Michael Harrison's e-devotion

We are continuing at The Community Fellowship our study of "Get Fired Up to Serve God: a spiritual gifts study" tonight and will be looking deeper at the ways God has touched the church so we will impact and encourage others. 1 Peter 4:10 NLT --- God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Let me give you some of the stuff that has really given me some insight the past two weeks in this study. It has to do with understand the difference between gifts of leadership and administration as well as the gifts of service and helps. I have used a book by David Francis to help with this study. Here are those insights: the differences between leadership and administration ... VISION leaders recieve and communicate and the vision; administrators are the first to hear and understand the vision leaders see big picture of God's vision; administrators understand the details and clarifies a leader is an architect; ...

Hebrews 11:6 (New Living Translation) --- And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. George Muller was a man of faith. A giant in his day and a huge example for ours. Years ago (about 15) a mentor of mine handed me Muller's autobiography, and I was reminded of it last night. Muller ran Christian orphanages among other things. When he would have a need, he would call his staff and partners together to pray without telling anyone else of the need. Most of the time and in many stories in his book, a knock would come at the door or in some miraculous way the need would be met. Muller was a man of faith. We need to be people of faith. Do we believe that God can and will hear and answer our prayers? Do we believe that he works? I need to be reminded of this, and I understand that often God is stretching me to be a man, father and pastor of faith. Stretching us i...

One of the first Scriptures I have ever memorized is one that has stuck with me for 20 years. It reminds me to get perspective in tough times and to see with different eyes because of the goodness of God. Here are those verses: James 1:2-4 (NASB) --- Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Why did I memorize it? Someone gave me a tape of an awesome preacher that I thought a lot of (he has since fallen big time). I listened to that sermon over and over and found the concepts of the verses etched in me, in my heart. They tell us that trials will come our way, and that we need to be ready for them because the results will be OK and even for our good. Can we humans handle that? Some can. Some can't. But God's plan for us is perfect. That is where the Bible comes into play. It giv...

Ephesians 6:2-3 (NLT) --- " Honor your father and mother." This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, "things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth." This devotion is not meant to point to any specific people or to brag on someone. But if that happens, so be it. 36 + years, a million miles, billions of burgers and whatever you want to throw in may just change your perspective. I remember a day when I wouldn't listen and didn't think anyone else understood or even really cared. Boy, was I wrong. It has taken those years, miles, burgers and more for me to have a new perspective. Now as a parent and finding more and more gray hair I see the love, wisdom and insight my parents had that I didn't care too much about. Literally that is a generation of perspective. I heard one person say (I even repeated what was said) that my dad seems to get smarted every day. Honestly, it is not him ge...

"Too often we see the Bible through whatever lens we get from our culture." --- Brian McLaren There are times we have to get real or authentic and come close to the things that hurt the most. Those are the times that reveal much pain but also reveal who we are and how we are made. What I am saying is this: be careful not to mold your faith in your version rather than God's truth. The only way we have to understand is through our perception, yet much of the time our perception is flawed by our culture or by what is just wrong thinking and acting. Some people try to pick and choose what parts of the Bible apply at certain times. Yet all along God intends, with loving care, to shape us into new people useful to Him and real to the world. 2 Corinthians 5:16-20 (nlt) So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Ch...

"Failure doesn't mean God is not with you. Sometimes God makes you fail; for the stuff of victory comes out of failure." - Erwin McManus Success and failure. Each of us has to stop and question where our hearts are on this issue. Do we avoid things that are most likely failures, or do we trust God? What McManus said hit me like a faith train. Yes, a faith train and not a freight train. Dear friends, I so want success in everything I do. I want to please the people I serve and the people I love. Yet does pleasing people mean that I leave behind the best God has for me and my family? Faith is the way to please God ( Hebrews 11:6 ), and it is being confident when you are blind and cannot see ( Hebrews 11:1 ). What would we attempt if we knew we could not fail? The truth is: living for God is an adventure of faith where success and failure are taken out of our hands and places in the hands of God. The outcome is His. The results have everything to do with His best ...

I need reminders from time to time. How about you? This morning was one of those that I looked for, almost dug in to with the conviction that God was going to speak and to let me hear some comforting and strong words after some rather big questions. And He did. God is good all the time! Psalm 111:9 (NLT) --- He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has! Proverbs 20:27-28 (NLT) --- The L ord 's light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive. Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king; his throne is made secure through love. His wisdom and His love characterize our time with Him and His way with us. What else should we expect? He made us His children and He took on humanity in His son, yet God does not deal with us in human rationality or thinking or with human perspective. He deals with us the same every time. Forgiven. He ransomed or paid the price for us. ...

