This podcast is directed to all young people, but primarily to young black men, young black women, and their parents. We are thankful for all the people who are standing up for justice and racial equality. But this podcast is about the man in the mirror. What are you doing for the glory of God, to make life better for others, for your family, and for yourself? This podcast is about living life in such a way that it cuts back on the chance of being harassed or killed by the authorities or anyone else and helps you to live the good life of peace and joy.
Psalm 119:9 says, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
Jim Rohn said, “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.”
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'”
Today, we are going to look at the fifth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s six principles of nonviolence. As we have seen, these principles are not just guidelines for protest, but they also apply to how we live our lives in general and how we approach the various conflicts that we face with others. So far we have looked at the following principles.
1. Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
2. Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.
3. Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people.
4. Nonviolence holds that voluntary suffering can educate and transform.
Today, we are going to begin looking at the fifth principle of nonviolence which is as follows:
Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate.
• Nonviolence resists violence of the spirit as well as of the body.
• Nonviolent love gives willingly, knowing that the return might be hostility.
• Nonviolent love is active, not passive.
• Nonviolent love does not sink to the level of the hater.
• Love for the enemy is how we demonstrate love for ourselves.
• Love restores community and resists injustice.
• Nonviolence recognizes the fact that all life is interrelated.
It is easy to talk about love, but sometimes it is hard to demonstrate it — especially when it comes to those whom we have differences with. Even Jesus acknowledged this; He said: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.” However, Jesus called those who would follow him to a different level of commitment when He immediately added, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
Now, Jesus is not just saying to act in a loving way toward our enemies, but to have genuine love in our hearts for our enemies. If we genuinely love those who wrong us, it will be easy to treat them in a loving manner. That is why the first part of Dr. King’s principle states “nonviolence resists violence of the spirit as well as of the body.” It becomes easy to demonstrate nonviolence when you do not have a violent bone in your body.
Notice these sobering words from First John: “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer…” Hatred toward someone is an emotion, a mentality, a feeling that is often borne out in actions such as being unwilling to help that person, saying negative things to that person, speaking negatively about that person to others, being unhappy when something good happens to that person, or trying to harm that person physically. Unfortunately, sometimes, hatred leads to murder.
Jesus turns that entire scenario on its head by simply calling us to have love in our hearts for all people. If so, we will not act violently toward them, and it will not be a struggle to resist acting violently towards them.
The problem, however, is that loving people who have wronged us or who hate us can be difficult. It is much easier to hate, to become bitter, and to desire revenge. That is why we cannot try to love others within our own strength. We must have a desire to obey God by loving others and then rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to demonstrate Christ’s spirit of love in our hearts. If you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, and the Bible says that the “fruit” (or result) of the Holy Spirit living inside of you is: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance.”
Nonviolence is not hard when you truly have a spirit and mindset of nonviolence, and that is something we can gain only by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit.
If the Lord tarries His coming and we live, we will continue looking at Dr. King’s fifth principle of nonviolence in our next episode.
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Now, in closing, in order to be saved — in order to get right with God — you cannot look at the man in the mirror, but the Man Christ Jesus. First Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, here is how.
John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that -whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can have a home in Heaven. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry which publishes a monthly magazine called The Torch Leader. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University School of Divinity. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica for over twenty-seven years. God has blessed their union with seven children. Find out more at www.danielwhyte3.com. Follow Daniel Whyte III on Twitter @prophetdaniel3 or on Facebook.
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