LUKE 2:7 - AS A BABY, HE CAME

A long time ago in Bethlehem a tiny Babe was born,

The King of kings and Lord of lords on earth in mortal form.

What did it mean for Christ to come to walk on earth as man?

And what is the significance of this part of God’s plan?

I’ve often thought it interesting that Christ came as a child,

A little, tiny baby, helpless, meek, and mild.

But since He came in just that way, I know He understands

Every small frustration of living as a man.

He understands the growing pains of our own little ones,

Although when He was twelve years old, He knew He was God’s Son.

He knows just how it feels to go through difficult teen years.

He knows the loss of friends through death. He knew pain, and He cried tears.

My Jesus knew temptation and yet remained sin-free.

He was the perfect sacrifice who died for you and me.

So, we celebrate the coming of our King.

Because He came with love for us, His praises we will sing.

By Susie Hale, Precious Jewels Ministries, written February 10, 1983

CHRISTMAS WISHES

BY FAITH, ABRAHAM - HEBREWS 11:17-19

By Faith, Abraham

By Susie Hale, Precious Jewels Ministries

By faith, Abraham carried the coals

While Isaac carried the wood,

But the boy noticed they did not bring a lamb

To be the sacrifice as they should.

By faith, Abraham said God would provide

The lamb for the sacrifice;

But when they arrived at the top of the hill,

He bound Isaac and brought out his knife.

By faith, Abraham planned to offer his son

According to the Lord’s command,

But the angel of the Lord called him by name;

and he suddenly halted his hand.

By faith, Abraham trusted and believed

God could raise Isaac up from the dead,

But the Lord said it was enough he was willing

And provided a ram to be offered instead.  

HEBREWS 11:11 BY FAITH, SARAH

By Faith, Sarah

By Susie Hale, Precious Jewels Ministries

By faith, barren Sarah

Conceived at ninety years old.

She believed the Lord would keep His promise

And gave birth as He had foretold.

Imagine the joy as she held her newborn,

The baby that defied explanation.

To think she was chosen to be the mother

Of the one who would father a nation.

Out of the nation would be born the One,

The Messiah, God with us, the Son.

So, Sarah was also a “woman of Christmas”

for God’s chosen people through her had begun.

PSALM 46:10 - AT CHRISTMAS-CEASE STRIVING

GENESIS 18:41 - IS ANYTHING TOO HARD?

IS ANYTHING TOO HARD?

By Susie Hale, Precious Jewels Ministries

Abraham laughed when God said Sarah would bear

The promised son from whom nations would rise.

When Sarah heard the news she would be a mother

She could not hide her laughter or surprise.

But the Lord assured them there was nothing to hard

For God to accomplish with His mighty power.

He even predicted the exact time of the year

That Isaac would be born: He could have named the hour.

For although Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90,

The Lord brought glory to Himself by keeping His word.

They named the boy Isaac as God had commanded

Because Laughter was appropriate at a thing so absurd

As a baby being born to a couple so late in life,

To a barren woman way past her prime.

But our God is able to deliver what He promises,

The wait may seem long, but God is right on time. 

A CHRISTMAS EXHORTATION

MESSIAH PROMISED - GENESIS 3:15

MESSIAH PROMISED

By Susie Hale, Precious Jewels Ministries

The serpent was beautiful and beguiling,

And the woman was deceived.

He told them the fruit would make them wise,

A half-truth they chose to believe.

Because they listened to someone other than God,

A curse came upon them and the earth.

Men would have to work hard to provide,

And women would have pain in childbirth.

The serpent on his belly would crawl,

But God gave them a promise that day.

Although the Deceiver would bruise man’s heel,

Eve’s descendant would purchase the way

To defeat Satan once and for all

By fatally crushing his head.

Jesus’ feet were bruised upon the cross,

But He conquered Satan once for all

WHEN HE ROSE UP FROM THE DEAD!

RIGHT RELATIONSHIP RESULTS IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

Right Relationship Results in Righteousness

Susie Hale, July 9, 1989

We do not become sinners when we commit sin;

We all commit sins because as sinners we begin.

We are not righteous by doing righteous acts;

We do righteous deeds because our righteousness in Christ is fact.

We do not become holy by doing holy things;

We do that which is holy because of holiness He brings.

We are not sanctified by living godly lives;

We are capable of godliness as the Spirit sanctifies.

grace – charis – the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life: including gratitude: acceptable, benefit, favor, gift, gracious, joy, liberality, pleasure, thankworthy. (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible)

            Many of us can quote John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Do we believe it? Do we live like we believe it? I’ve spent a lot of time trying to be good enough, feeling compelled to do the “right” things, working like crazy to meet the expectations of others and myself. I’ve realized in recent years that trying to squeeze good works from myself and playing the martyr are not how God desires me to live.

            Just as I am saved by grace, I must also live by grace. Salvation is due to God’s drawing my heart and my accepting his gift by faith. His life is then reflected in my life. That is the benefit of walking with him. Righteousness does not come from straining and striving to be like Jesus. Righteousness occurs in my life as I spend more time with Christ, in his Word and prayer. Then his grace, his “divine influence upon the heart,” is liberally, joyfully, graciously reflected in the peace that I have and the deeds that I do. Pursuing my relationship with the Righteous One results in righteousness. I am only able to do his works when I take time to be his child.

            Father, may my life be a reflection of your influence on my heart. May I be known not for my efforts in my own strength but for the evidence of your grace to me. May you be glorified as others see Jesus in me. 

A CIRCUMCISED HEART

A Circumcised Heart

I cannot follow my moral compass.

I cannot rely on religion or creeds,

Being born of a certain nation or race,

Or submitting to ritualistic deeds.

It is impossible to obey God’s law completely,

Never committing sin nor omitting good.

In my flesh, by my will, I cannot attain

To all of the rules I know that I should.

Only a circumcised heart can change me,

Only a spirit made new by the Lord.

Giving my life completely to Jesus

Is what will enable me to obey His word.

His blood has covered my many failures.

He gave His life to pay for my sins.

Accepting His precious gift of forgiveness

Frees me to live a life pleasing to Him.

           In order to live a life pleasing to God I had to undergo heart surgery. God had to cut around my heart to remove the hardness, to extract my heart of stone in order to give me a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:25). He did this by drawing me to himself and giving me the faith in Christ needed to save me.  When I surrendered my life to the control of the Lord, his Holy Spirit moved into the renewed heart he had created. As I daily allow the Spirit control of my life, I am able to accomplish the tasks God lays on my heart. True service is not willing myself to obey certain rules and regulations. It is, rather, a complete surrender of my will to God. It is a moment by moment choice to seek God’s best in every decision, every action, every breath of my life. As I choose to know more of the Lord through his Word, worship, and prayer, I am more aware of the ways he desires to work in and through me. As I learn to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17), bringing everything to him, and as I seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33), then the good works for which he created me will follow.

            Father, keep my heart soft and pliable for your use. Cut away any hardness that would keep me from you.