An Odd Combination | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: An Odd Combination | Previous Challenge Entry
By Carol Maresca
10/18/06
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AN ODD COMBINATION

It wasn’t intentional, that I’d not been working at my writing the way I promised myself and the LORD that I would. I had all the best of intentions. I always do, at least that’s how I justify it to myself. I could probably make a good case for wandering in the desert for forty years as well. A couple of weeks went by and I didn’t even look at the topics, then the one week I did, nothing struck a chord. In the meanwhile, I had gotten a new job was using my computer in another way. Today, for some reason, my thoughts kept turning to the Grace of God. How very good He’s been to me personally, and I began again to think about writing just for Him.

I checked in on the FaithWriters website for the word Challenge and the word for this week is Police. My first knee jerk reaction (which is why I’ve learned to control myself because I’m usually wrong) was “Wow – this is a rather secular term. What could it have to do with Christian ideas, etc.” I am being honest here even at the risk of being thought foolish. I also thought, “There isn’t much to write on this topic even though you have a nephew who is a prison guard, and another nephew who is a State Trooper.” But they are both good men and demonstrate Christian values in their quiet ways. Just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, I decided to check my Bible and see what the Word said about Police.

I have the New American Standard version of the Open Bible and there is an index in the front of the book called “Biblical Cyclopedic Index”. It was there that I found, not police, but policeman with a short explanation that said “a government official.” I was then referred to that story in Acts about St. Paul and Silas who had been jailed in Philippi for preaching the Gospel. And the Word goes on to say:

“But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened.
And when the jailer had been roused out of sleep and had seen the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.” (Acts 16:25-27)

Here is the story of a policeman who was ready to do himself harm until he heard the message of Jesus Christ presented by Paul and Silas. When I think about it, this is just one of many stories that give us the conversion experience of the individual and some of them are members of a police department or agency. I wonder how many actually heard that message when the disciples were traveling all over to spread the Gospel and then I think about today’s prison ministry programs. Sure they minister to those caught in the misfortune of jail, but how many minister to those entrusted to keep the peace in those jails? How many Police conversions might there be?

Page 2

Whenever I go to the Book, I come away with a little more than I had when I sat down to check something out. There is so much wonder that it just leaves you with more “aha” moments than I know what to do with.

The study note at the bottom of that page in my Bible, page 1113, talks about a new life received by faith and gives an acrostic:

F orsaking
A ll
I
T ake
H im

This works for me, how about you?

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