Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  It is Easter week.  Many call it holy week as we find ourselves in the middle of the most important week of Jesus’ life. You know, it really is the most important week of our lives, Spiritually speaking.  How do we see God through the paradigm of Easter?  Is it possible to follow Christ without understanding or believing in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus? We find ourselves in the middle of the week, Wednesday to be exact.  Most likely this day was one of rest and preparation for Jesus and those closest to Him.  He has been praised.  He knows what is coming.  His death is only a few days away. Sitting on His shoulders and firmly planted in the heart of Jesus is the purpose God gave His one and only son.  There is more to the story than the words He taught with.  There is more to the story than the need of humanity for forgiveness and life. We began the week as the Christ, celebrated and revered.  We will end the week with His being accused and killed as a criminal, beaten

It is holy week of the Easter celebration.  The day after the triumphant entry where Jesus was celebrated and hailed as the coming king of heaven as told of through prophecy.  So many points lead us and others, especially those who were there that day, to see the passion of this hero. Monday and Tuesday of Easter week finds Jesus teaching some very important and difficult lessons, but before I share those happenings, I share part of the story that stands out to me. Jesus was God, but Jesus was also human.  That is what made this man stand out.  Can you imagine the heaviness of the week?  Can you imagine being deity and knowing that the coming days were going to be hard and life changing.  Jesus kept on, followed the Father’s direction all the while helping others see the gravity of faith. On Monday Jesus went to the temple.  It was an incredible word that we still need to hear today. Matthew 21:12-13  NLT Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling

  Easter week or holy week is happening right now.  Yesterday we observed the triumphant entry of Jesus remembering the time Jesus entered Jerusalem just five days before He was crucified.   At this point He is celebrated and praised as the Christ and king.  On Friday He will be accused and cursed as a criminal sentences to death.  Making this a week wrought with irony, confusion and struggle. John 12:12-13  NLT The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors 13 took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God!  Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hail to the King of Israel!” The person praised is Jesus.  He is the first and the last.  He is one for us and going ahead of us.  He is the one for whom we live.  He is the one who brings the glory of a good, good father. Jesus is the one.  He is the real Hope Hero that we should be looking for.  Some say a savior nev

  The road to Easter is one that few had ever traveled before.  Yes, many had been hung on a criminals cross.  But before them was now a perfect man who would give His life in substitute for others. John 12:13  NLT they took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, indeed, the King of Israel!” That had to be an awesome day.  So many people had heard about Jesus, and now He is coming to town.  Crowds gathered to meet Jesus, to see who He is  and what He is about. They shouted praise on this day, but not many hours later their shouts would be much different.  Jesus came to town not to make people happy but to make people right with God. John 15:13  NLT There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. That is what Easter is about.  That is what the road to Easter, to the cross of Calvary, was all about.  Laying down His life, Jesus showed unconditional love. Romans 5:6  NL

Follow along.  Find the connection in these verses.  It might shed some light where there has been shade as of late. Isaiah 43:19  NLT For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Joel 2:28  NLT “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 2 Corinthians 5:17  NLT This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! Colossians 2:12  NLT For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. There are lots of connectors in those verses.  Some of them will stick out more than others.  Some you might have to dig for or use variant wording. But what

How do you deal with feeling like you are all by yourself or shut in?  That might not be a question you are dealing with now, but it has been one I have dealt with over the last year. There was a time we were quarantined for a couple weeks.  We felt alone then.  Early in the pandemic we were encouraged to keep our distance and even stay home.  We felt isolated a great deal at that time. Then, I go back in to my memory bank to the times I have dealt with depression.  Not the kind that I have been diagnosed with, but I have had bouts of rough times and chosen to cut myself off for a period of time from others.  I was shut off, by my own choice, during those times. How do you deal with times like that?  Good question. I remember getting my wife and son in the car early in the spring of 2020 and just driving.  Maybe for an hour or two we would discover new roads, try some different turns and enjoy time away, together but still alone. Other days we would get lost in TV shows or a movie or t

The following email is from Jeff Henderson of the FOR Company.  What Jeff shared made me stop and think, and that is why I share it with you today. This is good stuff.  It can be applied to almost any one, not just your pastor.  But you can understand why it catches my attention.  Read on… Last year, I received a 14-paragraph email from a couple upset about an email I had supposedly sent out regarding a current social topic. They said they were considering leaving the church but wanted to see my response before officially deciding.  The only problem was I had no idea what they were talking about. I asked if they could forward to me the specific email they were referencing.  A few minutes later, I received a two-sentence apology. Upon closer inspection, they noticed that the email was sent from a local magazine not our church. The email font “looked like the Church’s."  So, if you’re keeping score: The first email threatening to leave the church was 14 paragraphs. The second email

