Category Archives: Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Supper

October 14, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

The angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” —Revelation 19:9

I like the word supper. That’s what they call dinner in the South. We say, “Let’s have dinner.” But in the South they say, “Let’s have supper.” My grandmother (we called her “Mama Stella”) was a great southern cook who knew how to throw down all those southern goodies: fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens, and mashed potatoes made from scratch. And of course her crowning achievement was her biscuits. (It seems perfectly reasonable to me that God would utilize my grandmother’s skills in the wedding supper of the Lamb!)

Not only will we be eating together at the wedding supper of the Lamb, but we will be in some pretty good company as well. In Matthew 8:11, we read that “Many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (NIV).

Can you imagine that? Can you picture yourself sitting down for lunch with Abraham and Isaac—or the apostle Paul or C. S. Lewis or C. H. Spurgeon?

Heaven will be amazing beyond description. And that’s why the Bible tells us we should all be a lot more heavenly minded. In Colossians 3, Paul wrote, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” (verses 1-2, NLT).

Read that last sentence again: Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. Yet that is exactly what we spend the majority of our time doing! We think about things that we’re concerned about or stressed over. The Bible isn’t saying, “Don’t think about these things.” It’s saying, “Don’t stress and worry about these things.” Let heaven fill your thoughts instead. Because when you do, everything on earth gets placed in its proper perspective.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – Keeping Our Focus

October 13, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. —Philippians 3:12–14

Everyone who has run a race knows that you can break your stride by looking over your shoulder to check out how your opponents are doing. Many races have been lost when the leader looked back. When you see that finish line, that is the time to give it everything you’ve got . . . because sometimes it’s mere inches that separate one runner from another. You must stay focused.

This is the idea behind Paul’s statement in Philippians 3:13. The apostle was saying, “Don’t look back. Don’t look behind you.”

When God promises, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25), He isn’t predicting a lapse in His memory. God is saying, “I will no longer hold your sin against you, because my Son has paid for it on the cross.”

In the same way, then, we need to do what God does: forget our past. Yes, we certainly need to learn from our mistakes and remember some of the bitter lessons we’ve learned. But we no longer need to be controlled by our past.

That’s what Paul meant by “forgetting what is behind.” Think about the horrible things Paul had done. He shared responsibility for the death of Stephen and had to carry that in his conscience until his final day. He knew that he was responsible for terrible deeds. But he was able to put his past in the past. And we need to do the same.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie –”One Thing”

October 11, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. —Psalm 27:4

David wrote, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek . . .” (emphasis added). In other words, the one thing that really excited him was spending time in the presence of God.

Mary knew this one thing too when Jesus came to visit her and her sister Martha in the little village of Bethany. She sat down at His feet, absolutely riveted by everything He had to say.

Martha, a diligent, hardworking woman, wanted to impress the Lord with the fine meal she was preparing. Who wouldn’t, if you had a guest like Jesus? Can you imagine Jesus showing up at your house? You would want to offer Him your best, right? You wouldn’t give Him a microwave dinner or last night’s leftover spaghetti. You would want to prepare a special meal.

As Martha was working away in the hot kitchen, she undoubtedly kept looking for Mary. Where’s Mary? I can’t believe she’s not in here. Finally in frustration, she came out—probably with her hands on her hips—and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

Jesus replied, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).

Mary figured out one thing, and that was the importance of sitting at Jesus’ feet. What is your “one thing”? What gets you out of bed in the morning? What keeps you going, even through heartaches and trials and disappointments?

In Philippians 3:13-14, the apostle Paul said, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (NIV).

Paul said, “But one thing I do.” He didn’t say, “Twelve things I dabble at.” In other words, Paul’s life had a strong focus that helped him prioritize everything else.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

The apostle Paul said, “But one thing I do. . . .” What’s your “one thing”?

Greg Laurie – God Starts . . . and Finishes

October 10, 2014 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. —Romans 8:28

There are times in our lives as Christians when God will do things or fail to do things that we want Him to do, and it won’t make a bit of sense to us. And because we don’t see the big picture, we may falsely conclude that God has abandoned us. But we need to trust Him during these times, remembering that Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. In other words, what God starts, He completes.

