Our greatest gift ever

Greetings, I am Jim Gerhold, lead pastor at Christian Life Center. With Christmas just around the corner, let’s reflect on our greatest Christmas ever.

Would it be a gift that was beyond our wildest dreams or a special visit from a relative or close friend that you didn’t expect? Maybe it was the trip of a lifetime to a favorite theme park or to a secluded place of interest or your last visit to Grandma’s place before she passed. All these are exciting and fun to explore and to remember the adventure of it all. It could be a combination of all the above and more. It’s sometimes hard to settle on one or two, or even three or more.

One of my favorite times was when Kathy and I surprised her parents after we drove for almost three days to be with them for Christmas. What a shock as we knocked on the door and her mother opened it to find us standing there. Their expression was priceless. We had a great time celebrating with them that year.

Another favorite was standing at the top of a hill at Silver Dollar City, a Christian-owned theme park in Branson, Mo., watching a gentle snow cover the park buildings and grounds. It was so peaceful just standing there and enjoying all the lights and snow together making a great memory peg for me that day.

I love presents, lighted trees, family dinners, playing games, watching movies and enjoying every aspect of the season. But if you really stopped and gave it thought, the greatest gift was given to us by God in the form of His son, Jesus Christ. The gift of eternal life through Jesus coming to earth with the purpose of giving His life for our eternal future.

That is beyond any expensive gift and bigger than any present given. It is the ultimate gift that keeps on giving and giving and it is for anyone and everyone. The good news is that this perfect gift is available to you today. Romans 10:9 tells us; “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Maybe it is time for you today to make your declaration that Jesus is your Lord and believe in your heart. That is how it starts and you can begin your journey to eternal blessings, Heaven.

I want to wish you the greatest Christmas ever as you reflect on our greatest gift ever, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the reason for the season.

We would love to invite you to worship with us at Christian Life Center, here in Sidney. We are at the corner of King Street and 16th Avenue. Sunday morning worship is at 10 a.m. each Sunday. Hope to see you there.

Kids of Character

Jim Gerhold