Michael Harrison's e-devotion

I love the holidays, but this is also the time that I miss some people who were very special to me.  That would include my mom who in heaven as well as some friends.  I miss my family that I am 1,000 miles away from.  I miss some friends that live a long way off. Thanksgiving is upon us, and this year is a strange one for us.  We are staying home.  You heard me right.  Most of the time we are making the trip to Julie’s family in Georgia or getting away to some cool location.  This time all of our children will be under one roof, all but our future son-in-law Sean who we will miss. From our family to yours, happy thanksgiving! 1 Chronicles 16:34  NLT Give   thanks   to the   Lord , for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. If you live in our area, that is Martinsville and Henry County, Virginia, there are some places you can get a meal or go to serve. Wednesday. There is a meal at Martinsville High School put on by the Harvest Foundation Youth boar

This week we have an opportunity for pure thanks to be given.  In fact, being thankful is as contagious as a smile.  That is when a person smiles during a hard situation and others question why you smile.  It becomes contagious.  Maybe it is like a laugh.  Have you had that happen?  When someone laughs and then another person and then another… Being thankful is much the same.  Try it.  Live it. Psalm 100  NASB Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.  Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.  For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations. Thankful is a choice.  It comes out of us through… Shouts of joy Serving with gladness Entering in His presence with b

Thanksgiving is just a few days away.  We have much to be thankful for, but we also need to understand what being thankful does to our attitude and how we deal with others. The real meaning of Thanksgiving, or at least what Webster’s dictionary says…  a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness ,  the act of giving   thanks, or a prayer expressing gratitude.   Sounds pretty good but there is more to it. Choose to Be thankful.  It is a command from God.  Being thankful is a result of enjoying life or having joy in life.  Selflessness is one part of life that has gratitude flowing from it. 1 Thessalonians 5:18  NLT Be  thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Some of the things we are to be thankful for are hard.  When we go through pain and struggles, it is hard to be thankful, but God uses the pain.  He will use it for us and for others. 2 Corinthians 1:4  NLT He comforts us in all our   troubles

Philippians 2:3-4    NASB Do nothing   from   selfishness or   empty conceit, but with humility of mind   regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not   merely   look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Thanksgiving is next week.  Christmas is one month away.  Whether you love or loathe the holidays, we all recognize this can be a hard time for some people. Some have lost loved ones that are dearly missed during this time of the years.  Others are alone and have no one or very few people to lean on.  These people are just as important and have just as much live to live as you and I do. So here is the deal and my point for this Friday.  Do something! Find someone who has a need and meet that need.  Be an encourager.  Give a gift.  Deliver a meal.  Sit and have a conversation.  Send a text.  Write a card or letter.   Do something that is not about getting what you want but giving someone else what they need.

What do you trust in?  Often we put things in front of God or trust in things that cannot help us through life and it’s struggles.  Give this a few minutes because what we trust might not be easily recognized. Proverbs 3:5-6   NASB Trust   in   the   Lord   with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.   In   all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Psalm 4:5  NASB Offer   the   sacrifices of righteousness, And   trust   in   the   Lord . Psalm 115:11  NASB You who fear   the   Lord ,   trust   in   the   Lord ; He is   their help and   their shield. Psalm 20:7  NIV Some   trust   in chariots and some in   horses, but we   trust   in the name of the   Lord   our God. What we trust in will show up in how we live and in what we say.  May our trust and faith lead others to trust in God!

I heard a sermon last week that has stuck in my head and heart.  It was about the “fear of the Lord”.  This is not the type of fear that is about being scared.  It is the fear of honoring and understanding holiness.  The Bible is full of truth about the “fear of the Lord” and how it is important to fear God.  In fact yesterday I shared a few promises from Psalm 112 about living in the fear of the Lord. Today I will do a little something similar.  Here are some verses, mainly from Proverbs about the outcomes and truth of what fearing God brings in to our lives.  Read and apply what God teaches you. Proverbs 1:7  NLT Fear   of   the   Lord   is   the   foundation   of   true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 9:10  NLT Fear   of   the   Lord   is   the   foundation   of   wisdom. Knowledge   of   the   Holy One results in good judgment. Proverbs 10:27  NLT Fear   of   the   Lord   lengthens one’s life, but   the years   of   the