NOVEMBER 8, 2012
The
Legacy
Read: Colossians 3:8-17
Holy and beloved, put
on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness,
long-suffering. —Colossians 3:12
One
day my wife called me at work and said, “Something’s going
on next door. Lots
of cars are there.” Because of my neighbor’s
occupation, I feared the worst,
and soon those fears were realized.
Our neighbor, policeman Trevor Slot, had
just been killed in the line
of duty, trying to stop the escape of two bank
robbers. Our community
was stunned.
Trevor
had no time to prepare for his death. Yet he was ready. His faith
in Christ was
secure, and his reputation as a remarkable man was intact.
At his funeral,
attended by hundreds of fellow officers, his colleague
Detective Brandyn Heugel
said, “He was a dedicated police officer, but
first and foremost he was a
loving husband to Kim and a doting father
to Kaitlyn and Abbie.” Indeed the
theme of Trevor’s tributes all centered
on his great personality and his love
and care for his family.
Trevor’s
life exemplified the words of Colossians 3:12-13, “Put on tender
mercies,
kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one
another, and
forgiving one another.” Those traits leave an inspiring legacy.
We
don’t know when God will call us home, but we do know this: Each
day is an
opportunity to leave a testimony worthy of our faith.
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful;
May the fire of our devotion light their way;
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe,
And the lives we live inspire them to obey. —Mohr
Each day we add to our legacy—good or bad.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
