Saved to Save

As I was preparing for cell last week, I was somehow prompted in the morning and thought of The Salvation Army. For a long time, I have thought that the two "S" donned by Salvation Army officers on their uniforms used to mean "Saved to Serve". But as I read about the meaning of it, I felt the Lord teaching me that our main business should not be "Saved to Serve" more than we should be "Saved to Save". And just, as I was leaving for cell, I visited the Our Daily Bread website and, lo and behold, the article for the day is "Seek and Save". It was clear that God was making a point here and I would just like to share the article which I shared with cell last Friday here. You are saved to save.

Saved and Saving

Image adapted from Source

D L Moody: “One day I saw a steel engraving that I liked very much. I thought it was the finest thing I ever had seen, at the time, and I bought it. It was a picture of a woman coming out of the water, and clinging with both arms to the cross. There she came out of the drowning waves with both arms around the cross perfectly safe. Afterwards, I saw another picture that spoiled this one for me entirely, it was so much more lovely. It was a picture of a person coming out of the dark waters, with one arm clinging to the cross and with the other she was lifting some one else out of the waves. That is what I like. Keep a firm hold upon the cross, but always try to rescue another from the drowning.”

Source: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19830/19830-h/19830-h.htm

About The Salvation Army's S S Badges

by Major Sanjivani Dushing

“… Saving' is a very close and a personal related word for one's life. (The human). A Person takes a good education, search for a good job, work hard & earn a big salary or income to have a better life living standard but at the same time a person tries to save something for his future. Some parents start to save money or open a saving account in the bank for their children from the time of their birth. Saving is an important and hard process but essential for the human's life.

The Bible also tells about saving but not about the worldly saving. God himself sent his only son to save the sinners from their sins. God is counting us as His treasure of Heaven. He does not want any single soul to be destroyed or to be perished but he wishes that every single soul should be with him forever, safe in Heaven.

The Salvation Army is in process of saving souls since 145 years around the world. The Founders William & Catherine Booth had taken this responsibility to cooperate with God in saving souls.

The SS (as shown above) on Salvation Army uniforms used to mean” Saved to save.” It was a statement of early Salvationists' faith that they were saved so that they could lead others to Salvation. People also refer it as “Saved to Serve” but When William Booth started The Salvation Army it was a Christian mission. In fact, that is what he called it. The aim of the mission was to” go for souls and go for worst.” There was nothing greater than saving souls. The Salvation Army saved the drunkards from their drink, the criminals from the prisons and girls from the streets by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If I show my love & compassion by giving him food to eat, clothes to wear, and a place to rest in but if I don't put a thought of God's word in his heart, my mission remains incomplete.
 

... Dear readers, Let us go forward day by day, with Love & Compassion for dying men to save.”

Source: http://web.salvationarmy.org/ind%5Cwww_ind.nsf/vw-issue/164A063C5C9F1F076525776C00355CB3?opendocument&id=5FFB38DEF45186A76525776C003507B1

Seek And Save

August 10, 2012 — by Marvin Williams

Read: Luke 19:1-10

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. —Luke 19:10

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Lachlan Macquarie, governor of New South Wales from 1810–1821, had a way of making everyone feel included in the new colony. When the “exclusives” (free settlers, civil servants, and military officers) shunned the society of the “emancipists” (transported convicts given conditional or absolute pardon), Governor Macquarie insisted that they be treated as social equals.

Jesus showed interest in Zacchaeus, a shunned tax collector in Jericho, and included him in the recipients of His salvation plan (Luke 19:1-10). A marginalized and hated man because of his profession, Zacchaeus was desperate to see Jesus and climbed a tree to get a glimpse of Him. When Jesus passed by, He saw Zacchaeus’ desire and told him to come down because he had a divine appointment at his house. Some complained that Jesus was spending time with a sinner. His loving attention changed Zacchaeus’ life. He repented and offered restitution for those he had defrauded. Salvation had come to his house.

Jesus’ mission was simple: Diligently search for lost people, whatever their social standing, and offer them God’s salvation plan. As followers of Christ, we too have that as our mission.

Lord, help us show compassion
To a world that’s lost in sin,
So when we share the gospel,
Hungry souls for Christ we’ll win. —Sper
 

Christ’s mission is our mission.

Source: http://odb.org/2012/08/10/seek-and-save/

We have two hands, one to hold on to God and another to save another. What are you doing with your hands today?

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