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Joyful Endurance

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

All of us are going through something, have been through something, or are about to go through something. No one is exempt from life’s challenges and problems, of this we can be certain.

What we can also be certain of is this: The power of God within us and among us gives us the strength and power we need not only to survive but to eventually thrive.

We don’t have to be anxious about the outcome. We need to be patient. We need to persevere. We need to endure. And when we remember that our strength comes from The Lord, the creator of heaven earth, we can joyfully endure.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #Devotion #faith #hope #discipleship #love #devotional #growth #positivity #personalgrowth #service #personaldevelopment #positivethinking #positiveattitude #positivemindset #dailymeditation #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #empowerment #personalgrowth #personalempowerment

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We Are The Shepherds God Is Raising

“I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall no longer fear or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.” -Jeremiah 23:4

One of the most poignant moments in all the gospels is when the risen Jesus appears to Peter and asks him three times if he loves him. At first Peter is disturbed that Jesus questions his love and commitment so many times. But each time Jesus says since you love me, care for my sheep. (John 21)

Earlier in the gospel, Jesus refers to himself as the good shepherd. (John 10) Jesus sees his mission as one of care and devotion. But Jesus doesn’t see himself carrying out this mission alone. All of his disciples, everyone commenting to way, everyone who loves him is called to be a shepherd.

This is in fulfillment of the prophet Jeremiah’s words that God is raising shepherds to guide the flocks from fear to hope, from hate to love, from injustice and exploitation to wellbeing and peace. We are the shepherds God is raising.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #Devotion #faith #leadership #discipleship #hope #love #devotional #growth #positivity #personalgrowth #service #personaldevelopment #positivethinking #positiveattitude #positivemindset #dailymeditation #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #Jeremiah23 #john10 #John21 #empowerment #personalgrowth #personalempowerment #pastoralcare

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Serve With Hope And Without Fear

“that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear,” - Luke 1:74

Elie Wiesel said that the opposite of love is indifference. Paul Tillich, Anne Lamott and Brené Brown.said that opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty" And I’ve become convinced that the opposite of hope is fear. It turns out that Jon Meacham said it first:

The opposite of fear is hope, defined as the expectation of good fortune not only for ourselves but for a group to which we belong. Fear feeds anxiety and produces anger; hope… breeds optimism and feelings of well-being. Fear is about limits; hope is about growth… Fear points at others, assigning blame; hope points ahead, working for a common good. Fear pushes away; hope pulls others closer. Fear divides; hope unifies.

The hope of the prophets and the gospels is so strong that even in the midst of their hardships and difficulties they describe themselves as “being recused”.

Our hope in the rescuing, delivering, liberating, saving, redeeming power of God’s love empowers us to serve without fear.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #Devotion #faith

#hope #love #discipleship #devotional #growth #positivity #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #positivethinking #positiveattitude #positivemindset #dailymeditation #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #redemption #salvation #Luke1

#jonmeacham #ElieWiesel #PaulTillich #AnneLamott #BeneBrown

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The Joy Of God’s Immanence

Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."- Isaiah 12:6

Immanence is the state of dwelling within something or being inherent to it. In religious or theological terms it is the idea that God is immediately and intimately present within and among us.

Immanence is often contrasted with the concept of transcendence. Transcendence means beyond the ordinary, beyond normal limitations. In religious or theological terms transcendence is the idea that God is beyond our known physical realities.

Embracing God’s transcendence allows us live life with a sense of awe and wonder. We approach life with great humility and live with deep appreciation. For many of us embracing transcendence is an important first step in our spiritual journeys.

The next step for most of us is when we come to understand that God although beyond us, is also within us, and among us. God is already in our midst. We haven’t been abandoned. Nor are we alienated or estranged. We are fully embraced and fully loved.

Our joy comes from embracing the immanence of God in our lives.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #Devotion #faith #spiritual #love #hope #discipleship #devotional #growth #positivity #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #positivethinking #positiveattitude #positivemindset #dailymeditation #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #redemption #Immanence #transcendence

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Justice, Wellbeing And Healing Flow From Reverence

“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.” -Malachi 4:2

Reverence at its core is a deep respect for something or someone greater than oneself, To live with reverence is to live with a sense of awe, wonder, and appreciation.

