Timeless Wisdom

The greatest among you will be your servant. – Matthew 23:11

Today we celebrate the birth of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (though his birth date was January 15, 1929). The measure of Dr. King’s greatness is not just the power of his witness and the courage of his fight for justice, but the timelessness of his wisdom. His words still speak today with the same relevance and power that they did when he proclaimed them in the flesh.

So, let me share just a bit of his timeless wisdom on this day when we remember him and give thanks for his life and witness:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

“We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools.”

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us, and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

How will Dr. King’s words shape the way you live today as a follower of Jesus in a world still lost in injustice and hatred?

Jeff Marian serves as lead pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, MN