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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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How To Live Joyfully

“… So that you may have all endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.” - from Colossians 1:11-12

At first glance it appears that the author of Colossians has placed the adverb “joyfully” in a very odd spot… We had just received the challenge, maybe even burden of leading worthy lives and bearing good fruit. On top of that we were told that we were going to need a lot patience and endurance to do so.

Where does the joy come from? According to the author, the joy comes from our understanding that we are part of something far bigger than ourselves. The darkness of this world no longer sucks us into a black hole of hopelessness, despair, and resignation. We are children of the light, full inheritors of a deeper richer life eternal, full citizens of the kingdom of God among us.

Living worthily, and bearing good fruit are the inevitable results of our determination to live in love and practice universal shalom. Our joy comes from learning to do so well.

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 #Colossians #wisdom #knowledge #spiritualinowledge #joy

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Let Us Learn How To Live

“… Asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.” From Colossians 1:9-10

Good will and good intentions are necessary but in themselves are insufficient to allow us to lead lives that truly honor God. We also have to be continuously learning, developing, and growing our capacity to carry out these good intentions.

As Maya Angelou says “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” The prayer here in Colossians echoes the sentiment of Psalm 86, “Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth”

Let us never stop learning how to live and 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 #Colossians #wisdom #knowledge #spiritualinowledge

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A Prayer For A Different Kind of Power

“May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, so that you may have all endurance and patience…”- Colossians 1:11

The type of power the writer of Colossians is describing here is very different from what we normally think of as power. The kingdoms of this world associate power with physical or military strength, money or economic power, and social status, popularity or influence.

The writer of Colossians doesn’t pray that we have any of these types of power. Instead the writer essentially prays for us to have the power of patience, persistence, and endurance.

Things seldom happen the way we want them to, and almost never happen as soon as we want them to. We have to be patient.

And we often fail many times before we gain the insight and develop the skills we need. We have to persist.

Above all, we have to have the strength to endure, when the going gets tough and we feel like we’ve come to the end of our ropes.

Spiritual power isn’t about money, physical strength or influence. Spiritual power is a different kind of power. It’s the power to be patient, to be persistent, and to endure.

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 #power #spiritualpower #Colossians

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By Loving Not Believing Correctly

“Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" - Luke 10:25

Don’t misunderstand the question. The lawyer wasn’t asking Jesus how he could get into heaven after he died. He was asking how he could experience the deepest, fullest, most meaningful, and satisfying life.

The answer is simple, but it is not easy. The answer is love. First we love God with everything we have living life with equal parts wonder, appreciation, and gratitude.

Next we love, honor, respect, and care for ourselves, seeing ourselves as God’s handcrafted masterpieces, created in God’s own image with the breath of life flowing through our bodies. Then we love, honor, respect and care for everyone else.

In illustration of what this looks like, Jesus told the story of a traveler who had been robbed, beaten and left for dead. Three people saw him. Two of them the priest and the Levite, had correct beliefs, but they left him lying in the road. One, the Samaritan had incorrect beliefs but stopped to help.

Only one of these three would be able to experience eternal life, the one who practiced love not the ones who believed correctly.

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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