Michael Harrison's e-devotion

I heard an illustration from Pastor Craig Groeschel that stuck with me.  He talked about buzzards and humming birds.  This really is amazing and speaks to human nature and a specific needs we have. Buzzards are vultures.  They are always looks for what is dead and to be a scavenger.  They are negative and around bad stuff. Hummingbirds are always looking for what is sweet and finds it.   Are you a buzzard or a hummingbird?  Are you long for the negative or the positive?  Does your life lead people toward death or toward life? We have a choice.  Be positive or negative.  Seek for what is good or what is bad.  It does make a difference. This truth, about buzzards and hummingbirds, seems very profound. Philippians 4:8  NLT And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Walk with me back through the scripture I shared yesterday as there are a few parts that I want to share in a different light.  This is good stuff.  It really is big stuff. Romans 12:9-21  NLT Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do...

Exodus 15:2  NLT The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him— my father’s God, and I will exalt him! The word negative is one I don’t like, although I can be negative.  But my desire is always to be positive and to bring that out in others. Yet yesterday I needed to hear the word negative.  I needed to hear it for about the last week.  It was yesterday morning that I got a call from our doctor’s office and was informed that my covid-19 test is negative showing I do not have the virus. That word, negative, was pretty good at that point.  It was also pretty important.  All around I am hearing other people who are getting a different answer.  Yes, some are negative but many are positive. What I can say is that this virus has got to go.  It has taken far too much of our time and effort.  It is time to allow this stuff to infect or impact our thinking and actions less....

My mind goes off in familiar place.   It is tied to our current series of “love your neighbor”, and it has to do with our words.   We have to be honest about the words that we use. These can build people or tear them down.   Take a minute to think about how you use words.   Are you often pushing people down or pulling them up by the words you use in conversations, during conflict or just through the every day moments of life? This is an important thought because we should be people or blessings.   Our words are important. Proverbs 18:21   NASB Death and life are in the power of the tongue , And those who love it will eat its fruit. One of the places that often reminds me of this is in the lyrics of a song.   It spells it out very well making us get honest.   The song is simply titled “Words”, and it is sung by Hawk Nelson.   Here is the beginning of the song. They've made me feel like a prisoner They've made me f...