Luke 10:27  NLT The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Love God.  Love people.  It really is that simple. We continue our series #HopeHeroes at The Community Fellowship, and I suggest that the real heroes, the people who have true heroic character, are those who are doing all they can, using all they have and leveraging their lives to love others. Love does something to us.  When we know we are loved, we think differently about ourselves.  When we know we are loved, we respond differently to others.  When we know we are loved, we live our lives differently than people who lack genuine, unconditional love. 1 John 3:17  NASB But whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God remain in him? Be careful not to miss opportunities to love.  We have all seen how people miss this reality beca

Yesterday I shared some of the take aways from the Timothy + Barnabas conference I attended this week.  I want to finish that up with some more of the notes I took. The following are from the last day and from Benny Tate and Jordan Easley.  Read on and taken in what God makes stick with you… You can’t delegate the vision of the church.  God gives it, and we are responsible for sharing it. You can assist a ministry without owning the vision. Your vision comes from the burden God places on your heart. Without vision, people perish.  Without vision, people look for another parrish.  Yesterday’s home runs won’t win today’s games.  Babe Ruth Those closest to you over time determine your success. Don’t ever doubt what God can do through you. 4 things we can do for others: tell them you are proud of them, promote others, share your possessions with others, pray for others. Look for moments to maximize every moment for the glory of God. Every crisis is an opportunity.  Edwin Young These moment

  I am with some friends this week at a pastor’s conference.  It is called Timothy + Barnabas and led by Johnny Hunt.  This has been a good time.   I’d like to share some take aways with you.  These are more like one-liners and great take-aways.  Lean in and listen to what God might say to you. When God commissions, God commands, and we just have to obey. Between the commission and command there is one word, obedience. What if your obedience is contingent upon someone else obeying the Lord? If you get close to Jesus, it is going challenge those around you.  Oswald Chambers It is not the truth you know.  It is truth you only that changes you. Theres no such thing as a leader without vision. Where God guides, He provides. Fallen stars attract attention, but there are a billion stars that are still in place.  (this was in reference to a well know religious leader falling) You never miss what you give away.  Odus Scruggs Biblical tithing is training wheels for real giving. You don’t have t

  Scripture has power.  We have shared that numerous times in these e-devotions, but we have to place our trust and faith in what we cannot see.  We have to have a foundation that is already built and trusted. That is why God has given us His word.  It is powerful, trustworthy, full of wisdom,  full of direction and gives life. Proverbs reminds us.  I have encouraged you many times to read Proverbs each day.  Today I rolled through and then went back to Proverbs 30.  I know, my days are off.  But this was soooo good. Proverbs 30:5-6  NLT Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. 6  Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar. Every word of God is true.  Not just true, it is proven true.  The word gives us protection.  We don’t have to add to it.  We trust it. That is why it is important that God is our authority and the final word.  Nothing to add other than our choice to follow God as we listen to God. Proverbs 30:7

When we get tired, we have a hard time standing up.  If you are really tired, we might not be able to sit up or even lean.  That is why we need to commit to self-care even before we care for others.   Let me out it another way: when you have nothing to give, you cannot help yourself or anyone else for that matter.  Make sure you take a Sabbath.  That is the day that God calls us to rest and reflect on life while we worship Him. Make sure you care for yourself.   Let me define just one way we care for ourselves.  That is by understanding the battle going on around us and even inside of us.  There are many battles going on, but we cannot let that battle get the best or the most of us.   Galatians 6:10-13  NASB Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the wor

  Proverbs 14:12  NASB There is a way which seems right to a person, But its end is the way of death. I want to take some time at the first of this week and share some things on my heart.  This might be a little tough, but this is want is on my mind. Life isn’t easy.  In fact this weekend God changed my mind at least twice, and both times had to do with sermons I was to preach.  It was evident that God had something different in mind than I did. As the verse above shares, we have to be ready to go God’s way.  Going our way only leads to more and more trouble.  Trust God and abandon your way.  That couldn’t be even more evident than in a message I hear Sunday evening referencing the Lord’s prayer.  It says “not my will be done but your will.”   May our lives line up with God’s will.  Our way isn’t always God’s way.  Trust and follow Him. John 10:4  NASB When he puts all his own sheep outside, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. Hear his voice.  I

Philippians 4:11-13  NLT Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.  Some of the most pivotal and powerful verses in the Bible can we found in those three.  It doesn’t contact everything God wants us to have, but there are a couple of premises that will take us a long way if we will apply them every day to our lives. First of all, learn to be content.  Too many people in the world are always wanting more.  It is an attitude of I deserve more, I want to be handed more, I don’t have enough… you get the point.  The Apostle Paul said he learned to be rich and to be poor.  Be content with wherever you are.  Then watch God work. Second and a platform to learn even more about God is to know that He is ev