I find myself pulled back to holiness and what it ought to look like today.
I do not enjoy a 'career of continued victory' over sin. Every now and again I deliberately disobey (usually when I'm down, tired, angry or frustrated), like a baby reaching for its security blanket so I reach for my familiar weaknesses.
This is not good enough – 'without holiness none shall see the Lord' – I want to see the Lord both in my own life and in the Corps I command.
Long periods of holiness interspersed with periods of rebellion just isn't good enough. The fact that I might actually being doing slightly better than those around me is neither here nor there.
Whitechapel 1875 and Acts 2 remain the benchmark and I must confess that I fall well short of these two measures.
I don't want to become a hard-hearted ascetic that doesn't know how to enjoy the good things that God has provided but on the other hand I do want to be as effective as I can as a husband, Father, friend and Officer.
I've been reading Knaggs' vision 'a dream worth living' and was struck by the following:
"Look in the mirror. Do you see what God intended a Salvationist to be? If you can say yes, then we're on our way. If your answer is no, then drop to your knees and give it up to the Lord, who loves you! Corps and Social Programs don't come out of a cookie cutter. What would your corps or program look like if it was what God meant it to be? Building changes? Leadership changes? Clean Sweep? Minor tweaking? These are too easy. Start with who you are and what you've got and get on with it. Have you prayed about it? It's the first thing to do. You can start right now. Where do you fit in the Army God wants? You do fit. It may be right where you are. It may not be. He knows. Ask Him Do it."
I'm going to really take this question of personal holiness to God in prayer – I want to know what holiness means for a Salvationist in 2009. I want to be holy, passionate, intense and constant. I want my faith and enthusiasm to be infectious. I want my energy to be high and my capacity for work deep. I want to be 'good seed in good soil'.
God wills that I should be holy – so Lord, bring it on!
Grace and Peace, A
3 comments:
Blessings Andrew,
Our Lord is so gracious to hold up the mirror and let us see how un-like Him we are when we revert to our old ways. I experienced that this past weekend and had to repent; a sharp reminder of the truth, we must remain in the vine in order to bear good & lasting fruit.
Amen to Knaggs' words, the days of cookie-cutter Christians are over. We need some in the prayer closet and some in the streets. I pray you & your congregants will be commended by Christ as you confirm your individual roles on the battlefield.
Genise
Sometimes I think we get so busy with what we are doing that we forget to take that look in the mirror at ourselves. I too want to live the holy life that God intended for me to live and by His grace and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit I am confident of making it. Yes, I stuff up from time to time and have to seek forgiveness but God has never said 'No' to me when I have come to Him and sought Him afresh. It does take all of us working together to make the Army what God intended it to be. God has gifted us all and as long as I use those gifts that He has given to me and others use theirs there is hope for us all. Thank you God for the hope that we have in you.
I admire your courage to blog this way. More please!
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