Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Deuteronomy 28:13 NIV  “The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.” There are some verses that you come across that hit you, won’t leave you and keep you thinking for someone.  That verse is one this happened with yesterday.  It was in my daily reading.  Powerful. It is my understanding that the promises of God are not just for way back when.  They are for today.  Trust Him.  Seek Him.  Watch Him work. But God isn’t a magic something that we go to get what we want.  He has a plan, and what He does is to complete us and to bring His glory as well as to see that His plan to in place.  I have seen this time and time again.  Have you?  Have you watched something come together in your life that you thought was useless or never ending? God is at work.  Trust Him. Go...

I want to share our family devotion from last night because it seemed to hit a cord in me as well as in some others.  It is day 3 from a reading plan called “Dealing with Uncertainty” from Bible.com Read on and may this speak to you as did did to me: Exodus 32:1  When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us.”  400 years. That’s how long the Israelites waited for God to deliver them from slavery. But after they left Egypt, God didn’t take them directly to Canaan. Instead, they camped at the base of a mountain while God instructed Moses.  But after 40 days, the Israelites grew frustrated. Their delayed expectations led to poor decisions: they rejected God and pursued whatever pleased them.  If you’ve ever felt frustrated by an uncertain season that lasts longer than you anticipated, you’re not alone. We can become so focused on our d...

This past Sunday we finished our series on Nehemiah and were reminded that turning from God at any point leads to the corruption of our home, families, communities and so much more.  If we truly learn to listen and follow God, we will  continue to make a difference and be found worshipping Him each day. It is too easy to turn away from God.  Some think that their bad decisions keep them from being loved by God or serving Him.  Some think because they are too old to serve God.  Some think that they simply are too far from God.  Nothing could be further from the truth. If you’re not dead, you’re not done. There’s more for you to do. — Craig Groeschel   Take a different look at what God is doing in our lives.  How about a look at our world?  People need Jesus, and there is much to do. Romans 13:12  NIV The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Put aside what do...

  King Jesus. A king is not to be treated the way Jesus was, but Jesus isn’t a king like others who have come to power.  The thing I want to remember is that our king will return and take the everlasting throne. It is up to us how we honor this king.  Easter is only a few weeks away, and as we prepare for this special Christian holiday may we be the ones who quietly lift up Jesus for us and our families.  May we also lead others to see why we trust Jesus and believe what we do. Psalms 136:3  NLT   Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever. Deuteronomy 10:17  NLT   For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. That is who we serve.  He is king.  But a different kind of king.  The Bible reminds us of His humble birth and His cruel death.  Yet this is the king that God sent us to honor and to know ...

As we close out this week I challenge you to encourage the people you are around.  It is easy and costs you nothing to be kind to the people you come in contact with.  Everybody is dealing with something.  Help others see and know the joy God has given you. Encourage each other.  Be kind.  Make a difference. 1 Thessalonians 5:11  NLT So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. Who has been kind to you?  Who has shown you kindness or gone out of their way to serve you?  Who has stopped what they were doing to let you know you have great value?  I bet there are many of those in your life as there are in mine. My parents.  They believed in me.  Dad is still here but mom is in heaven.  Both have left an incredible mark on my life like I want to leave for my kids. Some pastors who loved me and blessed me while I was growing up.  Bill Collins gave me a chance to serve at his church.  Jerr...

Earlier this week I shared from John 12 some insight that kept ringing in my heart.  Well, I have to turn back there again, and yes, I missed sharing with you yesterday.  Let’s see if I can make up for it. In the verses I am going to share today I’d like to ask that you choose to look at them from the position of a follower of Jesus.   What did you experience when you were with Him? How did His teaching and His mannerisms impact you? Which of these things do you need to apply to your walk with Him? Read on with those questions in mind. John 12:44-50  NLT   Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. 45 For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. 47 I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge...

There is power in the knowing the truth.  Some things seems to be naturally true while others you might have to be convinced about.  The Bible is a great place, really the best place, to learn the truths God has to share. In my reading yesterday I came across some familiar verses that seemed to pop off the page and pop in to my heart.  These might be a little obscure for you, but I remember from early in my learning to follow Jesus. John 12:24-26  NLT   I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. 26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. Death is a reality.  These verses don’t speak of physic...

  The title of our current series is reBuilding and a walk through the book of Nehemiah, and I would like to remind us of who we are and who our God is.  Nehemiah shows up to rebuild Jerusalem the city.  Not just the walls and gates but the people and the population.  He rebuilds its infrastructure as everything lays in ruins, yet God has a plan. When we think it is all over, God still has a plan.  When our lives or our families have ended up in devastation, God still has a plan.  When we see people hurting and no possibility for the future, God still has a plan, and that plan includes you and me. In the middle of our struggle or the storm where do we find God?  The truth is, God has found us.  He finds us all the time.  He never has given up on His people.  Jerusalem is yet another example of God’s unending, enduring and excellent love that we have so much to learn from.   In the middle of the story (several chapters of Nehemiah) w...

