MERRY CHRISTMAS--THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL!!!

It is unreal that another year has past and it is Christmas once again. We had Christmas early this year and both of our children are with the other side of the family. We are going to have everyone here for New Years Day and just have soup and sandwiches and hopefully lots of fun. Now if the weather permits, we will be OK. Our driveway is a glaze of ice, even after the last ice storm. Our son-in-law came over and chipped out about 3/4 to an inch of ice off of double driveway a few days ago. Now it is at least a half inch on and more freezing rain tonight.
My sister was planning on coming over today, but just too icy for her to venture out, so we are going to have a quiet dinner and watch television. Last night we watched "Grace alive Christmas
program" on television. We went to the music program and it was spectacular!!! It was on last night and early this morning on television. We also watched "A Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart. I honestly think this was the first time I was able to sit down and watch the whole thing without interuption of Christmas to do list in front of me.

My title is today "The greatest gift of all". In the back of my Daily Bread devotional booklet was the following, titled-- Too Good to be True? I will type it as it is written.

"In the world of shopping, if the product sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Whether it's a vegetable chopper, a weed whacker, or the latest automobile, the advertised image is more likely to be a mirage than reality. What you think is a bargain can turn out to be a major disappointment.

God never advertises more than He delivers. He's not out to deceive us. He wants us to have the best He has to offer--the joy of a close relationship with Him now, and heaven later.

To enjoy God's best, though, you and I first need to take Jesus at His word. He said, "He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24).

His offer is conditioned only on our acceptance of His free gift. Does it sound too easy? Too good to be true? It's not. Jesus has proven that He can be trusted. He came to earth, lived a perfect life, died on the cross in our place, and rose from the dead. If He can't be trusted, nobody can.

If you've never done so, choose now to take God at His word. Admit that you deserve God's judgment for sin, believe Jesus died for you and rose from the dead, accept Hs offer of new life, and then build your life on the promises of God".

When I was eleven years of age, I was home from school (Washington Birthday) and my mother was cooking supper. I had been thinking about what God did for me, but had yet not accepted his "free" gift for myself. I asked my mother about this and she stopped what she was doing and she explained to me the Gospel. I knelt beside my bed right there in "simple faith" and asked Jesus into my heart and life. I did not know the full meaning of this, but I know He heard my simple prayer and He has walked beside me down through the years. I have failed Him, but he has always picked me up when I stumbled and I know and believe I shall have eternal life.

This was a faith in what He (God incarnate) did on the cross and not what I have done. My righteousness is but filthy rags in God's sight (Isaiah 64:6).

Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast".

John 1:1-4 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men."

Jesus gave his life and rose again to save us from our sin so we can have Eternal life. This is truly "THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL!!!!! It is all wrapped up and all we have to do is reach out and claim this GREAT FREE GIFT!