Everyone and everything, the whole cosmos, lives and moves and has its being God. (Acts 17:28) God is our source. God is our ground. God is our medium. We all participate in God, are sustained by God, and reflect God.

Having true reverence for God is about far more than the rituals we perform and the customs we keep. It’s about our having a deep and abiding respect for everyone and everything we encounter. We honor the divinity within ourselves and each other.

Our reverence for God both compels and inspires us to seek justice and wellbeing not only for ourselves but for everyone. Our seeking justice and wellbeing for everyone is what will eventually heal our world.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #Devotion #faith #love #justice #selfcare #hope #discipleship #devotional #growth #positivity #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #positivethinking #positiveattitude #positivemindset #dailymeditation #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #redemption #selfhelp #healing

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Never Get Too Tired To Do The Right Thing

“Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.” - 2 Thessalonians 3:13

It’s easy for us to do the right things when it feels like we are winning, when we are making progress, when things are going right. But it’s much harder for us to keep going when we get bogged down, when we have been denied, delayed, or defeated.

We start to wonder‘what’s the point?’ As are efforts appear to yield less and less outcome, as we repeatedly fail to break through, as we find ourselves seemingly stuck in an endless loop, it’s easy for us to lose our will, lose our focus, lose our fire. It’s easy for us to get tired.

This is why it’s so important for us to practice self care and mutual aid. We give ourselves and each other respite, but we do not quit. We remind ourselves and each other of our previous victories and the obstacles we have already overcome. We comfort and encourage ourselves and each other. We keep the mission and vision squarely before our eyes.

These practices keep us from getting too tired to do the right things.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #Devotion #faith #selfcare #hope #love #discipleship #devotional #growth #positivity #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #positivethinking #positiveattitude #positivemindset #dailymeditation #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #redemption #selfhelp

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Let Our Tests Become Our Testimonies

“This (hardship) will give you an opportunity to testify.” - Luke 21:13

I dislike calling hardships and adversities blessings in disguise. Such a framing tends to minimize the very real agony, and pain that we are experiencing. To be transformed and overcome, these pains must be acknowledged not denied.

I do believe that every struggle contains within it powerful seeds. These seeds when planted, nurtured, and cultivated eventually take root, grow, and blossom into something that is restorative, transformative, and beautiful. The beauty of our transformed lives gives witness to the beauty and power of God’s love.

So while we acknowledge the pain and difficulty of our circumstances, we refuse to be trapped by them. We refuse to be diminished by them. We refused to be resigned to them. We instead commit ourselves to the work of caring for ourselves and each while the power of the spirit within and among us transforms us.

In this way our tests become our testimonies.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #Devotion #faith #selfhelp #hope #love #discipleship #devotional #growth #positivity #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #positivethinking #positiveattitude #positivemindset #dailymeditation #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #Luke21 #redemption #selfcare

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We Don’t Need To Be Defensive

“So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance;” - Luke 21:14

Many of us spend a lot of time and energy worrying about what’s going to happen. We worry about defending our name, our honor, our reputation, our pride.

We worry about being disappointed by the people around us. We worry about being betrayed by the people we most care about.

We spend so much effort and energy protecting and defending ourselves that we don’t have any left to put into becoming who we are meant to be.

Luke 21 doesn’t say these things we fear aren’t going to happen to us. Just the opposite, Luke 21 declares that we will at times be hurt, disappointed, and betrayed, and often by the people closest to us.

But the gospel also declares that we will be ok, that God will guide us through. The chaos of the world around us will not shake the peace of the world within us. And “not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.”

God’s got this. We don’t need to be defensive.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #Devotion #faith #hope #love #discipleship #devotional #growth #positivity #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #positivethinking #positiveattitude #positivemindset #dailymeditation #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #selfhelp #Luke21

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