Remember that wonderful word from the first chapter of Philippians? “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears” (Philippians

1:6, MSG).

It seems as I get older, I get distracted and forget things all the time. But what if God forgot about us? What a frightening thought. Imagine being in the midst of a fiery trial as God is watching and waiting for that moment to take us out of it. Then the phone rings, and He’s gone for a decade! Thankfully, God never forgets about us. He remains—forever and ever—in full control. He knows exactly what He is doing. He will complete what He has begun.

Sometimes in the middle of that process, we may think the Lord is missing it. But He isn’t. We’re the ones who are missing it. From our limited human viewpoint, we think of the temporal, but God lives in the eternal. We are thinking of today, but God is planning for tomorrow . . . in fact, He’s already been there. We are thinking of comfort, but God is thinking of character. We are thinking of an easy time, but God is thinking of how to make us better people.

So let’s trust Him. Whatever our circumstances or hardships, let’s believe His promise to His children: all things are working together.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – Walking Together

October 9, 2014 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. —1 John 2:6

The word walking speaks of regularity, of moving at a certain pace. The Bible tells us in Genesis 5 about Enoch, who walked with God. But what does it mean to “walk with God?” Is it just a religious cliché?

The prophet Amos asked, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3). The idea is to be walking in pace or harmony with another.

I have a problem with this when I walk with my wife. I always walk a little faster than she does. Every time, I find myself walking out ahead of her. Then I’ll stop and wait for her to catch up. So I’ll try to walk more slowly, but the next thing I know, I’m walking fast again.

When it comes to walking with God, some of us want to run ahead of Him. Others lag behind. What we need to do is move in harmony with Him. We need to stay close to Him and make a continual commitment to do so. Referring to our daily relationship with God’s Holy Spirit, the New Testament says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25, NIV).

But what does this mean in practice? How do we do this? What does it look like to “keep in step with the Spirit”? It means we take time for the things of God. It means that when we get up in the morning, we take time to read the Bible. If we neglect the Word of God, it will show in our lives. Abiding in Jesus also means that we spend time in fellowship with God’s people.

Make time for the things of God. And don’t wait for time to simply materialize; deliberately carve out room in your schedule. If it means an hour less of sleep, fine. If it means skipping a meal, okay. If it means missing a television program, so be it. Do what you need to do because these things are essential to spiritual growth, to abiding with God, and to bearing spiritual fruit.

And this walk with God is a walk—the best of all walks—that will bring indescribable richness to your daily life.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – Getting Our Attention

October 8, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

No one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone. —Lamentations 3:31–33

In the much-loved Psalm 23, David wrote, “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” The rod and the staff were shepherd’s tools. The staff was a long, crooked instrument the shepherd would use when a sheep was going astray. But the rod was simply a club that was used when the staff wasn’t working anymore.

We may think that a club is extremely cruel to use on a poor sheep. But better to get whacked with a club than eaten by a wolf! Sheep are incredibly dumb. They will actually line up to die. If one sheep goes over a cliff, the other sheep will say, “Get in line. We’re all going to die today. Let’s go. Single file.” The shepherd sometimes has to use extra corrective measures on a wayward sheep that could otherwise lead others astray.

I have seen the Lord use the rod of suffering or sickness to get someone’s attention. He will say, “You really shouldn’t do that” and then convicts them by His Spirit. But they might ignore Him. So He tells them, “Don’t do that. I don’t want you to do that.” If they continue to ignore Him, BAM! God will use His rod: “I told you . . . don’t do that.” I have met a lot of people in hospitals who have come to Christ. Unfortunately, a lot of them don’t stay with Christ. But others continue to walk with the Lord.

Maybe God has recently whacked you with His rod to get your attention. Maybe He has given you a wake-up call in the form of suffering or sickness, and you’ve been wondering why.

