Thought for the Month - December 2005

George Best - the greatest? - By Pastor Ian Wilson

Who is the greatest footballer of all time? I am sure if we were to ask a Brazilian he may well say Pele. If the same question were put to a Dutch man he would probably suggest Johan Cruyff.

Perhaps a French man would say Zinedine Zidane. It was written of him, "If there was ever an artist on the football field, it has to be this creative genius from France. A playmaker and goalscorer of sublime ability. Zidane's dribbling skills and deft touch place him at a level, which most top flight footballers can only dream".

The answer to who is the greatest often comes down to our place of birth and our own bias. I am sure not one of the readers of this article would suggest anyone other that our own George Best. Like many who have been watching him on TV recently I think we can rightly claim that his all round ability was untouched by anyone else who has graced the football pitch.

I also think that all of us recognise that George was far from perfect and sadly his lifestyle eventually cost him his life. As one newspaper remarked it seems ironic that George’s death is announced on the same day 24 hour drinking in introduced in the UK.

The greatest man who ever lived was Jesus Christ. His greatness cannot be compared with anyone else. There are no rivals and as we approach Christmas we celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh.

One of the greatest aspects of Christ was his love.

John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends"

Christ demonstrated his great love on Calvary when he died for sinful men and women. He invites us to accept him as our saviour. We are not only assured of a home in heaven but we will have him as the greatest friend in the world.

Proverbs 18:24 "there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother"

There are a lot of people who knew about George Best and quite a few are proud to have known George Best personally. Much more important is the question do you know Jesus Christ? I don’t mean do you know about him but do you really know him?

As you go through life knowing him as your Saviour you can have his great help day by day. He is truly the greatest.

1 John 4:4 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world"

Are you SURE that you have your place booked in Heaven? Read this if you're not!