Choosing Gideon's Army

The young man entered the office and a soldier waved to him.
"Come on over, son. My name is private Waters, have a seat", he said as he shook the young man's hand.
"Thank you", the young man replied as he sat down.
"And what is your name?"
"Jim", he said, "Jim Thirsty".
"Great. How old are you Jim?"
"Eighteen".
"Well Jim, what brings you to the Army recruiting office today?"
"Well I saw your sign and I just came in to ask a couple questions. I'm a little uncertain about my future and I wanted to see what you had to offer."
"Well Jim, let me explain our program to you. We offer an incredible array of benefits. We provide a lifetime of food and shelter to all our soldiers, so when you enlist you never have to worry about food, clothing, and shelter"
"Great". said Jim.
"Also, we provide everyday uniforms, formal uniforms, and casual wear, and of course they are all battle ready".
"I had heard that", said Jim as his interest grew.
"Now we will educate and train you in our ways, and we will also provide times of rest and relaxation. There will be plenty of interaction and support from all the other soldiers. We are a family as well as an Army".
"Whew", gasped Jim, "This is impressive!".
"Yep", said private Waters, "You'll never have to worry again. Forever".
"Forever?", asked Jim. "I mean, what if I want a three year hitch?".
"Oh, I'm sorry", said Waters, "I didn't make myself clear. Once you enlist it is forever, and you will serve at the Supreme Commander's pleasure. You will be obligated to Him, forever".
"Gee, forever. But what about all those benefits?"
"Oh yes, they will all be yours. They are part of the obligation package".
The private watched as the young man wrestled with all the implications of this decision. The benefits were very attractive, but how could he commit for life. Couldn't he try it out? The Supreme Commander seemed like such a wonderful leader, but could he serve Him for life? The private stood up and put his hand on Jim's shoulder.
"Perhaps you better count the cost, son. This is the most important decision you will ever make, and you may not be ready".
"I think you're right", whispered Jim. "I still have a lot of things I want to do and I'm not ready to commit my entire life to the Supreme Commander - forever. What if I enlist and I realize down the road I've made a mistake?"
As Jim left the office Private Waters hollered to him, "I'll keep in touch with you, Jim".
"Thanks".

Now when Private Waters sat back down at his desk, his secretary asked him why he had been a little hard on the boy. Waters explained that last month he had attended another training class for recruiters. The guest speaker had been the Supreme Commander Himself and He had revealed some disturbing trends. He had explained to all the recruiters that an increasing number of soldiers were going AWOL after they had enlisted. As a matter of fact, more and more recruits were not even showing up for orientation after they had signed up!

The Supreme Commander said that He had conducted an extensive investigation into why this phenomenon was occurring. He discovered that prospective recruits were signing up in large part because the recruiters were overemphasizing the benefits and obscuring the lifetime commitment. Soon after they had "signed up" many of the recruits said they had no idea what they were getting into, and they were refusing to honor their commitment on the basis it was a "bait and switch" technique. The Supreme Commander agreed. They had been coerced and their enlistment was made under false pretences.

The Supreme Commander instructed all of us to go back to the original manual, study it, and present the guidelines for enlistment straight from the manual. He told us that it was better for a young man, like Jim, to refuse recruitment than to have an Army full of half-hearted soldiers who would go AWOL at the first sign of a conflict. The Supreme Commander told us that some of the soldiers we have now have never shown up for roll call and they have even refused basic training. They are in the barracks, but they are not on the Army rolls. The Supreme Commander forcefully told us to thin the ranks and call only those who were willing to forsake all for Him.

Remember Gideon’s army.