Psalm 56:11 (NLT) --- I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? You have been there, and so have I. It is the time when we wanted to throw in the towel and sick the last song. Maybe it comes from being tired, from fighting too long or from being depressed. Yet we have to learn lessons about when to give up. Winston Churchill in his now famous 1941 speech at Harrow School shocked the crowd by giving a short challenge. Here is what the gifted leader said: "Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give in. Never give in. Never give in. Never give in." With those words, he sat down. What a powerful word! Whether we want to give in to other's demands or give up what we are doing, it is time we hear some truth that God would have us to hear and take it to heart. This past week I learned a huge lesson from one of my children about giving up. For three weeks we had gone toe to toe over her memorizing her verses for AWANA. Her mom and I ha...

In my blog reading I came across this quote: "First figure out your partners, then figure out what ideas to pursue. The most important thing isn't the market you target, the product you develop or the financing, but the founding team. Starting a company is like scaling an unclimbed face - you don't know what the mountain will throw at you, so you must pick the right partners, who share your values, on whom you can depend, and who can adapt." Jim Collins, author of Good to Great as quoted in Fortune (February 19, 2007) (The quote came from Tony Morgan who I think is one of the sharpest dudes in creative ministry today.) Jim Collins is not a Christian, but what he has to say in his book will bless you, shock you and give you tons of juice for your leadership journey. This quote in particular reminds me of many of the thoughts from Christian leadership guru John Maxwell about partnership and teams. I am so blessed to have a team that I serve with. They are awes...

Today's devotion is taken from an article by Mark Batterson .  May God revolutionize the way we think about and do church so that we will be the church and others will become part of His church!  Mark wrote the following article for the Catalyst newsletter :   Matthew 11:12 (niv) --- From the time of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. There is nothing remotely passive about following Christ. Faithfulness has nothing to do with maintaining the status quo or holding the fort. It has everything to do with competing for the Kingdom and storming the gates of Hell. Does it bother anyone else that the church is more known for what we're against than what we're for ? The church needs to stop playing defense and start playing offense! A few years ago, I started coaching my son's basketball team. And at the beginning of our first season, most of the kids didn't k...

Yes, today is Valentine's Day for all of us. I hope you remembered and have already been given a hug today. May God bless you with His love. We live in a very difficult world full of culture that is anti God's kind of love. In the media, TV and Movies and more, we are taught that love doesn't last and the expressions of love are always seen in physical affection of something like that. But God's view is very different. I learned about the different types of love or showing you love someone from all different kinds of places, but the best places I learned where pretty simple and divinely chosen places. First, my mother was the first to teach me about unconditional love. Because I was a perfect child, I mean less than perfect, she always took me in and made me feel special. Then I learned that love from special people like a teacher or neighbor who understood how to encourage and love as God loves. I learned from God in huge ways when I let Him in (and He is sti...

1 Peter 4:10-11 (nlt) --- God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. I am excited about the series we are sharing at church on Wednesday evenings. It is about Spiritual Gifts. The angle that we are taking is summed up in the title: Get FIRED UP to Serve God. Always God touches lives for specific reasons. That is clear from how He works all the way to the people who were changed on the outside. In other words, lives were and are touched and people were and are changed, and it is not just the person that God began with. They were all tied together, linked together in something kind of like a spider w...

I read lots of newsletters and blogs and try to keep up with things that are having a great impact for God's kingdom.  One I ran across not along ago is Steve Sjogren and his site www.serve-others.com .  Always right on material about serving and being acting in the kingdom.  Today was good!   Fresh Vision    " I've discovered an amazing thing, fresh vision doesn't usually come during zippity do da times when everything good is happening, or when there is positive forward movement and things are good. Fresh vision usually comes during times of crisis.    "At times vision is developed when we have hit a wall, when we have to dig deep, rethink and go back to the drawing board. For example: Israel faced a major crisis, the King had just died, What to do?, what to do? Isaiah dug deep, prayed and cried out. Then Isaiah saw the Lord, and was propelled inward to deal with his stuff and into outward-ness as the question was a...

