Above and beyond the call of duty.

Merry Christmas everyone! It is truly my favorite time of the year. During this great season, I walk the razor's edge of emotions and it seems that everything touches my heart. I was doing some reading this morning and came across this great news piece about an NYPD officer who performed an incredible act of kindness. I quickly shared the article on Facebook, as I know several law enforcement officers and I knew the positive publicity would be encouraging. Unfortunately, in this day of cell phone videos and greedy lazy people looking for a way to make a name or get rich quick, the internet is full of stories about the "bad apples". One of my Facebook friends made the comment, "That is definitely an example of going above and beyond the call of duty." And I totally agree. I am so impressed by a law enforcement officer displaying such compassion for a citizen "down on his luck". I see it not as an act of professionalism, but as an act of humanity. 

Last Sunday I preached a sermon entitled, "A Heart for Humanity" and my mind is still filled with the spirit of that message. It was equally for me and my church. That being said, I could not help but be overwhelmed with this thought...That IS our call of duty. Sure, for this officer, it would definitely be an out-of-the-box approach to his job, that is, unless he has accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Frances Chan, author of Crazy Love, asks this question; "How would my life change if I actually thought of each person I came into contact with as Christ...?" He poses this question after referencing the scripture Matthew 25:45, "Inasmuch as ye did it not unto the least of these, ye did it not to me."

My call of duty as a born again believer is to give meat to the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, and last but not least, shoe the shoeless (my words, not scripture). My hat's off to officer Lawrence DePrimo, but for each of God's children this singular act of kindness should be an example of our lifestyle of compassion.