Honoring our Own: National Peace Officers Memorial Day

Fellow "Sheepdogs:"

This being National Police Week and today being National Peace Officers Memorial Day, we honour (yes, it IS spelled correctly -- British version) our fellow officers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities and our country. We also pause to honour those left behind -- both natural and "blue." Many of the related posts at http://www.policelink.com/, http://www.policeone.com/ and http://www.nleomf.com/ use such terms as "RIP" (Rest in Peace), "God Bless our Fallen Heroes," etc. While it may be politically correct (oxymoron) and comforting to believe that all those who go down "in the line" will spend eternity in Heaven, the biblical truth is altogether different.

The Bible, God's word, "love letter," and perfect "policy and procedure manual," is very clear on the matter: NONE are "good" enough to deserve eternal life ("RIP") with Christ; ALL have fallen short because of sin (Romans 3). The GOOD NEWS is that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to serve OUR sentence (death) for us on the cross (ONE "gave all"). He paid the ultimate sacrifice for us so that we could in fact spend eternity with Him in "Paradise." However, that promise carries a requirement: that we individually repent (ask forgiveness, "turn from") of our sins and accept ("trust," "live for") Him as our personal Lord and Savior. Is that you? If not, I invite you to make a decision for Christ now -- because tomorrow may be too late. Go to our website and click on the "How to Know Christ as Savior" link on the left-hand side to learn more.

So what does all this really mean? God is very clear on the subject: regardless of what Oprah says, there are only two destinations when we die: eternal life in Christ for the Believer and eternal damnation for those who reject His free gift and elect to do it their own way. Jesus says, "I (no other) am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6).

More good news: Our loving Father has a very specific and perfect plan for each of us in THIS life and the next. Jesus said -- in words we as cops can truly understand -- "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. But I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). An "abundant life" is one lived for God. When we spend our lives pursuing our own purposes and plans, we will never be able to achieve God's best for us. In reality, God has a higher purpose and plan for our lives than we could ever come up with on our own. God says again in Jeremiah 29:11, "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." This doesn't mean life will be perfect (the Bible assures us that we will in fact face trials and hardship) but that, when we follow His plan instead of our own, we can rest assured that it is THE perfect plan.

That said, how can we as Believers best serve and memorialize our own and their loved ones? By sharing the Gospel with our fellow officers while they are still alive; by mirroring Christ in the way serve; by living our lives in a way that is true to our calling and pleasing to our Lord. I believe that it is no accident that the first non-Jewish converts to Christianity were law enforcement officers: the centurion at the Cross (Mark 15:39) and the centurion Cornelius (Acts 10). Moreover, God goes so far as to ORDAIN officers as His MINISTERS to enforce the law and carry out justice (our signature verse -- Romans 13:1-7).

Bottom line? Let's not let another fellow warrior die without having the opportunity to accept Christ as Savior. Let's best serve the families of the fallen by first ensuring that their loved ones are spending eternity in Heaven. The alternative should be as untenable to us as it is to our Lord.

NEXT MEETING!
As announced previously, we'll meet for some outstanding and uplifting LEO fellowship this Saturday (5/16) starting at 0900 at Calvary South Denver in Littleton. We will also be concluding our study of the law enforcement "warrior ethos" as it relates to our Christian walk. Rest assured that they do in fact go hand-in-hand.


NEW LINKS! I've posted several new and updated links (to your far left). Check 'em out!


PRAYER REQUESTS

(1) A Brother in Great Britain is asking that we pray for a retired officer-turned-pastor and his family as they are being threatened by a clearly deranged individual. Let's ask God for a hedge of protection around them.

(2) Continue to pray for Erv Meyer who is now on oxygen for his deteriorating lung condition.

(3) Be in prayer for the surviving family members of officers killed in the line of duty (including those who may have died or are slowly dying NOW pursuant to a duty-related incident) and our brother/sister officers who, like CSP Trooper Scott Hinshaw, continue to suffer from the effects of old injuries and duty-related health issues.

(4) Pray for Randy Green and his team of LEOs as they prepare to head off on their next mission to train and share the Gospel with officers south of the border. I recently had the honour of having lunch with Randy and his wife Marlene, Westminster (CO) PD officers Jeff Sill and Bob Dowling, and a visiting brother from Australia! Check out the Mission Mobilization International website at http://www.missionmobilization.org/ for more.

(5) Continue to pray for my father, CMSgt. Lonie C. Williams, Jr. (USAF retired), who is facing surgery for colon cancer on May 22nd. Ask God for healing, grace, courage and faith.

** Don't forget to fly your flags today and Saturday (Saturday being Armed Forces Day). Hope to see you tomorrow.