Tuesday; July 2

On July 2, 1964 President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law. While I do not have the time nor the inclination to address this from a civics or historic perspective, I do want to say that despite some struggles and setbacks this act put into motion legislation that sought to bring a greater sense of equality to citizens of the United States. As I thought about where our nation has been, it got me to reflecting to where the people of God have been. While I will not pretend that religious people have done things perfectly, the people of God have always had a responsibility to treat others with decency. The heart of the New Testament is love and even the Old Testament demanded fairness and justice. People didn’t always do it – but that was from sin, not misdirection.

Centuries ago, the people of Israel were reminded, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place.’” (Jeremiah 22:3). God was so serious about this for the Hebrew people that what was at stake was their place as a nation.

I believe this can serve as a reminder for us, today. Let’s be leaders in matters of justice and civility – not just as a nation, but more importantly as Christians!

Think About It!

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