How Will You Be Remembered?

In that dramatic scene on Calvary’s hill, three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime – the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness.

– Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

What a way to be remembered. What a way to go out.

Three extremists, all hung on trees to die a cruel Roman death. Two were left unnamed, unknown to us today. But the one, a sign hung above his head proclaiming his “crime” and his rightful title.

“King of the Jews.”

While people scoffed at him, ridiculed him to his face, those that followed him all the days of his earthly ministry knew that he was the extremist that Reverend King spoke of; Jesus was a man of love, truth, and goodness.

What a way to be remembered.

It seems fitting that Jesus would be remembered this way. He lived out his message. He walked the walk right after he talked the talk. He said, if you follow me, do it. Act this way. Live according to this law. And then he showed us all how.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:34-35

It was Jesus command, maybe his last command to the disciples before his death. Love. Love one another. The people in your inner circle of friends. The people that make up your family. The people in your spiritual communities. The people in your communities, the towns and cities that you live in. The people that live and make up your countryman.

Love.

Show them love. Tell them the truth. Speak words of life and peace, share all the of the gospel message of Jesus with them. In this way, you will show them love.

Show them love. Be good to them. whether they stay in your life or they make a quick exit, do all you can to bless them. In this way, you will show them love.

While King’s realization about Jesus is true of the man from Galilee, I wonder if it will be true of me when I die. How will I be remembered?

Will it be said of me that I was a man of love, truth, and goodness, like my Lord and Savior, Jesus?

Will it be said of me that I walked the walk and talked the talk of Jesus, day in and day out, with family and stranger?

Will it be said of me that my life honoured the living memory of that one unique man crucified on Calvary’s hill?

What about you? What will they say about you?

Let us prayerfully consider our actions; whether they are deeds of love, truth, and goodness.

Let us prayerfully consider our words; whether they are seasoned with love, truth, and goodness.
This article first appeared on Christian Thought Sandbox.

35 Martin Luther Quotes That Will Give You a Fresh Perspective

A lot has been written about Martin Luther’s legacy. King was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement.

“Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.” –  Martin Luther King Jr.

The father of the reformation, he’s known for many things—  Martin Luther King Jr’ I Have a Dream: writings and speeches had a profound impact on the world. Part of the appeal of Kings’ teachings and his famous speeches was his ability to capture deep, profound biblical truths in ways that are easy to comprehend but force you to wrestle through them to truly  understand.  George Washington is the only other American to have had his birthday observed as a national holiday.

Here’s a look back at some of King’s most powerful quotes.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  –  Martin Luther King

  1. “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.”
  2. “Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.”
  3. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
  4. “We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.
  5. “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.”
  6. “Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.”  
  7. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”
  8. “I have decided to stick to love … Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
  9. “Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
  10. “A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.”
  11. “Forgiveness is not an occasional act;  it is a constant attitude.”
  12. “We must accept finite disappointment  but never lose infinite hope.”
  13. “I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.”
  14. “I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”
  15. “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”
  16. “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”
  17. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
  18. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
  19. “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”
  20. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only love can do that.”
  21. “Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.”
  22. “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”
  23. “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe  nor politic  nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.”
  24. “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
  25. “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
  26. “Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education.”
  27. “We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience.”
  28. “We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
  29. “Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals.”
  30. “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”
  31. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
  32. “If you want to interpret well and confidently, set Christ before you, for He is the man to whom it all applies, every bit of it.”
  33. “A Christian man is the most free lord of all,  and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and  subject to everyone.”
  34. “We  are nothing with all our gifts be they ever so great, except God assist us.”
  35. “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now because I’ve been to the mountaintop. I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the promised land.”

33 of the Most Inspirational Leadership Quotes for You to Live By

We’ve all seen quotes designed to motivate or inspire us.  Well, according to a new study, people who post these ‘inspirational’ quotes also have lower levels of intelligence. However, Godinterest disagrees, and see’s some quotes as  universal nuggets of wisdom. You know the ones – those quotes that give you “Aha!” moments of inspiration or meaningful insights into  your personal and professional lives.  These are the ones you  want to print out and place on your fridge  so you’ll see them  every day.

This collection of inspirational quotes features some of the all-time classics you may know, as well as some lesser-known  ones  you’ll love too. If  you have any quotes you would have added, feel free to share in the comments section!

  1. “The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable.” – Denis Watley
  2. “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” – Stephen A. Brennan
  3. “Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.” – Fitzhugh Dodson
  4. “Goals are dreams with deadlines.” – Diana Scharf Hunt
  5. “You must have long-term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures.” – Charles C. Noble
  6. “Crystallize your goals. Make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a deadline. Then, with supreme confidence, determination, and disregard for obstacles and other people’s criticisms, carry out your plan.” – Paul Meyer
  7. “The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.” – Benjamin Mays
  8. “Progress has little to do with speed, but much to do with direction.” – Unknown
  9. “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
  10. “Goals help focus you on areas in both your personal and professional life that are important and meaningful, rather than being guided by what other people want you to be, do, or accomplish.” – Catherine Pulsifer
  11. “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” – Zig Ziglar
  12. “It doesn’t matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going.” – Brian Tracy
  13. “The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
  14. “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” – Horne, Lena
  15. “Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.” – William E. Channing
  16. “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” – Henry Ford
  17. “It’s not whether you get knocked down. It’s whether you get up again.” – Vince Lombardi
  18. “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” E- Eleanor Roosevelt
  19. “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Ryun
  20. “Strong lives are motivated by dynamic purposes.” – Kenneth Hildebrand
  21. “People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.” – Andrew Carnegie
  22. “Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” – Wayne Dyer
  23. “The surest way not to fail is to be determined to succeed.”  – Richard B. Sheridan
  24. “A determined person will do more with a pen and paper than a lazy person will accomplish with a personal computer.” – Catherine Pulsifer
  25. “There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox
  26. “It was courage, faith, endurance and a dogged determination to surmount all obstacles that built this bridge.” – John J. Watson
  27. “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.” – Og Mandino
  28. “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” – George Lorimer
  29. “We will either find a way or make one!” – Hannibal
  30. “That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.” – Unknown
  31. “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden
  32. “Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” – William Feather
  33. “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier

 

 

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