Pride and Prejudice

"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live."   Acts 17:26

     I was thinking about the upcoming National Holiday - Martin Luther King Day.   Dr. King was a man of God.  He believed that what the bible said was true.  The bible teaches us that God created Adam, the first man, and all men are the offspring of Adam.  We all come from the same place.   President Abraham Lincoln probably said it best when in his infamous Gettysburg Address he said "... all men are created equal..."  

     I think that if we all look closely at our lives; each and every one of us has been discriminated against at some point in our lives.  Whether it was because of our color, our sex, our age, our weight, our eye color or anything at all... each of us has been stereotyped and judged for something that we have absolutely no control over(in most cases).   Many of us try to overcome that unfair bias by coloring our hair or hiding our age,   some people even try to change their sex... so why is it that we look the other way when we see people discriminating against others.  Why do we even need to march for rights.... why can't things be as the bible said they should be....

      Jesus showed us some excellent examples of how to deal with people who are different from ourselves.  The parable of the Good Samaratin was an excellent example.  Samaratins were looked down on at the time of Jesus.  And yet it is this person who is treated as much less than a person who took the time to care for the travelor in the story.  He cared for the travelor as if he were a member of his own family. So out of character for that area in those times.  And what about the Lepers... It was actually illegal to talk to the Lepers, let alone to touch them or be in contact with them.  Yet Jesus walked among them and healed them.

     What does the bible show us about slavery.   Slavery is discussed in many places in the blble.  God helped Moses to free the captive Jews from slavery.  Does this not show that God does not wish for one man to own another?  If all men are the descendents of Abraham, then we are all of the same blood line.... different yet the same.  Didn't Jesus come to show us the way.  Wasn't the greatest commandment the one that says to "love God"? And wasn't it closely followed by lthe commandment to "love your neighbor"?  Remember, we are all of one bloodline, and if we go back far enough we are ALL descendents of slaves.

     So Martin Luther King was a man of God, telling people to do what the bible says they should do.... reminding us of what God Himself wanted us to do according to the bible.  He walked through the streets urging men to love one another and asking for the violence against some of God's children to be silenced.  Do'nt we have an obligation to do the same?  Aren't we called to "love our neighbor as ourself" and to help our neighbor when he needs it, not making him wait until tommorrow to do what we can do for him today?

      It is sad that someone felt the need to gun a man down for reminding us of what God clearly tells us is our duty in the bible.    It is even sadder that we must create a National Holiday to remind us of that and yet our voices are quelched by "freedom of speech" folks who dont want us to remind them that Dr. King died because he believed in God's word so strongly that he was willing to speak out.  He was just doing what God wants for us to do.  But the world; they just want another day off work with pay....it's got to make you wonder....

      Dear Lord, let us remember why Dr. King died.  Not just for the blacks in the south, but for all men and women who feel the pain of prejudice and hate whether it be for their age, nationality, sex, education level, eye color, hair color, or skin color.  And let it remind us to keep our hearts open so that we may try our best to love our neighbors as we would want to be loved.  And please help us to remember that he was just a man doing what you have told all of us to do.  Help us to not elevate him to something more than a man doing your will.  Please put blinders on us so that we no longer see the differences in people so that we may treat each other as we ourselves want to be treated.  And may all men come to know Your word and come to know You and want to do Your will.  And please help us to treat each other with respect and love as we deal with each other day to day.