Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
– Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

Psychologists tell us that fragrances arouse deep emotions in the olfactory regions of our brains. The smells of Christmas cooking made a believer out of me at an early age—in the Dickensian style of Christmas. The way to a small boy’s heart and soul leads through his nose to his stomach, and I became a devotee of traditional English Christmas fare.

Belief in Jesus Christ was different. Our parents never took us to church. They had forsaken their upbringing in Christian homes that were too devout for my mother’s liking. They called the Nativity accounts in the gospels fairy tales.

That life lasted until I visited a church on my own at the age of nineteen. Discovering the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God weaned me from my allegiance to the secular Christmas and replaced it with commitment to the Christ of Christmas.

Christmas without Christ amounts to a commercial winter festival that invites overindulgence. I could not bear the emptiness of life without Jesus Christ and the blessings he brings throughout the year.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for opening my eyes to the light of your salvation. Amen

Thought for the Day
Seek the blessings of life in Christ rather thanReflection
the cultural attractions of religious holidays.

Prayer Focus: WORKERS WHO MUST GIVE UP THEIR HOLIDAYS TO GET BY