Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  It is a new year with lots of new opportunities.  Yet we do not always see the opportunities.  We don’t always recognize the positive things happening around us.  Why is that?  It is often because we are looking at thins in the wrong way. 2024 is a gift from God. Your life and all you have is also a gift.  Even with the challenges we have been blessed.  There are more things ahead of us, but if we can see them and be ready for them is the question. This last Sunday we asked our church family to share Scriptures that give them strength and for each to share what they want to see and experience at The Community Fellowship in 2024.  The testimonies were strong and encouraging.  I left the service smiling and ready to move forward. Most people said that they want to see our church family closer to God and closer to each other.  Many also shared that they pray our new campus is completed.  Lots of great words and testimony.   Matt...

Look around you.  This week we have talked about opportunities that God gives us as well as the principles of recovery ministry.  The people we are around are going through so many things that we don’t know about. There are no tags on their shirts or signs over their heads that tell us they lost a loved one, they are struggling with addiction or depression, they don’t tell us their life’s story as we walk by.  But what we do have is the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people who cross our path. It could be as simple as a smile and head nod.  It might be as time consuming as a long conversation or a drive across town.  What is need is for us to look around, see the opportunities God gives, notice the people who cross our path, and do something about it.  Speak up.  Share something.  Give value to others. Psalm 121:1-2  NASB   I will raise my eyes to the mountains; From where will my help come? 2 My help comes from th...

Romans 1:10  NLT   One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. We all have opportunities.  Do we take them? There are opportunities around us.  Do we see them? And even more, do we care about the opportunities? Paul prayed for opportunities, as the verse above states.  He had his eyes open and was asking for a chance to use his story to help others.  We have the same opportunities. This week is just one of those for me.  It is time for the work of Raceway Ministries at Martinsville Speedway.  When the world comes to our town, I believe Jesus wold have us in the mix of things taking opportunities to share about Him. Colossians 4:5  NLT   Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. The way we live often opens opportunities.  When people see our faith, doors will open, conversations will start, questions will be asked, ears will be open to h...

  Don’t take for granted those moments.  Yeah, God provides moments that we need to cherish and remember. Sometimes life is moving fast.  We are busy.  So much going on and so many things to do.  It is that stuff that keeps us from being able to enjoy what God is doing and what God has provided.  I am speaking from experience. Yeah, I am an over achiever, work a lot, stay on the go and super busy.  Yet there are times I am reminder or hit over the head with opportunity to enjoy moments and people and unique stuff going on. Are we able to see those times?  Are we even able to enjoy those moments that God gives us? Ephesians 5:16  NLT   Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Psalm 46:10  NLT   “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalm 84:11  NLT   For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord wi...

Colossians 4:3 (NLT) Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. Every day has endless opportunities for you and for me.   Often the question we have to answer is who we will focus on.   It really is easy to focus on meeting our own needs or seeking our own pleasure, but that is not what God says is best for us.   Think about it… It is a new day. Opportunities will abound. Missing each is very easy. Seizing them, doing something isn’t easy. Whether the sky is bright or grey, Plenty of chances await our action. It is a new day. Faces all around. Seeing each takes but a minute. Looking in to each heart is very hard. Whether a smile or a frown, Embrace each child of God. It is a new day. Focusing on self makes us go down. Sadness, depression are plentiful. Pushing past takes huge effort. Whether forward or back, The choice is ours to make. It is a new ...

Some of my family had the privilege of seeing the new movie God’s Not Dead last evening.   It was a great story, well done and worth going to see.   Consider that a nudge or a recommendation if you need it. The storyline is of a college student challenged by a professor to prove that God exists.   I have said many times over the years that we need to know what we believe about our faith and about God.   That does not mean you have to become a scholar or a genius.   It does mean that we should be able to give a reason for following Jesus and believing in God. 1 Peter 3:15   NASB but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always be ing ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; God changed my life and continues to change my life, my family and those I get to share life with.   Last night our church leaders spend some time talking about how we c...

We waste so much.   The list of the things that we waste is long as we look at our time, our trash and even the things that we treasure.   Yet I am amazed at the people who seem not to waste anything.   It is those people who look at things much different that crowd. Psalms 39:4-7   NLT “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.   Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is.   5  You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.   My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.”   6  We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
 We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.   7  And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?   My only hope is in you. Let’s take a few minutes to look from God’s point of view: First, God reminds us that our time on earth is short.   Compared to heaven and our time there, eternity...

Joshua 1:7   NLT Be strong and very courageous.   Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you.   Do not deviate from them, turn ing either to the right or to the left.   Then you will be successful in everything you do. The story of Christmas is full of people that had to live by faith.   They had to make choices, and God honored their right choices and their living by faith.   Elizabeth and Zechariah lived by faith believing that in their old age they would have a child that would point people to Jesus.   Further Mary and Joseph had to accept and act on what the angel of the Lord said to them about their baby being the Savior.   The shepherds and wise men had to not listen to the people around them and press on to see the Messiah. Here is my point: obstacles aren’t barriers but opportunities for faith to trust God.   When some kind of barrier presents itself to us or if someone opposes us, the natural response i...