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Greg Laurie – “So That We Can Comfort Others”

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Experience shows that the more we share Christ’s suffering the more we are able to give of his encouragement. —2 Corinthians 1:5

If someone just found out they have cancer and you are a cancer survivor, you have no idea how much encouragement and perspective you can bring to such a person, who feels as though he or she has been handed a death sentence.

If you have alcoholism in your past, and God has graciously delivered you from that plague and kept you from falling back into it again, your life can bring great hope to someone still in the grip of the addiction.

Or maybe a couple you know lost a child through illness or some terrible accident, and they are walking on the ragged edge of sanity, feeling like they can’t go on another minute, much less another day. If you have lost a child in the past and God has brought you healing, you can come along and say, “We lost a child, too, and it was the hardest thing that ever happened to us. Though we still mourn that child, and though we’re still dealing with it and miss him every single day, we want you to know that God can help you each step of the way. His grace really will be sufficient for you.”

You have no idea how much comfort that can bring. And it would be something that only you could say. No one else could say those words with the same kind of credibility.

The apostle Paul, who had his own serious issues with suffering, as I have said, wrote, “God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5, NLT).

God will give you that comfort—over and beyond what you can personally contain—so that you can share it with others.

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

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Greg Laurie – The Clock Is Ticking   

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A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. —Luke 12:21

A watchmaker who built grandfather clocks inscribed these words on every clock he built: “Lo, here I stand by thee upright to give thee warning day and night, for every tick that I do click cuts short the time thou hast to live.”

Jesus told the story of a rich farmer who enjoyed great success. Reflecting on his accomplishments, he said, “I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, ‘My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’ ” (Luke 12:18-19, NLT). But God told him, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?” (verse 20, NLT).

We can find some commendable things about this rich man. He was a hardworking farmer. He probably would have had to work longer and get up earlier and expend more energy than the other farmers of his day to achieve such success. But his mistake wasn’t in being successful in his work. His mistake wasn’t even in acquiring possessions. His mistake was failing to make plans for eternity. He was living large. But he forgot that the clock was ticking, that life was passing by.

And this man who died, leaving all his possessions behind, is like many people today. They just want to enjoy the moment. “Take it easy!” they say. “Eat, drink, and be merry!” Yet God says that is not the way to live.

In Psalm 10, the psalmist describes an arrogant, wicked man. One of the most striking things he says about this man is in verse 4: “In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God” (NIV).

That says it so well, doesn’t it? There was no room for God, no room for the Creator, Lord, and Savior in all this man’s many thoughts about this and that.

Our lives on this earth may be very brief, but when we fill our thoughts with the eternal God and His purposes, we prepare ourselves for an endless life in His presence.

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

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Greg Laurie – You Belong to Him

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Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me. —Acts 27:23

Paul spoke of “the God to whom I belong.” In Song of Solomon we read, “My beloved is mine, and I am His” (2:16). As a Christian, you belong to the Lord. You are His.

There are a number of analogies the Lord uses to show how we belong to God. For instance, we are called “the bride of Christ.”

My bride is Cathe. I call her my wife, and she calls me her husband. She belongs to me, and I belong to her. That is just the way it works. We belong to each other.

.The Bible also compares us to sheep that belong to a shepherd. In John chapter 10, Jesus affirmed that He is the Good Shepherd and that we are His sheep. Sometimes we romanticize these wooly little animals, sheep. They look so charming out there in the green grass, under the watchful eye of the shepherd. But we should also bear in mind that they are some of the stupidest animals on the face of the earth. It should not inflate you with pride to hear that you are compared to dumb, defenseless sheep.

We are also compared to children belonging to a father. Romans 8:15 says, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ ” Abba was an affectionate cry of a Hebrew child. Even if you go to Israel today, you will hear little children crying out, “Abba” to their fathers. We might say, “Daddy” or “Papa.” It’s a close, affectionate, endearing term. And we have that kind of access and closeness with our Father God.

I belong to God. I’ve been bought and paid for, and I am His.

