Blue's Police Chaplain's Message: Keeping The Faith When It's Easier to Give Up
/By: Chris Amos
To my law enforcement brothers and sisters, let me assure you while you are not perfect, you are not expected to be by the only one who really matters, Jesus Christ. He was perfect, despite what talking heads in the media might suggest. And He was the sinless, spotless, perfect sin offering clothed in human flesh to suffer the greatest injustice in all of history. Death, death by crucifixion, the most excruciating of deaths to have ever occurred in the history of the world. For you see He died for every sin, every crime, every vile and sickening act that has, or will, ever be committed by mankind. But more importantly than that He died for every sin, in thought, word or deed that you and I have or will ever commit. He took the proverbial bullet of sin and eternal punishment in a literal hell for us. But friends our deliverance from the consequences and punishment of our own sin, which the Bible says is death, physical and spiritual, will not come about because of the uniform we wear. While law enforcement officers are very much called by God, (Romans 13:1-4), we are saved by Jesus Christ, through God’s Grace and our faith in what Jesus did.
No doubt you have seen the signs, “No Justice, No Peace”. If given JUSTICE all of us, LEOs, protesters, rioters, criminals, politicians, media types, ALL of us would be damned to a sinner’s hell for ALL of us have sinned against God and fallen short of His Glory. If justice was given, the only just sentence would be GUILTY! And to hell we would go. NO, I for one would take MERCY over justice. Think of it like this: If JUSTICE is getting what we deserve, MERCY is not getting what we deserve in terms of judgment and punishment. But for those of us who put our trust and faith in the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus from the grave, God promises something even greater than mercy. He promises GRACE. What’s grace? Getting what we do not deserve and can never earn. Specifically, forgiveness of our sins, reconciliation to God our Father, Adoption into His Heavenly and eternal family, and strength to endure the wrath that is being unleashed on us right now.
The Apostle Paul had been beaten, shipwrecked, nearly stoned to death. He had been betrayed, abandoned, belittled, mocked, falsely accused, etc. and was no doubt ready to just throw in the towel (2 Corinthians 11:23-30). I suspect there is many a LEO who can relate. One night Jesus came to him in a dream. Jesus assured Paul all would be well. Jesus assured Paul that he would cross the finish line because Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you. For my strength is made perfect in your weakness.” (2 Corinthians 2:7-10)With newfound courage and a renewed strength in his spirit, Paul did in fact press on until he did finish his race and crossed that finish line, laying claim by grace to his place in a literal paradise called Heaven (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Friends, the Bible speaks of an individual that many believe is alive today. He is the Antichrist who will usher in a wave of chaos, injustice, brazen hatred, violence and death like this world has never experienced. His reach will expand the globe. One of his titles is “the man of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). I suspect one of his greatest targets will be law enforcement officers. You are on the front line of a battle that is far greater than Marxism versus Capitalism or an election in November. No, it is chaos vs. order. Law vs. lawlessness. It is darkness and the spirit of Antichrist against Light and the Holy Spirit of Almighty God. The great news is, despite what you are experiencing in the flesh – what you see, hear, smell or touch – despite the spineless politicians who are folding like beach chairs and law enforcement heads who are doing likewise, the truth is there are more with you than against you in the Heavenly Realm.
The prophet Elijah was running for his life. One morning his servant went outside and saw that during the night an army of chariots, horses and foot soldiers had surrounded the small village in which they were hiding. The servant, certain of capture and death, ran back inside terrified. He told Elisha what he had seen. Elisha calmly told him to relax. He told him not to worry because “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Elisha then prayed that God would open the servant’s eyes. The servant went back outside and saw an angelic army of fiery chariots and horses that had in fact encircled the earthly army. Elisha and his servant were safely delivered from that earthly army and death (2 Kings 6:13-16).
What I want to leave you with is that those who are with us, in The Lord, are far greater and stronger than those who are with the Antichrist and his lawless army. You are not alone, my friends. I pray the Lord will open your eyes that you too might see and sense the amazing power and presence of God in the midst of the battles you now face. And friend, if you have not put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “8 For it is by [God’s] grace you have been saved, through [your] faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.it is simply a matter of accepting the free gift of salvation.” Right now He extends to you that gift. May you have the faith to reach out and accept it as your own.
