Daily Devotional from New Life Network

Published: Tue, 07/12/16

A Nugget from New Life Network
(from Rev. Ed & Cheryl Henderson)
 
Scripture for the Day  (July 12, 2016)

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

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Isolation vs. Involvement

I just finished listening to a lengthy news conference with Dallas, TX Police Chief David Brown about the recent attack on Dallas police. What an impressive leader!

The following is a video link to that news conference. It is well worth watching if you have not seen it:


One of the things Chief Brown shared about his growing up was that when he saw his neighborhood being torn apart by drugs he had to make a decision. He decided to join the police force and get involved. He decided to get in a position that he could help change the situation. He decided to become part of the solution and not part of the problem. He was eventually assigned as a policeman to his old neighborhood and is now the Dallas Police Chief.

I remember a time when I had to make a similar decision. I was working at the US Postal Service as a clerk and carrier and I saw so many things that I felt needed to be changed. I could either constantly complain or gripe about the problems or I could try to get in a position to change things. I chose to get involved. Through a series of career moves I did end up to be a Postal Inspector and led numerous major audits across the United States where we were able to make some major changes. Did I get everything changed that I wanted? No! But I was able to make some major progress before retiring in 1992.

Chief Brown was asked what his recommendation would be to the protestors. What he said was very profound. He said, get off the protest lines and get involved. For example, fill out an application for a police position because the Dallas police force is hiring.

It’s very easy to gripe and complain! It's a whole different matter to get involved and help change the system. That takes hard work, study, dedication, and persistence. It also takes a willingness to learn. Many times you will learn that things are not at all like you thought because isolation always brings deception. If you only see one side of any story you can be easily misled. That is why we have the justice system that we have. That is why we have a prosecutor, defense attorney, and a jury.

We have spent a lot of time in our recent devotionals trying to impress upon our readers that we have two forces in this world. We have good and we have evil. We have Jesus and we have Satan. Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). What you saw in Dallas recently was an evil man controlled by Satanic forces. Jesus comes that we may have life and life more abundantly. What you saw in the aftermath of the Dallas massacre, with all the love and support of the fallen police officers and their families, was Jesus.

We encourage you today to get involved. Do something in your community, business, church or profession to help. We cannot isolate ourselves from one another and just hope someone else comes up with a solution. We are the solution. Chief Brown said it best when he said it is just too much to expect the police to handle all our societal ills. The community, the churches, the press, and all of us need to get involved.

What is the benefit, my fellow believers, if someone claims to have faith but has no [good] works [as evidence]? Can that [kind of] faith save him? [No, a mere claim of faith is not sufficient—genuine faith produces good works.] If a brother or sister is without [adequate] clothing and lacks [enough] food for each day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace [with my blessing], [keep] warm and feed yourselves,” but he does not give them the necessities for the body, what good does that do? So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective]. (James 2:14-17, Amplified Bible)
 
 Memorial to fallen Dallas Police
Pray for their families!!!!!
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