fbinaa_May-June-2019.FINAL

A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAPLAIN

Jeff Kruithoff

Service in Model of Jesus

W elcome back to our discussion of SOLITUDE, SCRIPTURE, SERVICE, SUPPORT, and SIGNIFICANT EVENTS as a means of accomplishing a “Quest for Excellence” in your spiritual walk. In the last chaplain article, we started to delve into the concept of service and looked at what it meant to be the “hands and feet of Jesus” Many of us only look at the MACRO issue of service. Following the directions in Isaiah 6:8 “Whom shall I send?...and who will go for us?” ; public servants often leave the entire concept of service to those who are pastors, ministers, missionaries or evangelists. On the other hand, many public servants consider our occupa- tions service, and feel we are fulling our biblical calling to service by being police officers, police supervisors, or police executives. Do you ever feel you are struggling to find purpose in your life? As police officers, we are constantly asked to serve others. That gets confusing when God instructs us to serve others and our employment is the service of others. I do not want any of you to over-think this, but I consider this. If we want to grow as disciples through the act of serving, do we really want it to be because it is our job, or are we seeking to some- how move ourselves forward in an effort to be more like Christ. At some point, any discussion of service will lead you to John 13: 1-17. In that text, Jesus is washing the feet of his disciples. Picture that for a moment. The most powerful Supreme Being washing dirt, dust, and grime off the feet of others. I cannot begin to tell you how beneficial the act of service can be to you personally and spiritually. Particularly when you look at serving on the other side of the organizational or social pyramid then where you are. It is always easy to be part of the steering team for a com- munity project getting lots of media attention. It is always easy to be part of the people credited with the project when it is positive and important. It is easy to be sitting on the stage as part of a panel of experts and think you are serving others. One of the most important turning points in my life came when a person I respected said, “Jeff, you need to get off the dais and mop the floor”. That statement started me to change my perspective on service. A couple of years ago, my wife’s bible study decided to serve evening meals at the homeless shelter downtown once a month. I cannot begin to describe how I felt serving desserts, cleaning up and mopping the floor with all the other volunteers.

I know for most of you, your schedule is crazy, but you have to admit you could make a monthly trip to the local kids cancer ward as your service. Put on your uniform, and just sit and talk with these marvelous kids. Believe me if you are having a bad day, you will leave with a lot more inside you then you left there. Service Clubs all over our country are looking for members. I have never been a big believer in joining service clubs, but they do present a number of ways where you can serve others with- out even joining the organization. If you belong to a small church without many big service projects, or do not attend church regularly, check the social media pages of the larger churches in your community even if you do not attend there. Food distribution, building projects, elderly home repair, and spring lawn cleanup for shut-ins are all projects a local church organized in my community just this past weekend. Bring your kids and/or your wife along on any of these service opportunities and make it a family affair. Finally, if you want to serve on a big level, one of our strong faith friends, Samaritans Purse does tremendous work all over our country after natural disasters. All you have to do is get your- self to the affected area with an air bag mattress, and Samaritans Purse will house you, feed you and provide all the material to assist homeowners affected by the tragedy. I guarantee you will return home physically tired but spiritually filled and refreshed. A famous radio talk host always says, “Just 4 hours a day will change your life.” I am here to tell you my friends that serving others just two hours a month in the name of Jesus will change your life. Please take an opportunity to serve as a regular part of your spiritual walk. Until next time, God bless and do not hesitate to contact me.

Jeff Kruithoff

This is just one of 1,000’s of opportunities we all can grab onto as a service project on a regular basis.

jkruithoff@fbinaa.org 937.545.0227

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