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Yes, Even Them!

“And they praised God, saying, "Then God has given even to the gentiles the repentance that leads to life." - from Acts 11:18

A healthy spirituality allows us to look in the mirror and truly see ourselves. This spirituality gives us both confidence and humility. We see our faults and shortcomings. At the same time we also know and feel that God loves and embraces us, yes, even us.

The next step in our spiritual journey is for us to look around and understand that God loves and embraces them, even them.

These unclean foreigners who had been previously restricted by them to the outermost temple courtyard were fully embraced by God.

What was even more shocking for them is that the Gentiles were not required to embrace their standards of purity before God embraced them. Nor were they required to do so afterwards.

God’s new requirement for humanity demands only that we love one another in the same way God loves us. (John 13:34)

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

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Be Servants not Judges

“But a second time the voice answered from heaven, 'What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” Acts 11:9

We have been called to take matters of ethics, morality, and personal conviction very seriously. Paul in writing to the Romans declares that each of us should be fully convinced in our own minds. (Romans 14:5)

Where most of us struggle is in figuring out what to do with and about other people who think and practice differently. Too often we are bound and determined to judge, exclude and perhaps even punish people who do not follow the dictates of our consciences.

That’s not our place. All of us belong to God and God alone. As Paul declares, each of us will ultimately stand or fall before God… And the part we miss, “And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.” (Romans 14:4) God’s grace works like that.

Remember that we have been called to love and serve each other not judge and condemn.

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

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #growth #faith #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #peace #Acts11 #Romans14

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Recognize the Gifts of Yourselves and Others

“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning.” -Acts 11:15

The earliest Christians made a lot of assumptions about who could be fully accepted and included and who couldn’t be. They assumed they the gifts were only available for people who believed and practiced like them.

The Gentiles according to their beliefs were unclean and impure in their estimation and understanding because they didn’t practice holiness and ritual purity in the way they believed God required. They couldn’t possibly be gifted. Therefore they couldn’t be included.

Despite their erroneous assumptions, the Holy Spirit came. The Gentiles received the gifts. And Peter recognized it right away.

We have to be willing to recognize the gifting and working of God in others, even when, especially when it goes against our assumptions and beliefs.

We have to willing to embrace our own gifts even when they are not recognized or affirmed by others.

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

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #growth #faith #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #peace #Acts11

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Watch, Wait, and Work for the Vision of Revelation

They will hunger no more and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat… (he) will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. - Revelation 7:16-17

Revelation envisions a world in which no child, in fact in which no person, goes to bed hungry. Revelation envisions a world where people no longer live in the fear of violence, poverty, and oppression, where wellbeing and justice are the birthright of every person.

With God as our center and the shepherd’s guidance, we watch, wait, and work for this world. We pray with MLK that “God, grant that this tragic midnight of man’s inhumanity to man will soon pass and the bright daybreak of freedom and brotherhood will come into being.”

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

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #growth #revelation7 #faith #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #peace

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The Defeat of Cynicism, Indifference, and Division

“After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.” - Revelation 9:7

The Rulers of empires such as Rome survive and thrive and maintain their power and influence for three reasons: cynicism, indifference, and division.

When a person or a people are cynical enough to believe that the systems will always be corrupt and individuals will always be out themselves, they will work to secure their comfort and not worry about anyone else’s.

When a person or a people become comfortable with their own situations they often rationalize and justify their good fortune in a way that allows them to become indifferent and impatient to the plight of others.

When we are divided by race, and class, and gender, and religion and nationality we fight each other for the scraps instead of contributing to feast.

The radical vision of Revelation, of Paul, of the gospels, and of the prophets envisions a world where we come together across all divisions to embrace a vision of mutual and universal peace and wellbeing.

When we give our allegiance to this vision and the God who inspires it, cynicism, indifference, and division die and the empires of this world fall.

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

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #growth #revelation7 #faith #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #peace

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The Revolution of Revelation

“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb!" - from Revelation 7:10

Revelation is a complex book that is subject to a multitude of interpretations. At its heart, its core message declares that God is on the throne not Caesar. That message makes it both subversive and revolutionary. That’s why so many early Christians were executed by Rome.

Rome claimed that it had brought peace to the world and that its emperor was its savior. But the so called Roman peace was built on military domination and economic exploitation, where the wealthy and well connected lived lavish lives while the poor endured humiliation and hardship.

The Greek word for salvation also means deliverance and liberation. The revolutionary message of Revelation declares that the true God is a good of liberation and deliverance and that the Gospel message is good news for the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized.

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

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #growth #revelation7 #faith #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #peace

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Whose Voice Are We Following?

“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” - John 10:27

Many years ago now, back when my children were little and I was still a young parent, a professional colleague talked to me about the way she had raised her children.

She told them was never going to yell and scream to get their attention. No matter what was going on, no matter what else they were doing, they needed to be attuned to the sound of her voice.

I never met her children. I don’t know if she had really followed her own advice in raising her children. But I was immediately stuck by how sound a spiritual principle this was.

There’s a lot of noise and chaos and confusion around us in this world. The voices of fear, and anger, and resentment, and greed, and lust, and false pride are always whispering and sometimes screaming in our ears.

We have to tune these voices out and attune ourselves to the voice of the shepherd. We must always ask whose voice we are following.

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

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #growth #john10 #faith #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #peace

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“No one will snatch them out of my hand” - from John 10:29

Over the years, I have found that the most controversial aspect of my speaking and writing is that my understanding of the Gospel is centered around the core belief that God’s love is unconditional and universal.

The Gospel message directs us to love everyone even those who refuse to love us back, to forgive everyone even those who have neither asked for it nor deserve it, and to care for everyone regardless of merit.

God loves the world the same way the Gospels direct us to love the world, universally and without exception. We are God’s sheep and God calls to us. We experience the love God already has for us when we follow God’s voice home.

Nothing can snatch us away from home. Nothing can snatch us from God’s loving hand.

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

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #growth #john10 #faith #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #peace
#personaldevelopment #salvation #redemption

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