Even in Death

We have been called and empowered for service - to our Lord and to humanity.  We have the choice whether or not to choose Christ or self, and God's Word gives us clear direction.  In Galatians 5, we read:
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

We have access to the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Bible reminds us that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us.  So, we have tremendous opportunity to show the love and the presence of Christ, sensing our opportunities and being good stewards of them.  The enemy would attempt to deceive and distract us, and cause us to pursue self-interest, but Jesus enables us to pursue His interests and pursue the path of love.

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In Ephesians 5, we find some encouragement to make sure that we are good stewards of the time that
God has given to us here on the earth. We can read:
14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Out of tragedy God can bring evidence of His glory.  That doesn't make saying goodbye to loved ones lost any easier, but the impact of a life well-lived can touch people in a powerful way.

No doubt, you are familiar with a campus shooting at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte recently, in which two people died, one of whom who lost his life shielding others from the shooter.  Up the road in Mooresville, a police officer was killed in the line of duty within a few days of the UNCC tragedy.  The events are not directly related, but there was a spiritual connection involving a young man who was on campus that day and who attended a memorial service for the fallen officer.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website has the story:

The 21-year-old graduating senior shared with chaplains that he had been on campus during the fatal shooting last week. Between that tragedy at Sheldon’s Alma Mater and this one in his hometown, the student was angry.

But as he talked with crisis-trained chaplains, he learned more about God’s love for him. The student’s anger abated. Curiosity took over, and he wanted to hear more about God’s way. He chose to accept Christ as his Lord and Savior.

“You never know what God is doing,” chaplain Richard Brown said. “Something that can be bad, He brings good out of it. The tragedy at UNCC, the tragedy here—but souls are coming to Christ because of it that may not have otherwise.”

Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains were on hand after the campus shooting, as well as the police officer's death in Mooresville.  The officer, named Jordan Sheldon, had a unique tie-in to the ministry of someone else who passed away not that long ago.  The website says:

At Wednesday’s vigil, Officer Sheldon’s mother approached chaplains and let them know that her son accepted Christ into his life at Billy Graham’s 1996 Crusade in Charlotte, North Carolina. “It’s because of Jordan’s relationship with Christ I know we’ll see him again,” she said. Another officer shared that “Jordan knew his Bible inside and out.”

Sheldon had a sacrificial spirit, according to those who worked with him.  The article says:

Sheldon was fearless, inspirational and he loved his job, according to those who knew him best. Fellow K9 officer Andrew Beck shared how Sheldon joked the night-shift officers were the real police officers. Of course the two ultimately would work night shift together.

“Officer Sheldon had a love for this community, of everybody here,” Beck said. “I appreciate seeing the support out here. We know we have that support in Mooresville. There’s been many days, many weeks in a row that I’ve never bought a meal. People would pay for it, keep walking and never say a thing to me. I’ve had people from the community come up and hug me.

One of the detectives from a nearby police department came to the memorial event, and expressed what I am sure many officers experience. He said, “If you don’t have faith to keep you strong, I really don’t think you can do this job,” adding, “We deal with so much evil on almost a daily basis.” The article says that he "prays constantly during his shift." 

We can consider several concepts resulting from these developments.  One is: in life, you want to have an impact, but are you living in a way that even in death, as people remember you, they will see Christ?  We can think about whether or not we are "redeeming the time," as the Bible says, making the best use of the days that God has given to us.

Also, we can remember to encourage our officers - there is a battle of good vs. evil every day, and they are carrying out God's mandate for government: to keep order and to punish evil.  It is important that we recognize the really tough job they have and show appreciation when we can.  And, thankfully, there are officers who do possess that faith to keep them strong and to help strengthen others.

Finally, heroism isn't necessarily something that is planned - it happens in the heat of the moment. But, we can make sure that we are prepared to respond, as best we can, when we encounter difficult situations.  The Bible speaks of vigilance, and we can develop a sense of spiritual readiness.