Category Archives: Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – In Focus

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Let us run with endurance . . . keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. —Hebrews 12:1 –2

When I was in high school, I went out for track and field. I was a fairly decent short-distance runner, but I was horrible at long-distance runs. What’s more, I hated to practice. But if I happened to see a pretty girl in the grandstands, I found new motivation for running my best.

As we run this race of life, we have a better motivation than I had in high school. We run for an audience of one: Jesus Christ. He is watching us. He is praying for us. In fact, the Bible tells us that He lives forever to intercede for us (see Hebrews 7:25, NLT).

This is what gave young Stephen courage when he stood before his accusers who were ready to put him to death. Full of the Holy Spirit, he was given a glimpse of Jesus in heaven and said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”(Acts 7:56 NLT). Seeing Jesus gave Stephen the ability to run the race and finish it.

Seeing Jesus also gave Simon Peter the ability to walk on water. As he kept the Lord in sight, He did the impossible.

It’s so important for us to keep our eyes on Jesus. Why? Because circumstances will disappoint and, at times, devastate us. People will let us down and will fall short of our expectations. Feelings will come and go. But Jesus always will be there to cheer us on.

He has run before you, He is the ultimate winner, and He will show you how to run. But you have to keep looking to Him.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – A Wing or a Weight?

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Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. —Hebrews 12:1

I heard about a great concert violinist who was asked about the secret to her great performances. She answered, “Planned neglect. Anything that would keep me from practicing and playing well must be neglected.”

I think that some of us could use some planned neglect in our lives because there is a lot more junk in them than we may realize. If you don’t believe me, then try moving from one house to another. Isn’t it amazing how much junk you have collected? The same is true in our lives. We take on things we don’t need. Periodically, we needed to jettison this excess weight and let it go.

When the race of life gets difficult, we like to blame circumstances, other people, or sometimes even God. But we need to remember that if we stumble or fall, it’s our own fault. The Bible says that God, by His divine power, “has given us everything we need for living a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3 NLT).

The Bible also tells us to lay aside the weight and the sin that hinders our progress (see Hebrews 12:1). Notice the distinction: we aren’t just to lay aside the sin; we also are to lay aside the weight. Earlier in this book, I suggested asking yourself this question: Is this preoccupation or activity in my life a wing or a weight? In other words, does it speed me on my way in this race I am running? Or is it a weight — something that slows me down?

David had the right idea when he prayed, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV).

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie –Shaped by Suffering

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That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. —2 Corinthians 12:10

On a recent visit to North Carolina, I drove through a town named Mocksville. I should have been born there. Prior to becoming a Christian, I always loved to mock other people. So when I became a follower of Jesus, I was shocked to discover that I was the one being mocked. People were laughing at me because of my faith in Christ.

This is what happened to Paul, but in a far more intense way. Right after his conversion, he started preaching the gospel in Damascus. But he was so powerful and persuasive that the religious leaders wanted him dead.

The Christians found out and devised a plan to help Paul escape. They put him into a basket and lowered it over the city wall at night. Think of the irony! Just a short time before, he was Saul of Tarsus, the notorious persecutor of Christians. But then the hunter became the hunted. He was getting a taste of his own medicine.

His name change from Saul to Paul offers insight into the real transformation that took place. The first king of Israel was named Saul. In contrast, Paul means “little.” It would be like deliberately changing your name from Spike to Squirt. Obviously, God had changed Paul into a man of humility.

Sometimes we want God to take certain things out of our lives that cause us pain. We pray again and again for those things to be removed. But do we ever stop to think that God is using those things in our lives to transform us and make us more like Him?

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Part of the Family

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As we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. —Romans 12:4–5

Sometimes people treat churches like restaurants — with a consumer mentality. I want to go to this restaurant. Oh, we went there two weeks ago. Let’s go to this other one. . . . But the church is not a restaurant. The church is a family, and you need to be a part of the family.

You also need to engage. Maybe one of the reasons some people feel as though they aren’t getting enough out of church is because they attend intermittently and don’t commit themselves. But if they would settle in and become a part of what God is doing, it would change for them.

If you have been attending a church for more than a couple of years, then you ought to be involved in a ministry of some kind. You may not be called to preach, but there are lots of other things to do. There is something for everyone. The Bible tells us, “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them” (Romans 12:5-6).

It’s fine to come and be served in the church. But there has to come a point when you start growing up and decide to start serving. And then you will find that everything changes for you.

