Michael Harrison's e-devotion

This is Valentine’s Day week, and it is a great time to learn more about how to love the special people in your life.  Remember all the while that God loves you. 1 John 4:9-10  NLT   God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Knowing that truth helps us love others.  Loving is easier to do when we know that God loves us no matter what. 1 Thessalonians 3:12  NLT   And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. I want to give us some personal application of how to love those who are closest to us.  We need to learn how to love others the best way possible.  It is an act of love to be able to love well. Dr. Gary Chapman wrote a book titled The 5 Love Languages...

  It is Valentine’s week.  That means those of us with spouses or significant others should be spending a little extra time showing our love for the one who loves us.  It is Biblical to do that.  Right? A love letter is a good way to do that.  When Julie and I were dating, I wrote her several love letters and even a bunch of poems.  And just for the record, you will never ever get to read those poems (they were from the heart and not from any good form of poetry.   But what those letters and poems did do was express my love for Julie.  I don’t think she could question that, but I need to keep on writing and telling her that I still do and even more now do love her. God has done that for us.  That is why I call today’s e-devotion a love letter.  Earlier this week I read the passage below.  It is a love letter from God to you and to me.  Read on and note the truth from God.  But even more it is a love letter from Him. Read o...

  Love is one of the most important parts of our faith.  It is also one of the most important parts of our lives and families.   When it comes to this day, Valentine’s Day, love becomes something that is just about relationships, couples and romance.  While those things are important, real love goes far beyond what is between couples. Love comes from God.  Jesus is the best example of love.  Love is what we share with the world around us as we want to introduce them to Christ. No matter the application love is vital.  And in our marriages and relationships love is something we want to be pure and strong.  Listen in to what a portion of 1 Corinthians 13 has to say.   Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Do...

Today’s devotion is from Pastor James Merritt and his touchinglives.org ministry.   I first met Dr. Merritt over 20 years ago.   He is a gracious man and a great pastor.   I hope today’s devotion will inspire you to really take time to love.   In light of tomorrow being Valentine’s Day, this is a great word for us: Song of Solomon 2:10-11 ESV “My beloved speaks and says to me, ‘Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.’”   Marriage is just like a plant. A plant needs water to stay alive. Time is the water that you pour on to a marriage to keep it alive. Do you know how you spell love in a marriage? T-I-M-E. There is nothing that will communicate to your spouse that they are the number one priority of all other relationships more than when you give the most valuable thing you possibly can – your time. Go on dates. Take time to get away, just the two of you, and connect. I know th...