Hi everyone, be blessed and inspired by today’s Bible verse and story.
With love,
Rev. Dr. Sandy Seaton-Todd
Bible Verse Ephesians 4:26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.
Bible Story Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, and work on behalf of the powerless.
God calls us to be angry at injustice and unrighteousness, and work peaceably for justice, strive for righteousness, and pray for God to transform us.
Benjamin Watson is a retired NFL player (as of March 2020) and an African American author and voice on issues of racial inequality and injustice. He is also a husband, father, and Christian. I recommend reading his 2015 book Under Our Skin which he wrote following the grand jury's decision not to charge Ferguson officer Darren Wilson in the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown.
As cool background in case you're not a football fan, Watson played 15 seasons in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in 2004, playing in a second Super Bowl in 2007 against the New York Giants, leading the Cleveland Browns in receptions in 2010 as well as in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns that year, and also greatly impacting the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens during his seasons with them.
Yesterday, in response to the George Floyd murder and subsequent riots, Watson posted: "As Christ-followers, there's a certain way we need to carry ourselves in the midst of injustice. We have a responsibility to do so. Our primary goal in this life is to bring God glory. That doesn't mean we don't address the issues of our day or engage in civic debate. As citizens and members of our specific communities, we should not remove ourselves from the situations that desperately need our attention. It does mean we have a mandate to engage in a way that brings glory to God and ultimately points people toward God and the things God cares about. We are to do so in a way that is different from those who don't know God. Being a Christ-follower doesn't mean we can't get angry. Jesus got angry. We are told in scripture that God got angry. But the Bible says not to allow our anger to make us do or say something that is contrary to what we should be doing as a follower of Christ. We are to be justice warriors, but our method in doing so is to be distinctly Christ-like." (see theincrease.com)