learning to trusting God

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

There are phrases, words, comments, thoughts and even conversations that continue to ring in your mind and sometimes in your heart for some reason. I have some that stick out because the situation was important or touched your life. Some stick out because God confirmed His word and His promises.

Philippians 4 is one of those places for me.

It begins, the verses above, with simple instructions about our attitudes. Often our attitude displays that we think life is worth living and our lives count. Joy is a big deal. We should let everyone see how confidence and our compassion. These verses call that “considerate”. I will simply define that as kindness in action. It is not passive. It is strong and thoughtful.

The next verses are the ones that stick out for me in really big and important ways.

In the fall of 1992 much was going on for me. I began to pastor my first church in a rural area of south Georgia near the college I was attending. I lived in a mobile home next to Bear Creek Baptist Church. That is something I remember well.

In the spare bedroom was a bed that looked like it had rarely been used, but that was the place where I remember these verses coming to life. I prayed them often. I thought through them and even placed them in every place I knew to claim them.

God taught me as a 21-year-old young preacher to trust Him in any situation. I could literally see how His peace would cover my heart and mind. I learned to keep on praying!

The rest is history, as the saying goes.

What we learn from pouring over Scripture and seeking God will take us further than we can go on our own. Those days of kneeling next to that spare bedroom bed have taught me to trust God and worry less because His peace is my peace.

On a special note, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my incredible dad, Richard Harrison!!!

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you

happy Thanksgiving

thursday e-devotion From my family to yours. From The Community Fellowship church family to you. Happy Thanksgiving!!!! 1 Chronicles 16:8 (NLT) Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.

share your faith story

Have you read through Hebrews 11? I have referenced that chapter in the devotions this week as we have been talking about faith. It gave us a definition as well as the fact that faith is what pleases God. Hebrews 11:1-3,6 NLT Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. 3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen… And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. The list includes people with stories. You have a story. A good story. Abel who was killed by his jealous brother. Enoch who never died. Noah who let one of his kids get him drunk. He did build the ark. Abraham who lied about his wife by saying she was his sister. Hebrews 11:13 NL

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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