Today is Monday, January 16th and the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. day. This is one of the “national” holidays that I really try to honor by educating my kids of the meaning behind it.
There are a few people that I would consider my personal heroes and Martin Luther King Jr. has always been at the top of my list. Gandhi, Mother Teresa, CS Lewis, Robert Kennedy, Tony Robbins and a few others help to make up a ridiculously diverse bunch of folks who all take the top of this list for different reasons, but MLK has always, and will always, rest at the top.
(Disclaimer: For those who need to know, Jesus is always at the top of my list. In fact, he is so high that he encompasses all lists and trumps every earthly person that could ever be included in my list of influential people. For some reason I thought this disclaimer would be necessary… so there you go 
)
I am sure it has to do with the reason that he stood for something that he believed in even when the odds were stacked against him. He spoke up when it could have cost him his life. He refused to be silenced by ‘public opinion’ or even personal threats on he and his family. And this courage is exactly what was needed in the midst of this turbulent time in American history.
We are a better country, and ultimately, a better world because of Martin Luther King Jr. However, I think a lot of people don’t realize that long before he was a public figure, he was a pastor. In fact, his father was a pastor and his grandfather was a pastor. He grew up with a deep conviction and love for Jesus and this stand for justice thrust him into the public limelight at just the right time to bring about a change.
It is important that we never forget this simple fact… Martin Luther King Jr. stood for what was right because he believed wholeheartedly that this is what God wanted him to do. His faith in Jesus gave him the courage to believe that change was possible.
Many of us remember King from his speeches in Washington, but his speaking career began long before this opportunity opened up. He was a pastor at Ebeneezer Baptist Church and spoke many eloquent messages that became a precursor for his later, more publicized ministry.
For example, here is the last 10 minutes of a message that he preached at Ebeneezer Baptist Church, a church he co-pastored with his father. This message was given after many of his well known messages, but in the confines of a place where he had opened God’s Word many times before and shared with the members there. This particular message was given on November 1967… only 5 months before his assassination.
You can hear his heart as he preaches with great power and authority.
The message that Dr. King gives near the end of his life carries an almost prophetic tone. You will hear his words around 4 minutes and 20 seconds into this recording:
“If you have never found something so dear and so precious to you that you will die for it, then you aren’t fit to lead.”
Martin Luther King Jr. had found the thing that he was willing to give his life for. He had sought justice for a people who could never repay him for what he did. He followed his conviction that was birthed in the words of Jesus and allowed that to become more important than his comfort or safety.
Dr. King could have took a cushy job on some college campus making great money and living the life, but he said “no”. He could have simply wrote books about social justice and stayed in the confines of a secure home somewhere, but he said “no”. He could have simply stayed quiet and pastored a church that would have paid him a great salary and amazing benefits, but he said “no”. He chose to live for so much more.
What about you? Are you living for something worth dying for? If not, why? If not now, then when? Quit wasting your life away seeking after comfort and security and truly live for something greater than yourself. Until you do that, you are doing yourself… and this world… an incredible injustice!
Much Love,
GP
