It's Christmas time, and we are once again preparing to celebrate the birth that changed the world. It's a time for love, kindness, gratitude, hope and joy...the gift that God gave us is the greatest gift any of us could ever receive, and we are told this all throughout the Bible. These are just some of the many verses that tell us how wonderful the gift of Jesus Christ really is.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 6:23

When God sent Jesus to Earth, he knew that he was sending His Son to live a short but fruitful earthly life--one in which he performed miracles and led people to follow Him. God knew Jesus would be crucified to save us from our sins and give us eternal life if we believe in Him, which is completely incredible. We will never be able to repay Him for this ultimate gift.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.-Romans 8:37-39

Nothing can separate us from the love God has brought us through His gift of Jesus. When we give it all to God, we can begin to understand the importance of this love. Our lives are His, not our own. We should let others see God in us.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved... Ephesians 2:4-5

Even though we are imperfect sinners, God's grace through Jesus covers us. His love has saved us from sin, that we may live lives pleasing to Him. We will never be perfect, but we are always improving and wanting to please God.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God. who loved me and gave himself for me.-Galatians 2:20

We live and love through Christ, and should strive to be Christ-like in how we live our lives. God gave His only son to this Earth to die for us, which is an immeasurable sacrifice. Through him, we can fill our hearts with joy through all of the days of our lives, and help lead others to Him.

May we always remember the gift of God's love for us especially now, but all year round too, and may we always keep Christ in Christmas.