Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  Yesterday I encouraged us to embrace moments of growth.  There are lots of opportunities, even daily, to learn and grow. Growth is something that should be natural an even desired.  Yet what keeps us from growing can be many things.  It could be thinking too little of yourself.  It could be thinking too much of yourself.  It could be that you think you have already grown enough. It is my understanding that God desires us to grow and learn all the way to the moment that we have no more life in us.  Desire to grow.  Desire to be more like Jesus.   Ephesians 4:15-16  NLT   Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.  Those v...

  The people that come through our lives are important.  Some we learn from.  Some learn from us.  Some do both.  It is my firm belief that God intends for us to make a difference in this world and to connect with people as we live. What I would like to remind us of today is to learn.  Take in what you see other people doing, how they live and work, the difference they make, and let your life be better because of those people. Be assured of this fact, it is easier to pull someone down than to lift them up.  You have to choose to not let things pull you in the wrong direction.  You have to choose to get better and stronger.  We must choose to be people of strong convictions and strong faith in our God. Jesus said it this way… Matthew 11:28-30  NLT   Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle a...

  We move closer to our back2school outreach, and I am excited because of several different reasons.  I will confess that there have been several challenges this year.  Yet what we continue to be excited about and encouraged by is how God continues to come through. Volunteers have been so good.  Support and sponsors have come on board to help in great ways.  And there is more. Please pray that this Tuesday hundreds of students will register to be part of this year’s outreach.  Pass the word, but most of all pray. As we move toward the big day of August 2 I call your attention and mine to how Jesus responded to a request from those closest to Him.  This is something that applies to your life and mine.  Let us learn how to pray even more. Luke 11:1  NASB   It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, when He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples. Simp...

  Mark 8:31-32  NLT   Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. 32 As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. Two weeks from today is what we call “Good Friday”.  What is good about it? It is the day that we remember how Jesus was taken to and died on the cross.  It was meant for the worst of criminals and not a perfect Savior, yet God let Jesus be placed there. Jesus willing went to the cross, laid down His life and had your wrongs and mine put on Him.  All this for a purpose. But that is two weeks from now.  Take a minute today and think the thoughts that maybe the disciples thought.  Jesus said He would have to die.  He would not be with them much longer.  ...

This is Valentine’s Day week, and it is a great time to learn more about how to love the special people in your life.  Remember all the while that God loves you. 1 John 4:9-10  NLT   God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Knowing that truth helps us love others.  Loving is easier to do when we know that God loves us no matter what. 1 Thessalonians 3:12  NLT   And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. I want to give us some personal application of how to love those who are closest to us.  We need to learn how to love others the best way possible.  It is an act of love to be able to love well. Dr. Gary Chapman wrote a book titled The 5 Love Languages...

  We continue our road through the book of Romans that we are on this year at The Community Fellowship.  This past Sunday we looked at Romans 2:1-16 asking who is our judge. We know that is God, but often we get this out of line by giving authority to the wrong people in our lives.  Maybe it is a person who we think too much or too little of.  Maybe it is ourselves who end up judging others too much and not as much on us. Here are a couple take aways from Sunday’s sermon that are worth remembering often.  First, be careful how you look at, size up and judge others. James 7:24  NLT   Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly. 1 Samuel 16:7  NLT   But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” God looks at the heart.  He knows our motives and even our actions and ...

  Acts 3:20  NLT Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.   Some places are more special than others.  You probably have a few memories as I do.  Places that come to mind that I love to remember left a mark on my life and even some encounters I remember several different people.    First, it really is about time with my God.  Several places hold a special in my heart.  Second, this includes people who shaped my life and have meant much to me.  Some are family.  Some are people who poured into my life.  All are significant.   1 Samuel 12:7  NLT  Now stand here quietly before the lord as I remind you of all the great things the lord has done for you and your ancestors.   Here are a few that hold a special place in my heart.   --- In middle school I spent some afternoons working with my one of my teachers cutting grass....