So let’s stop thinking of the church as them and start thinking of the church as us. Be a part of the family. Take the gifts that God has given you, develop them, and use them for His glory. I suggest that church would completely change for us if we stop coming as spectators and instead join the team.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – A Change of Direction

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We must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies. —2 Corinthians 5:10

One morning as Alfred Nobel was reading the newspaper, he was shocked to find his name listed in the obituary column. It was a mistake, but nonetheless, there it was. He was stunned to see that he was primarily remembered as the man who invented dynamite. At that time in history, dynamite was used in great effect for warfare. It distressed Nobel to think that all he would be known for was inventing dynamite, something that was used to take the lives of others.

As a result of reading this mistaken obituary, Nobel decided to change the course of his life. He committed himself to world peace and established what we know today as the Nobel Peace Prize. When the name Alfred Nobel is mentioned today, dynamite is rarely the first thing that comes to mind. Rather, we think of the prize that bears his name. It’s all because Alfred Nobel decided to change the course his life was taking.

Another man, living centuries before, also changed the negative course his life was taking. His name was Paul, formerly known as Saul of Tarsus. Known as a relentless persecutor of the early church, he was determined to stop the spread of Christianity. But after a dramatic conversion on the Damascus Road, Paul devoted the rest of his life to preaching the gospel and building the church. Today we remember him as a missionary, church planter, and author of thirteen New Testament epistles.

If you were to somehow attend your own funeral and hang around during the time when people came to the microphone, what do you think they would say? For what would you be remembered? It isn’t too late to change your direction.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Little Messes

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He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.'” —Luke 19:45–46

My wife Cathe and I are polar opposites when it comes to cleaning. My approach could be summed up by the procrastinator’s motto: Never do today what you could put off until tomorrow. Cathe’s approach is to constantly clean and organize so that over time, little messes don’t become big ones. Obviously, her approach is the better one.

In Luke 19 we find the story of Jesus’ cleaning the house of God as He went into the temple and drove out the moneychangers. These temple merchants were taking advantage of people and keeping them from God, and this angered Jesus.

This is the second time in Scripture when Jesus cleansed the temple. In the gospel of John, we read that He used a whip to drive out the moneychangers. Little messes turn into big messes, so Jesus arrived to clean house again.

I believe there is a parallel to our own lives. When we come to Christ initially, we ask for His forgiveness and He pardons us of all our iniquities. In fact, we are told in 2 Corinthians

5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” What a wonderful thing it is to realize that God has forgiven us of all our sin.

But as a little time passes, sometimes some of those old sins can find their way back into our lives. And that so-called “little” sin begins to grow and becomes a problem.

Does your temple need cleansing? Are there some things in your life that shouldn’t be there right now? Are there some vices, some bad habits that have found their way back into your life? If so, deal with them now.

Don’t let little messes turn into big ones.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Call for Backup

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My brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. —Ephesians 6:10

Just as police officers call for backup when they sense that danger may be imminent, the first thing we must realize about spiritual battle is that in our own strength, we are no match for the Devil. I think a healthy respect of our adversary is in order for believers today. We don’t want to underestimate him, nor do we want to overestimate him. We want to accurately assess who he is and what his abilities are. We need to recognize that he is powerful, and we don’t want to take him on in our own strength.

When I hear some preachers on television or the radio calling the Devil silly little names, laughing at him, or making jokes about him, I remember what Jude 9 says: “Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the Devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’ ” Even the highranking archangel Michael didn’t dare to mock or condemn the Devil. He simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” There was a respect for the enemy.

The reason we need to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” is because Satan wants to remove us from that very resource! Why? Because it is our power base. He wants to separate us from God because the moment he gets us away from Him, we are open prey. For this reason, the Devil wants to put a wedge between God and us.

The only power that can effectively drive out Satan is the power of Jesus Christ. Be strong in the Lord. Stay close to Him. Don’t let anything come between you and God.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Through the Storm

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That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” —Mark 4:35

In the gospel of Mark, we find an interesting story in which Jesus invited the disciples, some of whom were seasoned fishermen, to join Him on a little boat trip across the Sea of Galilee. But on the way over, they encountered a sudden, violent storm.

Now the question would arise, did Jesus know that a storm was coming? The answer is yes. In fact, you might even say that it was a part of His curriculum that day. It was all part of teaching the disciples to believe what they claimed to believe.

We don’t want to make light of what these disciples were experiencing, because I’m sure this was a very harsh storm and a terrifying experience. Several on board had seen many storms on the Sea of Galilee, so it had to have been a most unusual storm for the disciples to be so gripped by fear. According to Mark’s gospel, the waves were breaking over the boat and filling it with water. The disciples were very afraid, but they didn’t have to be.

