Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  Holy Week is the time we focus on God and His gift of salvation.  We come to Friday.  The day we remember the cross, Jesus’ death and all God has done for you and me   Why do they call this day “Good Friday” because it doesn’t seems good?   Jesus was treated as a criminal.  He was beaten so much that He could not recognize Him.  His pain would have been too much for you or me to endure.  That is especially from Scripture I’ve read or as in the movie the  Passion of the Christ .   Yet it is a good day.  It is Good Friday because God had our good in His heart.  What Jesus did that day changed our forever direction. Here are some thoughts that come to me:   He is Redemption and Redeemer   He too our Pain and Punishment   He is our Righteousness and Reality   He is the Savior and Life   All of those happened from the cross.  It was meant for the worst lawbreakers. ...

It is Friday of Holy where we find ourselves in the capital of world, or at least at Jesus’ time.  Jerusalem was buzzing with people watching the happenings.  Some called this Good Friday, but it seems anything but good. Just five days before coming in to town on a donkey was Jesus, the prince of peace and the king of kings.  Yet Jesus was the one who shook up the religious and political leaders.  They had already been searching for ways to remove Him. Here is their chance.  The scene was set for what God set up and planned for our abundance, for the salvation of the world.  Listen for a few minutes to the final moments of Jesus’ death. Matthew 27:35-56  NLT   After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 36 Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. 37 A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38...

Friday!  For some it is the best day of the week.  For others is the worst day of the week.  No matter how you see the day I would like to encourage you with one simple prayer.  It is one that comes from a heart warmed by God and a person who has enjoyed seeking God.  There is more to come for the person who is expecting to spend time from God and enjoy the blessings that He gives and brings. Here is the prayer that His my heart.   Psalm 19:14  NLT   May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. That is good, but there is more to this prayer and more to this chapter in the Bible.  Everything from the heavens declaring the glory of God and the beauty of creation to the impact of Scripture truth on our lives. That same person, David, put meat in the prayer before that verse.  He said: Psalm 19:12-13  NLT   How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?  Cleans...

1 Corinthians 15:57  NLT But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. Good Friday. Those two words seem to not go together, maybe even an oxymoron (when two words are put together but not alike).  What was good about that Friday? Fridays are most people’s favorite day of the week.  It is the end of the school or work week.  It is the day when the fun begins or the weekend.  Numerous reasons make Fridays a special day that have been exciting and look forward to forever. But not this Friday.  We are talking about the Friday of Easter when Jesus died.   This day was the end of of a era where so many lives were changed, miracles happened, people followed more every day, and there was Jesus in the middle.  Larger than like might describe Jesus. He was not set to be a king but was.  A different kind of king.  A savior king describes the part Jesus was given by His father. But it is the pain of this Frida...

  It is Friday.  One of my favorite days of the week.  I woke today thinking about the blessings that have come in to my life.  That is why I have chosen to give you and I a simple list of some.  Each one has a special place in my heart.   Read on and make your own list of blessings.  Here they go: Proverbs 18:22  NASB He who finds a wife finds a good thing And obtains favor from the Lord. If you know my Julie, you know this already.  She lives for others and goes far beyond what is expected.  Her heart is huge.  She is quiet and so wise.  I am blessed to have her as my wife. Psalm 127:4-5 NASB Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.   How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate. Our children continue to amaze me.  First, I am amazed at how fast they have grown.  Second, our girls have grown so much ...

Why do they call this day “Good Friday” because it seems like anything but?  Jesus was treated like a criminal.  He was beaten so much so that no one could recognize Him.  The pain that Jesus endured is too much for me to handle when I read the Scripture or see a movie similar to the  Passion of the Christ . Yet it is a good day.  It is good because what Jesus endured that day took our pain and punishment from us. There are some words that come to mine: Redemption and Redeemer Pain and Punishment Righteousness and Reality Savior and Life All of those lead us to take another look at the cross.  It was meant for the worst of the worst lawbreakers.  It was not meant for a Savior that never broke a single law.  It was lifted high so that onlookers could see the price that doing wrong would cost.  Yet looking on the cross means life for us.  The cross means sacrific...

1 Peter 2:24  NLT He personally carried our sins in his body on the   cross   so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. Can you imagine being there on that day?  You may be a follower of Jesus or have just heard about Him.  There was something different about Jesus.  He loved people and spoke truth to each person He encounter. The same is true today. The verses above reminds us of the purpose of the cross.  If you were watching the happenings on that first good Friday, you would have first hand experience that our sin was placed on Jesus, and Jesus gave healing by His wounds. 1 Corinthians 1:18   NLT The message of the   cross   is   foolish   to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. That’s foolish. Maybe like others have said that the death of Jesus was ...

Easter is the best time for those who chose to follow Jesus.   That seems like somewhat of an ironic statement, but it is not.   Jesus’ life, death and finally His resurrection are what our salvation is completely hung upon.   Without the grace of God to take our sin and place it on Jesus, we could not and would not be offered salvation. This week of history known as the last of Jesus’ life was wrapped in the celebration of the Passover.   This was the time to remember what happened when God’s people were in captivity, and it was the time when all first-born children were being killed.   Yet if a family followed the plan of God placing the blood of a lamb over the doorpost of their homes, the death angel would pass over their homes. That is what Jesus became for us.   He shed His blood on the cross, and thus Jesus became our Passover Lamb.   Before His death we find ourselves on Friday.   It was the day that He died.   It was the da...