Proverbs 10:14-20 — Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. | The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty. | The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin. | He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth. | He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool. | In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise. | The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.
The National Football League’s (NFL) 98th season has gotten off to a tumultuous start. After a steady diet of critical comments and tweets from President Donald Trump, regarding NFL players protesting during the playing of the national anthem, the league's players and teams have used their platforms to voice concern.
As the country operates within a toxic political climate and manages a society dealing with increased anxiety, professional football has become a stage for more than celebrating touchdowns and sacks.
Athletes in Action contributor, Amethyst Holmes, had a few questions resulting from the turn of events involving the Goliath corporation and Trump.
In 25 Questions After A Wild Week in Sports, Holmes’ sixth question - What are the chances people looked up the verse (Proverbs 31:8-9) written on Jordin Sparks’ hand? - resonated. According to the King James Version of the Bible, the scripture Sparks sported reads:
Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. | Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Many of the NFL’s 1,696 players are active on various social media platforms and freely share their perspectives on life in today’s America.
On a recent episode of Jason Romano’s “Sports Spectrum Podcast,” New York Jets linebacker Demario Davis was moved to deliver a “passionate prayer” and plea to God.
“The issues facing our country, God, are just too big for us to handle, God, and we need divine intervention,” Davis prayed. “We need you, oh God…we just turn away from our wicked ways, our wicked thoughts, our wicked treatment of others.”’
Providing opportunities for athletes like Davis, Athletes in Action works with those interested in joining a spiritual movement through sports. Athletes in Action helps sports-minded people in 98 countries, 35 U.S. professional sports team and 205 college campuses.
Similar to Homles’ 25 Questions After A Wild Week in Sports, the following is a list of 25 NFL players that unapologetically profess their love of God, using various social media platforms, namely Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.