The book of Hebrews tells us, “My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects” (12:5-6, MSG).

Don’t ever doubt it: if God has allowed hardship or suffering into your life for a season, it is because He loves you.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – Fresh Courage

October 7, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. —Philippians 1:6

Are you discouraged today? Afraid of an uncertain future? The Bible tells the story of a time when Jesus’ disciples were not only discouraged, but they were actually in terror for their very lives.

Jesus had told them to get into a boat and go over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, and they obeyed. But when they were a considerable distance from land, a fierce storm arose that terrified them. Jesus, who had been on a mountain praying, went to meet the disciples, walking on the water. Thinking He was a ghost, the disciples cried out in fear. So Jesus immediately told them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:27, NIV).

There are two simple reasons the disciples didn’t have to be afraid: First, Jesus would help them weather the storm. And second, He had told them to go to the other side, which meant they would reach the other side. Where God guides, God provides.

Jesus knows where you are at this very moment. As complicated and tangled as your situation might seem to yourself right now, it’s all perfectly clear to Him. He knows what you are thinking, feeling, experiencing. He’s telling you to be courageous because He is with you, and there is a brighter tomorrow for you. Even if you’ve failed, even if you’ve made a mistake, it isn’t over. You can still learn from that mistake and get out of the situation in which you find yourself.

God has a future for each of us. Jeremiah 29:11, one of my all-time favorite verses, says, “For I know the plans I have for you . . . plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (NIV). God will complete the work He has begun in your life. Take courage!

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – In His Hands

October 6, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass. —Job 14:5

The Bible says that our days are numbered, which means there is a day coming (we don’t know when) when we are out of here. We can worry about that, or we can simply trust that God knows when that day will be. It doesn’t mean that we take up bungee jumping off of bridges or try swimming with sharks, putting our lives at unnecessary risk. But it does mean that we recognize the fact that our lives belong to God. We are in His hands.

This is a very comforting thought because it means that until God is finished with us, nothing will happen to us. That’s great to know. But it also means that when our number is up, it’s up. When that day comes, there is nothing we can do to turn the clock back.

So what are we to do? As we have already read in these pages, the apostle Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). So we should praise God for each new day, thank Him for the opportunities He provides, for the blessings He gives us, and for our family and friends. We should take time to smell the flowers and bounce a little one on our knees. We should savor the sight of a rainbow or a tree painted with the colors of autumn or the blue surf rolling in across a sandy beach. And of course we should be available and willing to serve Him in whatever plans He has for us.

God values you. He loves you. But if death came for you today, would you be ready? If not, you would face a certain judgment. That’s the last thing God wants to happen to you. That’s why He sent Jesus to die on the cross and shed His blood for every sin you have ever committed.

Only the person who says, “To live is Christ” can then say, “To die is gain.” That is a person whose soul is right with God.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – “Be All There”

October 4, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. —Psalm 90:12

It’s hard to explain when someone’s life has been cut short, dying at a relatively young age. We expected that person to live a much longer life. But who is to say that it wasn’t his or her appointed time to go? Who is to say that it wasn’t the exact length of life that God had preordained for that man or woman from the very beginning?

In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul says of King David, “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors” (Acts 13:36, NIV). David, great a man as he may have been, served God’s purpose in his own generation and then was taken off the scene.

That is why we want to make every day count. To paraphrase the words of Moses in Psalm 90:12, “Lord, help us to realize our lives can end on any day, so please show us how to use each day wisely.”

We don’t know when our day will come. We don’t know when we will have “served God’s purpose in our own generation.” When God calls you home, you’re going home! You can live on vitamin C, zinc, and echinacea. You can drink green tea, eat tofu, and avoid all the toxins you can, but when your number is up, your number is up.

On the other hand, you will be around until God is done with you. You won’t go before your time. You may or may not be the healthiest person, but you will live to the time that God has appointed for you—and worrying about it won’t extend your life for one moment.

