I had spent 18 years celebrating Christmas without knowing the true meaning of Christmas. However, during the summer of 1965, I came to know God through Jesus. My life was completely changed. I had purpose and meaning. There was a sense of joy that permeated my entire life. My sins were forgiven, and the burden of guilt was removed from me. The Christian life was new to me. It was like an exciting adventure.

Even before I came to Christ, Christmas had always been a fun time. It was a season for parties, gift exchanges, and romance. But there was also a certain emptiness that accompanied the fun and parties. I recall one Christmas becoming so drunk that I tore up my car while driving. In the midst of the glitz and music, there was a sense of despair and confusion. Deep down I was lonely and hurting.  

Then, my first real Christmas arrived. For the first time, I understood the true meaning of Christmas. I went to a party, and it was like I had a new set of eyes. All the drinking that people were doing seemed only to be an escape from the pain in their lives. Some friends wanted me to drink with them. But the alcohol had lost its appeal. I had joy within. I didn't need a synthetic joy produced from without.  

I'll never forget that first Christmas Eve. My family always exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve. For the first time in my life, my dad gave me a Bible. I treasured it. After giving to each other our gifts, I received a phone call from a friend. He said, "Let's get together and give God a gift tonight in celebration of the birth of Jesus." That sounded great to me.  

Four of us met together late in the evening and went looking for a church where we could pray. All the city churches were locked tight. Finally, we drove outside the city and found a small newly started church. It was open. We went inside and had a prayer meeting that lasted for about two hours. While we were praying, we all had this desire to give God a gift - but what do you give God? He owns everything. As we prayed, someone said, "God, I want to give you a soul during this Christmas season." All of us began to weep in agreement, "Yes, Lord, we want to bring someone to Jesus during these holidays."  

I've learned since then that you can't put a time on God. You can't just decide that you will lead someone to Christ during a certain period and that it will just automatically happen. God's Spirit must draw people to Christ. But we were young and new in the Lord. So, we prayed this way. On New Year's night, we went to the state capitol building and had another prayer meeting. The state capitol building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana used to have the lights turned on to make the sign of the cross.  

We were on the side of a hill worshipping God when four other young men came up, staggering and singing. We were singing about Jesus, and they were singing about the devil. Each one of them had a bottle of vodka. They sat on one side of the hill, and we sat on the other side. Finally, one of my friends said, "Hey, God has brought these guys to us. Let's tell them about Jesus."  

We did just that. About three hours later, those four young men prayed to receive Christ. We were able to follow up with them and help them to grow in Christ. As I look back on Christmas, I think that first real Christmas was the best Christmas I've ever experienced. In all of your giving this Christmas, it might be good to pray and ask God what He would have you give Him. Merry Christmas!