Friday, November 21, 2008

Holiness Unto The Lord

So, I'm officially accepted as a Candidate for Salvation Army Officer Training in the "Ambassadors of Holiness" session for 2009. What a journey this has been so far, I can only imagine what lies ahead!

The excitement builds with each new session mate added to the list - there are 24 of us now in the Australia Southern Territory session. 24 people who will live, study and serve together for 2 years. 24 people who will grapple with what it means to be a Salvation Army Officer, and moreover, what it means to be an Ambassador of Holiness. I'm excited by the prospects for our group. Already there are some deep friendships developing, and whilst I of all people know that community living is hard (been there, fought that! haha!), I also know that at the essense of every true community is a deep friendship, affection and love for each other. I sense we're already developing that before we even make it to training! Praise God!

Salvationists of old would use the statement "Holiness Unto The Lord", and I've been thinking about what that means... I know the journey ahead of me is going to be tough. I am well aware of that. But as I strive towards holiness, I aim to bring others into a relationship with a Holy God, a God who longs to help them lead a holy life.

I leave you with a passage I'm meditating on at the moment, I'll probably write more about it in the coming weeks/months, but for now, I leave you with it for your consideration.

"So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, "You must be holy because I am holy." .... You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply and with all your heart."
(1 Peter 1:13-16 & 22)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yay, Congrats. Will be praying for ya!!!

Sarah Eldridge said...

Ta Tish! :D

Darren Lamotte said...

That is a great passage to reflect on Sarah. Holiness is such a hard thing to strive for because we are all human, but it is what we have been called to do.
I am also hesitant about living in a building with 40 other people, but I am so looking forward to challenging my thoughts & beliefs, and sharing this experience with some of our best friends.
See you at Commissioning Darren.