Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Would you say that you stay pretty busy?  Are you tired much of the time?  Let’s keep going.  Do you worry or deal with stress?  Be honest.  Do stress, fear or worry seem to hang on? If any of that is true of you, I believe God may have a word for you as he does for me today.  The idea I speak of is rest.  I believe from the core of my being God desires for us to lean on Him all the time.  Do you agree?  I further believe that leaning on and trusting in God will deal in big ways with the worry, the stress and the tiredness of our lives.  God is the example we are to follow: Genesis 2:1-3 NLT So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. Go...

This is a tough subject that has been talked about in many different places and from all kinds of angles.  It can talk about someone who died.  It can talk about a change in a person’s life from one situation to another.  This could be marriage, the birth of a baby, the change of jobs or a move to a new community.  Or many other things. Listen in to what the Apostle Paul had to say as his life was coming to an end. 2 Timothy 4:5-8   NLT 5  But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. 6  As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7   I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8   And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will gi...

The way we treat others speaks volumes about who we are and to what God has done in our lives.  To be impacted by the grace of God and giving others the grace of God we will understand that grace lives in our lives.  Grace was given to us by Jesus, and Jesus lives through our lives. Colossians 1:6   NLT This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world.  It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace. His wonderful grace changed us, gave us eternal destiny as well as help to live differently.  Grace bears fruit in changed lives.  Ours and others changed! Titus 3:7   NLT Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. It doesn’t seem right that our sin would be totally removed and that we are completely forgiven.  God de...

Philippians 3:13-14  GWT (Pail said) Brothers and sisters, I can’t consider myself a winner yet.  This is what I do: I don’t look back, I lengthen my stride, and I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus. Staying in one place too long is not a good thing in my opinion.  It is important that we keep moving, making progress and seeing that we, and the people around us, find success. As Jesus encountered people He was always challenging them, and one of the most difficult was when he dealt with religious leaders, as in the Pharisees and Sadducees.  These were the people who saw Jesus rocking the proverbial boat the entire time He was on earth.  Jesus questioned their reasoning, their piety and their self-absorbed religious practices.  Their beliefs were based on the law and tradition rather on faith in God. I have just returned from a visit to the LA Dream Center, and Keith Fulcher return...

It was 13 months ago that Keith and I got on an airplane to go to Los Angeles, and today we are flying back home.  Some awesome things have happened in these last 390 days.  Discipleship has happened as Keith was part of the LA Dream Center’s Discipleship program. To hear Keith’s testimony go to my Facebook page to watch it from Sunday’s graduation.  The link is this: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151925167651742&set=vb.707071741&type=2&theater 2 Corinthians 5:17   NLT This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! It is awesome to listen to Keith share about where he has come from the last year, but what gets your attention even more is the last 40 years of alcohol and drug abuse.  He would share with you about the pain he caused, the money he lost and the time that is never to return.  What led up to Keith going to LA is the times...