of this world more important than God. That doesn't mean God is not important in my life, but more so that other things and/or people have taken higher precedence and priority than Him based on how I have spent and invested my time.

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:1–2).

Therefore, when I admit, "I find space for what I treasure," and "I make time for what I want," I am extremely convicted because it magnifies how much time I've wasted living for myself rather than prioritizing God first. Without a doubt, I have ample time available to spend with the Lord each day. I simply prioritize idols before Him.

That is a sobering truth to admit, but heart change begins with self-examination and self-recognition compared to God's holy standard of righteousness, and I do not want to live in denial any longer or think more highly of myself than I ought.  

"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Over time, I have realized I'm not alone in my struggle for spiritual clarity concerning the primary role God should play in my authoritative hierarchy and decision making. Therefore, my hope is that we all recognize the error of our ways, repent of our sins, expose of our idols, and choose to live for Christ first and foremost.

The beauty of intimacy with our Savior is He gives us His full, undivided attention at all times. He waits patiently, listens intently, and comforts us through difficult seasons of life, longing only for us to turn from our wicked ways and return to the Father.

There is simply no one more important than Jesus in our lives. Therefore, we are wise to examine whether we are preparing a table for two by the priorities we keep or unfortunately, communicating a far different message to our Lord and Savior.

LYRICS: "My will, my way, my ego, my plans, my schedule, my itinerary—I will make room for You. My habits, my attitude, whatever it is that's not like you. Whatever it is, You can move it over. I will make room. Whatever it is that's in Your way, whatever it is if it takes Your space, whatever it is I don't want it there. I will make room."

Surrendering ourselves completely to the Lord's command should not be taken lightly or considered swiftly. God wants us to weigh the gravity of our choices and discern the decisions we make this side of heaven.

For just as Joshua challenged the nation of Israel to fear the Lord, we too are called to recognize whether we have given God full control over our lives or are holding back a portion of our submission because we do not trust Him entirely.

"Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:14–15).

Sometimes we hold onto destructive idols and behaviors in our lives because they are familiar to us. In essence, fear of the unknown can be a powerful tool for Satan to exploit when we pause and consider our submission vs. trusting God wholeheartedly. That is why Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3).

The power of faith is found in our ability to cast off fear and doubt and trust His sovereignty unconditionally. It does not matter what our social, economic, financial or even political status is, for faith is invaluable and freely available to every man, woman and child who calls upon the name of the Lord for salvation.

If only we had the faith of a mustard seed, then our ability to cast off idols and prioritize the Lord would be second nature rather than a struggle for us to implement discipline into our lives.

"The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith!' And the Lord said, 'If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you'" (Luke 17:5–6).

LYRICS: "I wanna seek You first and get the odd things out of the way. I wanna seek You first and move it all out of the way. Whatever it is, Lord, I just want You. I will make room. Whatever it is, You can move it all. Please just move it all. Help me move it all. Jesus, I just want You to know that I will make room."

These lyrics remind me of a story Jesus once taught. 

"When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first" (Luke 11:24–26).

When we remove idols from our lives in order to prioritize God first, we must replace the idols' void with God's presence through prayer, meditation, memorization of Scripture, and most importantly, application to do what He says.

What that means is we submit to the Lord's authority and engage Him personally through His Holy Word with relentless passion, seeking to obey what He says through unconditional application. In other words, we don't make excuses. Rather, we defend what the Bible stands for and apply its wisdom and absolute truth to our lives.

"So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32–33). 

Often times, we recognize areas we need to change or improve upon and begin making behavioral modifications to solve what we believe is the most pressing issue at hand. However, we typically fail to realize the most pressing issue lies deep beneath the surface, for the idols we think we're solving are simply surface issues which mask the true root of sin in our hearts (love of self).

What's even more tragic is that removing sin in and of itself will only bring exponential destruction to our lives if we do not replace our idols with the Lord Himself through prayer and quality time in His Word.

God wants nothing more than for us to move all obstacles which hinder us from seeking Him first, but we must complete the process by replacing our sinful tendencies with Godly, spiritual disciplines which keep us under the authority of His Word in humble submission and obedience to His sovereign grace. 

"Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it"(Proverbs 15:16).

LYRICS: "I find space for what I treasure. I make time for what I want. I choose my priorities and Jesus, You're my number one."

Our lives, which testify whether we are living for Christ or our flesh, are a summation of millions of choices we make throughout the course of our time here on earth.

Every decision we make carries spiritual weight. Therefore, we must recognize God's authority and submit to His sovereign will and wisdom, or embrace post-modernistic thinking where truth is relative and changes continually.

Think about it. If we consider even the most simplistic choices we make each day, from what we eat to what we wear, are they not all a reflection of faith and trust one way or another?

"And he (Jesus) said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you" (Luke 12:22–31).

If we treasure God and His Word first and foremost, the cares of this world will become insignificant because we recognize our time here is temporary (even momentary). Therefore, there is no reason to fret over any decision we make because we recognize God is in control regardless of what we can only see in the moment through our limited perspective.

Keep in mind, God is omniscient and sees what we cannot. Therefore, why would we ever elevate our personal judgment above His all-knowing power? Our lives are indeed a choice at every turn, which should compel a sense of urgency in our hearts to remove all obstacles so we can fix our eyes on the Lord alone without distraction (see Matthew 14:22–33). 

Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28–30).

Prioritization cannot be understated or undervalued in any way considering the amount of distractions vying for our attention on a daily basis. Therefore, we must be intentional to not only prioritize God first, but truly believe we are relinquishing our burdens at the foot of the cross and submitting to the Lord's supreme authority, which is spiritually light in comparison.

Often times, we tend to consider our faith through the lens of duty and responsibility, which is nothing more than fruitless legalism. Therefore, quiet time with the Lord should be the most satisfying portion of our day, because we recognize every precious gift we have been given flows from His abundant grace and mercy.

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen" (Ephesians 3:20–21).

For example, I consider my wife God's greatest blessing to me, but that is only because I esteem Him as most important in my life. In other words, because I revere His sovereignty, I know my wife is His provision for me because He does not make a mistake.

God knows my strengths and weaknesses and chose the perfect woman who loves me enough to hold me accountable to His righteous standard. She is an absolute treasure, but her value is infinitely magnified because of God, who created her and gave her to me even though I didn't deserve her love, grace, mercy and forgiveness in the slightest.

When I wake up each morning and see her sleeping peacefully next to me, I should be compelled to immediately drop to my knees in thanksgiving and praise the Lord. The key is simply prioritizing God first so my perspective funnels every blessing and every choice I make through His absolute truth, which empowers me to live supernaturally for His glory.

Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:44–46).

May we recognize the infinite treasure which lies before us this day and choose wisely by prioritizing WHO is most important in our lives, rather than what we consider most important each day.