Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Hello family and friends - It is going to be a great Sunday at church, but there are a few things that will make it an even greater day.  Check these notes below.  Bring some people with you to church. 1.  It is TIME CHANGE.  Change your clock before you go to bed Saturday night.  Fall back or turn back your clock one hour. 2.  Bring FOOD with you to church.  Our food pantry is low, and your help is needed.  With all that is going on with the government shutdown there is even more need.  Bring non-perishable foods that are shelf stable.  Look at our church facebook page for more ideas of what to bring. 3.  Get ready for BIBLE STUDY.  It is the first Sunday of the month, and that means we will meet for Bible study at 9am.  We are studying what we believe.   4.  Do you want to KNOW MORE about The Community Fellowship?  Starting soon we will offer "Community 101" which is a 4 week class that gives you the opportunity to learn more about faith and the church.  This is also how yo...

  Romans 1:16  NLT   For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. I am not ashamed.   That is a powerful statement.  It can be about anything in life that we think about, talk about and have feelings about.   Shame is a bad thing.  It keeps us held back, knocked down, tied up and unable to be who God intends for us to be. So does being unashamed mean that we are free and have power?  I think that could be the case and more.   Paul says he is unashamed of the Gospel because he knows it is the power of God.  Anything we are convinced about and even empowered by will be something we are not ashamed of. Sunday we complete our study of the book of Romans at our church.  For all of this year we have been looking through the book that began with that theme and truth … I am not ashamed.  And that phrase is tied to our salvation, the...

  Ephesians 6:18  NLT   Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. The power we want and the power God wants us to have is through our connection to God and to prayer. Romans 12:12  NLT   Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Spend some time learning from Charles Spurgeon about prayer in this e-devotion… Charles Spurgeon described prayer as the "slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence," stressing that prayer is not just a formality but vital, ongoing communication with God.  Spurgeon said… "The power of prayer can never be overrated. They who cannot serve God by preaching need not regret. If a man can but pray he can do anything."  "Prayer moves the arm that moves the world."  "Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the Kingdom."  "True prayer is the trading of the heart with God."  "N...

  This Sunday we complete our journey through the book of Romans.  It will be the 34th message in this series that began in January of this year.  Wow and so good. Our 2025 theme is “Road 2025” at The Community Fellowship.  The Roman Road has been something we have read together each and every week.  It is the truth of these verses found in the book of Romans that reminds us of our salvation and reminds us how we can tell others to come to know Jesus.   Once again I share these verses once again.  These powerful verses, truths from God’s word, guide us, empower us and even transform us as we know that salvation is a gift from God.  Read on…   Romans 3:23  NLT For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.   Romans 5:8 NLT But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.    Romans 6:23 NLT For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eter...

  Pray today for all those impacted by Hurricane Melissa.  As you know this storm is hitting islands where many already live in poverty with the lack of resources.  The storm will make life even more difficult.  Pray for the needs of the people.  Pray for those seeking to serve those in need.  Pray for the Gospel to be shared all around this situation.  There will be loss of lives in many places.  Pray for every family impacted. Romans 1:9  NLT   God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son. Many people where the storm is hutting are praying for the storm to lessen and for help.  Our friends in the eastern part of Cuba will see the impact from this storm.  But we know others in Jamaica and Haiti where the storm looks to be passing through. Psalm 86:1  NLT   Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; an...

  We are all looking for answers, but too often we are looking in the wrong places.  Where the question is big or little, seemingly insignificant or life changing, the best place to look for the answers is to the Word of God and to the one who loves us most   Let God speak to you.  Listen.  Take notes. Let God work.  Seek answers and seek God.  Think about that. Isaiah 55:6  NLT   Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.   There is the start.  Don’t stop there as you might need to let God speak and answer even deeper questions.  Psalm 139:23-24  NASB Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.   After you have heard God keep on seeking God. Where are you looking for answers to life’s toughest questions?  Here are a few important verses that we ne...

  We are back at the speedway serving along side some of the greatest team members in all the world.  Raceway Ministries in Martinsville offers refreshments, worship services, ADA guest assistance and lots of conversations about Jesus.  It is an honor to serve at our local speedway. Romans 1:10  NLT   One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you.   We all have opportunities.  Do we take them?   There are opportunities around us.  Do we see them?   And even more, do we care about the opportunities given to us?   Paul prayed for opportunities as the verse above says.  His eyes were open, and he was asking for a chance to use his story to help others.  We have the same kind of opportunities.   This week is just one more of those for the team I get to serve with.  It is time for the work of Raceway Ministries at Martinsville Speedway.  When the world comes to ou...

  1 Thessalonians 5:18  NLT   Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Right in front of you.  Do you see it? My wife and I have this conversation a lot, and she tells me I struggle seeing things because I look like a man looks.  You know what I mean. Being thankful is much the same.  Life is busy, and we forget to notice.  So much going on and so much to do that we miss the opportunities.  Those opportunities to be thankful for what we have, what we get to see and where God is working around us. Take some time today to notice.  Look what is in front you.  Be thankful.  Stop and stay thank you to God. This week I get to work with some of the greatest people through the ministry and work of Raceway Ministries at Martinsville Speedway.  I am thankful for this opportunity and what God does through the conversations and the serving. What is it you are missing?  It is right in...

  2 Chronicles 20:17  NASB   You need not fight in this battle; take your position, stand and watch the salvation of the Lord in your behalf, Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow, go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.” I woke with a song on my mind.  This happens a lot.  But at times the song is stronger and seems to have a meaning.  Therefore, I will remind you today what I believe God is saying to me. The song is The Battle Belongs to the Lord .  It is by Phil Wickham When all I see is the battle, You see my victory When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved And as I walk through the shadow, Your love surrounds me There's nothing to fear now, for I am safe with You So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees With my hands lifted high Oh God, the battle belongs to You And every fear I lay at Your feet I'll sing through the night Oh God, the battle belongs to You And if You are for me, who can be against me? Yea...