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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the Way of Love

It seems almost every American has heard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech—the speech that has come to represent the mission of the civil rights movement.

His other recorded works, though not as famous, are just as powerful. 

Read Dr. King’s stirring thoughts on the way of love in the below excerpt—from day two of 30-Day Journey with Martin Luther King, Jr., available from Faithlife Ebooks.

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The Way of Love

Envy, jealousy, a lack of self-confidence, a feeling of insecurity, and a haunting sense of inferiority are all rooted in fear. We do not envy people and then fear them; first we fear them and subsequently we become jealous of them. Is there a cure for these annoying fears that pervert our personal lives? Yes, a deep and abiding commitment to the way of love. “Perfect love casteth out fear.”

Reflection

Consider this: Perfect love means being patient with others and recognizing that we all are works in progress. It means striving to be kind and respectful to every person we encounter.

Fear is a pervasive force in our lives and social world. Fear drives us to be envious, jealous, insecure, hateful, spiteful, and apathetic. It is the root cause of many human conflicts. The way of fear influences us to live beneath ourselves, stifles God’s vision for our lives and our world, and causes us to become bitter. To overcome our toxic fears, we need perfect love. Perfect love does not equate to being perfect individuals. It simply means committing to a new rule in life or a radical lifestyle change: the way of love. Consider this: Perfect love means being patient with others and recognizing that we all are works in progress. It means striving to be kind and respectful to every person we encounter. It means recognizing the tremendous value of every person and seeing them as an end rather than as a means to an end. 

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This post is excerpted from 30-Day Journey with Martin Luther King, Jr. by Jonathan Chisom.

The title of this post is the addition of the editor. The author’s views do not necessarily represent those of Faithlife.

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Comments

  1. Wow. Such powerful words by one who was assassinated for practicing the way of love. This devotional inspires me not to be jealous of the man with the beautiful wife in the pews, not to be jealous of the family with the big house in the fancy neighborhood, not to be jealous of the young coworker who has already been promoted twice. The weed of my jealousy, as Dr. King would put it, is rooted in the soil of fear. The way of perfect love keeps us on the path to God – the path of patience and peace. Oh, how I pray that God would lead me in this way!

  2. “The weed of my jealousy, as Dr. King would put it, is rooted in the soil of fear.”
    This is a wonderful place to stop and meditate on. Thank you. Amen.

  3. I’m curious if it is even a issue that Martin Luther King Jr did not even agree with the Physical Resurrection of Christ or the Virgin birth? While he has done much for civil rights, does one have to agree with the tenets of Christian thoughts to be considered a Christian author. I still ponder this .

    • I AM SO THANKFUL FOR YOUR THOUGHTS ON DR. KING’S INTERPRETATION OF PERFECT LOVE IN SUCH A TURMULTOUS TIME. TIME IS SAID TO HEAL PAIN, YET THE SCARRING IS STILL THERE. I LIKE KING ASK WHEN WILL WE LEARN TO LOVE EACH OTHER AS GOD HAS LOVED US?