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How We Come to Take Pride in Ourselves

“All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for pride.” - Galatians 6:4

How do we come to feel good about ourselves? How are we able to take pride in ourselves and in the way we live? These are important questions. Everyone should have a healthy sense of self worth.

For the Apostle Paul, a big part of that answer is for us to stop comparing ourselves to other people, stop judging other people, and start focusing on ourselves.

What are our intentions? Are our actions coming from a good place? Have we taken the time necessary to learn or discern what course of action will deliver upon our good intentions? Once we have settled on a course of action, have we developed the knowledge, skill, discipline, and consistency to see it through?

Then we test our results. Did the outcomes of our efforts bring about positive results? Is there anything we need to learn, relearn, unlearn, or change?

Continual self evaluation, reflection and improvement is how we ourselves get better. It has almost nothing to do with what anyone else is doing. Let us get out of their business and stick to our own. That’s how we come to feel good about ourselves.

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 #Galations6 #fruitofthespirit

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How Do We Know If We Are Being Spirit Led?

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.” - Galatians 5:25

How do we know if we are being spirit led? Self delusion and self deception are very real things. And many others will pretend to be what they’re not to get what they want.

The first step is that we have to examine the fruit. Is the action or behavior motivated by love or is it being driven by anger, bitterness, fear, greed, lust, or hate?

Are we self disciplined and faithful to our highest ideals and standards or do we give into our baser instincts and bow down in the face of our challenges and problems?

Are we able to be kind, and generous, and patient with all kinds of people, in all kinds of places, under all kinds of circumstances?

Not that we won’t have our low moments, but are we generally joyful people? Do we bring and promote peace and wellbeing everywhere we go? Do we maintain our inner peace in the midst of the storm.

If we want to claim to be spirit led, let us examine our own fruits for evidence.

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 #Galatians5 #fruitofthespirit

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There’s More Than One Pie

“You bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” - from Galatians 5:15

In the previous verse, Paul reminds us that, “the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Paul’s metaphor of biting and eating one another is the contrast to loving one another.

Do we see life as more of a competition or as more of a cooperation? If we see life primarily as a competition, we think of it like a single pie. There’s only so much to go around. A larger slice for me, by necessity means a smaller slice for someone else.

If we see life primarily as a cooperation, we understand that the bakery has the capacity to make more pies. No one has to do without. The bakery must be kept fully stocked and in good working order. The recipes must be carefully curated and followed.

If we understand that we are more like workers in a bakery than we are contestants in a pie eating contest, everyone is going to get enough to eat.

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 #Galatians5 #fruitofthespirit

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From Love and Joy to Peace

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (from Galatians 5:22-23)

I find the order of Paul’s list of attributes to be fairly significant. Everything starts with love, love for God, love for self, love for neighbor as one’s self. Rooted, grounded, and surrounded by the love of God, friendships, and community we experience a deep joy that emerges from our gratitude for the love we experience.

When our lives are full of love and joy, regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in, we have peace. It’s a peace that the Gospel of John describes as surpassing all understanding. It’s a peace that external circumstances cannot rob or ruin.

Everything else flows from peace. When we have peace we can be patient. When we have peace we can be gentle and kind. When we are at peace we can faithful and self disciplined. When we are truly at peace we become generous in every aspect of our lives.

If we embrace love and joy, we will find peace. Once we have peace, we will discover we already have everything else.

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 #Galatians5 #fruitofthespirit

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Be Sure to Read the Middle Part…

In Galatians 5, the Apostle Paul sets up a contrast or dichotomy to describe what our lives look like when they are Spirit led and when they are not. The non Spirit list begins with sexual immorality and ends with drunkenness. Many readers treat these two as the entirety of the list without seriously considering what’s in between:

“idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy…” (from Galatians 5:20)

Idolatry: Making what’s not most important our top priority and concern in life. Be it financial security, economic or social status, our popularity or influence, these cannot become our gods.

Sorcery: Using improper means to obtain the things we need or mostly just want.

Enmities, strife, quarrels, dissensions and factions: In other words we need to stop keeping up mess, creating unnecessary drama, and stoking division.

Anger, Jealousy, and Envy: Others may well have what we want, but we trust God to provide us what we need.

Let’s consider the whole list and apply it accordingly in our lives.

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 #Galatians5 #fruitofthespirit

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Set Your Face, and Keep Moving Forward

“When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” -Luke 9:51

The fact that we may have a clear sense of mission, purpose, and calling doesn’t mean that it is going to be easy for us to fulfill them.

Jesus knew that fulfilling his purpose required a return to Jerusalem, a place where he was already wanted by the authorities. Jesus knew that his showing the world how to live in the Kingdom of God would cause him to be killed by the kingdoms of this world.

On top of the, his closest allies still didn’t really understand him. One would even betray him. Folks who rightly should have received him, didn’t. And the fickle crowds who cheered him would soon turn against him.

Jesus understood all this, set his face towards his destination, and kept moving forward. Not everyone is going to understand us. Some will not receive us. Some may even betray us. The sacrifice required may be total.

Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, are more recent historical examples of folk who did the same. What does that look like in our lives?

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 #Luke9 #purpose #calling #sacrifice #focus

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Don’t Let Your Religion Stop You from Being Kind

“But they did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem.” - Luke 9:53

As Jesus prepared to non violently confront the powers of injustice and exploitation In Jerusalem, he passed through a small town in Samaria.

By this time Jesus was already a well known teacher and healer, known for his deeds of power, admired for his words of wisdom.

In much of the ancient world it was expected that distant travelers would be welcomed and received with kindness and hospitality. Jesus and the twelve had hoped to stay with them.

But Jews and Samaritans at the time had an irreconcilable difference of understanding about where the presence of God was to be found, on the holy mountain or in the holy city of Jerusalem.

This Samaritan village in the name of upholding their religion missed an to practice it by welcoming Jesus

If our religion is ever our reason for not practicing kindness and compassion, either our religion is wrong or we’re doing it wrong.

We must never let our religion stop us from being kind.

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 #Luke9 #love #religion #hospitality #kindness #compasion

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For Love, From Love, With Love

“Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" - from Luke 9:54

Do you want us to call down fire and burn up our enemies, the wicked, and those who intend to do us wrong? This is the question James and John asked Jesus.

Jesus’s answer was no. Not, wait until later. Not, I’m gonna give them one more chance. Not, I’ll do it myself. Jesus was not interested in killing even the people who would soon crucify him.

Jesus didn’t run. Jesus didn’t hide. He didn’t back down from non violently confronting the powers of evil and injustice in this world, from proclaiming God’s vision for the world. Jesus also refused to adopt the tactics of his enemies.

It’s tempting for us to do to them what they would do to us. It’s tempting for us to payback evil with evil. But we must not driven by fear and hatred. We must not be driven by our anger even when it’s justified.

The cycle of revenge and retribution ends with us. We will fight with everything we have, to our last breath. We will fight for love, from love, with love.

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 #Luke9 #love #justice #revenge

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