22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Our God is an incredible reformer, the One who can remake us from the inside out - and if we have experienced His reformation, then that has a spillover effect on the people with whom we connect. If we want to see change around us, it can begin with the change inside us. We are called to be transformed as we renew our minds, and as we think and act differently.
Because we have the Spirit of the risen Christ in us, we can know His transforming power, which
works within our hearts, as well as around us as we obey the Lord. Ephesians 3 says:
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Today, we celebrate the incredible contributions of a man who was dedicated to not only identifying issues in our society, but taking necessary steps to address and reform them. And, his name was derived from the great church reformer, Martin Luther.
I think it's highly relevant that we concentrate on that here during this 500th anniversary year of the Protestant Reformation, in which Luther defied the religious power structure at the time.
So, why was Dr. King named after Martin Luther? Well, you have to go back to 1934, when his father was, according to a piece on the Forbes website, "one of 10 Baptist ministers who traveled first to the Holy Land and then to Germany." According to the article, quoting from LutherCountry, which is a name for the region where Luther's life and work were concentrated, "It was on this trip that the senior King 'discovered' Martin Luther, and upon returning, gradually changed both his name and his then five-year old son’s..."
Isn't that interesting? And, the younger Martin Luther - King, Jr. followed in the footsteps of not only his father but the great reformer to become one of our nation's greatest reformers, and there was a distinctive spiritual element to that. I also reflect on how God changed the name of men who would be used of Him greatly - Abram became Abraham, the father of many nations; Simon become Peter, the rock. In this case, the father, Michael King, changed his name and that of his son, and what an impact he has made!
I came across a CNN report about a reformer in St. Louis. Melvin White is the founder of Beloved Streets of America, devoted to "revitalize and conserve streets" named after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He had seen the dilapidated nature of the street in his hometown named after the civil rights leader. He says: "If you sit back and look, on a daily basis...you see prostitution, you see drugs being sold, abandoned buildings, vacant lots, trash just being dumped all over the streets."
Derek Alderman of the University of Tennessee says there are around 900 streets across America , including Puerto Rico, named after Dr. King. According to the CNN report, Alderman says that "based on analysis of the available data, King streets tend to have high levels of poverty, inequality and racial segregation when compared to their respective cities and regional and national pattern."
The article states:
Inspired by the contributions of Dr. King, we can be challenged to identify issues that the Lord would have us address and perhaps be used of Him to reform them. And, it starts by experiencing the reformation of our own heart, the new birth - because we have been born again and have responded to God's call, we can know Him and experience His power working through our lives.
We know that God can and will reform our hearts, and that reformation is a consistent process. We can seek His face and rely on His Spirit to identify the areas in our own lives that do not honor Him. We can reform the "streets" of our hearts to more closely align with His name and His nature.
And, externally speaking, I believe we are called to do more than complain when we see something that needs to be "fixed." Perhaps God will give insight and instruction to addressing areas around you that need the touch of a reforming God.
+++++
Because we have the Spirit of the risen Christ in us, we can know His transforming power, which
works within our hearts, as well as around us as we obey the Lord. Ephesians 3 says:
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Today, we celebrate the incredible contributions of a man who was dedicated to not only identifying issues in our society, but taking necessary steps to address and reform them. And, his name was derived from the great church reformer, Martin Luther.
I think it's highly relevant that we concentrate on that here during this 500th anniversary year of the Protestant Reformation, in which Luther defied the religious power structure at the time.
So, why was Dr. King named after Martin Luther? Well, you have to go back to 1934, when his father was, according to a piece on the Forbes website, "one of 10 Baptist ministers who traveled first to the Holy Land and then to Germany." According to the article, quoting from LutherCountry, which is a name for the region where Luther's life and work were concentrated, "It was on this trip that the senior King 'discovered' Martin Luther, and upon returning, gradually changed both his name and his then five-year old son’s..."
Isn't that interesting? And, the younger Martin Luther - King, Jr. followed in the footsteps of not only his father but the great reformer to become one of our nation's greatest reformers, and there was a distinctive spiritual element to that. I also reflect on how God changed the name of men who would be used of Him greatly - Abram became Abraham, the father of many nations; Simon become Peter, the rock. In this case, the father, Michael King, changed his name and that of his son, and what an impact he has made!
I came across a CNN report about a reformer in St. Louis. Melvin White is the founder of Beloved Streets of America, devoted to "revitalize and conserve streets" named after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He had seen the dilapidated nature of the street in his hometown named after the civil rights leader. He says: "If you sit back and look, on a daily basis...you see prostitution, you see drugs being sold, abandoned buildings, vacant lots, trash just being dumped all over the streets."
Derek Alderman of the University of Tennessee says there are around 900 streets across America , including Puerto Rico, named after Dr. King. According to the CNN report, Alderman says that "based on analysis of the available data, King streets tend to have high levels of poverty, inequality and racial segregation when compared to their respective cities and regional and national pattern."
The article states:
White said he believes it is a disgrace that the streets meant to honor King's legacy of nonviolence, economic opportunity and racial equality are often violent, segregated and offer no economic sustainability.But, there are exceptions. And, Atlanta has pledged to invest $20 million dollars to revitalized Martin Luther King Drive there.
Inspired by the contributions of Dr. King, we can be challenged to identify issues that the Lord would have us address and perhaps be used of Him to reform them. And, it starts by experiencing the reformation of our own heart, the new birth - because we have been born again and have responded to God's call, we can know Him and experience His power working through our lives.
We know that God can and will reform our hearts, and that reformation is a consistent process. We can seek His face and rely on His Spirit to identify the areas in our own lives that do not honor Him. We can reform the "streets" of our hearts to more closely align with His name and His nature.
And, externally speaking, I believe we are called to do more than complain when we see something that needs to be "fixed." Perhaps God will give insight and instruction to addressing areas around you that need the touch of a reforming God.
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