I heard the story of an older gentleman who was known for his godly life. Someone once asked him, “Old man, what do you do when you get tempted?”

He smiled and replied, “Well, I just look up to heaven and say, ‘Lord, your property is in danger.’ ”

You are God’s bride. You are His sheep. You are His child. You are His property. And like Paul, you, too, can say, “I belong to God.”

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

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Greg Laurie – Beauty for Ashes   

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To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. —Isaiah 61:3

I have been amazed at the testimonies of some people when they tell me the way they used to be. I’ve looked at them and thought, There is no way they used to be that way. Jesus Christ has so radically changed them.

Isaiah 61:3-4 promises that God “will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago” (NLT).

For the person who has made a mess of his or her life—a pile of ashes, so to speak—God says, “I will bring beauty.” For those who mourn because of the wrongs they have done and the sins they have committed, God says, “I will bring joy out of it.”

Only God can take a tangled mess of a life, turn it around, and transform it in such a way that you wouldn’t even know that individual used to be a very different person. Not only that, but such a transformation gives hope to others who may still despair over the condition of their lives.

If you come to Christ and say, “Lord, here I am. Forgive me of my sin,” He can transform you and change you. He can take your mistakes and your sins, turn them around, and even use them for His glory. When you commit your life to Christ, putting the broken, stained, twisted pieces into His hand, He will transform it into a thing of beauty.

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

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Greg Laurie – Watching from the Grandstands    

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Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. —Hebrews 12:1–2

Are friends and loved ones in heaven watching us right now and cheering us on? What “huge crowd” is this? What is this “great cloud of witnesses,” as it says in the King James Bible?

One big hint is the fact that Hebrews 12 comes right after Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11 is a record of the great men and women of faith who died serving God. We sometimes refer to it as the Hall of Faith. You read about Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Gideon, Samson, David, Rahab, Daniel, and the list goes on.

So who are the witnesses in Hebrews 12:1? One interpretation says they are simply people of faith who have gone before us, giving us a model to follow so that we might live and exercise our faith as they did. Reading about the lives of these men and women who have walked with God and trusted Christ and stood strong in the face of trials and persecutions can add steel to our souls.

Another way to look at it is that these men and women aren’t simply giving us a template to follow, but are actually observing us and taking note of our progress in the faith. They are the “cloud of witnesses” watching us and cheering us on, if you will.

Is that the case? Are there heavenly grandstands where people monitor the progress of loved ones living out their lives on earth? It wouldn’t surprise me at all, but I don’t know. But I do know this much: We are in the race of our lives on earth, and we don’t how long it will last. And I know for certain that Jesus is watching us, turn for turn, step for step.

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

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Greg Laurie – The Power of Prayer       

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He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” —Genesis 32:26

Never underestimate the power of prayer. When you are praying according to God’s will, your prayer is unstoppable. And how do we know what God’s will is? By careful study of Scripture.

Jesus made this promise: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7).

We gravitate immediately toward the latter part of that verse: Ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. We love that, as though God were some sort of genie. But that isn’t the case. We tend to forget about the first part of this verse: If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you . . . If we are walking in fellowship with God and studying the Word of God, then we will start praying according to the will of God. And then we will start seeing our prayers answered.

First John 5:14-15 says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

Therefore, we should never give up or back down. We need to keep praying. That is why Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). In the original language there is an ascending intensity to the terms. It is like starting off with some politeness. Then you get more aggressive. And then you aren’t letting go, like Jacob, who wrestled with the Lord and refused to let go until He blessed him.

Don’t give up.

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

 

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Greg Laurie – Created to Know Him

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Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. —Ecclesiastes 12:13

If you are seeking fulfillment, purpose, or meaning from this world and from human accomplishments, I have some bad news: you will never find it. There is nothing in the world that will fill the deepest void in your life—not the ultimate car, not the greatest job, not the most beautiful girl or the most handsome guy, not the greatest education, not winning it all on American Idol. There is nothing that can even come close.