At the same time, however, we aren’t to take foolish risks and “put the Lord to the test.” We can be assured that we are here until God is done with us. As the apostle Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). So let’s make the most of the lives God has given us. As missionary Jim Elliot once wrote, “Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – The Privilege of Prayer

October 3, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. —James 4:2

It is my firm conviction that some Christians today don’t have God’s provision, healing, or blessing in their lives simply because they haven’t asked for it.

I’m not saying that God will give us everything we ask for. But I am saying that many of us are going through life, missing out on many of the things God has for us. The Bible says, “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2).

Some Christians pray only as a last resort, when everything else fails, after they’ve called all their friends and all their relatives. When no one can help them, they say, “What else can I do? All I can do now is pray.” But prayer should not be a last resort. It should be our first resort, the very first way we turn.

The old William Cowper hymn says, “Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.” The simple fact is the Devil doesn’t want you to pray. He will do everything he can to distract you, divert you, or discourage you from turning to the Lord in prayer. Why? Because he is afraid of the power that can be exercised through prayer. He whispers, “Don’t pray. Try this. Try that. You aren’t worthy to pray. God won’t hear you. Prayer is boring, anyway, and you’re no good at it.” He will do anything to keep you from approaching the throne of God.

The Lord gave us this invitation in the book of Jeremiah: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3, NIV).

Prayer is a privilege given to the child of God. God will hear the prayer of an unbeliever who calls out to Him for forgiveness, but only a person who has put his or her faith in Christ can have a prayer life. So pray with fervor. Pray with energy. Pray continually. Don’t give up, because you never know what God will do.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – Box Canyon

October 2, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. —Acts 12:5

In some of the old TV Westerns of the 1950s, the desperados (always in black hats) would be making their escape with the stolen loot from the stagecoach robbery. Suddenly someone in the posse chasing them (usually in white hats) would shout, “We have ’em now! They’ve ridden into a box canyon!” And everybody knows there is no way out of a box canyon.

There are box canyons in life too, seemingly impossible situations where there seems to be no way out and nowhere to turn. Surrounded by insurmountable obstacles, you find yourself temporarily paralyzed, not knowing what to do. Those are the very times when God invites us to pray.

In Acts 12, we find the story of how God took a tragic, even hopeless, situation and turned it around. It was accomplished by the power of prayer, the kind of prayer that storms the throne of God and gets an answer.

Both James and Peter were in prison. Tragically, James was put to death. But Peter was still incarcerated, awaiting his fate. Though all doors were closed, one remained open: the door of prayer. The church recognized that “we use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments” (2 Corinthians 10:4, NLT).

Prayer was and is the church’s secret weapon. Although the Devil struck a blow against the church, the church gained victory through prayer as Peter was miraculously released.

Sadly, we don’t pray often enough. Yet it is essential that Christians learn more about effective prayer because all of us will certainly face difficulties, hardships, problems, and more than a few box canyons. So we need to discover what God can do through the power of prayer.

Prayer for the Christian should be second nature, like breathing. We should automatically pray, lifting our needs and requests before the Lord. Jesus said that we should always pray and not lose heart (see Luke 18:1). Prayer is something we should never avoid and never grow tired of. Prayer should be woven through our day like a bright gold thread woven through a piece of fabric. The more we pray, the more we will see the kingdom of God break through the darkness of seemingly impossible situations.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – “Looking unto Jesus”

October 1, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

We also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. —Hebrews 12:1–2

In the ancient Greek games, a judge would stand at the finish line holding, in plain sight, the laurel leaves that would be rewarded to the victor. As runners came down the final stretch, they were exhausted, perhaps in agony, and feeling as though they couldn’t go another step. But suddenly there was the prize in sight, and a new burst of energy would kick in.

This is the picture behind the phrase looking unto Jesus in Hebrews 12:2. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ. And our prize is the privilege of standing before Him and receiving the crown of righteousness that He will give us.

That is why we try to live godly lives and why we try to reach people for Him. It isn’t for brownie points. It isn’t for applause. It isn’t for notoriety. It’s so we can hear Jesus say to us on that final day, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” No, we can’t earn our salvation because He has already provided it. But we want to please the One who laid down His life for us. Ultimately, we want to be able to say, “Lord, I took the life You gave me and tried to make a difference. Here it is. I offer it to you.”