Proverbs 9:9-11 (nlt) --- Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser.  Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.  Fear of the L ord is the foundation of wisdom.  Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.  Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.   There is nothing like it.  This experience will send you into a new realm of desiring God and sharing Him with others.  Maybe you've been there.  Either it is time to return or to head His direction for the first time.   No, I am not talking about your salvation day or when you accepted Jesus.  That was an awesome day.  I am talking about a time or the many times you have entered the presence of God, and He took over.   You knew He was there because of the feeling you got and by how different you left and have stayed in.   When the presence of God doesn't change us, we must not h...

Have you ever been to spaghetti junction outside of Atlanta?  It is the place where all the roads come together.  At that place several highways meet.  They mix and mingle, twist and turn allowing traffic to go various directions.  The first time I was there I was almost horrified, yet with each visit I was more confident about the direction to take and the roads to travel.  I still get lost from time to time.   That series of roads coming together in one location reminds me of the thoughts and teaching we come across in our world.  There is so much that we can take in.  From every direction some one is trying to teach us or give something to us, get us to do something or direct our thoughts and life and more.  It is confusing to say the least.   Colossians 2:8 (nlt) --- Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this wor...

"Going through life without a dream is like going shopping without a list." - Rick Warren   Just a simple thought for today.  Do you have dreams?  Have your dreams ever come true?  Mine have, and they have been in big and awesome ways.   I recently went to our post office box only to find that my thoughtful father got something for our church that was way cool.  On my arrival at home and opening the box, I found a wood cut out of this word: DREAM.  You see, my dad knows my dreams.  We need to share our dreams.   Often times dreamers dreams are shot down because their dreams are outragious or seen as out of touch or maybe even impossible, yet God will fill our dreams.  If we let Him, He will fill them.  We need to teach our children, let our churches and live in such a way that dreams come to life.  To live for, serve and see awesome God things means that we have to dream.   Recently I taught on Jo...

James 3:8-11 (esv) --- B ut no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.  Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?   I have never had my mouth washed out with soap.  Have you?  You see, in my childhood I watched my two older brothers get in trouble (not too bad), and I learned how not to go there.  Does that mean I was perfect and did nothing to get in trouble for?  No, it means I made sure my folks didn't find out (confession is good for the soul).   Have you ever been amazed, as I have, by the people who claim to be God's kids and then sound like the Devil's team at various times?  I have seen it and heard it and even know it has been true of me. ...

I like the old commercial..."this is your brain...this is your brain on drugs."  It relates to my thoughts for the day.  When we let our brains be filled with junk it kind of looks like that brain on drugs.  Get the picture?   2 Corinthians 10:5  (nasb)   --- We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.   Ever struggle with your thoughts and your mind?  Often I think that I am loosing my mind, but that is not what I am talking about.  There are thoughts that come in and some even stay.  They lead us to doubt, hurt, hurt others and even toward sin.  So what do we do with those dangerous thoughts?   Fact is, God has given us His Word, the Bible, as a tool to battle these thought patterns that are deadly.  The verse above implores the Christian, you and me, to let God capture the thoughts tha...

James 1:5 (nlt) --- If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. Ask God for some insight and know what you will get? An answer and help. Not only is our God real, but He is really active in the lives of His kids. Why is it that we miss Him at times or fail to hear His voice? It could be because we are not looking for an answer or for help after we ask. 12 years ago I began a search that led me to study in depth Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. What an eye opening experience those months where! Come to find out, some of the same notes I made then have become of huge value to my work and my life now. God is always working, and He gives us His best. All we need is to be listening and looking. One of the ways this is true is in a small book I bought during that time I of study. Yes, I read some of it, and then placed the book on the shelf. Last year I began reading another book, and come to find out, it is by the same author. After co...

I ain't stuck no matter what any one says. Yes, I quote from the guys who touch my thinking and my heart, and most of the time these are men who are passionate about God and church. So, I cannot apologize either. No one has said anything to me about this. My point is (as I have heard for decades) "there is nothing original" and each of us does not have to "reinvent the wheel" just to get out point across. Does that make sense? When I needed a word yesterday, I sat down with Mark Batterson's book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day again and heard God say some things. So, I am going to quote Mark (from pages 53-4) and pray that God will let us know where our lions are and face them with courage. "There comes a time when you have to fave your fears and take a stand for what is right. That is what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did. They ricked their lives when they refused to bow to a ninety foot idol. "I've got to be honest. I would hav...