King Solomon, one of the wealthiest men who ever lived, had everything he wanted. Yet he went on a binge, trying to satisfy his appetites with the wrong things. He went after passion. He went after possessions. He went after things of beauty and buildings and land. He drank, and he partied. After all of that, here was his conclusion: “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11, NLT).

Have you ever been ravenously hungry and tried to satisfy your appetite with snacking? It just doesn’t work. You want a real meal. In the same way, we were created with a God-shaped hole in our lives. We have been created to love God, to know God, and to bear fruit. Everything else is secondary.

Think about it: everything else in life, every other responsibility, no matter how significant, must be ordered behind the central purpose of your existence on earth—knowing, loving, and serving your Creator. Yes, God cares about your career, your marriage, your family, and your ministry. But knowing Him, prioritizing Him, is number one. And when you do, the Bible says you never will be a loser for it.

Jesus said it like this: “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:32-33, NLT).

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

 

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Greg Laurie – The Promise of a New Body        

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In the same way, our earthly bodies which die and decay are different from the bodies we shall have when we come back to life again, for they will never die. The bodies we have now embarrass us, for they become sick and die; but they will be full of glory when we come back to life again. Yes, they are weak, dying bodies now, but when we live again they will be full of strength. They are just human bodies at death, but when they come back to life they will be superhuman bodies. —1 Corinthians 15:42–44

You will have a new body in heaven.

If you were disabled on earth, you won’t be disabled in heaven. If your body on earth was broken by the ravages of age or disease, that won’t be the case in your heavenly Father’s house.

The Bible says that our resurrection bodies will resemble the resurrection body of Christ. Think of it! In 1 John 3:2 we read, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

What were the differences between the resurrection body of Jesus and the body that was put to death on the cross? When Jesus walked among us on this earth, He voluntarily exposed Himself to the limitations of humanity. Just like everyone else, He got sleepy, thirsty, tired, and hungry. In His resurrected body there were similarities to the old body but major differences too.

His disciples recognized Him, and yet . . . something in them wondered, Is it really You, Lord?

But then again, He could do things He never did in His old body. He would suddenly appear in a room without using a door. And we also know that Jesus ascended through the air, higher and higher, until He disappeared from sight into the clouds. Will we be able to move around like that in our new bodies?

No one can say for sure, but we can know this. The Bible says that “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

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

 

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Greg Laurie – “Fullness of Joy”  

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I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. —1 Corinthians 13:12

People sometimes ask, “What will we know in heaven? Will we recognize each other?” That question always amazes me. As if we’re going to forget everything—or be walking around in a fuzzy cloud of semi-awareness! We still will love, but our love will be perfected. We still will think and remember, but our thoughts will be perfected too. We certainly will know each other in heaven—and infinitely better than we knew each other on earth.

How do I know that? In Matthew 17 we read the account of Jesus on the mountaintop with Peter, James, and John. In those moments when He was transfigured before them, with His face shining like the sun and His clothes white as the light, He was seen talking to both Moses and Elijah.

From the account, it’s obvious that the disciples knew it was Moses and Elijah, though they were never told that fact or introduced to them. I doubt these two visitors from heaven had little name tags on: “Hi. My name is Moses.” Do you think Moses was standing with two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments under his arm, just to give them a little hint? No, but there was something about these two that made them instantly recognizable.

The disciples knew Moses and Elijah. And when we have been changed and encounter one another on the other side, we will know too. But I’d like to add just one thing. If you ever want to look me up in heaven, don’t look for a bald guy. Look for a guy with lots and lots of hair.

Think of the purest, highest, most ecstatic joy on earth, multiply it a thousand times, and you’ll get a fleeting glimpse of heaven’s euphoria. That is why David wrote, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

We will be aware in heaven—more aware than we’ve ever been before.

You will know more there. You will love more there. Your love for family and friends will be a stronger, sweeter, purer love. Death breaks ties on earth, but they will be renewed in heaven. Heaven is a perfecting of the highest moments of our present Christian experience.