Looking unto Jesus. . . . That keeps you going, doesn’t it? After all, you can get discouraged at times. People will let you down. They will disappoint you. They won’t appreciate your hard work or notice your efforts. Not bothering to understand your real motives, they’ll criticize that which they don’t (or won’t) understand. And that is when you need to remind yourself, I am not running my race for this person or that person. I am running for You, Lord. And I will keep running . . . with my eyes fixed on You.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – When God Speaks

September 30, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it. —John 10:2–5

Does God still speak to people today? Is He interested in what happens to us as individuals? Does He really have a master plan for our lives?

God truly is interested in us as individuals. He does have a master plan for our lives, and He does want to speak to us. Jesus described Himself as our Good Shepherd. And as His sheep, we can hear and recognize His voice.

So how can we know when it is God speaking? First, we need to remember that God primarily speaks to us through His Word, and He will never lead us in a way that contradicts that Word. We don’t have to go any further than the Bible to know the will of God for our lives.

God also speaks through circumstances that can include failure or even hardship. We don’t enjoy it when God speaks to us through tragedy and hardship, but as C. S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Often I have found that if something is the will of God, then it will be confirmed. There are times when I feel the Lord has been speaking to me through circumstances, such as an opportunity that has opened up. But I never make decisions by looking at circumstances alone.

Lastly, God speaks to us through His peace. Colossians 3:15 tells us, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” God is the author of peace, not of confusion.

Maybe we hear the voice of God more often than we think. Then again, maybe we’re not giving Him the opportunity to speak. Today would be a good day to take your Bible and get alone with Him, away from the noise and confusion, and ask, “Lord, what do you have to say to me today? I am listening!”

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – Peace Among Lions

September 29, 2014 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.” —Daniel 6:21–22

Daniel was in the lions’ den, but the lions left him alone. It wasn’t because these were godly lions. They were very normal lions. Even hungry lions. But none of them wanted to mess with the Lord’s angel. And Daniel probably got a solid seven hours that night.

Real peace is being able to lay your head down on your pillow at night, at peace with God, committing your life and every detail of it to the Lord. It is no longer being plagued with guilt, saying the words, “Lord, I trust You” as you drift off to sleep.

David, who had good reason for a lot of sleepless nights in his life, wrote, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8, NASB). I think Daniel could do that through most of his long life.

Do you find yourself in a “lion’s den” today? As with Daniel, you may have some enemies out there plotting your destruction. And you certainly have an adversary who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, NIV). You feel like the heat is on, and you wonder if you can hold on to your sanity—and your faith—in this time of pain and perplexity.

Daniel refused to be distracted from the purpose in his heart. He maintained his priorities and kept his cool in the face of opposition and intimidating circumstances. So did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego when ordered to betray the Lord or die. And so did Job when Satan stole everything from him but that which he cherished most—his relationship with the living God.

These real people from the pages of Scripture teach us to keep our eyes of faith locked on our faithful God, no matter what. Keep on praying . . . keep on living a godly life . . . keep on claiming the promises of God’s Word . . . keep on trusting the Lord to come through for you and to continue working for your best and His glory.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – The Fourth Man in the Flames

September 27, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” —Daniel 3:24–25

Not many of us, perhaps, will face tests as great as Shadrach, Meshach, or Abed-Nego faced on the day when the king threw them into a fiery furnace. Even so, tests will come. Temptations will come. And many of those moments of great testing will come when you are alone, with no one looking.

We’re foolish if we think we can stand up to temptation—the lure of the world, our own flesh, and the Devil—in our own strength and wisdom. We need help from on high.

The key to the courage and serenity of these three teenagers in the midst of those flames was their Companion! Nebuchadnezzar said it best: “The form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

I don’t know that Nebuchadnezzar necessarily realized that this fourth person in the flames was Jesus Christ. I don’t know what he thought. All he knew was that he tossed three men in a blazing furnace, and they were walking around in the fire like it was a Sunday stroll in the park. And Someone else was walking with them.

