He who is greatest among you shall be your servant

I’ve read and listened to many of the great sermons and speeches given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and am amazed and touched each time I do. Everyone knows about the “I have a dream” speech but one that I think is just as important is “The Drum Major Instinct.”

If you never take the time to read any of Dr. King’s speeches or sermons I do encourage you to read the following excerpt of “The Drum Major Instinct.” I encourage you to read the excerpt below several times and record it in your memory bank. If you want to be great, if you want to leave a legacy that lives on beyond you days on earth, then these words are your blueprint.

If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness.
And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, (Everybody) because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.

Dr. King left a legacy that keeps on giving and will continue to do so for as long as mankind exists. He inspired men and women, regardless of color, to greatness. He encouraged mankind to serve others and to stand up, in a non-violent way, for what is right