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Standing near by, I observed all this. “Joe;” I said, “come into my office. I Want to talk to you.” "Yes, Sir,” said Joe, and followed sheepishly. “Something has happened to you,” I proceeded gravely, “and I want to see, whether I can help you.” Joe seemed ready to talk at- once. “Here’s how it is, Sir. I’m techni cally under arrest. That’s why I didn’t come to duty on time. The Colonel was . . . You see, Sir, I beat un a Lieutenant, ,a —— _ i _ —. M.A.C.” “You don’t mean it, Joe,” I ex claimed. “Why, that’s serious—an enlisted man assaulting a commis sioned officer! How did it happen^ Were you drinking?” “Well, I had to drink a little, Sir, in order to get courage enough to do it. But it had to be done. You haven’t done anything like that since I entered the Army. This Army sorta makes a fellow think twice before he continues doing rotten things.” “Are you a Christian soldier, Joe, or the other kind?” “Well,” blushed the ward boy, “may be I don’t always do like I should, but I was saved once—way back when I Was fifteen.” “Can you prove that you began to be saved then?” , “Yes, Sir, I can, Captain. I took Jestr-as my Lord and Saviour, then.” “Is Lillian a Christian, too?” . “Why—why,,- Sir, I don’t belieye I ever Stopped to inquire whether she is or not.” . “ You mean that you have known this girl almost two years, and you’ve been married to her a year—and you don’t even know whether she’s a Christian?” "I—I guess the Captain can see I haven’t been living as—as a Christian should. I was so happy when I was converted—I thought I was just going to be good always. I thought' life would be a bed of roses until i would be wafted into heaven—and then . . . and then, I began slipping.” “No, Joe, the Christian life is no.bed of roses. It’s a fight—but not the kind you’ve just engaged in. You have to fight the good fight of faith, not in your own strength; but in the pow er of the Lord. You’re saved through faith in Christ, you know, .but that isn’t all. The Christian ought to keep on living by faith. The Lord will en able you to do that, but if you don’t u e s t i o n Box records Christ’s genealogy back t o Abraham to whom God gave the land. (See Matt. 1:1-16: cf. Jer. 23:5.) Since Mark’s key verse is: “ For the Son of man came not to be ministered ■unto, but to minister,” we knpw that in this book our Lord is presented as the Servant (Mk. 10:45; cf: Zech. 3:8). Indeed, the recorded- genealogy of a servant is unnecessary. Luke reveals Christ, as the perfect Son of Man, whosejjenealogy is traced back beyond Adam to God; for the body of the Lord Jesus was not only real and human, it was a body that God had prepared (Lk. 3:23-38; cf. Zech. 6:12; Heb. 10:5). John is writing to prove that Jesus of Nazareth always was and ever shall be the eternal Son 'T God (cf. John 20:30, 31). And who -would presume to say that, as eternal God, our Lord I had a beginning? (See John 1:1-14.) He is the Creator of all things: He [ Continued an Page 425] try, He will punish you. Don’t you want to come back to Him and start over again?” “I certainly do. I ’d give anything if I could!” '"“Then let’s do what it says in 1 John 1:9—confess it all to Him.” “I ’m ready,” exclaimed Joe. "But let’s get on our knees. Somehow that seems like the only way I ought to face Him.” Joe sobbed: “O heavenly Father, I ’m sorry I ever did all those awful things against You, and against Lilli an. I’m sorry I haven’t read your Worf; haven’t gone to o" r.vch .’as' 1 . should, and that I haven't prayed to You for wee s I didn’t speak to Lillian about her soul before this. I ’ve made a mess of my life, Lord—and—and I just don’t want to be like this any more. I thank You for bringing this trouble on me, so that You could bring me back to You again. And—O Lord—bless that Lieu tenant, and don’t hurt him. He needs You, too. Please grant me the privi lege to lead Lillian to Thy Son y saved me.” The prayer ended abruptly. The tears were glistening througn a von- derful smile on Joe’s face. “I ’m not afraid, now, Captain,” ex ulted Joe. “L know the Lord will make a Way for me. And I ’m not going to be ashamed to tell any one what He’s done for me. I was happy when I was first converted, but ft’s, nothing com pared to the way I feel right how,” Joe meant what he said, and proved it. And the Lord did undertake for him in a most remarkable way. Time passed, and then, one day Private Joe and the Lieutenant arose •to attention. The commanding voice of the Colonel rang out: “Private Joe, I haye never been more convinced of your genuine de cency than I am today. We all un derstand why you made this serious military mistake. No charges will be pressed against you. You will proceed on a special mission and will rejoin your unit at another post. "Lieutenant,” the Colonel continued, addressing the other man, “your con nection with this hospital unit is here by severed. You will proceed to a tour of duty at another post as soon as the orders are printed.” He paused, and the tone of his voice changed as he added, “Private Joe, your wife is waiting to meet you at the Red Cross building.” Lillian was glad to be embraced again in the arms of her soldier hus band. But she was especially radiant when she came out of that Red CrosS building a few minutes later, a new born Christian, ready with her hus band to enter into the joys of a daily walk by faith.
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