Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  Today’s e-devotion is a simple thought from one of my favorite authors, Henri Nouwen and is titled “A Life of Listening”.  I pray this encourages us to stop and listen even more. Galatians 5:25  “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the spirit."  I began to understand that when we listen to the Spirit, we hear a deeper sound, a different beat.  The great movement of the spiritual life is from a deaf, non-hearing life to a life of listening.  From a life in which we experience ourselves as separated, isolated, and lonely to a life in which we hear the guiding and healing voice of God, who is with us and will never leave us alone.

  Reminders are good things.  In fact I have heard some of this stuff for years, but because I am not from the country, don’t know sheep very well and have never been a shepherd, these are good reminders. Our church continues through a series titled “Get to Know the Shepherd” where we are looking at Bible passages that teach us about sheep.  Pretty awesome passages so far like Psalm 23 and John 10.  Yesterday we looked at Ezekiel 34, and this is good stuff.  Follow these reminders … Ezekiel 34  NLT  11 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search and find my sheep. 12 I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. 13 I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and in all the places where p...

  Our current series at The Community Fellowship is “Get to Know the Shepherd”, and Sunday I shared a message from Psalm 23.  David shared his experience as a shepherd and how it led him to know and follow God. Psalm 23:1  KJV The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. That is a personal word from personal experience.  Literally David that that God supplies his need through the relationship he has with God, the supreme shepherd.  What an awesome truth we need to hold to as well. 1 Peter 2:25  NLT   Once you were like sheep who wandered away.  But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. That is why Jesus came.  He is our shepherd and makes a huge difference because He seeks us, He died for us and He guides us all the time. Psalm 69:33  NLT   For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people. No matter our need, He knows and is ready to help.  Claim this truth.  He...

  This is going to be a great week as we have a mission team in town doing several mission projects as well as helping us get ready for back2school 2024.  Please pray for this team, our new campus for The Community Fellowship, back2school and all the impact our church and community will have from God. I am also sharing in this week’s e-devotion from Psalm 23.  Yesterday we looked at verses 1 and 6, the first and last of the chapter, where God gives us the reminders that He is our shepherd and is pursuing us. The first verse reminds us that He is our shepherd that guides, is gracious and loving present with His kids.  A shepherd leads His shepherd.  A shepherd makes sure that His sheep are fed and have waters.  A shepherd protects His sheep.  You can go further, but God is our shepherd.  It is personal as David wrote that the Lord is my shepherd.   Psalm 23:2-3  NLT   He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful stre...

There is something about us that changes greatly when we finally come face to face with God.  He changes us.  His love is poured out on us in refreshing ways. God has chosen His best gift to flow his salvation through.  This Sunday we continued our series “good God” by discussing how God is our Savior and how He rescues us on a daily basis. David in Psalm 30 describes this across the twelve verses in a way that make is very personal.  He talked about a sickness that almost took his life or maybe the deep, dark depression that loomed over his life.  God came close and rescued the one He loved so much. Hosea 13:4  NLT “I have been the Lord your God ever since I brought you out of Egypt. You must acknowledge no God but me, for there is no other savior. God continues to rescue.  He is our Savior.  Always will be our savior.  Just like God brought the people out of Egypt and through the Red Sea, He will bring us through. He is our God.  He co...

  Following God is one of the most incredible things in the world.  It is an experience like few others that leaves you changed, in awe and even looking at what might be next. One example of the presence of God and following Him is how Moses followed and led God’s people.  Read the next few verses and see that example.  Also notice what God might bring out in your mind. Exodus 40:34-38  NLT Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. 35 Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. 36 Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. 37 But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. 38 The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of...

  Christmas may come but once a year, but this season ought to influence the hearts of all who follow Jesus on an every day basis.  Remember that without God we are in deep trouble. We might want to do the right thing, get the right or best advise, and still end up going against the path God chose for us.  Seek and take the guidance of God.  That is another aspect of the Christmas story that it is worth our time to see how God led His people. Right here we will look at Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus.  He was a man of faith and a good man.  He was much older than his soon to be bride, and by the account of Scripture he wanted to do what was right. Read on… Matthew 1:19-20,24-25  NASB And her husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid...

Isn’t it amazing how we can find our way using telephone?  Put in an address one mile away or 3,000 miles away and whatever GPS application you use will guide you to the place you have set. Year’s ago I remember going online and printing out turn-by-turn directions that made our trip much easier.  When you made a wrong turn, it was hard to get back to the right route.  Those pages where like a treasure found by the greatest searcher. As a teenager traveling with my family and even when I was in college I remember those maps that my dad bought me at Sam’s Club.  Spiral bound, thick and colorful paper with double page spread of each state.  It even had some cool other maps to places everyone wanted to go. We need something to direct us.  After going somewhere a few times I don’t use a map or GPS any longer, but at first something had to guide me. The Christian life or really life itself needs direction. ...

Matthew 9:36  NLT When he saw the crowds, he had   compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like   sheep   without a shepherd. Problems arise quickly when someone has no guidance.  It is much like the verse we are using with our theme at The Community Fellowship this year of #2020Vision that says people perish or run wild without God-given vision or truth. I would say this is a problem rampant through our culture and around the world that we live in today.  The verse above says it well.  In fact go back to the Bible and notice that the words are most often printed in red meaning Jesus spoke them. Jesus said that people were on His heart because they needed a shepherd to guide and love them.  That is what God wants to do for each and every one of us.  He is guide and life.  He is strength and confidence.  He is peace and giver of truth.  Why d...

Every day brings about new opportunities and challenges.  Often I that old phrase stuck in my thinking that I have to simply “roll with the punches”.  Some things are literally out of our control. Life is not intended to be confusing and haphazard. In fact God intends for our lives to be marked by life and abundance.  That is often the overflow of following divine guidance.   Checkout the following passage: Ephesians 3:23-25 NLT Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. 24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. I am grateful for the grace of God that gives us salvation through Chris...