Larry The Cop

Every once in a while you run into a person whose life represents the kind of person who is engaging with their Christianity.  Recently I had lunch with Larry the cop. He is retired now, but still has that policeman mentality of taking command of the situation and securing the circumstance. I know his first desire these days is evangelism, helping people come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ as Savior, and he is not bashful about presenting the gospel to anyone. Larry the cop is the type of person who will go out of his way to tell you his story of salvation, and to engage anyone in conversation about Christ and what He has to offer. What makes a guy like Larry the cop so engaging to be around, and what makes him someone you would listen to? 

• First of all Larry doesn't have an ax to grind, he knows he was blind, and now he sees, a simple, but profound story of transformation.
• Secondly, Larry knows his assignment. He knows that God has called him to tell stories about himself and others who have come to faith in Jesus Christ, and how their lives have changed. 
• Thirdly, Larry sees opportunities everyday to share his stories of faith, and like the cop in him, turns those opportunities into actions that influence people for the Lord.

Larry the cop is a perfect example of how the joy of the Lord can be demonstrated through a life and how that joy can be used as a tool of evangelism to influence others into the kingdom of God. I am not sure if Larry gets up everyday with a pre-programmed agenda for his day, but I bet he asks God to use him that day to be a witness to the greatest story every told. As I reflected on Larry the cop following our meeting, I was convicted that I start my day with a formula of how I am going to get all my work done.  I get so task oriented that I fail to realize that there may be another way to look at each day.  That way would be to ask Him for His input into my day, so that I too could seize the opportunities to influence people with the joy of the Lord in my life.  So then the next obvious question is, "do I have the joy of the Lord in my life?"

Does His joy find a home in my heart, in my thinking, and in my actions, so that I become a walking remembrance that He is in control, and that my strength doesn't come from anything I do or anything I am. My strength, as Nehemiah put it, is in the Lord.  Meeting with Larry the cop was a great experience, I hope you will have an opportunity today to meet with someone who can be a Larry the cop to you. Or better yet, why not be a Larry the cop to someone in your life? 

By the way, I forgot to mention one last thought about Larry the cop.  His name, I have never met a Larry I didn't like. Grin.

Keeping it honest and truthful...K

Nehemiah 8:10  10Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”