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Not Everyone Is Going To Cheer You

“The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their teeth and melt away.” - from Psalm 112:10

Nearly all of us like to be praised. Nearly all of us like to be encouraged. Nearly all of us would like the whole hearted support of people around us. Some of us love being affirmed. Not everyone is going to cheer.

Some folks are going to be angry and resentful, not because of anything we’ve done to them, but because of the way they feel about themselves when they look at us. In this case, we can’t be moved by their feelings. We can’t stop doing what we called to be doing, or stop becoming who we are meant to be because someone feels a certain way about it.

And by the way, if we happen to be one of the haters, we need to stop hating on others and start developing ourselves. The scriptures suggest that this kind of resentment and jealousy is a dead end street. “It comes to nothing.” (Also from Psalm 112:10)

Ultimately, until we make up our minds to do what we are supposed to do and what we need to do regardless of how anyone else feels about it, we will never become who and what we are meant to be.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #discipleship #faith #Devotion #devotional #growth #personaldevelopment #positivity #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #psalm112 #personalgrowth #motivation #dailymotivation #courage

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“So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"- Hebrews 13:6

Verse six is the conclusion of a six verse sequence where we, collectively and individually develop fierceness and fearlessness the face of adversity.

First, we always look out for one another practicing kindness, compassion, generosity, and affection. We don’t have to be afraid because we have each other’s backs.

Second, we practice hospitality. There are no strangers. There’s only family we haven’t met. We don’t have to fear being in a new place or being alone. We will be welcomed.

Third, we remember the imprisoned. No matter the mistakes any of us have made, none of us is disposable. Every life can be redeemed. So we have the faith to begin again.

Fourth, we honor our commitments, particularly to the people who have chosen to spend our lives with. We treat those relationships as sacred. They become foundational to our lives.

Finally, while we all need money, material and financial resources, we must remember that these are means and not ends. We love people not money.

If we practice these five commitments, we will become fearless individuals living in fearless communities.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #discipleship #faith #Devotion #devotional #growth #personaldevelopment #positivity #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #Hebrews13 #community #courage

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How Are We Any Better Off?

“It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice.” - Psalm 112:5

The psalmist says that those who are ethical and upright and live generously are well. How are we well? In what way are we better off than the mean and the stingy? How are we better off than the folks who are willing to do anything to get ahead?

The scriptures point out that the rain falls on just and the unjust. Good and bad things happen to everyone no matter how we live. We have money challenges, and or health challenges, and or relationship challenges no matter who we are. Life be life-in’ as the expression goes.

I’ve become convinced that what makes the generous and just person better off than the person who isn’t either of those things is the level of peace they experience as they live their lives.

A former colleague of mine back in the day left over $50,000 in the streets when he gave up his old life. But he told me how good it felt not to sleep with a gun under his pillow.

The gift of a peace that external circumstances may be able to shake, but cannot steal is the gift of the Spirit (John 14:27), and it comes to those who trust God enough to be generous, faithful, moral and upright.

We are better off because it’s well with our souls.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #discipleship #faith #Devotion #devotional #growth #personaldevelopment #positivity #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #psalm112

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60 Seconds Of Hope: How To Shine

“They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.” - Psalm 112:4

How can we shine brightly? How we can we be beacons of hope? How can we become the light houses that help ships navigate the stormy seas of life?

The psalmist identifies three aspects of character and habit that we must develop to do so. We must be gracious, merciful, and righteous.

Notice how being gracious and merciful comes before righteousness on the psalmist list. Without grace and mercy our righteousness becomes self righteousness- and that’s not a blessing to anyone.

Gracious people practice hospitality and welcome. They are generous in every aspect of their lives. They are quick to share credit and slow to redirect blame.

Merciful people, practice forgiveness. They do not seek revenge and retribution. They seek to facilitate the redemption of both individuals and institutions. Where appropriate they promote reconciliation.

Righteous people do the right things even when no one is watching, even when it costs them something. They do not take advantage of or exploit others. They can be trusted.

If we want to shine brightly, if we want to be beacons of hope, we must be and become gracious, merciful, and righteous in every area of our lives.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #discipleship #faith #Devotion #growth #personaldevelopment #positivity #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #psalm112

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60 Seconds of Hope: What Pleases God?

