The Greatest Gift You Can Give this Christmas

• published: 12 Dec 2014
• views: 10558

During this time of year, the thoughts of many people turn toward the matter of gift-giving and receiving. Collectively, we spend a good deal of money and time going from store to store to get the "perfect" gift for people we love or people we simply want to impress. However, God gave the entire world the greatest gift it would ever receive when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world in the form of a baby in a manger. Many people at that time -- and many people today -- overlooked the utter importance of this wonderful gift. This gift, which arrived in the humble town of Bethlehem and was born to two ordinary Jews, was the means by which God intended to deliver the world from the pain, suffering, and death that came about because of sin. Jesus Christ began His career as a humble preacher, and He only preached for three years, but His words and actions echo down to us today because they have earth-shaking significance. He is the Saviour of the world who died to deliver us from our sins and the punishment of sin. Millions have decided to believe in Him so that they can escape the eternal punishment of sin which is Hell and have an eternal Home in Heaven. So, while you are thinking about what gifts you can give or what gifts you may receive, allow me to share with you what some of the world's most noted individuals have said about Jesus Christ -- the gift God gave to the world. As you listen, I encourage you to consider giving your life to Jesus Christ, for that will indeed be the greatest you can give to Him. Historian Kenneth Scott Latourette said, "As the centuries pass, the evidence is accumulating that, measured by His effect on history, Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on this planet." Scientist, educator, and inventor, George Washington Carver, said, "The Lord has guided me, and without my Saviour, I am nothing." Historian, Philip Schaff, said, "Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander the Great, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science and learning, He shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of school, He spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, He set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times." Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of Great Britain, said, "That Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, when faced with His terrible choice and lonely vigil, chose to lay down His life that our sins may be forgiven. I remember very well a sermon on Armistice Sunday when our preacher said: 'No one took away the life of Jesus, He chose to lay it down.'" India’s greatest citizen and political leader, Mahatma Gandhi, said, “Jesus Christ, who was completely innocent offered Himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including His enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act." Bono, lead singer for the rock band U2, said, "When people say ‘Good teacher,’ ‘Prophet,’ ‘Really nice guy,’ -- this is not how Jesus thought of himself. You’re left with a challenge, which is either Jesus was who he said he was or a complete and utter nut case. I believe that Jesus was the Son of God... When you align yourself with God’s purpose as described in the Scriptures, something special happens to your life." French emperor and military leader, Napoleon Bonaparte, said, "I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for him." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the main leader of the Civil Rights Movement in America, said, "By opening our lives to God in Christ, we become new creatures. This experience, which Jesus spoke of as the new birth, is essential if we are to be transformed nonconformists . . . Only through an inner spiritual transformation do we gain the strength to fight vigorously the evils of the world in a humble and loving spirit."