After I posted “Why I Protest,” I noticed that I didn’t share how my faith plays into my desire to protest.
One particular verse has been playing itself in my head over and over. He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good: and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8).
Since I want to know God’s will for my life, I love this verse. The verse lists three things that God wants His followers to do.
The first instruction is “do justly.” I believe that this means that I am to be honest in all my interactions with others and stand up when an innocent person is being harmed. I am currently listening to a book titled Framed that tells the stories of people who have been convicted of crimes that they didn’t commit. Black Lives Matter and our current protests demanding due process for all in the US are good examples of doing justice.
I can imagine my Republican friend pointing out that doing justly also includes harsh penalties in order to punish wrong doers and protect society. She would probably bring up the importance of fairness in how the government distributes financial assistance. While I believe this, I suspect there is little fraud in food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid and welfare.
he second one is “love mercy.” God’s mercy is when He gives us something that we don’t deserve. Salvation is the most obvious example. In the justice system, mercy is when the judge is more lenient than expected. The Strong’s Concordance defines mercy with the word “kindness.” While I know that some people will take advantage of acts of mercy and/or kindness, I hope to find opportunities to fulfill this instruction from God. I limit my money donations to charities or my church except for a few dollars for random people sometimes. I remind myself that I don’t know their situation.
The last instruction is to “walk humbly with thy God “I believe that this means that I continually double check what I believe to be true.
What are the facts in this news article?
Does the writer use any opinionated words?
What is my evidence for and against what I believe?