The Lord has shown me so many things this year while reading through the Christmas Story. I’ve seen a fresh look at the manger, the shepherd’s staff, the gifts of the Magi and even how involved the Holy Ghost was in this whole story.

First you see the Holy Ghost being involved in the CONCEPTION of the Christ Child. The Angel said that the Holy Ghost would come upon Mary and His power would overshadow her. For the Christ Child to be holy, there had to be a holy conception. I’m glad the Holy Ghost still conceives things today. Not babies, but dreams, visions, purposes and plans.

Then I saw the Holy Ghost being involve in BELIEVING. Mary makes her way to Elizabeth’s house and when Mary walks in and speaks to Elizabeth, Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Ghost and begins to speak. She tells Mary that “blessed is she that believes” everything the Lord had told her. I’m glad the Holy Ghost still has the power to not only conceive things in the hearts and minds of people, but gives them the ability to believe every word the Lord has spoken.

Thirdly, I see the Holy Ghost being involved in RECEIVING. You might wonder what is the difference between believing and receiving. Well, it’s possible to believe momentarily, but when you receive something, you take it home. You feed it, nurture it, become intimate with it. You see, when Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant, he had determined to distance himself from her… put her away.    He was going to cut the relationship off.   But he was told in a dream by an Angel of the Lord that she was pregnant by the Holy Ghost. When he woke from his sleep, he did not push Mary away. He received her as his wife. That’s what God wants. He wants people that are Spirit filled enough to conceive the dreams and visions from the Lord, believe every word God says, and receives it as their own…. taking it home to feed it, nurture it, become intimate with it.

Lastly, I see the Holy Ghost involved in RETRIEVAL. Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the temple when He is 8 days old. There is a man there by the name of Simeon who had been told things by the Holy Ghost and led to the temple by the Holy Ghost. When he sees the Christ Child, he tells God he’s ready to go on to heaven because he had seen the “salvation” of the Lord. Christ came to reconcile us to God. Because of sin, we have been separated from God. But God wanted us back. The only way to bring us back, i.e. “retrieve” us, was for Christ to die for us and become our sufficient sacrifice. I’m so glad the Holy Ghost still convicts the world of sin so that people will know that they need to come back to God.

So, this Christmas season, remember that the Christ Child came to die for our sins. He wants to retrieve every lost sinner. Once they recognize that they are in deed away from God, they need to believe that Jesus Christ is the way to God the Father. They must then receive Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Once that is done, they have conceived new life through Jesus Christ the Lord. Talk about the Greatest Story every told….. Hallelujah! Merry Christmas!