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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.

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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
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Safety in an Unsafe World

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” - from Psalm 23:5

The world is not safe. Not everyone means us well, but God is our Host. We are under God’s care, and have been invited to God’s table.

Some of the paths we walk are bleak and desolate. When what we need to sustain us isn’t present, we trust God to guide us to where it is.

God is our protector and our guide. We will not fear the uncertain and the unknown. We will trust our footsteps to the path as God unfolds it.

Goodness and mercy are following us. They will overtake us soon. We shall live in the house of the Lord, in this life.

We are safe in an unsafe world.

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

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“The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me.” - from John 10:25

Anyone who does anything of substance or significance is going to be subject to questions and criticism. Jesus had a lot of skeptics and critics.

None of us particularly like to be questioned or criticized. We have a tendency to want to justify ourselves, to rationalize our choices, and at times to become overly defensive.

Jesus shows us a different way handling such situations. While Jesus does offer concise explanations of his reasons and purposes, he doesn’t get bogged down wasting time and energy arguing with people who don’t want to be convinced.

He instead chooses to focus his efforts and energy on his mission. He never lets the criticism or slander distract him from doing the work he was called to do. He understood that ultimately his would speak for him.

Most times it’s best for us to let our actions do the talking.

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

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