by Commissioner Brad Bailey, Territorial Commander

One of the more critical moments in my faith journey was realizing that as a Salvationist I was called to positively influence and impact the world around me. I realized I was privileged not only to believe in and belong to Jesus but to stand in the gap and put my faith into action.

God has given us a standard of righteousness we are privileged to uphold daily. The scripture is refreshingly clear regarding God’s desire for us. If we believe certain things are true, just and right, then we have a moral imperative to live accordingly. Micah 6:6-8 (NASB) says:

With what shall I come to the Lord and bow myself before the God on high? … He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

We are to stand on the side of what is right and just. When we witness injustice, our voices need to be heard even if we are misunderstood, persecuted, devalued or maligned. In Christ, we have a critical calling in this world. As salt of the earth and light of the world our presence and our mission are by God’s design. For us to stay within the walls of our beautiful Salvation Army buildings around the territory and wait for the return of Christ, avoiding interaction with the world around us, is not the will of God. Like salt slows decay, we are to have contact with the world.

We are to love kindness as we identify with the oppressed, the poor, the vulnerable and the distressed and to withhold judgment in the process. We are invited to come alongside them because God is on their side, demonstrating the dignity of all human life.

Verse eight invites us to walk humbly with our God, as He is ultimately in control and we are all sinful human beings with the inbred ability to make wrong choices. All around us there are people full of the life God gave them. That life is sacred.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “There are no ordinary people…it is immortals who we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit.”

We need to remember we are dealing with eternal beings when we are dealing with each other and those who come our way.

In the Central Territory we are committed to do whatever is needed in the name of Jesus to improve the quality of life for whoever comes into our sphere of influence, by steadfastly sharing, “…the gospel of Jesus Christ and meeting human needs in his name without discrimination.”

As we live and serve in our communities, we are invited by Jesus to engage with people from all walks of life and different parts of the world, those who speak different languages, have unmet needs, broken relationships and no hope.

May we be faithful followers of Jesus who stand courageously on God’s side and do what He requires when He calls us to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God.

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