Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  Isaiah 9:6-7  NLT   For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.  The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end.  He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! We have read those verses like every year and heard them talked about, seen them printed on greetings cards and much, much more.  But have we taken in the value and truth they share.  Sure we have. Not at face value but so much deeper than that.  Don’t let the festivities of the holiday and the fun of Christmas over shadow the impact of the Messiah sent. This is not a Christmas time treasure.  This is a life changing truth.  This is not an ornament to marvel at while the light hits it just right.  This is...

  One of my favorite verses comes off the page with great meaning.  It isn’t because of where the verse is found.  It isn’t because of who wrote it or even how was received.  It comes with great impact because of what it did for me and countless others. Here is the verse.  And before you read what I say after the verse, take a few minutes to pray over it, think through it and praise God for it and the truth behind this verse.   Here we go … John 1:14  NASB   And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Praise god for this reality of Jesus coming to us and fulfilling God’s plan of redemption, love, forgiveness and abundant life.  All that is found in this one verse. In fact the first and every Christmas is wrapped up in the present that this verse is.  Look through.  Think through it.  Apply the thoughts and facts of Christmas. Mary was gi...

  Numbers 6:27  NLT   Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them. What an honor to have spent the last week in Israel.  It truly is the land of the Bible because the Bible comes to life as you walk through streets and see sites where the stories happened and the people we talked about lived there. The group I was with consisted of more than 1,000 pastors and church leaders from the United States, and the trip was sponsored by the nation of Israel and the Friends of Zion organizations.  They did an awesome job putting together this trip and in getting that many people taken care of.  It was truly amazing. What I want to give you today is a simple picture.  Not really a picture but perspective of what I left Israel with as the greatest parts of the trip.  It really wasn’t about where we went or even what we heard. The greatest impact of this trip has been the people.  God loves people.  Reme...

  Numbers 6:24-26  NLT  ‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. 25 May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. 26  May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.’ Another day in Israel and it was awesome to say the least.  I am excited to share a little here and lot more later. This evening our group of more than 1,000 church leaders sat on the steps of the southern wall of the city of Jerusalem and sang that blessing.  It was moving, to say the least. Fathers in the Jewish faith pray this prayer over their children every Friday night, their Sabbath, and the blessing seemed to come alive.  Even more than usual the meaning of these verses hit me.  We should be praying them as well. Pray this blessing over our children and our families.  Pray this blessing over our churches and our work.  Pray this blessing over the people we can about and over ourselves. It is a powerful word about what we believe of our God.  He...

  Greetings from Jerusalem.  As I write this it is almost midnight Wednesday which means it is almost 5pm back home.  I am simply trying to think through an incredibly long and inspiring day here in Israel. I am grateful for this opportunity and for the learning.  I am grateful to be able to walk in some of the same places that Scripture speaks about and where Jesus walked and taught.  That would be places like the upper room where the last supper took place and a few other powerful places inside the old city of Jerusalem. This morning our group of more than 1,000 pastors and church leaders gathered where the attaches of October 7, 2023 took place.  That day there was a music festival going on out in a rural area when Hamas began to bomb and terrorists did unspeakable things.  More than 360 people died at the festival that day.  We then went to a small town not far away where terrorists also attached.  A police officer led us through the stre...

  Step One: GO It has been a few days since I have shared an e-devotion, and this week will be a little different.  No; it is going to be a lot different.  I will take some time to share this week a few thoughts leading up to Christmas with lots of inspiration from where I am this week. Last week and on Thanksgiving some of our family gathered at the home of our oldest daughter and our son-in-law.  Although they live in Alabama we had a great time.  Laughing, shopping, talking, eating thanksgiving dinner … all of it together.  We had to go be with them.  And it was a good “go”.   Julie, Ryan and myself really enjoyed some special family time. This week I am blessed to be able to be in Israel.  As I write this e-devotion I am listening from an open window of horns and traffic from Jerusalem.  You read that write.  I am in what we Christians call the “Holy Land” where Jesus walked, taught and lived. I cannot wait to share bits...