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Take Courage And Do The Work

“How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? Yet now take courage… says the LORD… take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD; work, for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts…” - From Haggai 2:3-4

By the time this passage was written, there was almost no one left still who could even remember the good days. Things hadn’t just gotten bad, they had been bad. And there was no sign that they were about to get better anytime soon.

The words of this so called minor prophet show us how to not only endure and survive, but also how to renew, restore, and rebuild our lives and the world around us.

First, we draw courage and take heart from our confidence that no matter what, no matter when, no matter where, God is with us. Second, we allow this confidence to propel us to do the work that must be done and trust God to deliver the outcome.

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

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

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May We See The Deeds Of The Lord In Our Lifetime

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known.” - from Habakkuk 3:2

Habakkuk wasn’t praying for the end of the world. Rather Habakkuk prayed for its rebirth and renewal. Habakkuk did not pray for God’s wrath to be spilled out onto the world but rather for God’s mercy.

Too many of us in our disappointment and in our discouragement, in our pain and in our anger, in our righteous indignation- too many of us have forgotten what we are praying. We have lost the plot. We have forgotten our calling.

We have been called to stand our watchposts centered in the truth of God’s love, with hearts dedicated to righteousness, minds dedicated to freeing our neighbors, and a faith that shields from the arrows of discouragement.

We have been called to watch, wait, work, and pray that we may see the deeds of The Lord in our lifetime.

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

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Write Down Your Vision

“Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets… For there is still a vision for the appointed time.” -from Habakkuk 2:2-3

When things are hard, when things have been hard, when there’s no sign of things getting easier, the most important thing we can hold onto is a vision for ourselves and our futures.

A vision is more than a fleeting passing thought. A vision is more than a day dream. A vision is more than a wish. A vision is a picture of the future so tangible, and so concrete that it can be described and recorded in great detail.

It is essential to write it down, to hold onto it, to take it out and revisit it again and again. Embracing the vision is the first step in the long journey towards bringing it into being.

We start with the answer firmly entrenched in our minds and work our way back through the steps to reach it. In this way our vision goes from inspiration, to roadmap, to itinerary, to immediate next steps.

We need to be able to hold ourselves accountable. Be sure to write down your vision.

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

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

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True Worship Happens Outside Of Church

The writer of Isaiah 1 gave the readers the ancient world equivalent of ‘get out of here with that noise’.

“When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more!

Bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and calling of convocation-- I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.

Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.” - Isaiah 1:12-14

The writer goes on to describe what God wants:

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove your evil deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil;

learn to do good; seek justice; rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow.- - Isaiah 1:16-17

True worship happens outside of church.

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

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

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When Salvation Comes

“Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house…” - from Luke 19:9

When salvation comes, it can look different for all of us but it feels just as good. The Greek word translated as salvation (Sōtēria) also means, rescued, healed, made whole, kept safe, preserved, delivered, and liberated.

Zacchaeus’s salvation looks different from the paralytic’s, which looks different for an enslaved person or a hungry person, which looks which looks different from the woman everyone called a sinner, which looks different from the man hanging on the cross next to Jesus. When salvation comes it gives us the thing we need most.

Zacchaeus was rich and well off. His position allowed him a lot of relative privilege. He was a man so just he could offer to pay back quadruple damages since he knew he hadn’t cheated anyone. He likely became a tax collector for the Romans with the best of intentions.

Yet he was shunned and despised by his community. The first century to my knowledge didn’t have the term micro aggressions, but we can only imagine how many he had to endure from the Romans. How many multiple little compromises had he made along the way to do his job? So many that he was likely estranged even from him self.

Zacchaeus though rich, knew he too needed salvation. It came to him. And it will come to us too.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #Devotion #forgiveness #faith #discipleship #love #devotional #growth #positivity #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #positivethinking #positiveattitude #positivemindset #dailymeditation #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #luke19 #Zacchaeus #redemption #deliverance #salvation

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God Always Welcomes And Invites

“All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner."- Luke 19:7

I do not know the first century slang equivalent for the phrase Uncle Tom. But in the eyes of the crowd, Zacchaeus was the worst kind of scum. He lived fat and happy collecting taxes for their Roman oppressors while so many of them struggled to pay the bill.

Most of us have certain sins, certain behaviors that we distain and despise more than any others. Many of us are guilty of those exact same things, or have a part of us that secretly wishes we could be. We look down on each other both self righteously and hypocritically.

We are quick to shun. God always welcomes and invites. We are quick to condemn. God forgives and is always ready to reconcile. God’s love for us and for them, and for all of them, is forever.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #Devotion #forgiveness #faith #discipleship #love #devotional #growth #positivity #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #positivethinking #positiveattitude #positivemindset #dailymeditation #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #luke19 #Zacchaeus #redemption #deliverance #salvation

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Separate And Climb

“So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way.” -Luke 19:4

There wasn’t anything necessarily wrong with the crowd Zacchaeus was in. They were all there to try and see Jesus. Perhaps some wanted to hear his wisdom and insight. Perhaps others needed his healing. Maybe others were hoping he’d bring liberation from Rome. Most were simply curious.

No, there was nothing wrong with the crowd. But Zacchaeus couldn’t see what he needed to see, do what he needed to do, or become who he was meant to become while he was stuck in the middle of it. It was necessary for him to separate, run ahead, and climb.

There are some parts of our spiritual journeys that we have to do for ourselves, by ourselves, even if there is a crowd around us. Like, Zacchaeus. we can’t be afraid to separate ourselves from the crowd. We can’t be afraid to move ahead of where the crowd is. We can’t be afraid to climb to a higher level, to gain a different and clearer perspective.

We have to be willing to separate and climb.

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

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Let’s Stop Blocking The View

“He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature.” - Luke 19:3

Zacchaeus being a tax collector, was no doubt a less than popular figure. Even so, it does not appear that that the crowd had any particular ill will or ill intent here. They were just trying to see Jesus themselves. In the process they ended up blocking Zacchaeus.

How many times do we would be followers of Jesus end up blocking the view?

How many of us are like the Pharisee in Luke 18, smug in our self righteousness, bragging that we aren’t like those people who are over there? We make it impossible for folks to see Jesus through our condescension and arrogance.

How many of us are like the Pharisee in Luke 18, smug in our self righteousness, bragging that we aren’t like those people who are over there? We make it impossible for folks to see Jesus through our condescension and arrogance.

Many early Christians blocked Jesus with all their demands around circumcision, clean and unclean, sabbath observation, and abstaining from meat that any contact with idolatry. They meant well. But these were serious obstacles to folk seeing Jesus.

I’m convinced more of us just need to get out the way and stop blocking the view.

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

#60secondsofhope #inspiration #Devotion #discipleship #faith #love #devotional #growth #gratitude #positivity #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #positivethinking #positiveattitude #positivemindset #dailymeditation #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #luke19 #humility #Zacchaeus

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