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

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Greg Laurie – Beyond These Shadowlands     

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These priests provide only a hint of what goes on in the true sanctuary of heaven, which Moses caught a glimpse of as he was about to set up the tent-shrine. It was then that God said, “Be careful to do it exactly as you saw it on the Mountain.” —Hebrews 8:5

So often we tend to think of heaven as surreal and earth as real. In other words, our point of reference is earth. This is earth. This is real. And heaven? Well, who knows?

In truth, it’s the opposite! Heaven is what is real, earth is what is temporary. That is why C. S. Lewis described life on earth as “the shadowlands.” Earth is only a pale version of heaven, not the other way around.

God commanded Moses to build a tabernacle like the one in heaven. And in Hebrews 8:5, we read that the priests in New Testament days served in a place of worship that was only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. In fact, as Moses prepared to build the tabernacle, God gave him this warning. He said, “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain” (Hebrews 8:5, NLT).

God wanted to make it clear to Moses that the original was in heaven and the copy was on the earth. To quote C. S. Lewis again, “The hills and valleys of Heaven will be to those you now experience not as a copy is to an original, nor as the substitute is to the genuine article, but as the flower to the root, or the diamond to the coal.”

As earthbound human beings, we tend to start with earth and reason up toward heaven. What we ought to do is start with heaven and reason down toward earth. Heaven is the real deal, the eternal dwelling place. Earth is the copy, the temporary dwelling place.

When you see that sunset or that panoramic view of God’s finest expressed in nature, and the beauty just takes your breath away, remember it is just a glimpse of the real thing that awaits you in heaven.

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

 

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Greg Laurie – Our Ultimate Prayer Partner          

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Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. —Romans 8:34

If you found yourself in a difficult passage in life, would it bring you some measure of comfort if Billy Graham called you? “This is Billy Graham. I wanted to talk to you. I heard you were going through a hard time. I would like to pray for you.” And of course you answer, “Please do!”

So Billy Graham prays for you, with that unforgettable voice of his, bringing your name and needs before God. Wouldn’t you feel good about that? When it was over, wouldn’t you hang up the phone and say, “Wow. That was unreal. I feel so much better now.”

Then let’s say the phone rings again. “This is Pastor Chuck Smith. I heard you were experiencing some difficulties. May I pray for you?” So Chuck Smith prays for you. And then Chuck Swindoll calls, and he prays for you too! How would you feel? You would feel good. Three great men of God have personally called you on the phone and prayed for your needs by name.

Yet the Bible teaches that Someone much greater than these is already doing that very thing. Jesus Christ is praying for you. The Son of God is interceding for you. What’s more, He’s not just calling you on the phone, praying, and then leaving you alone again. Hebrews 7:25 tells us, “Therefore 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.”

He always lives to make intercession for you. He always prays for you. In fact, He’s praying for you right now, at the right hand of His Father in heaven. Hebrews 9:24 says, “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” Jesus is interceding for you at this very moment.

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

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Greg Laurie – Heaven Is a Literal Place     

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Don’t let this throw you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. —John 14:1–3

Heaven is an actual place.

It isn’t an “idea” or a “state of mind”; it’s a location, like Miami or Chicago or Paris. We often think of heaven in sort of a mystical way, and our minds gravitate toward the Hollywood version, where people in filmy white robes float around on clouds with little halos over their heads, strumming harps.

How boring! That is certainly not the heaven of the Bible. The Bible uses a number of words to describe heaven. One word it uses is paradise. In the Gospels, we’re told that Jesus was crucified between two thieves. When one of those thieves, in the last moments of life, put His faith in Jesus, he said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). And Jesus replied, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (verse 43).

Heaven is also compared to a city. In Hebrews 11:10, we’re told that this city’s architect and builder is God Himself. And then Hebrews 13:14 says, “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come” (NIV).

Now, we know that cities have buildings, culture, art, music, parks, goods and services, and events. Will heaven have all of these things? We don’t know. But we can certainly conclude that heaven will in no sense be less than what we experience here on earth—with the exception of all things harmful or evil.

