Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King

Today in our nation (U.S.) we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. He is one of my heros because he stood for righteousness, peace, and true justice. Some people have the wrong impression that Dr. King was a black leader. He wasn't a black leader, a leader of black people, nor a seeker of black justice. Rather, he was a man, whom God used, to help the human race understand justice and seek it sincerely.

During the 60's the U.S. accepted separate justice for different groups of people as normal. It was seen as righteous to ensure that some people, who were deemed as black (because their skin color matched or was darker than a paper bag), would be separated from whites in positions of power, influence, culture, education, and economic benefits. In fact, it was acceptable to subjugate black people in all these areas as well.

The belief that allowed this behavior stemmed from a Darwinian idea that the black race was inferior to whites, and contributed to crime, poverty, and immorality. Many in the Christian church didn't help very much either, because they believed some of the same things, or were too afraid to buck against the power structures.

So God raised up a judge (leader). Dr. Martin Luther King was not afraid to speak against this injustice. He committed and paid with his life to reveal and condemn the wickedness that was allowed to flourish in the U.S.. He ignited a world-wide movement of seeking after justice, and unity.

Yes, there are negatives that came out of his life. But there were negatives that came out of Jesus' life as well. For instance, Jesus knew that families would be split because of him. He knew that those who would dare follow him may be killed. He even knew that some would come in his name and do evil. But what he did was not negated by these outcomes, because what he did came right from the heart of God. And God is clear that he wants to bring all people on earth under Christ, and all are of equal value in Christ. No person is a cause of evil because of his heredity, nor is any person worthy of God's grace. Each one is a sinner because he has chosen to sin, and each one is saved the same way --through God's grace in Christ.

Dr. King is not Jesus by a long shot. But he is similar to other prophets in the Bible. He was called, he was obedient to the call, he preached to the people a message not everyone wanted to hear, and he was killed by those who hated him. Such is the lot of a true prophet.