August 1987
When heavy file cabinets in the FAB office needed to be moved, I prayed for God to provide muscles. Not long after that, several young men came by the office; two I knew, the third I had never met. Jim stood in his army uniform and nervously fingered his hat. Beneath his short- cropped red hair beamed a broad smile. Across his right arm in big letters, he sported the tattoo “Jungle Jim.”
“Could you fellows give me a hand, moving these cabinets?” I asked.
They graciously consented. It was a hot day, but they quickly carried the file cabinets upstairs; I deeply appreciated their willingness to do that heavy job in the summer heat. After we had finished, I felt compelled to ask Jim if he could visit with me for a while about getting to Heaven.
“Sure,” he replied. “I’d like to know about that.”
As I read Jim Scripture verses about receiving Jesus and believing on His name, he listened carefully.
“I don’t think I could trust Christ as my Savior right now,” Jim said sadly. “I’m in the army training to murder, and I don’t think God will accept me.”
“Are you a murderer or a defender?” I inquired. “There is a difference. God expects us to defend ourselves as a nation. In the Bible, God speaks extensively about armies and soldiers. In the New Testament, being a soldier and a Christian was compatible. In fact, Christians are commanded to be good soldiers for Christ; one example is Paul writing: ‘Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him’ (2 Timothy 2:3, 4). Cornelius was a Roman centurion and a respected Christian. Clearly, the Bible is not opposed to the sacred responsibility of defending a nation.”
“Are you interested in being a soldier for Jesus Christ and to call upon Him to be your Lord and Savior?” Jim indicated that he would indeed like to do just that. “Would you be embarrassed to pray right now and receive Christ as your Savior?”
“No, I don’t embarrass easily,” Jim seriously responded. He bowed his head and prayed, trusting Christ and receiving the blood atonement for his sin. Afterwards, “Jungle Jim” sat quietly for a minute and then said, “I sure feel lighter, as if I just lost twenty pounds. All the problems that seemed so big do not seem so bad now.” My prayer is that Jim will be a good soldier for Jesus Christ.
