Quote by Martin Luther King Jr.
If there is anything in us, it is not our own; it is a gift of God. But if it is a gift of God, then it is entirely a debt one owes to love, that is, to the law of Christ. And if it is a debt owed to love, then I must serve others with it, not myself.Thus my learning is not my own; it belongs to the unlearned and is the debt I owe them...My wisdom belongs to the foolish, my power to the oppressed. Thus my wealth belongs to the poor, my righteousness to the sinners...It is with all these qualities that we must stand before God and intervene on behalf of those who do not have them, as though clothed with someone else's garment...But even before men we must, with the same love, render them service against their detractors and those who are violent toward them; for this is what Christ did for us.
Summary
This quote highlights the belief that any positive attributes or abilities we possess are not of our own making but are gifts from God. Therefore, it is viewed as a moral obligation to use these gifts to serve and show love to others. This involves using our knowledge to educate the unlearned, our wisdom to guide the foolish, our power to help the oppressed, our wealth to support the poor, and our righteousness to help sinners. The quote emphasizes the importance of selflessness, seeing oneself as a vessel for God's qualities, and following the example of Christ in serving others.