For many Christmas is the time of year to focus for a moment on Christ as the baby in the manger.  It is a time that we hear Christmas music in public spaces and there is a feeling of goodwill in the air.

As I’d mentioned in an earlier post, it was 8 years ago on Dec. 19 that I walked into a little country church and watched the Christmas Story as it was performed by a cast of volunteer actors.  There was no professionalism about what they did.  There were cracks in their voices and the costumes lacked any lustre, but the message sank deep into my heart because the Holy Spirit was present.  That day I gave my heart to Christ.

Into this dark world came the Son of God to make us sons of God.  He came to set us free.  He came born in a manger, the lowliest place imaginable.  It didn’t matter to God where he was born.  Our greatest palaces pale in comparison to the heavenly abode that Christ left to come into this world.

The truth is he could have been born in the White House, or the palace of an emperor and these still would have paled in comparison to heaven.  He chose to be born in what we considered to be humble circumstances, not what he considered to be humble.

And that is the way God works. He will move on this earth in ways that will confound the wise and if we do not align ourselves to the sound of his voice we will miss the moving of his presence by his grace.

This Christmas season I pray that some of you will align yourselves to God again.  I pray that God will open your eyes not to just see him on one day per year, but that you would begin to see him every day of the year.

When you give your heart to Christ and you are grafted into the Vine, the blessing of Christmas comes alive in your heart all year long.  The gifts that God gives do not just come one morning of the year, but they are new every morning.

But it is only when you align yourself to him that this blessing comes into your heart.  The grace of God pulls us into the deep recesses of the spirit.  This is the place of the spirit where you become lost in glory never to return to darkness.  The gate to that place is the little baby Jesus born in Bethlehem to humble parents.

It might confound your mind but this is truth and the acceptance of this truth will allow the reign of the Kingdom of Christ to begin in your heart.  He is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.  And of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.

I pray that you will begin to experience that today as I did 8 years ago.

Merry Christmas, everybody!