Police Devotional 5-11-2020
Don’t Be Like Them
“Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.” (Psalm 28:1)
In this verse, David was afraid of something terrible happening to him. He was afraid that if God were silent to him, he would become like them that go down into the pit; that is, he would become like people who are without Christ and condemned to hell for their sins.
David wasn’t afraid of losing his salvation. That isn’t possible. David had trusted the coming Messiah to save his soul. Once you receive Jesus as Saviour, He gives you eternal life! Some people may think you can lose salvation. Not true. Jesus said, “And I give unto them ETERNAL LIFE; and they shall NEVER perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28, capitals added)
David wasn’t afraid of becoming one of them that go down into the pit but of becoming LIKE them that go down into the pit. He was afraid he’d start to act, talk, and even think like unsaved people. Becoming like the unsaved is, arguably, the worst thing short of death that could happen to a Christian.
If you’re a Christian, think about unsaved people around you. As a cop, think of people you deal with and people you work with. How often do they use foul words and even the names of God and Jesus Christ as swear words? Think of their habits and lifestyles. Think of the tobacco, alcohol, gambling, sexual sins, and other enslaving and destructive behaviors they do. Do you want to be like them?
Think of their ideas about God. They may not believe in or care about Him. They may be so caught up in the “under the sun” things of life that God, the Bible, prayer, and church all mean nothing. Yet you as a Christian know better. You know God is real. You know God revealed Himself to you through His Word. You know God dealt with you about your need for Christ. You know that coming to Jesus as a repentant sinner and receiving Him as your personal Saviour was the best thing that ever happened to you.
Yet you as a Christian can still become LIKE lost people in your speech, conduct, and attitude. You can act and talk in such a way that people may not believe you’re a Christian. You’d have no credibility if you tried to tell them how Jesus saves souls and changes lives. Wouldn’t that be horrible? It can happen, and if you’re a cop, it can happen easily.
It happens when God is silent to us, as our verse says. Yet the silence isn’t God’s fault. God wants to fellowship with us. God gave His only begotten Son Jesus to die on the cross and rise again so He could fellowship with us. God gave us a Bible so He could fellowship with us. Yet if we won’t open our Bible and read, we’re telling God in so many words that we don’t want to hear from Him. God respects our choice, yet the more we neglect His Word, the more we can become more like lost people.
We also invite God’s silence when we don’t pray and attend church. As a cop, you won’t always be able to go to church because of shift work but go when you can. When you do, you’re telling God, “I want to hear from you.” Keep a Bible with you at work. When you have a little downtime, find a quiet spot. Ask God to speak with you and not be silent to you as you read His Word and you speak to Him in prayer.
As a cop, you’ll consistently face Satan’s temptations, including the temptation to let fellowship with God slip. You need the overcoming influence of fellowship with God. Spend time in His Word and prayer when you can. God gave you this job. He can give you the grace you need to serve Him and be a witness for Him in it and not become like unsaved people. If you aren’t sure you will be in heaven when you die, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org
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Brian Miller 5/11/2020
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822