Monday; January 30

Those of you who know me – and maybe some of you who don’t – realize that I am an advocate for Law Enforcement. Not only do I back the blue, I would bleed for them if necessary. However, there comes a point in time when a distinction needs to be made. When an individual who happens to wear a badge does something egregious, they are no longer operating under the “color of authority”. They may be employed by an agency, but they are not enforcing the law nor are they an officer of the peace. When this happens, they have become the adversary. You can call them a thug, an extortionist, a thief, a predator … or whatever, but they aren’t the police! We aren’t talking about someone who makes a mistake, these folks have consciously neglected their oath and have become the bad guys. While this makes me angry, it also makes me hurt for those peace officers who go out day-in-and-day-out to protect and serve. There needs to be a distinction drawn between the two types of people.

As I was thinking about this challenge, I got to thinking about how it parallels Christianity. Most people who claim to be Christians are good people trying to do the right things. Sure, we make mistakes (we call it sin), but we try to do what is proper. However, there are others who use “Christianity” as their platform for self-serving reasons. They lie, they steal, they hate, they abuse – and all the while they mascaraed as “Christians”. Folks, they may go to church or have an “I love Jesus” bumper sticker, but they aren’t Christians! Without love and purity they lack the essence of what it takes to be a disciple of Christ.

Just as we shouldn’t equate genuine peace officers with those who abuse their position, we must not associate “wolves in sheep’s clothing” with true Christian believers. When we look at the purpose and the actions of people we will be able to determine who they truly are and where they belong.

Think About It!

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