Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  It is the Christmas season, and one of the things we talk about is JOY.  May we prepare to be joyful and to share joy with others.  Why?  Here are some reasons… share joy! Psalm 20:5  NLT May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory and raise a victory banner in the name of our God. May the Lord answer all your prayers.   Psalm 28:7 NLT The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.   Psalm 32:2 NLT Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!   Psalm 126:3 NLT Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!   Nehemiah 8:10 NIV Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not g...

There is so much more to living the Christian life than just being a Christian.  Yet I want to make sure we both understand that Christianity is not a checklist of do’s and don’ts.  It is not religion but relationship. Here are some key thoughts about relationship, our daily walk with and getting to know Christ: John 1:12 NKJV “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name”. Being a Christian is asking Christ to come and live inside of you.  This relationship is a day in and day out way of life.  In other words you don’t add God to your life.  God is life and part of every area of life. Like in marriage as a husband I am to treat my wife like Jesus treated the church.  We are to live with understanding and love. To neighbors and those we come in contact with we are to offer grace and kindness in every way possible.  That is a different way because so often humanity says we are to do w...

  John 12:23-26  NLT   Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. 26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. You heard that right.  Unless something dies it cannot give life.  There is a paradox of the most difficult kind.  Death and Life.  The Bible tells us so many things about this subject, and then we turn to Christmas. Christmas is about the gift of life.  God gave His son, Jesus, who was born that first Christmas in such a miraculous way.  We will talk through all of those things in ...

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  May God be so very real to you and your family.   We are blessed.  We have been gifted with so many of the blessings from God.  That makes me even more thankful. As I said in Monday’s devotion… when we know where our salvation is from, it is so much easier to be thankful. Share with others that you are thankful.  Share what you are thankful for.  Ask others what they are thankful for.  Let people know that God is an important part of your life.  That sharing may change their lives. Here are verses we shared at church on Sunday about being thankful! 1 Chronicles 16:8  NLT Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Psalm 30:11-12  NLT   You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, 12  that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.  O Lord my God, I will give you thanks fo...

  Who is next?  I mean who is the person that God working on.  It might be that God is working on this specific person that they would accept Him as savior.  It might be that God is working in a person that He is calling to a specific ministry to serve in some way. Because you and I are human and not God we don’t know exactly what God is doing.  Since that is the case we need to understand how we can help people get closer to God as well as to respond to His call in their lives. Pray. Romans 10:1  NLT   Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. Colossians 1:11  NLT   We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, Encourage. 1 Timothy 2:12  NLT   We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. ...

This is one of those weeks where we know what is expected of us.  GIVE THANKS.  That is easy.  Happy thanksgiving to you and your family! Do you know just how blessed you are?  When we know we are blessed, we will end up being thankful.  When we know where our blessings come from, we will give God our thanks over and over again. Where does this thanks come from?  It comes from deep inside you and me.  it is become of our salvation.  Totally from God and totally of God’s work.  I did nothing to get it.  There is nothing I can do to lose it.  Salvation is one of those things bigger than us and leads to being thankful. Isaiah.  He is the guy that was willing to do what needed to be done when he saw and heard the need. Isaiah 6:8  NLT   Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” That is a powerful statement and a strong commitment to ...

Blessed.  That is a word I think about often.  I also use it verbally a lot.  The reason is because I believe it is a reality. Did you know that our perspective is our reality?  God reveals this if we just stop and notice what He has done and even what He is doing. Ezekiel 36:26-28  NLT   And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. 28 “And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God. Those verses stick out for so may reasons.  It is the blessing of being changed by and saved by our God.  He continues to change my heart.  His ways lead to blessings, or realizing how blessed we are. I have been reading for several weeks through Ezekiel in my daily readin...