Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Please pray for me and the team I will serve with in Cuba the next 10 days.  It is an honor to partner with the Sports ministry in Cuba (FCA or known as MADEM in Cuba).  This ministry is making a difference in the lives of people across the country. How is that?  Thanks for asking. FCA serves athletes and coaches through all kinds of avenues with the intent of sharing the Gospel with each and every person.  Along the way the team of FCA staff (more than 10 people) are meeting needs of their neighbors, church members and others.  That happens in all kinds of ways, and that keeps me even more excited about this incredible work. Philippians 2:9-11  NLT   Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Over the n...

When we know how and what God thinks of us, it is easier to know how we should think about ourselves.   In fact it is not only comforting to know how God thinks about us, but these facts reassure our faith. Read through these verses and note what God thinks about you: Isaiah 43:4   NLT   Others were given in exchange for you.   I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you. Matthew 10:29-31   NLT   What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. Psalm 139:17-18   NLT   How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 18  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! Those ar...

  Let’s dig in even more.   Scripture is one of things that we might take for granted, but making it a daily part of like will help us see what God sees and to be stronger in our faith. Here are several verses that remind me why God gave is the Bible, the Word of God.   Check them out and apply each of them. Psalm 119:105   NLT   Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. 2 Timothy 3:16-17   NLT   All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. Hebrews 4:12   NLT   For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.  Psalm 19:7,14   NLT...

  The power of God’s truth continues to amaze me.  We are studying the book of Romans at church, and as I dig deeper and further I see the hand of God.   God is amazing and working and bigger His goodness and love gets.  Take some time to examine what you see in Scripture and how He is working in the lives of the people around you.   This passage helps me see and get to know God. Romans 8:35-39  NLT   Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for t...

  God is everywhere and at all times.  That is really hard to understand.  It is even hard for us to remember.   That is a problem of our faith when we don’t recognize and enjoy the presence of God.   The enemy tells us we are alone.  Even deeper in trouble when we live without help and hopeless, yet that could not be further from the truth that God gives us.   The people of God were set to inherit the Promised Land, but they struggled to understand the presence of God.  They needed to know that God was with them.  Often they acted like God was no where around.   The presence of God saves us from heartache and gives us direction for every day and every situation.  To believe what God says, to practice His presence daily, helps our days turn out much different.  Realize God is with us today just like He was in the past.     John 14:16-28  NASB I will ask the Father, an...

  The overflow of the Easter season is huge, and I am not sure how to share it all with you.  So, let me begin with some verses that have made their way through my mind and heart once again.  They caught my attention in kind of an unexpected way. Psalm 46:1-2,10  NLT   God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. 2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea…  10 “Be still, and know that I am God!  I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Verses that I have read many times before, but this time they carried some weight and meaning that took me a little by surprise.  It is not because of something huge that is happening.  It is because God has a plan and is sharing His plan.  More about the the overflow from Easter. He is my refuge.  He gives me reason not to fear.  I know Him and the more still I become and the most I...

  It is Good Friday of Easter week.  It is the day where the full meaning of God sending His son, and it is the peak of the efforts of those who were set to remove Jesus from this world.  This day is the highest point of the purpose Jesus was sent.   He is the Christ, the sacrifice, and without the cross there would not be a resurrection.  Remember that without Jesus' death, and His life before death, there would be no life after death.    1 Corinthians 1:18  NASB For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.   The cross is the place where we fall apart or where our sin falls away.  The cross was harsh and cruel because sin deserves punishment.  Even Jesus’ beatings leading up to the cross would leave him close to the point of death.  Yet on the cross is where He died.   Why do they call this day “Good Friday” because it seems any thing but good?...

  Thursday of holy week.  Some refer to this day as Maundy Thursday, and it is one of the biggest, most important and memorable days of the Easter season. It really is holy Thursday that inaugurated the Lord’s Supper.  Jesus shared with His closest followers the meaning of his body and blood in the foreshadowing of His death that was only hours away. In that prepared room, where the passover was celebrated, several acts and parts of the conversation left marks on all who heard. First is the meal itself.  No more is the remembering of former times, but now it is what Jesus did. 1 Corinthians 11:25-26  NLT   In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. Second is the act of hu...