What can MLK’s legacy teach us about faith? This 3-day app-only Reading Plan explores how God’s perfect peace, justice, and love influenced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—and how it can influence us too.
Our Daily Bread
Day 1
Scripture: Colossians 3:13-16
There Will Be Peace
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. -John 16:33
When I was younger, I learned that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a peaceful man—but I couldn’t understand why.
As he experienced the cruelty of prejudice, the brutality of violence, and the ferocity of hatred, he managed to speak words that were filled with compassion, kindness, and love.
As a child it didn’t make sense to me that Dr. King, and so many others, would choose nonviolence when the injustices against humanity were flowing. I wondered how anybody could stand in the face of prejudice and inequality and maintain peace.
As I got older, I learned that Dr. King not only understood what was necessary to create change, he was determined to be a vessel for change to occur.
Though we will face trials and tribulations, God assures us so that in Him we “may have peace” (John 16:33). He provides the instruction that we need to “bear with each other and forgive one another . . . and admonish one another,” using His wisdom to teach others (Colossians 3:13–16). As we recognize the need for change and work together to make a difference, He reminds us that we can be perfectly united in love (v. 14).
We decide how we will treat one another. In the midst of darkness, we can choose to be a light. In the face of hate, we can choose to love. No matter what happens, God can grant us peace.
Camille Humes
What adversities have you been facing? How will you maintain peace despite your circumstances?
Lord God, I thank You for the reminder that peace is possible because of Your unyielding love toward me.
Day 2
Scripture: Jeremiah 22:13-17
Steadfast in Justice
He [Josiah the king of Judah] did what was right and just, so all went well with him. -Jeremiah 22:15
The proliferation of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to justice was tangible, if but for a moment.
Following the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery to register Black voters, King recounted sitting amongst a multiethnic, multicultural sea of civil rights allies in an airport terminal. This communal scene beautifully reflected justice personified.
Conversely, though, this scene was also a somber reminder of how rarely collaborative justice efforts occurred.
Contemplating the disheartening irony of this moment, King solemnly stated, “But these were the best of America, not all of America. Elsewhere the commitment was shallower. Conscience burned only dimly, and when atrocious behavior was curbed, the spirit settled easily into well-padded pockets of complacency. Justice at the deepest level had but few stalwart champions.”
Christians are called to be “stalwart,” or unwavering, purveyors of justice. King grounded his life on this biblical moral ethic.
The prophet Jeremiah rhetorically reiterated this principle as he proclaimed God’s judgment on wicked kings in contrast to a good one named Josiah: “He did what was right and just . . . . He defended the cause of the poor and needy . . . . Is that not what it means to know me?”
Dr. King lived a life of justice because he knew the ultimate King, Jesus Christ. A King whose throne is everlasting. A King who perfectly administered justice through sacrificial love. A King for us to follow.
Brandon Cleaver
How has the biblical ethic of justice compelled you to help others?
Gracious Father, thank You for exemplifying what authentic justice entails through Your teachings and Jesus’ ultimate example on the cross. Please compel our hearts to yearn to seek and administer justice in our spheres of influence.
Day 3
Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48
Loving Them to Death
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. -Matthew 5:44
Montgomery was hard, but Birmingham was worse.
In addition to legal and institutional discrimination, civil rights activists now stared down snarling dogs. Firehoses blasted them into brick and pavement. Dynamite ravaged their homes and churches.
Their enemies—and the dangers they posed—were enough to try even the strongest in the movement.
It may seem natural in these moments to meet hate with hate. After all, doesn’t victory go to the strong?
Yet Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and those marchers did something supernatural. They met hate with love. King recognized that God reigns supreme. Therefore, these marchers would follow their God, and “be perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) How?
King found his answer in the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus did not slay His enemies, but rather was slain for them. He didn’t kill, but instead was killed. Jesus met His enemies with love.
Whether we face threats or not, we all have people we perceive as enemies. In our anger or fear, we may be tempted to see people who don’t think, look, or vote like us as threats.
Before we get swept away by those powerful emotions, remember that Christ did not win with a sword but by His love. The kingdom does not triumph through shows of force but through a loving Savior who died for us.
Therefore, as His children, we love our enemies as Christ loved us, in hopes that God may win them too.
Tom Breeden
Who do you perceive as an enemy or a threat to you? Why do you think of them that way? What can you do to love those enemies as Christ has loved you?
Heavenly Father, when I am angry or fearful and tempted to hate, help me to remember Your love. Holy Spirit, help me to show that love even to my enemies. May I bear witness to Your life in me. Amen.