Heaven is also described as a country. Hebrews 11:16 says, “They desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.”

Heaven is a paradise, a city, a country . . . and so much more that we can’t begin to wrap our finite minds around it. But one thing I do know: Jesus is expecting me, and He’s prepared a place for me. What more could I ask for?

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

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Greg Laurie – Permeated    

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God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. —2 Timothy 1:7

Sometimes when we hear that a person is “spiritual,” we think of him or her as being out of touch, not living in the real world, or (how shall I say it?) weird. But nothing could be further from the truth because the truly spiritual man or woman will be a very practical person as well.

A Spirit-filled believer will live a life that honors and glorifies God. Ephesians 5 tells us, “Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” (verses 18-19, NIV).

When we think about being filled with the Spirit, we might imagine some wild emotional experience. And though being filled with the Spirit can and sometimes will include emotions, it won’t necessarily be that way always.

What exactly did the apostle Paul mean when he used the term filled? One translation of the word pictures a steady wind filling the sails of a ship. So the idea is that the wind of God wants to fill the sails of your ship as you are moving along the sea of life. In another place in Scripture, the same word is translated permeated, picturing the truth that God wants to soak and saturate everything that we say or think or do.

To be filled with the Spirit means that the Holy Spirit is a part of all that you’re involved in. He’s a part of your prayer life. He’s a part of your worship life. He’s a part of your business life. He’s a part of your vacation. He’s a part of everything that touches your life in any way. That is what it is to be a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led believer.

Is this some big, one-time experience, never to be repeated? No, because the original language implies this is something you should be receiving over and over and over again. Be continually filled with the Spirit.

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

 

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Greg Laurie – Our Present Possession

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God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. —Colossians 1:19–20

Many of the blessings the Bible promises are still in our future. The hope of heaven and our new, wonderful resurrection bodies is still ahead. But the peace of God? That is our present possession. That is something that belongs to us here and now. From the first moment that we place our faith in Christ, we can begin to experience the peace of God.

Philippians 4:7 promises, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”I know this peace in my life, and if you belong to Jesus, I’m sure you know it as well. I can think back to the day when I put my faith in Christ at age seventeen. One of the first things I remember is a sense of peace filling my heart. It was as though someone had slipped a heavy backpack from my shoulders. It wasn’t until later when I read that the Bible promises peace.

Many people think that peace is simply an absence of conflict or anxiety. To imagine it on a dial, they think if they could get the needle out of the negative red zone and up to “normal,”they would be experiencing peace. But biblical peace is much more than that. It is a strong, elevating, positive good in our lives. It isn’t just an absence of anxiety; it is the presence of something wonderful beyond our comprehension.

Peace has been given to us as a gift from God because we have been justified by faith. It isn’t describing a feeling; it’s describing a fact. It doesn’t come from what we are, but from what He has done.

It’s a cause and effect in our lives. The cause: being justified by faith in Christ. The effect: peace beyond any human explanation. But you can’t have the effect without the cause. In other words, you can’t have the peace of God until you first have peace with God. If we are fighting with God and continually resisting His plan and purpose for our lives, then we won’t experience His peace.

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

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Greg Laurie – Homing Instinct   

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We are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. —Philippians 3:20

An old chorus begins, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through.” That is literally true. The Bible says that when you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you become a citizen of heaven because that is your real home.

That is why we find ourselves with a deep-down longing for something this earth can never deliver. And that is also why we always will be a bit out of tune with this world and all it celebrates. Have you noticed? Sometimes the world will parade its toys and its so-called pleasures before you, and you’ll find yourself saying, deep down in your spirit, “That just leaves me cold. That is not what I desire. That is not what I want at all.” As followers of Jesus, we’ve tasted much, much better things than these.

  1. S. Lewis described this longing with these words: “There have been times when I think we do not desire heaven; but more often I find myself wondering whether, in our heart of hearts, we have ever desired anything else.” He went on to say of heaven, “It is the secret signature of each soul, the incommunicable and unappeasable want.”

