Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Jesus wants you to be free.  That is the title of a devotion from Henri Nouwen, one of my favorite authors.  And that is a powerful title and truth. Freedom is not tied to situations or even locations.  I have talked to people who are in prison who share that they understand their freedom in Christ.  Then I have talked with people who are not free because of their choices and difficult struggle. My prayer is that we will know the kind of freedom that Henri Nouwen shares about.  This is the freedom that comes in Christ by believing what He says. Nouwen wrote: Jesus wants to free us from the chain that imprisons us.  He wants to free us by revealing that we are loved before we can give or receive love from anybody.  Jesus came to reveal to us the first love. The original love. We are called by Jesus to come in touch with that first love. 2 Thessalonians 2: 13  “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because...

  I have spent much of this week at a conference, and I have had the opportunity to reconnect with so many friends as well as spend time with some people that encourage me so much. All of us need to be around people who make us better and stronger.  Be encouraged and be an encourager.  That is one of the things we need to make sure happen in our lives. There are great benefits to encouragement.  Acts 14:22  NLT  where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. Some of the people I have connected with have history with me.  We have shared stories and even prayed together.  It has been good. Romans 1:12  NLT   When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. Much of the things that have encouraged me this week come from messages and testimonies.  Faith of others have...

  Romans 11:33-36  NLT Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! 34 For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?  Who knows enough to give him advice?  35 And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? 36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.   This week I am spending time at a conference.  One of the things that this requires is listening.  But we have to listen every day. My prayer is we will listen to what God is saying all the time.  Listening is an art and very important.  Listen is vital to following God. There is very little that we have to explain apart from Scripture. God shares with us that He is in charge, He is able and He has all of life in His hands.   Years ago I heard Pastor John MacArthur say something li...

  One of the most powerful things we can talk about really isn’t a thing but a person.  To be specific this is the third person of what we Christians know as the Trinity.  The trinity is made up of the three persons of the God head, Father and Son and Holy Spirit.  Sound familiar. Well, there is a day that many hold as very important.  It is Pentecost Sunday, the 49th day since Easter.  It is the day we remember that the Spirit was sent from God for us.  And the reason why the Spirit was sent is for our good and God’s glory.  So many things the Spirit of God does in our lives. Let me take some time today to help us remember the place that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, has in each of our lives. John 14:26  NLT   But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. The Spirit teaches us about God. Romans 8:26...

  Psalm 66:5,8,16  NLT   Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people! … Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing his praises. … Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. Look around.  Do you see it all? Sometimes it is not easy to see.  In fact we might even overlook it or even be annoyed by it because of our perspective or situation.  But look around. There are so many things that seem to be taken for granted without a thought and definitely without any thanks.  It is the simplest things.  It could even be the big things. The yard has to be mowed again.  I just mowed it a few days ago.  But did you notice how green it is and that it is growing. The kids or your spouse or your friend has another need that they asked you about.  But did you notice that they are smiling and even excited about seeing you and having life to live. Yes, the sun is up again,...

Hey Community Family There are a couple of opportunities to serve this weekend.  Let us know if you have any questions! Ready to serve? Two opportunities at The Community Fellowship Join us FRIDAY, June 6th at 6pm at the church in Collinsville for a special meeting for our VBS - Vacation Bible Saturday - planning meeting. For more info contact Chris Morgan Norman or Jessica Hicks. VBS is set for Saturday, June 21st. Be part of this!!! Join us SATURDAY, June 7th at 8am at our new campus for a work day. All help is needed. Everyone is welcome. For more info check with Kasim Adams. See you at our future campus! There is more to come. See you soon!!! With GOD as my guide, Pastor Michael Harrison -- James 1:5

  One of my favorite tools or books recently is “Praying the Psalms” by Daniel Henderson, and this week one day my wife and I read and prayed through Psalm 122.  It was a great reminder, and that is why I share with you today. This is another challenge.  Like the Proverbs Challenge I shared earlier this week, here is a challenge to get ready for Sunday worship before you go to church on Sunday. This is so good.  Keep reading… Too often as Christians, we attend Sunday worship hoping that whatever hap- pens there will put us in a better frame of mind than we woke up with. However, the opening declaration of Psalm 122 challenges us to arrive at the gathering of our local assembly already prepared to give our best to the Lord. Of course, no church is perfect, and often our circumstances can be very difficult. But when we start by remembering that our chief purpose for meeting together is to worship the Lord rather than getting an emotional fix or having all of our proble...