William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, had a vision from God in 1865 about the lost and his indifference towards them that changed his life and gave him the passion from God he needed to begin his life’s work.

He said, “After spending years of trying to preserve my life through pursuing a quest of healing, I finally gave up, and gave my life to Christ. Now I was a professing Christian, I was one who was active in religious activities. In fact, I considered myself to be quite a shining light. I always attended church on Sunday and I taught in the Sunday School. Now and then, though not very often, I visited the sick. And in addition to these good deeds I gave a little money to support Christian work. In all this I was quite sincere. I had no idea of playing the hypocrite. It’s true that I didn’t stop to consider what Christianity really was, although I talked freely enough about it at times, and pitied people who didn’t profess to be Christians. I seldom, if ever, considered what Jesus Christ required. Jn 12:25 “Anyone who loves his life loses it, but anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. [Whoever has no love for, no concern for, no regard for his life here on earth, but despises it, preserves his life forever and ever.”] Disquieting thoughts kept crossing my mind – because I couldn’t keep out questions that kept arising as to whether I had truly followed Jesus Christ and laid down my life for a perishing world with my time and influence, and money and family.”

Many of these same questions came to my mind as I pondered my time on the earth. What am I holding onto that is blinding me to the cries of a lost and dying world? Am I truly following Jesus and forsaking all for Him?  O Lord, help me! O Lord, destroy everything in me that interferes with the prosperity, growth, and fruitfulness of this precious, divine, and everlasting fruit that comes through sickness. God, peel away the cloak of pride, unforgiveness, lust, self preservation and ego. Keep drawing me with cords of love to the altar of self sacrifice.

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