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There Is No Nationalism in Christianity

These are the words that were spoken as some of the earliest Christians were baptized into Christ:

“There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” - Galatians 3:28

The ancient world of the Mediterranean of this time was highly polarized and divided by race, class, and gender. Who a person was, how they were treated, and what they could hope to be and do was largely determined and constrained by that person’s status.

Prior to baptism there was no thought or possibility of equality, mutuality, true honor or sincere respect across these divisions. We were estranged and alienated from each other with all the suspicion, mistrust, and hatred such divisions bring.

Being baptized into Christ ends these divisions as our identity together as children of God supersedes all others. The divisions of race, class, gender, and I believe any other divisions we can think of, are ended. There’s no nationalism in Christianity.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #baptism #unity #identity #Galatians3 #christian #nationalism #christiannationalism

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Pass Me Not: Inviting The Presence of God

“He said, "My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant.” - Genesis 18:3

We don’t know exactly what Abraham was feeling 24 years after he and Sarah gave up their comfortably settled lives to pursue a bigger vision and nothing had happened yet.

Doubt? Uncertainty? Had he heard it right? Had he made the right choices, taken the correct path? Did he go left when he should’ve gone right.

Was he feeling exhausted and fatigued? As the years passed, did his hope start to wane? Was he beginning to regret?

We don’t know what he was feeling. But we do know that he recognized the presence of God had come near him. He did everything he could to invite this presence to stay with him if only for a while.

He didn’t pray, in this case for any vision or clarity of direction. He didn’t pray for any material or physical possessions. He only prayed that the presence of God would stay with him and not pass him by.

Sometimes the old hymn is our best prayer. “Pass me not oh gentle savior. Hear my humble cry. While on others thou are calling. Do no pass me by.”

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #Genesis18 #patience #faithfulness #prayer

#abrahamandsarah #selfcare

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In Due Season

“Then one said, "I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son." - Genesis 18:10

It is hard to wait. It is hard to wait for our needs to be met, our expectations fulfilled , and our dreams achieved. It’s even harder to wait when we don’t have the details of how, where, and when.

We are going to be tempted to give up hope. It’s very likely that were times when Abraham and Sarah thought about quitting, thought about turning around and returning home to their old lives.

There were times when they, being tired of waiting, tried to take matters into their own hands and come up with their own unfortunate solutions. Hagar and Ishmael suffered greatly as a result and they were pretty miserable themselves.

We may not know how or where or when. But we must never forget who and why. God had promised them that they would leave behind a legacy that would one day bless the world, in due season.

We have to guard our hearts and minds from frustrations, impatience, and disappointments. We have to focus on being faithful and consistent particularly when we don’t see our efforts making a difference. In due season they will.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #Genesis18 #patience #faithfulness #indueseason #abrahamandsarah #selfcare

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Love Is Not A Liability

“But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" - Luke 10:29

The attorney who asked Jesus about how we experience eternal life already knew the answer to the question: Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

But like many good attorneys, he was interested in defining the limits of his liability. Who exactly was he responsible to love and how much did he have to love them?

In the story of the Good Samaritan, we find that technically speaking, we have an unlimited liability to love and care for any and everyone we encounter regardless of the circumstances.

But in telling the story, Jesus also shows that we are to move beyond legalistic rewards and punishment type thinking. The question we should ask is not ‘what do I have to do.’ Rather the question becomes, ‘what can I do?’

We no longer see the call to love as a liability. Loving others becomes the opportunity we seek.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #Luke10 #goodsamaritan #eternallife #heaven

#love

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What Do We Really Need?

“…But few things are needed--indeed only one.” - from Luke 10:42

From the story of Mary and Martha, two sisters who were also followers and disciples of Jesus. Martha was so overwhelmed and frustrated trying to do all the things she thought she needed to do, that she couldn’t take the time to enjoy his company or hear his lesson.

Mary on the other hand, decided that she didn’t need to do any of those other things. At that particular moment she decided that the one thing she needed to do was to spend time with Jesus and hear his instruction. The story says that Mary chose the better part.

Sometimes we miss the opportunity to grow and develop, to commune and fellowship with God and each other not because we are doing anything wrong, not because we have any bad intentions.

We miss out because we overwhelm and frazzle ourselves trying to do and get all the things we think we need, when we didn’t really need to do or get them at all.

In any given moment, we need to ask ourselves what’s most needed, then do that. Set the rest aside for the moment or let it go entirely if appropriate.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #goals #selfcare #priorities #maryandmartha #Luke10

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When It’s Good To Be Unapologetic

“She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus's feet and listened to what he was saying.” - Luke 10:39

Jesus had many disciples or students, not just twelve. Many of them were women. Of all the disciples named in the New Testament, Mary is one of my favorites.

Women in that society were not as free to drop everything and travel around with Jesus as frequently as his male disciples. So, the opportunity to study with Jesus was precious and rare.

Mary decided that there no one and nothing was going to rob her of the opportunity to sit at the teacher’s feet with some of the other disciples.

Mary refused to yield to the societal pressure to be what was considered a good host, or the likely exceptions of the men that the women would serve them, or even her own sister’s expectation that she would help out.

Mary was unapologetic in her identity as a disciple or student of Jesus. She was completely unapologetic about getting the training and experience she needed to grow when it was available.

Sometimes to be and become who we are meant to be or capable of becoming, we have to be completely unapologetic about defying externally imposed expectations when those expectations are hindering us.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #goals #selfcare #priorities #maryandmartha #Luke10

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Prioritize What Matters. Let The Rest Go.

“But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, but few things are needed.” - from Luke 10:41-42

Go, go, go. Rush, rush, rush. Do, do, do. Many of us live fast paced lives in a fast paced world. And there’s nothing wrong with staying busy and productive unless we begin to feel overwhelmed, burned out, and or resentful those don’t choose to run at our pace.

If we start to feel any of things, it’s time to stop, take a deep breath and prioritize. When we find that there are more things to do than we have the time, energy or motivation to do, we need to evaluate our priorities, choose what’s best, and let the rest go.

There’s no doubt Martha wanted to be a good host to Jesus. There’s also no doubt that Martha was feeling the pressure to meet her society’s expectations for a woman in her time. But Jesus didn’t care if she did. In fact, her trying to do everything was robbing both her and him of her attention.

Don’t try to meet everyone’s expectations. Prioritize what matters. Let the rest go.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #goals #selfcare #priorities #maryandmartha #Luke10

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How Do We Know If We Are Doing The Right Things?

“He leads the humble in what is right and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness…” from Psalm 25:9-10

How do we decide what we should do? How do we respond to the problems we have? How do we choose the pathways we walk? How do we know if we are doing the right things?

The answer starts with our humility. Being humble isn’t about being timid or shy. Being humble starts with an accurate self assessment of our strengths and weaknesses, of our discipline and skills, of our character and heart.

This assessment shows us what we need to learn and how we need to grow. Then we seek to learn from the positive and negative examples around us, from our mentors and role models, from tradition and scripture, from the Spirit speaking to our hearts.

How do we know if we are on the right track? Because all the pathways of the Lord are persistently loving and consistently faithful.

Are we becoming more kind and compassionate? Are we growing in our determination to endure and persevere to create a better future for ourselves and every life we touch?

If ww can answer yes, we know we are.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #Psalm25 #discernment

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