Photo from Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com. Some rights reserved.

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., I thought I would re-post his Rule of Life. It was a Rule for himself and a Rule that those who wished to join him in his efforts toward justice were expected to adopt as well. You can find it published in the book Soul Feast by Marjorie Thompson, and on various blogs and web sites around the internet.

King wrote and spoke many, many encouraging words. These are the ones I’ve carried in my wallet and pinned up in my office:

• Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.
• Remember always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham [or anywhere] seeks justice and reconciliation, not victory.
• Walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love.
• Pray daily to be used by God in order that all might be free.
• Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.
• Seek to perform regular service for others and the world.
• Refrain from violence of fist, tongue, or heart.
• Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health.