Just that quickly, the king didn’t want to mess with these guys anymore. He had great respect (not necessarily belief at that point, yet respect) for the God they represented.

Are you in a fiery trial right now? Are you in the hot waters of temptation? Know this: You aren’t alone in life. Jesus is there with you each step of the way. Jesus said, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20, NIV). And again, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Take your stand for the Lord in things great and small, and even though you may feel the heat, your Companion will never leave your side.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – Kept by His Power

September 26, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. —Hebrews 7:25

The Bible tells us to keep ourselves in the love of God (see Jude 1:21). But we are also told in the same passage that God will keep us (see verse 1). So who is keeping what for whom? Is this a contradiction? Not at all. The truth is, these verses complement one another, showing us both God’s part and ours. No, we don’t keep ourselves saved . . . but we can keep ourselves safe.

God’s love is unconditional. And—most happily for us—Jesus Christ loves, preserves, and intercedes for us before the Father. But we can do things that will get us out of sync and out of harmony with His love. That’s why we’re reminded to keep ourselves in the love of God, which means that we’re to keep away from all that is unlike Him. We are to keep our distance from any influence that would violate God’s love and bring sorrow to His heart.

We are loved by God, and He will protect His investment. Think about it: If you own an inexpensive pair of sunglasses, you may not be all that concerned about where they are. But if you have a really nice, expensive pair, then you will tend to know their whereabouts. Or, if you went to Disneyland with your children, you wouldn’t just forget about them. Instead, you would keep your eye on them because you want to protect what is dear to you.

In the same way, we are preserved, protected, and kept by the power of God. Peter said, “And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see” (1 Peter 1:5, NLT).

Even so, we, too, have a responsibility. We need to keep ourselves in a place where He can actively show His love to us. We need to keep ourselves in the love of God.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – Asking Why

September 25, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

I am nothing–how could I ever find the answers? I lay my hand upon my mouth in silence. I have said too much already. —Job 40:4–5

We can ask God why anytime we want to. But I don’t know whether we will really be satisfied with His answers.

If God came down to you on a shining cloud and explained His purposes to you, would it really make it any better? I don’t know that it would. As far as we know, Job never was given the “why” of all the tragedies that befell him. But He was given an incredible revelation of God’s wisdom and power.

When Jesus was in great agony, dying on the cross for our sins, and He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” He did ask why. But notice that He prefaced it with, “My God, My God.” It wasn’t an accusation against the Father. Jesus was merely stating the reality of what was taking place in those awful hours, as all of the sin of the world was being placed upon Him who had known no sin. And as the Father turned His holy face away, the Son cried out, “Why have You forsaken Me?” (see Matthew 27:46).

The fact is, Jesus was forsaken that I might be forgiven. But even in His great cry of grief and loneliness over His separation from the Father, as He bore the sins of the world for all time, Jesus still said, “My God, My God. . . .” There was complete trust in the Lord.

You might say, “Well, I have a lot of questions for God. When I get to heaven I’m going to ask Him some things. In fact, I’ve got a list.”

You just keep that list with you. Take it with you everywhere you go, and then if you die unexpectedly, you’ll have it handy to pull out and ask God when you stand before Him.

Somehow, I don’t think that is the way it will be. I suggest to you that when you arrive in heaven, when you see your Creator, your God, your Savior in all His blazing glory, you’ll forget all about your little list of questions. One commentator wrote, “I had a million questions to ask God, but when I met Him, they all fled my mind, and it didn’t seem to matter.”

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – Equipped for Rough Roads

September 24, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t treat them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realise that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become men of mature character with the right sort of independence. —James 1:2–4

Suffering makes us strong. God allows hardship in our lives so that our beliefs—those handholds of faith in a troubled world—will became more and more real to us and less and less theory. We can start living out our faith-life in the real world.

