Millions of Americans have voiced an opinion on the recent decision by a Florida jury finding George Zimmerman innocent of the murder of teenager Trayvon Martin. While debate over controversial news stories is healthy, too often healthy debate turns into arguing and taking sides, and we lose sight of the actual people involved and the actual facts of the case. When things get heated and crowds of people cry out with strong, emotional opinions, it’s important that we honor the biblical instruction to speak “truth with love” (Ephesians 4:15) instead of rushing to judgment or trying to score points on those with whom we disagree. LinC looks at how we can be voices of wisdom and discernment in frenzied debates over controversial, but important, issues. Key Scriptures: Matthew 27:15-26; Luke 4:14-29; John 12:12-19. Milwaukee Brewers star and 2011 National League MVP Ryan Braun agreed to a 100 game suspension from Major League Baseball after an investigation linked him to Biogenesis, a company suspected of providing performance-enhancing drugs to elite athletes in baseball, basketball, tennis, boxing, and mixed martial arts. Cheating in sports, or any other profession, is a selfish act and is unfair to clean players who lose roster spots or matches to peers guilty of doping and teams that suffer when their star player is sidelined with a drug suspension. Jesus taught us a different way; he commands us to live as humble servants. Next week we’ll look at how we can imitate Jesus through humility and sacrifice.
