In my early career as a bi-vocational pastor and police officer, I was often the object of people’s criticism. During my time on the police force I met my share of verbal abuse. Surprisingly, some of the most hateful people I encountered weren’t the criminals on the streets but my fellow officers.

I remember one stint on the midnight shift that was especially difficult. Every officer on the shift, except for one, seemed to despise me. They made their disdain known at every opportunity—mocking me, making fun of me, taking verbal jabs at me (even over the police radio).

It wore on me, and, sadly, I eventually reached a point where I despised them just as much as they despised me. I would later learn that their hatred stemmed from the belief that someone like me—a Christian and a minister—had no business being a police officer.

One night at a prayer meeting, I shared my struggles with my friends and asked them to pray for me. They gathered and lifted me up to God. Shortly after that, an idea came to me that I believe came from God: Follow the advice of the Apostle Paul, an expert on “Christian revenge.”

In Romans 12:20, Paul writes: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.” He even added that if I chose this path, “burning coals” would fall on their heads.

There it was! A perfect plan for revenge!

I decided to take a risk. I would step out of the boat, so to speak, and see if the power of God would come through for me. My plan was to “get revenge” on the guys on my shift—all of them! And I knew exactly how to do it. I got excited!

Christmas was just a couple of weeks away, and I decided to buy gifts for every officer on the shift—gifts I knew they would appreciate.

- Wayne was a fisherman, so I bought him some new fishing gear.

- Ronnie was known for his ability to save money: I got him a fancy new piggy bank.

- John was a Texas Rangers baseball fan: I got him a Rangers bobblehead.

And so on…

Each officer got a gift, and even the sergeant—who was also hostile toward me—received one. And the “burning coals” fell from heaven…

The leader of the group, Mike, was particularly cruel. I called him “Mean Mike.” He had a classic case of “short man syndrome” and seemed to go out of his way to put others down to lift himself up. He could walk into a room and instantly drain the energy from everyone.

For him, I bought a brand-new copy of the New Testament. It was a special edition that contained four different translations. The gift stunned him!

Then one night Mike sent me a message on our in-car computers: “Would you go to lunch with me?” I was shocked because none of these guys had ever invited me to lunch. I gladly agreed.

He brought a few other department employees with him, and we met at Denny’s. We sat in the back booth, and Mike brought his new Bible—along with a list of questions about the Christian faith. We ended up having an impromptu Bible study at Denny’s.

A few days later, Mike told me he had decided to resign and pursue a different career. Then he said, “I’ve treated you terribly. I’ve been awful to you, and you went out and bought me a Christmas gift. I’m really sorry.”

Other officers also came forward to apologize. And things were never the same after that. What they had intended for evil, God had turned to good, like Joseph’s story in Genesis 50:20.

But I wasn’t looking for apologies. I knew that I had been given an opportunity to reflect Jesus, and by His grace, I had managed to do so. And in the end, I realized that what the guys needed to hear from me was nothing less than the words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

I believe that when Jesus uttered those words from the cross, He was praying specifically for THE VERY ONES who drove the nails into His hands and feet. And who were those “very ones?” They were the Roman soldiers, the law enforcement officers of His day!

His prayer seems to have had a positive effect. After He declared, “It is finished,” and breathed His last, one of those soldiers standing nearby declared, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

I find it fascinating that the first person to confess Jesus as the Son of God after His death was none other than an officer assigned to keep the peace!

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11–12, ESV).

“Be not overcome of evil , but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21, KJV).

Jimmy Meeks has been in the ministry for over 52 years. He also served as a police officer for 35 years. Traveling across the United States, he visits police departments, encouraging and sharing the gospel with many of the officers. Jimmy and his wife, Julie, have been married for 47 years and have six children and seven grandchildren. They reside in the Fort Worth, Texas, area.