Dear Precious Friends,
On this beautiful new day, we are grateful for a day to honor and remember the precious gift of Martin Luther King, Jr., what He stood for and who He stood for. We remember one of the most amazing men who laid down his life for the Lord and the cause of us all being treated equally and made in His image.
“I have a dream” is one of the most iconic phrases of our lifetime. In a speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr., on August 28, 1963, this phrase motivated and mobilized a generation.
There are many leaders across the country; however, Martin Luther King Jr. is arguably one of our most revered. Anyone looking to emulate him would never be questioned and left a better person.
" If a man hasn't discovered something he would die for, he isn't fit to live." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.
I am in awe of Martin Luther King, Jr. who grew up in the American South, a black upper- middle class male who was forced to ride in the back of the city bus, who was denied entry to the restaurants that his white counterparts enjoyed, and who received his education at a college reserved for blacks only.
And then, he became one of the most effective and celebrated civil rights activists in America.
There are so many life lessons he taught us.
Martin Luther King, Jr. put his cause ahead of anything else, and his own personal safety. He spent long hours reading, writing, meditating, crafting speeches, organizing marches, traveling to the "hot spots" of racial unrest. He was imprisoned, he spent time away from family, he faced death threats.
We are all called to serve God, and His vision of a peaceful, loving world. As Jesus' disciples, we are called to give up everything to follow Christ, and to give 100% of ourselves.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was, an incredible disciple of Christ.
God's greatest leaders value life, love and truth of God's word. Martin Luther King, Jr. loved the Lord and the truth of His word. God's word reminds us that we are all created in the image of God.
And persistence -- true disciples may fall, but they pick themselves up and keep going. They never, never, ever give up.
We also have to ask if there is a consistency in the things we are spending our time doing and in what we choose to do in our everyday lives? In Martin Luther King, Jr. we see the consistency of a man with a Divine purpose. He was seamless-- a divinely-called man, who lived every waking moment of his life in service to God's plan. He worked for peace, for justice, for love, for truth; and he was willing to die for these!
Any one of us can strive for Love, and can act persistently and consistently, according to God's Divine plan. And then, we just might be able to change the world! Martin Luther King, Jr. understood from the very beginning that to make a real difference, we have to put ourselves on the line. On the night before he died, he said, "Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man."
As believers, we are all called to serve God, and His vision of a peaceful, loving world. As Jesus' disciples, we are called to give up everything to follow Christ, and to give 100% of ourselves. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a true disciple.
He showed persistence -- true disciples may fall, but they pick themselves up and keep going. They never, never, ever give up. They are filled with the Holy Spirit and God's truth.
In Martin Luther King, we see the consistency of a man with a Divine purpose. He was seamless-- a divinely-called man, who lived every waking moment of his life in service to God's plan. He worked for peace, justice, love, truth; and he was willing to die for these!
Any one of us can strive for Love, and can act persistently and consistently, according to God's Divine plan. And then, we just might be able to change the world!
May we share your dream by how we live our lives remembering we are all created equally and we are here for a purpose that is not about us... we are here for the Lord and furthering His kingdom.
Amen.
