It is Simple...He Lives

As I was listening to a radio station today, they started playing a snippet from a local minister's sermon.  His topic: Why I believe in Jesus.

"Okay", I thought.  "This should be interesting."

Then the man proceeded to speak about all the evidences for Jesus' resurrection and how the accusations trying to dispel this fact - such as Jesus' body being stolen by his disciples - just didn't make sense.

I was immediately saddened to hear this.  THAT is why he believes in Jesus?  Because his mind tells him that such is the logical choice?  What about when it comes to things he doesn't comprehend? What happens when someone is able to poke "logical" holes in his understanding?

It is wonderful to have logical evidence to support your faith in Jesus Christ.  He is after all the logos (John 1:1, 14) and there are many evidences to His existence.  However, that alone cannot be the foundation of your faith.  Your faith in God cannot merely be the product of your own mind, your own way of thinking, or what you think is provable in the here and now.  In such cases, you are no better off than the Buddhist or the Muslim, who have sincere faith, but are sincerely wrong.

You're In The Army Now

"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." II Timothy 2:3-4

I have been traveling quite a bit with my job lately.  On a recent trip, I was in a shuttle van with military doctors.  The most senior doctor told us many stories on the way, but this one in particular stuck out to me.  He stated:

I was assigned for three months on the base, and a soldier came in to have his wisdom teeth pulled.  The soldier said, "My brother-in-law is a dentist, and he said that I don't have to have my wisdom teeth pulled."

I asked him, "Son, is your brother-in-law a military dentist?"

"No", he replied. "He is a civilian." 

"Well son," I said, "From the day you signed up for this Army, your life and your body have belonged to Uncle Sam.  And Uncle Sam has decided that you need to get your teeth pulled.  So you can either sit in this chair and get your teeth pulled or you can walk out and be discharged from the Army." 

Still, the soldier kept questioning, "But I don't understand why I have to do this...Can you just explain to me what the reasoning is...Why can't I just leave them in?"   

I said, "Look, you have two choices.  Sit in this chair or leave and get discharged from the Army."  Honestly, I was so tired of all his sissy talking that I was ready for him to leave either way.

This guy actually wrote a letter to my Colonel complaining about how I didn't properly explain to him why the procedure was needed and what I was going to do.  When my Colonel called me before him, I thought I might be in trouble, but he balled up the letter and threw it in the trash saying, "We don't have time for this.  We are trying to fight a war."