Before they left, Jesus had made a significant statement they apparently had forgotten about: “Let us go over to the other side.” And when God says, “Let us go over to the other side,” it means you will get to the other side. He didn’t say it would be smooth sailing. He didn’t say it would be an easy trip. But He did say, “Let us go over to the other side.”

Often we are gripped by fear and cease to think logically when we forget God’s Word to us. That is exactly what happened to the disciples. But Jesus was on board with them, and He was there to see them through.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – An Invitation to Rest

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The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. —Revelation 22:17

One December I was on my way to New York and had a connection through Chicago. It was very cold outside, and as I was walking through the airport terminal, I noticed a large advertisement. It featured a sunny, tropical beach with beautiful turquoise-blue water, white sand, and an empty beach chair. That picture was so alluring and so appealing because of where I was at that particular moment.

I think that photograph represented something all of us really want: rest, relaxation, and time off. Jesus has something to say to the person who is exhausted and worn out. He has something to say to people who have been chewed up and spit out by life — people who are frustrated, who are hurting. Here is His personal offer of rest to those who will respond: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT).

This passage gives us the Christian life in a nutshell. Here we see what it is to come to, to know, and to walk with Jesus Christ. This invitation stands today, but it won’t stay that way forever. What is the invitation? Jesus says, “Come to Me.”

That’s it? Yes, that’s it.

It’s so simple, yet so profound. And we see this same invitation echoed throughout Scripture. It all begins with coming to God . . . approaching Him . . . seeking Him . . . opening our hearts to Him. Never doubt it. He will respond.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Good in Guilt

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Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. —Romans 3:23–24

When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, wanted to play a practical joke on twelve of his friends, he sent a note to each of them that simply read, “Flee at once. All is discovered.” Within twenty-four hours, all twelve friends had left the country. That’s what you call a guilty conscience.

If you ask me, I think we could use a little more guilt in our society. Guilt does serve a purpose. What good can possibly come from guilt? The same good that comes from that warning system in our bodies called pain. If you step on a piece of glass, your body sends a warning signal: “Stop! Don’t go any further!” In the same way, God has installed a warning system called guilt into our souls, and we experience it when we do something wrong. Just as pain tells us there is a physical problem that must be dealt with or the body will suffer, guilt tells us something is wrong spiritually and needs to be confronted and cleansed.

So you see, guilt isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The guilt feeling we experience is the symptom of the real problem, which is sin. All of the psychological counseling in the world can’t relieve a person of his or her guilt. We can pretend it is not there or try to find someone else to blame for our problems. But the only real and effective way to remove our guilt is to get to the root of the problem, which is sin.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – True Change

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If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. —2 Corinthians 5:17

During a visit to the Pacific Northwest a few years ago, I met a man who told me he had been heavily into alcohol and drugs, and his marriage, in his own words, had been hanging by a thread. One day, he took a gun, loaded it, and was planning to kill himself. Then, he turned on the TV. There on the screen was a Harvest Crusade, where I was sharing a message called, “How to Get Right with God.”

He said, “God began to speak to me. When you led those people in prayer, I prayed and asked Jesus Christ to come into my life.” After he found Christ, he realized he needed to reconcile with his father. So, he rode his motorcycle across the country to see his dad. That’s a long, long ride on a motorcycle. It shows me that he had really met God, and there was a change in his life.

When God healed Naaman of his leprosy, the Syrian general wanted to show his gratitude with a gift. Saul, at his conversion, said to the Lord, “What do You want me to do?” (Acts 9:6). The Philippian jailer, after becoming a believer, washed the backs of those he had previously whipped. And Zacchaeus, after he became a believer, wanted to restore what he had stolen from others.

If you have truly found a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, you will change. That doesn’t mean you need to change your life before you can come to Christ. But it does mean that when you come to Christ, you will change and your priorities will change.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – God’s Free Gift

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The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 6:23

Many years ago, I was given some free tickets to Disneyland. I was walking around the park having a good time, but I started to feel guilty because I had two extra tickets. I thought maybe there was someone outside who wanted to come in but perhaps couldn’t afford it. So I decided to go outside and find someone to give the tickets to. I noticed some kids hanging out in front of the park. I walked up and said, “Hi. I have two free tickets to Disneyland. Would you like them?”

“What are you doing, man?”

“Just two free tickets,” I said.

“How much is it going to cost us?”

“It won’t cost you anything. I have some extra. I would just like you to have them.”

“No.”

