Police Devotional
“Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.” (Proverbs 12:25)
One great thing about the Bible is that it’s simple. It’s not some eerie, cryptic volume written in a secret code. Most of it is easy to understand. Although there are some parts that aren‘t easy, most are: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)—that’s easy to understand. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14)—that is, too. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)—so is that. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)—that is as well.
One time when Jesus prayed to God the Father, He said, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” (Matthew 11:25). It wasn’t that the kids were smarter than the adults. It was that the kids were willing to believe Jesus, and the adults weren’t.
Our opening verse is a great example of how simple, yet powerful, God’s word is. It tells us that when a person has a heavy heart, a good word can make him glad. Isn’t that great? A good word is so easy to say, and it means so much. One good word can take a heavy heart and make it glad.
A public service ad appeared long ago, featuring a group of young kids in school. None of them seemed out of the ordinary, but the words on the ad read like this: “Can you tell which child has epilepsy? If you can’t, don’t feel stupid. Neither can the teacher.” The point was that epilepsy is a serious health concern, but most people may not know that someone has it until an episode occurs.
Now think about the people you see, including cops, throughout your day. Can you tell who is dealing with a life-threatening illness? Who has a wayward child? Whose life is being destroyed by alcohol or gambling? Whose marriage is troubled? Who is almost ready to commit suicide? If you can’t, don’t feel stupid. Neither can anyone else in most cases. If you could help someone living in the middle of a personal nightmare, though, wouldn’t you want to try? Of course, you would.
One easy way to help is to get into the habit of giving people “a good word.” It can be as simple as saying “hello” or “how are you?” Not uncommonly, you’ll meet unfriendly people on the job. It may be that they don’t like police, but it may not be so. Their unfriendliness may have nothing to do with you. Giving a good word not only can leave people with a good impression of you and of your department, but you never know how much help your “good word“ can do for someone in need.
Do the same with other officers, too. Greet them when you see them. If you don’t know them, introduce yourself. If you don’t like them or they don’t like you, say “hi” anyway. If you get a cold shoulder, fluff it off. Show concern for them and their families. You never know if your “good word” will cheer a heavy heart, or that you’ll be a “shoulder to cry on” that someone needs in a bad moment.
So much good can be done with a kind word. That’s simple but powerful wisdom from God’s Word. God also shows us in His word how to have a home I heaven. If you’ve not seen that, please click “How do I go to Heaven?” on the sidebar.
Brian Miller 4/27/2015
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822