Briefing: Do you believe you are going to heaven when you die? If the answer is yes, what is your reason? If the answer is no, then why are you not trying to correct that problem?

Dispatch (Assignment): Read Romans 9:6-29.

On the Street: I wish all law enforcement officers were saved and their salvation was secure. I would love to tell you that the poems about how “you have done your time in hell” so you have a free pass to heaven were true but they are not. It has been said that just because you are a peace officer does not mean you are a peacemaker. Your profession is not a ticket to eternal salvation just as being from Israel did not make the Jews descendants of Abraham.

There are Christian peace officers and non-Christian peace officers. The very job itself was custom made for a Christian and carries most of the same duties and responsibilities that Christians are commanded to perform. It is such an easy transition from law enforcement officer to Christian. If this is true then why do only one out of every ten law enforcement professionals in the United States of American profess to be Christian?

Paul writes in this chapter about the sovereignty of God and how God says, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” What I take away from this chapter is: God is going to do what God is going to do. It is okay, He is God and can be trusted. Our job is to worry about what He has called us to and to obey and follow the commands He has given us. God has called us to pray for our fellow officers and to share the gospel with them. To stand by and not tell them about Jesus is like letting them walk into a dangerous situation without giving them the facts.

God’s desire is that every man, woman and child on this planet get an opportunity to hear His good news. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 says, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Sometimes, a peace officer will only listen to or trust other peace officers.

Don’t think that just because your co-workers thrive in an environment that enforces and promotes a righteous type of behavior that they are automatically righteous. We, as Christian law enforcement officers, have the knowledge of God’s plan for our salvation. We have an obligation to brief the oncoming shift and to at least warn them about the consequences of refusing to believe in Jesus.

Investigational Resources: John 3:16.

Officer Safety Principle: This is a hard task but we are men and women of courage. We have to let our fellow law enforcement brothers and sister know about the grace, mercy and compassion of our Lord and Savior.

from The Book of Romans Through the Eyes of a Cop
©by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
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