Jack. He strolled into our Saturday addiction ministry service about two years ago led by one of our faithful men, Fred Spencer, who went to high school with Fred and was very concerned about his old friend.  Jack had led a tough life full of struggle and some not so good choices. That was then.  In the last few weeks, even on a recent Sunday, Jack shouted at me one more time “I am the righteousness of Christ”.  And he meant it. Daily this gentleman would pour over the word of God.  Before getting a new Bible at Christmas, one that was much easier to read, Jack would read his Bible and often call his pastor friend in Georgia to discuss what he was reading.  Jack had fallen in love with his God and the word of God. His testimony was strong.  One that several people heard first hand about the power of addiction and the results of those choices.  One of his children who had continued to make tough choices and had issues of various kinds. Jack’s life chang...

Some times you just have to share.  I heard a story or a lesson from a friend this week that has keep me thinking and is one incredible truth. As I share today I encourage you to thank God for His gifts.  Our breath is one of those gives.  Praise Him.  Use your voice.  Make your life count.  Think long and hard about the way your life is connected to God. Read on and thank you to Jason Dove, a dear friend, for sharing this: “Let everything that has breath Praise His Name” There was a moment when Moses had the nerve to ask God what His name is. God was gracious enough to answer, and the name He gave is recorded in the original Hebrew “YHWH”. Over time we have added an “a” and an “e” in there to get YAHWEH… probably because we have a preference for vowels. But scholars and rabbis have noticed that the letters YHWH represent “breathing sounds” or aspirated consonants, and when pronounced without vowels, they actually sound like “breathing” .... YH for inhale a...

One last day looking at these verses from Psalm 139 and thinking about how God search us.  He knows all.  He knows us better than anyone else. Do we trust God enough to deal with what He shows us?  Are we willing to listen so we become stronger? Psalms 139:23-24  NLT   Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. That is a prayer that King David lifted to God  It is a prayer of confidence in God.  It is a prayer of transparency.  It is not just words.  It has heart in it. There are several truths that are expressed in this important prayer.  Acknowledge what God knows, how He works and that He loves us.  Asking God to work in our lives changes us for the good.   Some truth… God knows my heart.   Psalm 44:21  NLT God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart. The hea...

There are so many things that I see in this verse.  Mostly it is personal.  But it is all tied to my faith lived out and following Jesus.  There is more to the verses and to the story than I shared yesterday.   But what I want to draw your attention to is similar to what I shared yesterday.  Let’s take another look.  Maybe from a different angle. Psalms 139:23-24  NLT   Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Search me, O God.   That is a request made of our God.  Go directly to the source.  Allow Him to open the truth and deal with you.   It is people you trust that you let deal with you and your problems.  You let the doctor deal with your health and healing.  You let a counselor in to your heart and head to do with hurt, pain and actions.  You let your spouse and your children b...

  Psalms 139:23-24  NLT   Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. That passage came screaming at me when I was a teenager.  It was that time when a friend I was very close to was moving across country.  This friend was a special part of our youth group. Our group spent time together 3 or 4 times every week.  We were tight.  We studied the Bible together, we served people together, we played together, we ate together and spent lots of time together.  There were about 10 of us that were almost inseparable.   But one of our friends was moving.  We might ever see her again.  She took my Bible for a couple days and marked some verses for me to look at later.  The two verses above were some of those, and this was most likely the first time I have ever seen them. That is why they were important, but tha...

  We need perspective.  Perspective is much about the understanding of what we see.  If you change your position, your perspective might change as well.  It is like seeing something up close and then moving away, seeing something from ground level then moving five stories in the air.  It really changes things a lot.  Your perspective changes. I think this is something of what Paul was talking about in Philippians 3.  These verse stream off the page, and to look at it a little different or to apply them in a different way may make them come alive. Here is what I mean… take them at face value as true and note the various things about faith that come to life.  Now make them a part of prayer with each piece a different prayer.  Let’s read it. Philippians 3:9-11  NLT   …I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depe...

  Much of the following devotion was shared through the e-devotion in March of 2007 and remains true now.  My prayer is that we will choose to grow in our faith and help others grow as well.  Read on… Colossians 2:2-3  NLT I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Who are the people that encourage you the most? For me there are three different types of people that light my fire. The first are Christians excited about their relationship with God. The second like minded servants of God (church planters, pastors and others). The third is people who have taken extra interest in or invested in my life over the years. Man, do I need their encouragement. To disconnect ourselves from people who encourage us is awful and will cause deep trouble in our lives. Alone we are in troubl...

One of my favorite verses and one that I note on most letters I write is James 1:5.   It speaks of God’s offer to give us wisdom.  Wisdom is a gift from God and transcends anything we can come up with one our own. James 1:5  NIV   If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. That verse that says that God gives generously to those who ask.  I like that.  Our God is generous.  His wisdom is available to all who ask, to all who need and to all who call out to Him for this gift. Don’t miss that truth.  Wisdom doesn’t come as a faucet you turn on or some magically transferred something.  It is not a mystery either. Those who have wisdom seek it.  Those who act with wisdom have studied it.  Those who speak with wisdom are connected to the wise.  I want that kind of wisdom day in and day out. The person who has Jesus must first confess that he or she ne...