I liken it to a homing instinct that God has placed inside some of His creatures. We all know that some animals have a mysterious ability to migrate or travel great distances to very specific locations. It’s like a natural GPS system that God has placed inside them.

One of these days we’ll be going home too — home to a place we’ve never been. Heaven is more real to me than it has ever been because of those who are already there. My son Christopher is there, as is my mom, and the father who adopted me. Friends I have known through the years are on the other side now, and so are many familiar faces from our church.

Don’t get me wrong: There is much wonder, beauty, joy, and fulfillment in this life God has given us on earth. But what makes all these things even better is the sure knowledge that the best is yet to come.

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

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Greg Laurie – Promises, Not Explanations

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Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. —1 Corinthians 13:12

We all have legitimate questions: Why did this happen? Why didn’t that happen? And of course, I have mine, too. But the truth is, even if we had some of the most troubling questions in our hearts answered, we wouldn’t be satisfied. The answers would only raise more questions! The Bible doesn’t promise us a peace that necessarily gives understanding, but it promises a peace that passes human understanding (see Philippians 4:7).

I received a letter from Warren Wiersbe, a great author and Bible teacher, after my son went to heaven. He said, “As God’s children we live on promises, not on explanations. And you know as well as I do the promises of God.” He went on to say, “When we arrive in heaven, we will hear the explanations, accept them, and we will say, ‘May God be glorified.’ ”

In my time of grieving, I found myself with many questions and didn’t seem to have many answers. Nevertheless, here’s what I know for sure: I know my son, Christopher Laurie, is with the Lord. And I know one day all of my questions will be answered. In our opening Scripture we read, “We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.” The King James Version says, “For now we see through a glass, darkly.”

It reminds me of a car with tinted windows. Someone drives by, and you’re straining to look through the glass. You’re saying, “Who’s in there?” That’s how it is for us sometimes. We try to look at heaven. We try to figure out the big questions of life. But it’s hard to make it out. Maybe we see a little silhouette, but we’re not even sure about that.

But one day the view will be clear to the farthest horizons, and we will see as clearly as God sees us now. Until that time, “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

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

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Life in Two Dimensions

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He raised us from the dead along with Christ, and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. —Ephesians 2:6
A Christian is someone who lives in two dimensions. The apostle Paul explained it this way: “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” (Colossians 3:1-2, NLT).
These verses are saying that believers truly do live in a spiritual dimension — where we walk in the Spirit and know God in the Spirit. Yet as human beings, we also live and move in physical bodies here on earth. Our challenge as Christians, then, is to transfer what we have in the spiritual realm into the day-to-day ebb and flow of events in the earthly realm.
When I travel to another country and pass through its borders, I still maintain my U.S. citizenship. When I went to Israel a few years ago, although I had my passport that indicated I am an American, I had to live in their culture. As a result, there were a few things I needed to adapt to. When I needed currency, for example, I took funds from my bank in the U.S. and converted them into shekels to use in Israel. Of course, I didn’t know what the exchange rate was, so on my first day there, I may have tipped someone fifty dollars to carry my bags to my room. (He was really nice to me the rest of the day.)
As Christians, we have riches, treasures, real assets waiting for us in heaven. When the Bible speaks of the heavenlies, however, we need to recognize that it is not only talking about something waiting for us in heaven after we die. It is also talking about the supernatural realm. So before we can effectively walk as believers, much less engage in spiritual battle, we need to learn about the supernatural resources God has given to us. We also need to understand they are treasures God wants us to start tapping into in the here and now, as well as in the by and by. They are provisions available to any believer who is walking with God.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Setting Sail   

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What shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far. —Philippians 1:22–23

The word the apostle Paul used for depart in the above verse could be translated several different ways. One definition means “to strike the tent.” In other words, to break camp. To be honest with you, my favorite part of the whole tent-camping experience is when we’re getting ready to break camp and leave. I can hardly wait to get home and get into that hot shower. In this passage, Paul is saying, “I’m ready to break camp, leave this place, and move on, and let me tell you friends. . . I can’t wait.”

