Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  Who inspires you?  My answer is many different people in my book.  Often these are people very close to me, but at times they are people from history or stories I have heard.  Each story or person has left a mark on me by being an inspiration.  We need to be inspired.   There are people who stick out because they loved me and others sacrificially.  Then there are people like Mother Teresa or Billy Graham.  Move on to the sweet little lady at church that serves faithfully or a friend that few people know but has made a a huge difference in many lives.   Romans 12:9  NLT Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.   Loving the way Jesus loves is incredible.  It is inspiring.  To love like like Jesus loved is a high calling and stirs up confidence as you help someone know they have value and are loved.   John 15...

  There are some people who stand out in our lives.  Some are not known by many others but others are famous.  It is these special people that have made a difference in your life in one way or another. I would tell you about the sweet littl e lady that poured wisdom in to your life.  That was in one of my first churches, and she was a sweet saint full of life and knowing God. Another is the Sunday school teacher from my childhood.  He was older and even missing a finger on one hand from a saw accident, but this man believed in me and the other boys in our class. How about that school teacher that gave me a chance and showed me how to think differently.  That same teacher still contacts me today to let me know that she is thinking about and praying for me. There are so many others, but there isn’t enough time here.  But I point you to a few thoughts that get my attention from someone who speaks in to my life… Those who leave everything in God’s hands wi...

Who are the people that inspire you?  There are many different people in my book.  Some of them are from history.  Some of them are from stories I have heard.  Some of them are personal and people who have impacted my life.  We need to be inspired.   Most of the people that stick out to me are those who loved sacrificially.  These are people like Mother Teresa or Billy Graham.  Others would be like the sweet little lady at church that serves so faithfully or a friend that has many times gone out of their way to serve you.   Romans 12:9  NLT Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.   Loving the way Jesus loves is sacrificial.  It is giving of itself not expecting anything in return or totally unconditional.     To love like this will help those loved be more confident and help more people know they ...

Inspiration is a big deal.  I remember several situations in my younger years where a group of people were led to encourage someone else. In elementary school our music teacher taught us Debbie Boone’s song  You Light Up My Life  that we sung to another teacher or to our principal on a special occasions.  Everyone in the class, or so I seem to remember, was excited to be part of singing this song to this special person. How will I inspire others?  How will I choose to encourage someone this weekend?  It is a choice to be the one who shares life and helps people know that they are special and important to others. Step up and be an encourager today. Hebrews 10:25  NLT And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but   encourage   one   another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. 2 Corinthians 13:11  NLT Dear brothers and sisters, I clo...

Who are the people that inspire you?  There are many different people in my book.  Some of them are from history.  Some of them are from stories I have heard.  Some of them are personal and people who have impacted my life.  We need to be inspired. Most of the people that stick out to me are those who loved sacrificially.  These are people like Mother Teresa or Billy Graham.  Others would be like the sweet little lady at church that serves so faithfully or a friend that has many times gone out of their way to serve you. Romans 12:9  NLT Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Loving the way Jesus loves is sacrificial.  It is giving of itself not expecting anything in return or totally unconditional.   To love like this will help those loved be more confident and help more people know they are lo...

Courage and encourage.  Inspire and inspiration. Those words bring many thoughts in to my mind, but the biggest of those is how we use our words.  The Bible is verse clear about the things we say and how they are used.  Our words are a choice and not an outcome of our situation. James 3:10  NASB from the same   mouth   come   both   blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Our words ought to be used for blessing. There are people we encounter every day that need to hear goodness and not pain, blessing and not cursing, encourage and not discourage.  Again, that is a choice. If we live our lives only for ourselves, we will be opportunities to be an inspiration to others.  We miss opportunities and blessings and seeing lives changed by the grace of God. Let your words build up the people you are around. May God fill our words with inspiration....

This past Sunday we began a new series at The Community, and this series is tied to our theme for back2school 2019. We are encouraging people to “love more” and to be creative in how we serve and share with others. When we know what we believe and why we serve, things will come in to line in our lives.  This was completely evident during our trip to Cuba the last couple weeks.  We served with some incredible men who are committed to pouring their wisdom and love for God in to the lives of the students they are serving. What makes us be passionate about serving?  I believe that the more we serve the more we understand our purpose in life. What keeps us strong in serving?  I believe that is know that we have hope in God and can trust His promises. Hebrews 10:23-24 NLT Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.   Let us think of ways to motivate one anot...