Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  Ephesians 2:8-9  NLT   God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  I don’t know how often you step back to look at the facets of something that is very complicated, but this is something we ought to do.  Taking that look might take some time to sink it.  It also might take some extra research to understand what is happening, how it works or maybe how it all fits together. Our faith is something very much like that.  It is not man made or man planned.  100% of what God has done.  And our God did this by His grace. Be challenged to take that look at the grace of God and how it has impacted your life and your eternity.  This revelation and understanding of the grace of God should leave us in awe of the love of God. Read those verses again.  By His grace.  By His doing ...

  Yesterday I completed our series studying the book of Ephesians.  This has been one of the most powerful that I have shared at The Community Fellowship.   Are you ever amazed at what you find in the Bible and how God uses it in your life?  I have to say YES to that.  He does more than I will ever know.  From the first chapter to the last there were pieces that God uncovered and were amazing. I would encourage you to read and study this book.  Dig in. The following quote sums up the book very well, and I want to share it with you because it hit me.  I will share some key verses from Ephesians at the end.  But  QUOTE This letter lifts us to a new vantage point from which we are united with the risen and ascended Christ. Believers are not to have a limited or merely earthly perspective. When we view life from the heavenly realms (1:3), we can understand that the church's strength is not in human resources but in the grace and strength of ...

We are almost to the end of our series and study of Ephesians, and we have learned a lot from Ephesians in the series I have been teaching through.  We learned where and what our strength is.  Mostly, we area reminded that People matter.   Ephesians comes alive because Paul, the writer of the book, pours his heart out for the people he cared so much about.  He wrote to Ephesus from prison.  Paul loved God and people.  He built relationships with the people he cared about.   Through his teaching and writing our faith in God is build stronger and stronger.  Paul through the direction of the Spirit answers some of the most difficult questions.  As a Christ follower we choose to lean on and learn from God.  We choose to honor God. Before we look at Ephesians, think about this verse: Hebrews 10:24  NLT   Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Consider how you interact with others.  How do y...

Ephesians 1:18-20   NLT I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.   19  I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20  that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. There are some things that are a given.   When faith is a big deal, some of the things we do are very different.   Some of our commitments aren’t the norm.   What we may expect will not be what average days deal with. We believe that God does big things.   He is able to do so much more than we can think up or create on our own.   He desires to fill us with Himself and His truth.   He desires give guidance and strength when our own wisdom and power come to and en. ...