Police are a welcome sight when we need their service and protection. We appreciate their slogan: “We serve and protect.” According to Eastern Kentucky University, policing in the United States began during the time of American slavery. Back then, patrols kept order among slaves and Native Americans. These patrols evolved into modern police departments. Keeping order in society is not new. During the time of Jesus and the apostles, Roman soldiers kept order. It is refreshing to discover that some of them were kind and compassionate, like the centurion whose servant Jesus healed at the request of the local Jews. In Acts chapter 10, we read of Cornelius, a Roman soldier. Luke says he was a devout, God-fearing man as well as his entire household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. God took notice of his piety, appeared to him in a vision, and told him to send for Peter who would explain the way of salvation more perfectly. Here was a God-fearing policeman. Today, police often have a tough job to do. The best ones honor God, serve, protect, and are utterly honest and fair in all their dealings with the public.
