It's all about Him

General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, was a mountain of faith and dedication to the Master, yet he was so incredibly humble. He never lost the wonder in the fact that he had been rescued by God. His gratitude took up the rest of his life.

"Oh, God, what can I say? Souls! Souls! Souls! My heart hungers for souls!" he said passionately.

Here's a short biography. It boggles the mind the things that can be accomplished when a person is sold out for Jesus.
When asked for the secret of his success, William Booth said:

"I will tell you the secret. God has had all there was of me. There have been men with greater brains than I, men with greater opportunities. But from the day I got the poor of London on my heart and caught a vision of all Jesus Christ could do with them, on that day I made up my mind that God would have all of William Booth there was. And if there is anything of power in the Salvation Army today, it is because God has had all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will, and all the influence of my life."

What an amazing legacy. Yet I firmly believe that he would be the first to say, after he had done all he could possibly do, that he was "but an unprofitable servant." This wasn't false humility. It was recognition of the impossibility of repaying a debt paid for him in full, by the One who did not owe him anything.
The story is told of General Booth's final hours. He was visited frequently by many people as he lay on his death-bed. Of these, a couple of the Army's officers came to see him. Everyone knew his time was short as he grew more and more weak. One of them said to him, "Well, General Booth, soon you will be going to receive your reward."

The old gentleman raised himself up as much as he could and looked at the man with fire in his eyes. "I go to receive no such thing," he said sharply. "I go to receive ... mercy."

His was no spirit of entitlement. He knew there was only one God in the universe and that it wasn't him. He was continually amazed that Jesus could love him and would offer him eternal life. He was fully aware that it was entirely the opposite of what he deserved on his own merits. "I go to receive - mercy." His whole life was about the mercy and grace of God. It's the foundational principle of the Salvation Army - which has seen countless lives redeemed by God's mercy and grace, overflowing with gratitude in service to this same God.

I look forward to meeting him someday.