Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  Romans 15:13  NLT   I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. There are so many things rushing through my head and heart this morning, but what I want to share is a simple fact that does not change.  God is good.  All the time. Julie and I as well as our church, The Community Fellowship, has been blessed by our partnership with Eastlake Community Church in Moneta, Virginia.  I met Pastor Troy Keaton a few years ago, and another ministry leader and friend, Daniel Henderson, attends Eastlake.  This church supported and blessed our church at Easter with the ability to reach farther and touch more people with the Gospel.  We are grateful! Last week as Eastlake was putting on a great event celebrating the church’s 20th anniversary and what they called Multiply Week many from The Community Fellowship went to...

  Early this week I was having lunch with a pastor friend.  Great conversations about what God has been doing in our lives, in the church and what Scriptures have been coming alive for us. He shared some amazing truths from the Bible, and what came to my mind was a chapter that I fell in love with when I was just in Bible college in 1990.  It is from Psalm 19 and was shared by one of the greatest preachers of my lifetime at a conference I was attending in Texas. Psalm 19 talks about the power of Scripture coming alive but even more so can be trusted.  The instructions of Scripture revive us.  The command of God are clear and insightful.  Honoring God is pure and lasts.  And so much more. In these verses there are a few things I point out to us today.  We should desire Scripture and the presence of God.  Why? Psalm 19:10-11  NLT   They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.  They are sweeter than honey, even honey d...

  What about the righteous?  Who are they and what does their life look like?  Good question, and the only way we know this is not by our opinion but by the Word of God. There you find the facts of faith provided by the wisdom of Proverbs.  Another reason I love this book and seek to read it daily is because of the truth God shares that guides our lives.  Chapter 10, the one I read yesterday, overflows with truth about the righteous. Here are some simple one line facts about those who follow Jesus. Proverbs 10  CSB 3 The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry… 6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,… 7 The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing,… 8 A wise heart accepts commands,… 9 The one who lives with integrity lives securely,… 11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life… 13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning… 14 The wise store up knowledge,… 16 The reward of the righteo...

  Lamentations 3:22-26  NLT The faithful love of the Lord never ends!  His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. 26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.   Where is the place that you find peace?   What do you do or where do you go to be refreshed? Maybe it is beside the water at the ocean as you feel the breeze and hear the waves.  Maybe it is in the mountains overlooking taking in the view that seems to go on for miles.  Maybe it is in a valley next to a stream where the water is rushing over rocks.  Any of those and more can calm your heart rate and to reignite your thoughts and joy. God does that....

  What are the things in this life that satisfy you the most?  It might be a person or relationship, a thing or a situation, or one or many things.  Yet for the Christ follower, the best and most important is God Himself. We were made for relationships.  Go back to the beginning of time when God created the world and Adam.  Genesis describes for us all that scene, and there are two things that stick out that humankind, you and me, desperately need. We need God and need not to be alone.  On the human side God created Eve after he created Adam so that man would not be alone.  Adam also was made for a relationship with God.  That is the deepest relationship.  It is a the level of the soul. Yesterday I shared from Psalm 103 where David said that he worshipped and blessed God from deep in His soul.  It is in the soul where our deepest longings are found.  Listen what David said satisfies Him. Psalm 63:1  NLT   O God, you are my...

  Yesterday we began a new series from Psalm 103.  This is a powerful chapter written by King David who had personal experience and deep love for God.  The challenge is to go deep in the Word of God and let that overflow in your life. Psalm 103:1-2  CSB   My soul, bless the Lord, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget all his benefits. David’s heart is overwhelmed with praise toward God.  This was real.  This was deep.  From the deepest place in His life.  In fact, he wants to make sure that his soul does not forget all the benefits that have come from Him because of this relationship.  Those benefits are the things that life can’t give us but faith can.  David goes on to give us a short list in verses 3 through 5.  He mentions forgiveness, healing, love and more.  He had experienced God which left His life changed forever. How often do we forget all that the Lord ...

  The Bible overflows with the character of God, and as I have shared recently, these verses lead us to pray Scripture back to God.  We learn about God, how He works and even how He loves and cares for us, His children. Take a few minutes to read through some verses of the Bible and note the things you learn.  Mark what sticks out.  I am constantly amazed and grateful and encouraged by the greatness of our God. Psalm 3:3  NLT   But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. Psalm 5:7  NLT  Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe. Psalm 7:17  NLT   I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. Psalm 8:1  NLT   O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. Philippians 1:29  NLT   For you have been given not only the pri...