Commitment (1 Kings 8:54-61; Matt. 16:24-26)

Three military recruiters showed up to address high school seniors. Each recruiter—representing the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps—was to have fifteen minutes.

The Army and Navy recruiters got carried away, so when it came time for the Marine to speak, he had just two minutes. He walked up and stood utterly silent for a full sixty seconds, half of his time.

Then he said this: "I doubt whether there are two or three of you in this room who could even cut it in the Marine Corps. But I want to see those two or three immediately in the dining hall when we are dismissed." He turned smartly and sat down.

When he arrived in the dining hall, those students interested in the Marines were a mob.

The recruiter knew that commitment comes from appealing to the heroic dimension in every heart.

Over His Dead Body

In May All Who Come Behind Us Find Us Faithful, Robert Russell tells this story:

"In Kentucky, there is a huge rivalry in college basketball ...