"If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:3 NLT
On Nov. 3, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill designating a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. on the third Monday in January. Which means many of us that are fortunate enough to have today off will be getting in a long run, resting, or catching up on chores. But whatever you and I happen to be doing on this day, I hope that we will stop and reflect on the legacy of a man who is widely regarded as America’s pre-eminent advocate of nonviolence and one of the greatest nonviolent leaders in world history. In fact, it's been said that during the less than 13 years of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership of the modern American Civil Rights Movement, African Americans achieved more genuine progress toward racial equality in America than the previous 350 years had produced.
And you know, if a legacy is the story of someone's life they leave behind to be remembered by - the things they did, the places they went, the things they accomplished - have you ever wondered what your legacy would be? What people would remember about you? I certainly have. And I want nothing more than to leave behind a legacy of love just as the apostle Paul did. You see, you and I can do no greater thing in this world than to love others, thereby showing them the love of Christ - something Paul knew saying, "If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing."
So if you were to die today, what legacy would you leave behind? Would your life story reflect your love for the Lord and for the lost? I sure hope so my friend. Because you and I only have one chance to make a difference in this world.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that the greatest way we can show Your love to the world is by letting it pour out of us into the lives of others. Help us to see people as you do Lord and to love them unconditionally as you have loved us. Ignite a passion in us God to live our lives in a way that we will have been known for our love. It's in Your precious Name we pray Jesus. Amen.
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