I went to someone else. “Hi. I have these two free tickets to Disneyland. I would like to give them to you.” Again and again, I received the same response. It took forty minutes to give away those tickets.

People are suspicious, and the same is true when it comes to spiritual things. We say, “The way to be forgiven of your sin and to have eternal life is to turn from your sin, receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior, and begin to follow Him.”

People respond, “That’s too easy. What’s the catch? What else do I have to do?” In our pride, we want to think we have something to do with our salvation. But if we will come to God on His terms and do what He says, then we will be forgiven of our sins and have the assurance of eternal life.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Mother Who Prayed

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Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. —Matthew 15:28

When we are praying for something that we believe to be the will of God, we shouldn’t give up. Keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking — that is what Jesus told us to do. In fact, when Jesus saw the great faith of a mother from Canaan who was doing this very thing, He gave her carte blanche, so to speak: “Let it be to you as you desire.”

This mother believed that what she was asking was the will of God, and she would not give up. Maybe you, like this mother, have a child who is under the Devil’s influence today. He or she has rejected your influence, at least for now. It is tough because you have raised this child in the ways of the Lord. The very thing you have prepared your child for — to become independent — has happened. My advice is, hold on. You will come through it.

That thing you may believe is the worst-case scenario might be the step toward bringing your child to a true, heartfelt faith. The rebellion may be difficult to endure right now. But it also may be short-term, and it may be what it takes to bring your child to a place of realizing his or her own need for Jesus Christ. Our kids need to get these convictions in their hearts as their convictions, not just as Mom or Dad’s convictions. It may mean a detour into the land of the prodigals. It may mean hitting bottom. But don’t give up.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Kept in Heavenly Storage

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When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. —Revelation 5:8

There are times when life just doesn’t seem fair. Things happen that don’t make sense, and we wonder why God didn’t answer our prayer.

But He will answer your prayer — in His way, for His glory, in His time.

Revelation 5:8 gives us this interesting detail about heaven: “The twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” When we are in heaven and are standing before God’s throne, and when those golden bowls, full of prayers, are brought before us, we will realize that God heard every little prayer that we prayed. And I think we also will understand that His answer was far better than what we asked for in the moment.

We will realize that God overruled something we asked for because it wasn’t the best prayer. What we don’t realize today is this hardship or this tragedy or this inexplicable event ultimately will lead to that event, which will touch that person, which will affect that situation over there.

It will be like a long chain reaction that will produce this, this, and this, all for God’s glory. So that thing you wanted had to go away, or that circumstance had to arise to produce those other things, and ultimately you will give God the glory. In the meantime, you will have to trust Him, knowing that it all will be revealed in heaven when we stand before the Lord.

Some prayers are answered right away. But others are being kept in heavenly storage for an answer to come.

Not only does God keep our tears in a bottle (see Psalm 56:8), but He also keeps our prayers in a bowl. God never throws our prayers away. He stores them for us.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – What Really Matters

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In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.'” —2 Kings 20:1

Over the years, I have done a lot of funerals and memorial services. I have also visited people who were literally at death’s door, and I can tell you that when life comes to an end, there are three things that will really matter to you: faith, family, and friends.

Of number one importance will be your faith, your relationship with God. I have heard so many people say with deep regret, “I wish had I spent more time walking closely with God. I wish I had made more time for spiritual things.” They recognize the fact that they will stand before God Almighty. How sad it is when people realize they have squandered their lives.

Next will be your family. “I wish I had been a better father,” or, “I wish I had been a better mother,” some say. You won’t be concerned about how much money you made, whether you spent enough time at the office, or whether you have plenty of possessions. You will be leaving all that behind. Sadly, we spend so much time on that which doesn’t really matter in the long run and, in the process, neglect that which really does matter.

It all will come down to faith, then family, and then friends. These are things that we want to think about. We want to make sure that our lives are right before God. When King Hezekiah was close to death, the prophet Isaiah told him, “Set your house in order” (2 Kings 20:1). Is your house in order today?

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Empty Net Syndrome

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Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. —John 21:3

It was déjà vu time for the disciples. They had been fishing all night on the Sea of Galilee and hadn’t caught anything. The Lord had risen and had already appeared to some of the disciples. There were no clear marching orders, so they thought they would go back to what they knew how to do: fish.

Now it was early in the morning, probably still dark. They saw a figure standing on the shore. He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” (John 21:5, NLT).

Throughout the Bible, God often asked probing questions when He wanted a confession. In the same way, Jesus was asking His disciples, “Did you catch anything? Have you been successful? Have things gone the way you had hoped they would go? Are you satisfied?”

