When signing their Articles of War, prospective Soldiers of The Salvation Army are confirming that they have "accepted Jesus Christ as [their] Saviour and Lord", and that they "now by God's grace enter into a sacred covenant". There then follows a series of statements which form part of their covenant agreement, the first of which is:
"I will be responsive to the Holy Spirit's work and obedient to His leading in my life, growing in grace through worship, prayer, service and the reading of the Bible. I will make the values of the Kingdom of God and not the values of the world the standard for my life."
I am very clear in my own mind that it was the prompting of the Spirit of God that led me to my own commitment at the Mercy Seat those many years ago. Salvationists often say they are 'chosen to be a soldier' (see 2 Timothy 2:4) and that was particularly so for me. I responded to His prompting, was obedient and made my commitment. That's where my particular adventure began, as I tried to explore where God wanted me; what He wanted me to do. After some exploration of various avenues of service, what has become very clear to me is the fact that it's not about what you can do as a Christian, but who you can be...
The Spirit's leading is all very personal - your spiritual path is unique to you; truly a one-to-one relationship with the Almighty. Once you realise that, you gain a hunger for the Bible, as this essentially begins to become a personal love letter to you. And the adventure still continues...
"I will be responsive to the Holy Spirit's work and obedient to His leading in my life, growing in grace through worship, prayer, service and the reading of the Bible. I will make the values of the Kingdom of God and not the values of the world the standard for my life."
I am very clear in my own mind that it was the prompting of the Spirit of God that led me to my own commitment at the Mercy Seat those many years ago. Salvationists often say they are 'chosen to be a soldier' (see 2 Timothy 2:4) and that was particularly so for me. I responded to His prompting, was obedient and made my commitment. That's where my particular adventure began, as I tried to explore where God wanted me; what He wanted me to do. After some exploration of various avenues of service, what has become very clear to me is the fact that it's not about what you can do as a Christian, but who you can be...
The Spirit's leading is all very personal - your spiritual path is unique to you; truly a one-to-one relationship with the Almighty. Once you realise that, you gain a hunger for the Bible, as this essentially begins to become a personal love letter to you. And the adventure still continues...
1 comment:
Thanks Colin- always useful to be reminded on what our promises, no, our covenant confirms...
I have added your comments to a recent post on covenants at the FSAOF blog site, with a link, of course.
grace, sven
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