The Motivation of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King

Suddenly a host of angels appeared to the shepherds praising God saying:
      Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward
        men.”   -Lu2:14
 
In a nutshell, this is one of many verses which express the will of God toward man:
            1.All Glory to God
            2.Peace on earth
            3.God’s goodness toward all of mankind.
Interestingly however,
          1.For the most part, humanity has not experienced this good will
            of God…why?
          2.Sin
          3.What did God do? He called, birthed, and sent people, at certain
             times with His remedies.
 
Martin Luther King was one such person. I would like to examine several of MLK’s quotes to determine his real motivation!
 
1.“I just want to do God’s will!”  -MLK
 
The life and calling of MLK was a sign of the times(Mat16:4). God births people at the exact moment in time to further His great and good purposes (Jer1:5). MLK understood he was called by God for such a time he lived(Est4:14)—to do God’s will…and thereby glorify His great name!
 
2.Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. So too, hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. -MLK
 
This is a simplified, penetrating summation of Jn8:12; Jn3:16; Rom12:19,21; 1Jn3:14,16; 1Jn4:10,19;
 
3."As the Apostle Paul carried the gospel of Jesus Christ...so am I compelled to carry the gospel... I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers...I
stand in the middle of two opposing forces...One is a force of complacency...The other force is one of bitterness and hatred, and it comes perilously close to advocating violence. It is expressed in the various black nationalist groups...the largest being Elijah Muhammad's Muslim movement. Nourished by frustration over racial discrimination, this movement is made up of people who have lost faith in America... I have tried to stand between these two forces...for there is the more excellent way of love... One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters they were standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage.”  4/1963  -MLK

The gospel means good news. MLK understood that the gospel begins with the born-again experience(Jn3:3), i.e. salvation(Rom1:9,10)—but encompasses much more! In other words, as men give their lives to Christ, it becomes possible to: a.hear God’s voice(Jn10:27); b.answer God’s call(2Tim1:9); c.understand good and evil(Pro15:3); d.do good to all men, even those without Christ(Lu6:35;Gal6:10; Rom12:13); e.establish God’s goodness in the earth(Rom2:4).  The gospel also includes human rights, equality, justice for all(Mic6:8;Ps89:14)!
 
4."If you will protest courageously, and yet with dignity and Christian love, when the history books are written in future generations, the historians will have to pause and say, 'There lived a great people...who injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization.’” - MLK
 
MLK understood that the only the Word of God changes lives! (2Cor5:17)
 
5."Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend"
    -MLK

MLK believed the love of God changes mankind, turning him from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God (Rom12:20,21; Mat5:44;1Jn4:12). It was not MLK’s will to hate white people, to take vengeance on whites(Rom12:19); nor did he believe white people had inherent privilege because they were white! He believed in making whites and blacks friends---through the equality inherent in the Bible!!! 
​
6. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” -MLK
Dr King understood the calling on his life was not only to blacks, nor America…but to the world!

   The calling on Dr King was a part of God’s great calling on America! From its inception, God called America to be an example to the world of His great goodness(Ps33:12), but America had to first be corrected. Dr King was one of those people in America’s long illustrious history whom God raised-up to usher both America, and the world…back to His good will!!!
 
QuoteBit
The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become.                           -Jim Rohn