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A Word
In Season
by Commissioner Wesley
Harris
Retired
Commissioner George Jolliffe was a kind of mentor of
mine when I was a young officer.
In his younger years he was a secretary to the Founder
of The Salvation Army and carried something of the influence
of that close contact even into retirement.
He told me that William Booth never missed an
opportunity of making a spiritual contact with people he met,
such as a cab driver, or the captain of a ship, or the host at
a billet.
Apparently a lot of early day Salvationists
followed the General in this respect so that people expected
an enquiry about their spiritual condition when they met a
Salvationist in
uniform which testified to faith and availability.
I recently read a long article by a
journalist commissioned to write about the Army and who, after
a week of interviews, seemed surprised that only one person
had broached the matter of his own spiritual experience.
Does that indicate a lack of what used to be called a
passion for souls or is it rather that we are so
frightened of saying the wrong thing we do not say the
right thing?
For many of us the latter may be the reason.
We know that indiscriminate contacting could
do more harm than good and trample on sensitive emotions
Soul winning calls for a prayerful approach and a
careful understanding of human nature.
Also, courage is required to take every opportunity of
speaking a word for the Master.
The one who wins souls is wise.
Lord help us!
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