The word depart also could be used to describe a prisoner’s being released from shackles. Ironically, when Paul made this statement, he was actually chained up in a dungeon in Rome. His chains were made of iron, but perhaps you’re dealing with chains of a different sort: an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or pornography. Whatever it is, Paul was saying there is a coming a day when we will be released from these shackles.

There is one additional way depart could be translated. The word also was used to describe untying a boat from its moorings, prior to setting sail.

We understandably feel great sadness when a loved one leaves us, and sometimes we feel sorry for that person. But stop and think about it. Think about the port they have left and the port they’re heading for. If you stood on the wharf and said good-bye to someone sailing off in a leaky, rusty old freighter bound for outer Siberia, well, that would be pretty sad. But if you went down to the dock and saw that they were boarding a beautiful new cruise ship destined for Tahiti, you might be more inclined to feel sorry for yourself instead. After all, you would be the one left standing on the shore, and your loved one would be on his or her way to great adventure and a beautiful destination.

And heaven, in the presence of Jesus Christ, is exactly as Paul described it: “better by far” — infinitely better than life on earth.

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

 

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Greg Laurie – Hardship and Trust

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Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God… Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. —Deuteronomy 8:11–14

As they were (at long last) poised to enter the Promised Land, God warned the Israelites that the real danger to their lives had just begun.

Prior to this point, Israel had wandered in a desolate wilderness for forty years, completely dependent on God for everything. Every day they would step outside their little tents, and there would be manna waiting for them, just like the morning paper. God gave them fresh water to drink, a cloud to guide and shade them by day, and a pillar of fire to light their camp by night. Yes, wilderness living came with plenty of hardships. But those very difficulties compelled them to look to the Lord every day, depending on Him for everything.

But then He brought them to the brink of the Promised Land, and they could look across the Jordan and see lush green hills, rippling fields of wheat, flowing rivers, and trees loaded with fruit. They could hardly wait to get in! But God was saying, “Be careful! Watch out, or you’ll get fat and sassy and forget all about Me. Then your troubles will really begin.”

We’ve all experienced it: when our lives are hit with uncertainty, danger, or pain, we fall to our knees and cry out to God. God can use adversity to bring us closer to Him—which is actually where we will experience the greatest blessings of life.

  1. S. Lewis wrote, “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.”

The psalmist said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your word. . . It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:67,71, NIV).

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

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Greg Laurie – There Is More  

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To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. —Philippians 1:21

The apostle Paul wrote those words from a dungeon in Rome, facing imminent execution, and Christians through the centuries have repeated them. But not everyone will love those words. Some will think a person who says, “To live is Christ” is nuts. They’ll think, This is a guy who’s got his head in the clouds. Or maybe, This is a woman who’s so heavenly minded, she’s no earthly good.

But that is not true. Far from it! Those who think of the next world do the most for this one. My concern is for people who are so earthly minded, they’re no heavenly good!

The apostle Paul loved life. And the simple fact is, no one loves life more than the Christian. We can enjoy it because we know it comes to us from the hand of a loving God. That beautiful sunset. . . that’s the signature of my Father who happens to be the Creator of all. That wonderful meal. . . the joy of love and marriage. . . the comfort of family and friends. . . the satisfaction of a hard day’s work. All of these are beautiful gifts from the hand of our Father.

But as blessed as we may be in this life, there is more — more than what we are experiencing on this earth. All the great things we do experience in the here and now are just hints of heaven, hints of something better that will come for the man or the woman who has put faith in Jesus Christ.

  1. S. Lewis made this statement: “All the things that have ever deeply possessed your soul have been but hints of [heaven] — tantalizing glimpses, promises never quite fulfilled, echoes that died away just as they caught your ear.”6 He went on to say, “If I find in myself a desire, which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

There is another place, another time, another life. And life on earth, be it nine years or ninety years, is a nanosecond compared to eternity. Even so, it is here on this earth where we will decide where we will spend eternity. Trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is the only key that will open the doors of heaven to us after we leave this life.

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