10/24/2026
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝’𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭
𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 (𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭): Read Jeremiah 44:24 – 47:7, 2 Timothy 2:22 – 3:17, Psalm 94:1-23, and Proverbs 26:6-8.
𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠: If law enforcement academies took the time to teach an officer everything they needed to know, academies would last for years. The lessons found in the Bible are a great example. No one in academies teaches biblical principles but hopefully, as we have moved through the Bible, you have seen some of the absolutely foundational teachings found in God’s Word.
𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭: (2 Timothy 2:24) “𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑’𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒, 𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑓𝑢𝑙.” Here we have another verse written to Christians that is also applicable to law enforcement. These attributes—not being quarrelsome, being kind, being able to teach, and not being resentful—have peace written all over them. My mind immediately goes to the sayings, “The pen is mightier than the sword” and “They killed them with kindness.” Have you ever worked with an officer who could talk almost anyone into handcuffs? They never had to fight anyone.
We know that we are not God’s only profession of servants, but we are among His professions of servants. We work in a profession which He pays particular attention to. After all, He is the God of justice and peace.
So, for the law enforcement officer, what does it mean to not be quarrelsome? People quarrel when they disagree, and disagreements usually stem from conflicting ideas about what is true and what is not. We do not need to argue about the truth. We know the truth, and we do not have to quarrel to explain or defend it. There is no need for us to be argumentative.
We must be kind. Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit and simply means treating others with kindness. When we look at the definitions, one thing that stands out is that kindness is an action—it means choosing to be kind and good to someone. We know that we cannot always respond to violators and suspects with kindness in the conventional sense. Sometimes, violence must be met with appropriate force. But whenever possible, be kind.
Next is “able to teach.” I have always believed that when an officer comes into contact with someone who has violated the law, part of our job is to teach. We need to point out what they did wrong and explain why it was a violation of the law. We should also suggest ways they can avoid making the same mistake in the future. Otherwise, they are doomed to repeat it.
Not resentful. This describes someone who does not hold a grudge, who does not put his/her hand to the plow and then look back. It describes someone who is skilled at forgiving and willing to let go of offenses.
As a peace officer, do you have these traits? Can you work a shift without being quarrelsome, while being kind to everyone, teaching people where they went wrong and how to move forward, and helping them avoid making the same mistake again? Can you be forgiving and not resentful? Paul says that the Lord’s servant MUST be these things. As His servants in law enforcement, this is how we must act.
𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: 1 Timothy 1:8.
𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: “Christian peace officers: God’s agents for good, cleverly disguised as law enforcement officers.” – Paul Lee
𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝐶𝑜𝑝 © 𝑏𝑦 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝐺𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑. 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑁𝐼𝑉) 𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 © 𝑏𝑦 𝑇𝑦𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝐼𝑛𝑐. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑑.
