Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  John 10:10-11  NLT   The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.  We began a new series at The Community Fellowship Sunday about sheep and shepherds.  My prayer is that over the next several weeks is that we will learn how we have a great shepherd as well as how we can help shepherd others. The verse I shared above is a double punch.  Well, may be it should be called something else.  That first part is our verse at church, but that verse is tied to one of the greatest promises God has given us.  Listen up and apply this truth to what very well might change you or others. Our enemy is hard at work to destroy God’s work in our lives, and if the enemy cannot destroy God’s work, he will do all he can to distract us.  Distracted sheep is something we deal with all the time.  His way is to ste...

  There is more to life than just getting by, just surviving, yet it is difficult to live in a different way.  The status quo or the normal every day life is to take care of yourself, provide for your family and if you can help others a little, that is all good. I challenge that thinking.  God says life is more than the getting by.  Life is really lived when we accept His offers and see what He sees. Let’s take another dive as the new year is only a few weeks old.  I love these verses and ask that we spend some time seeking God for the application as well as the challenge of helping those around us live with meaning. Read on… John 10:10  NASB   The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly. Abundance is God’s promise, but we have an enemy doing everything in his power to kill that thought for us.  Choose God’s promise of abundance. Ephesians 1:18  NLT   I pray that your he...

  There are so many things that have to get done every day, but they don’t. If you are like me, I get discouraged when my list isn’t completed.  But what is it that keeps us going?  There ought to be some things that help us keep on track, take care of our thoughts and feelings, and push us to keep on. In a conversation with a few friends we shared some of the things that keep people from moving on and enjoying life.  Typically it isn’t the normal hang up and struggles.  Typically it is what is behind those struggles. So, I will ask this question: who determines your value?  Is it what you do?  Is it what you have?  Is it where you live or what is in the bank or how you look?  All of those things aren’t what should determine our value. God determines our value.  Or as a current Christian song says. Cory Asbury in “The Father’s House” … Sometimes on this journey, I get lost in my mistakes What looks to me like weakness is a canvas for You...

Some of my favorite things … this week I have been able to enjoy some of my favorite things in all the world.  You know, I believe that God intends for us to enjoy life.  That is part of the abundance part we heard about in John 10:10. Remember that our enemy is ready to steal from us all that joy God has given, but God intends for us to know His abundance and His blessings.  That does not say God gives us happiness or gives us all we want.  He gives joy and abundance. James 4:6  NASB   But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Last weekend I was part of the Raceway Ministries team serving at the Martinsville Speedway.  I enjoy interacting with race fans, but some of the greatest conversations aren’t about racing or the weather.  Those conversations are about Jesus. The outcome of some those conversations have been huge.  I talked with a pastor in Indiana who serves Jewish p...

  John 10:10  NASB The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. That is a verse we quote at church a lot.  There are other verses that stick out and are shared, too.  Like Jeremiah 29:11 and God knows there is more for us.  Another is John 3:16 that God loved all the world.  Then there is Psalm 23 with the Lord as our shepherd.  Over and over there are other verses that stick out. But for me the verse above, John 10:10, has become a lighthouse helping me remember and know that our God is a giver and not a taker.  He is set on abundance for me and for those who follow Him. I like the thought of abundance and His awesome plan for our lives.  I am ready to focus on what God will do as I seek to follow Him and help others do the same.   Matthew 25:29  NLT To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who d...

There is power in applied truth.   Much like a tool that is left on the shelf and never used for the purpose it was credited for, we have powerful truth about us that needs to be used.   God created us with purpose, and that purpose is less about and more about the Savior. I meet people almost every day that struggle with applying the truth of God to their lives.   They have barriers of one kind or another that need to be removed.   I have had to deal with some of those barriers as well. The Bible is the place to start because it is God’s word and God’s love letter to us.   Simple facts about our identity and reality will change how we respond to life and to the confidence we will live with each day.   Here is a passage packed with truth: Psalm 32:1-5   NLT Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2  Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives a...