“And show honor to those you should honor.”
It was April 3, 1968. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr rose to speak to people assembled at the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee.
It would be his last speech. The next day an assassin's bullet would quiet his voice, but not his movement. I offer this portion of that speech (click here for the full text) in honor and memory of a man, not perfect, but who lived out the message he preached:
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
King began his speech by saying,
"If I were standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of taking a kind of general and panoramic view of the whole of human history up to now, and the Almighty said to me, 'Martin Luther King, which age would you like to live in? . . . Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, 'If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the 20th century, I will be happy.'"
God does not allow us to revisit the past, nor has he given us the future, but he has given us today. May God grant you his power and the tenacity of Martin Luther King Jr to make the most of this day and these times for his glory and the good of others.
To commemorate MLK Day, here a few other words from this amazing leader:
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'"
"Ultimately a great nation is a compassionate nation. No individual or nation can be great if it does not have a concern for ‘the least of these.'"
“Racism is a philosophy based on a contempt for life. It is the arrogant assertion that one race is the center of value and object of devotion, before which other races must kneel in submission."
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
King also said, “The time is always right to do what it right.” God says, it is right to give honor. How will you give that honor today?