Last night our Church fed the local police officers. Usually the Sheriff, Campus, and Local police come to have a dinner while on duty before the night gets crazy for them. This year only the local police showed up. Not sure why, but it is what it is.
I know that a lot of people are really upset with the police and what appears to be their abuse of their power, but remember that they are human just like you and I. All they want to do is to do their job to the best of their abilities and make it home alive.
Of all the jobs theirs is one of the most stressful. When a person commits a crime, even a small one such speeding, the police are literally putting their lives on the line. Why, because they never know when they pull someone over if that person will decide to take a shot at them or cause them some harm in another way.
I have been pulled over several times for speeding or something else in my 30+ years as a driver and of all those times, I have only had one officer act all high and mighty as though he was God. Most were nice, courteous, friendly, helpful, etc. and of course they would decide to write a ticket or not based on how I reacted to them.
For some reason, the people of this nation think it is ok to break the law. That is not ok and Christ even said as much:
Romans 13 English Standard Version (ESV)
Submission to the Authorities
13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Fulfilling the Law Through Love
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
There is only one time that man is to break the laws created by man and that is when it is in conflict with God.
Acts 5:27-29 New International Version (NIV)
27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!
The point of this is to respect the police and other law officials as they were appointed by the Lord to be in the position they are in. Do not do things that will antagonize them and cause the situation to escalate. If you know that the police are breaking the law, first comply, then report.
I pray that you will find comfort in knowing that the police are here to help, not cause harm. I also pray that you will find peace and that you will be calm and cool in those situations where it could become intense.
May God bless you