I’m reminded of all the people you see on the road these days driving those gleaming new SUVs. Most of these fancy rigs have four-by-four capabilities. In other words, you could drive them through the mud or power up some rocky track on a mountainside.

But how many people really do that? Some guys brag to their buddies and say, “Yeah, just look at this thing. Look at what it can do. I could drive this baby up the side of a building.”

“Well,” someone might ask, “do you want to go out in the dirt?”

“Are you kidding? Do you know how much I paid for this thing? There’s no way! In fact, I was just on the way to the car wash.”

So they never want to actually use that vehicle for its intended purpose—what it was actually designed to do.

We can be that way with our beliefs. We talk about believing this and believing that and about the truths we hold dear. But I can hear God saying to us, “You know, you have a lot of really great beliefs. You talk about them all the time. You talk about how you believe I can provide for your every need. Okay. Let Me put you into a situation where you have no other resources and really have to trust Me for that provision.”

You see, God can allow these hardships and trials and shortfalls in our lives so that we will exercise our sometimes flabby faith muscles and step out on trust alone. We need to transfer our faith from the realm of theory to in-the-trenches reality.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – A True and Loyal Friend

September 23, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. —Romans 5:6–8

Two men camping in the forest were enjoying their morning coffee when they suddenly spotted a very large, hungry grizzly bear lumbering toward them. One of the men quickly pulled on his running shoes. “Do you actually think you can outrun that grizzly bear?” his friend asked.

“I don’t need to,” he replied. “All I have to do is outrun you.”

We’ve all had friends like that, haven’t we? At the first threat of danger or hardship or difficulty, they’re out the back door. So what makes for true friendship? It has been said that a true friend is one who walks in when others walk out. Thankfully, there have been people in my life who have stood by me and have been honest friends. But there’s one thing of which I’m confident: I have found a true and loyal friend in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ offers His friendship to us. In fact, the New Testament goes so far as to say that we have been called by God the Father into fellowship with His Son (see 1 Corinthians 1:9). But is it all one way? Do we really expect a friendship without a response on our part? A genuine relationship, obviously, is made up of two people committing themselves to one another. I can extend friendship to you, but until you return it to me, I can’t legitimately say we’re really friends.

Jesus demonstrated His willingness to have a friendship with us by what He did for us. He said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus forever proved just how dedicated He was to us when He did just that.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie – Trusting in the Dark Times

September 22, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. —Ephesians 3:14–15

Why does God even allow Satan to exist? Have you ever wondered that? As the Evil One says in his own words, he is restlessly going back and forth across the earth (see Job 1:7), looking for trouble . . . looking for lives to ruin . . . looking for saints to stumble. Why does God allow him to carry on? Why doesn’t the Lord just take him out, as He could in a nanosecond?

You might be surprised to know that Satan, in his own twisted way, serves the purposes of God. You ask, How in the world could that be?

Just consider this. Satan unwittingly played a major role in the cross of Christ. In his enduring hatred for God’s Son, the Devil thought it would be a great idea to have Jesus betrayed, arrested, beaten within an inch of His life, and then crucified and put to death on a Roman cross.

Everything went according to Satan’s plan. As Jesus told the mob who came to apprehend him, “This is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns” (Luke 22:53, NLT).

The power of darkness did indeed reign that day, and Satan’s plan succeeded. But so did the plan of God. What the Evil One didn’t realize was that it was the Father’s plan all along that the Messiah would die for the sins of the world. In the prophecy of Isaiah, we’re told, “It was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer” (Isaiah 53:10, NIV). Unaware that he was making the biggest blunder since his rebellion against God, Satan played into the plan and purpose of God when, in his rage and hatred, he inspired Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (see Zechariah 11:12-13).

Satan’s “best shot” against God and the people of God was the crucifixion of the God-man, Jesus Christ. And in that act he not only unwittingly sealed his own doom, but he opened the door for Jesus to offer redemption and salvation to the whole world.

Remember then, if you hold on to God and trust Him through the dark times, that Satan’s best shots against you also will end up working for your good . . . and God’s glory.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

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