God's call

I go down to the Training College Library about once a week to do research for my Bible studies. Just as I was leaving two cadets stopped to have a little chat with me and one of the questions one of then posed was, “Have you ever regretted becoming an officer?

Following Christ is the most exciting thing in the world. I have never regretted the decision I made so many years ago when I gave my life to Christ. But following Christ has not been always easy or comfortable. There are costs and demands made on you.

You have to understand that fact ahead of going into it. The choice is not about what other people think; it can't be made to please your family, your pastor or your peer group. Don't make a decision because of what your friends have done. Make certain it's your choice and yours alone to commit yourself to Jesus Christ.
The call is for us to give our all to Jesus Christ. What it means practically is that we allow Him to be the Lord. We don't know all that it may mean, but we're willing to say, "Jesus, take over, I can’t do it myself. Please run my life, and I'll learn to listen to you, trust you, and follow you, whatever that means as the years unfold."

I have never regretted the decision I made that evening in 1949 at Youth Councils – to answer the call to be an officer in The Salvation Army. It is this sense of calling and His grace that enable me to keep going. I'll follow Him till He closes the curtain of my life. And then He'll come for me to take me with Him to Heaven to live with Him forever.