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” - Hebrews 13:16

While creeds. confessions of faith, and intellectual frameworks have their uses, they are not the main thing. Tradition and ritual can be of great value, but in themselves are empty. We don’t please God by believing the right things.

What pleases God are lives lived with compassion, generosity, and service. What pleases God is our living lives of applied love. Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8) and is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10).

We can pray. We can fast. We can anoint our heads with oil. We can be baptized, take communion, and have our feet washed. We can even put on sack-cloth and ashes if we want. However, it’s just noise and symbols if we don’t truly love.

We express our love not exclusively, but in no small part, by doing good and being generous. This is what truly pleases God.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #discipleship #faith #Devotion #growth #personaldevelopment #positivity #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #Hebrews13

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60 Seconds Of Hope: A Morning Prayer For Anytime

Thank you, God, for waking us up this morning with a portion of our health and strength and mind.

We thank God today for our food, clothing and shelter. For a warm place to sleep and a comfortable place to lay our heads.

We thank God for our friends and neighbors and co workers- for our families and our families of choice. For everyone who has shown us hospitality, kindness, and compassion, for everyone who encourages us.

We thank God for the sun and the rain, for the birds singing, and the children playing, and the quiet hum of traffic in the background.

We thank God for the opportunity to be alive, to see, hear, touch and feel, to laugh, to cry, to dream, to try and try again.

Help us to appreciate this day, to see our blessings, to know we are loved. Help us make the most of it.

Help us share these blessings we enjoy with others.

In your name we pray. Amen.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #discipleship #prayer #faith #Devotion #growth #personaldevelopment #positivity #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #dailyprayer #morningprayer

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Recognizing The Voice Of God: If It’s Not Love, It’s Not God

A fellow TikTok’er in response to a recent post, asked how can we be sure that we are hearing God’s voice and not our own desires. How do we make sure we aren’t being self delusional?

This is not only a great question. It is perhaps THE question when it comes to spiritual discernment. Here are a few thoughts:

The voice of God in our lives usually challenges us to get better before it ever addresses our neighbors- if it addresses our neighbors at all. Think of the young prophet in Isaiah 6:5. He saw the glory of God first. Then he saw his short comings. Only then did he look at the world around him. God worked on him first before sending him to anyone else.

We should always be aware of what it is we really want, and name those things. Then we should always pray like Jesus in the garden, “but not my will but yours”, and mean it.

The voice of God is often very inconvenient. It often requires us to sacrifice something of ourselves. Jonah didn’t want to go to where he had been sent. Jesus didn’t want to die on the cross. Be very suspicious if the voice of God sounds exactly like your wish list.

Lastly that God is love. So the voice of God is always calling us to be more loving, more patient, more kind, and more joyful. The voice of God calls us to hope, to persevere, to be good. The voice of God both gives us peace and calls us to be peaceful.

If the voice isn’t calling us to be more loving in one of these ways, it’s not the voice of God.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #discipleship #prayer #faith #Devotion #discernment #Jeremiah23 #spiritualdiscernment #growth #personaldevelopment #positivity #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #isaiah6 #1corinthians13 #Matthew26

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60 Seconds of Hope: Repairers Of The Breach

“Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.” - Isaiah 58:12

The primary metaphor here is that of a massive city with huge security walls. The walls are broken and have huge gaps or breaches that allow all the city’s enemies to come and terrorize the citizens at will.

We live in a time and most of human history is a time when the social systems, structures, and covenants that were designed to protect the masses are broken. Regular folks are exposed and vulnerable and completely unable to protect themselves.

Some will accept this reality with quiet resignation. Others will try to escape this reality either through distraction or by abandoning the city altogether in hopes of saving themselves. Still others will go as far as trying to partner with the enemies.

But the faithful will do the work of laying a new foundation upon which the future generations will stand. The faithful will do the work of rebuilding the walls and putting protections in place for the regular folk. The faithful will be called repairers of the breach.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #discipleship #faith #justice #socialjustice #revival #growth #positivemindset #positivity #Devotion #dailymeditation #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailydevotional #personaldevelopment #Isaiah58

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