<TITLE>21. Par 148-154</TITLE>L-148 Let's make our little heart here, tonight, a dwelling place for Christ. Remember, tonight, my odd little story of the tramp. Tonight, really, Jesus Christ is that tramp on the street. That's right, He--He was a tramp on the street. Oh, yeah, we say, "We serve Him." Sure. All the tinsel and glamour, that's not Him. That's not Him. He had to die to bring you this Gift, not a doll, but Life. He had to die in order to do it, to get to you, the only way He could get to you. He couldn't just come here and be a perfect Man, like He was, and get to you. He couldn't do it that way. He had to die to do it, to get--get the Gift of God to you. Like the--the tramp had to die to get the little doll to his girl, Christ had to die to get God to you. We want to accept It tonight. And I believe, with our heads bowed,... and let's just raise our hands to God and consecrate our lives anew, right here tonight.

L-149   O Gracious God, we--we want Your Gift. I--I'm here, as this Christmas season, Lord, as I realize and look upon the earth and see the tinsel and the glamour of the day, I--I can just see the... out yonder, as the Bible said, this Laodicean age, You're outside Your church. You're rejected, a fugitive to Your Own church and to Your Own people. You're--You're--You're rejected. A--a fugitive being something that's refused, and You're refused in Your Own church. You're refused amongst Your people. They don't want You, Lord, and they've left You, like the tramp, on the street. God, You--You--You went on dying anyhow, that You might bring the Gift of God to us. And we humbly accept It, Lord. I pray that You'll just fill our hearts and lives. And turn us aside, from this night on, and may we be wholly Yours as we consecrate ourself to You.

L-150 Receive me, Lord. Many are the mistakes of life that I've made. And, dear God, as--as I--as I stand here on this sacred spot where the Gospel's been preached and where we've seen You here, even in a--a great Light that shined upon them. And we're so grateful for this, Lord. I--I consecrate myself for this Christmas, not in... and as the world would do or to--or to turn new pages. Lord, I--I just want to accept Your Son. I--I want to accept Your Gift, Lord.

L-151 I want to accept the Gift of Eternal Life through Christ. And I, truly, Lord, accept the Gift of Christ to me, to try to win others to Thee. Go with each one.

L-152   Make the little housewife so sweet and humble, that she'll be able to lead others to You. The Gift that You give her, that feminish little ladylike, may she be so ladylike till the neighbors will see her and--and want to be like her.

L-153 Make the man, the shopworker, whoever he is, Lord; make him a humble life, like Christ, that others might see. We don't know where those people are standing out there, Father, but we never want to leave the grand, old highway; but we'll lean backwards, lean forward, reach way out anywhere to get a soul. Put that within our reach, Lord, we pray. And give us the--the--the life that would cause people to want to live like that, as we consecrate ourselves to You, tonight. In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Now, if you'll bow your heads again, I want to wish each one of you a very merry Christmas:

L-154   May the great Christmas Present, the first one and the only and the original and the only one there is, Jesus Christ, be afresh in your heart tonight. May the Holy Spirit come to you and bring you ministering gifts and things from God, that you... a gift that you might live a better life. That's what I want. I would rather have the Life of Christ in me to live sweet and victorious than I would all the gifts of healing, the gifts of prophecies, all them other gifts; just give me Jesus. Let me live the Life, the Life is what I want to live. I want to live so others will know. That's my--that's my desire at Christmas, and I pray that's your desire. And I pray that God will give us His desire.


<A HREF="P22">Next Page</A>