Why did Jesus want them to admit their failure? So He could bring them to the place where they needed to be.

When they cast the net on the right side of the boat as Jesus told them to, their net became so heavy with fish that they couldn’t pull it in. The Lord was teaching the disciples an important lesson: Failure often can be the doorway to real success.

We need to come to that point in our lives as well. We need to come and say, “Lord, I am not satisfied with the way my life is going. I am tired of doing it my way. I want to do it Your way.” If you will come to God like that, He will extend His forgiveness to you. Then He will take your life and transform it in ways you couldn’t imagine.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Sleepwalking

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Be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. —1 Thessalonians 5:6

Have you ever gone sleepwalking? It’s kind of scary, really — especially the next day when someone tells you what you did.

There are people in the church today who have gone to sleep. They aren’t watching the signs of the times. There is a lethargy, a passiveness — even a laziness — in some Christians. There is an apparent disconnect between their so-called spiritual lives and real lives. Instead of walking in the Spirit, some believers are sleepwalking.

We need to wake up. The Bible says, “So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded” (1 Thessalonians 5:6, NLT).

In other words, we need to wake up to the urgency of the time. We need to wake up to the imminence of the Lord’s return.

We also need to sober up. First Thessalonians 5 goes on to say, “Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation” (verses 7-8, NLT).

I think we can interpret this both literally and figuratively. An obvious interpretation is, don’t get drunk. Don’t be under the influence of anyone or anything except Jesus Christ. But figuratively speaking, we can be intoxicated with other things. Jesus said, “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware” (Luke 21:34, NLT). What you will eat or wear or where you will live are normal human concerns as you provide for yourself and your family. But let’s not allow these things to become our preoccupation.

Let’s not allow ourselves to become intoxicated with things that aren’t the main thing.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Ultimate Sacrifice

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God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. —John 3:16

I heard a true story about a man who operated a drawbridge. At a certain time every afternoon, he raised the bridge for a ferryboat to go by and then lowered it in time for a passenger train to cross over. He performed this task precisely, according to the clock.

One day he brought his son to work so he could watch. As his father raised the bridge, the boy got excited and wanted to take a closer look. His father realized his son was missing and began looking for him. To his horror, his son had come dangerously close to the bridge’s gears. Frantic, he wanted to go rescue him, but if he left the controls, he would not be back in time to lower the bridge for the approaching passenger train.

He faced a dilemma. If he lowered the bridge, his son would be killed. If he left it raised, hundreds of others would die. He knew what he had to do. With tears streaming down his face, he watched the passenger train roll by. On board, two women chatted over tea. Others were reading newspapers. All were totally unaware of what had just transpired. The man cried out, “Don’t you realize that I just gave my son for you?” But they just continued on their way.

This story is a picture of what happened at the cross. God gave up His beloved Son so that we might live. But most people don’t give it a second thought. How about you? Are you conscious of the ultimate sacrifice God made on your behalf? Will you be sure to thank Him?

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Why the Cross?

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The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. —1 Corinthians 1:18

A true story was reported about a couple visiting a jewelry store. As the jeweler showed them various crosses, the woman commented, “I like these, but do you have any without this little man on them?”

That is what so many people want today: a cross without Jesus. They want a cross without any offense — one that will look cool with their outfits. But if we could travel back in time and see the cross in its original context, we would realize that it was a bloody and vile symbol. It would have been the worst picture imaginable to see someone hanging on a cross.

The Romans chose crucifixion because it was meant to be a slow, torturous way to die. It was designed to humiliate a person. The crucifixions outside Roman cities served as warnings to anyone who would dare oppose the rule of Rome.

If there had been any other way, do you think that God would have allowed His Son to suffer like this? If there had been any other way we could have been forgiven, then God surely would have found it. If living a good moral life would get us to heaven, then Jesus never would have died for us. But He did — because there was and is no other way. He had to pay the price for our sin. At the cross, Jesus purchased the salvation of the world.

If you ever were tempted to doubt God’s love for you, even for a moment, then take a long, hard look at the cross. Nails did not hold Jesus to that cross; His love did.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Promises . . . with a Prerequisite

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He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

—Psalm 91:1

Without question, Psalm 91 is a real gem among the psalms. Next to Psalm 23, it probably has brought more encouragement and comfort throughout the centuries than any other psalm.

But it’s worth noting that the blessings promised in Psalm 91 aren’t for just anyone. They are specifically given to believers — and not just to believers in general. These benefits are targeted toward believers who specifically meet the requirements found within the psalm. Psalm 91 is full of what we call conditional promises. In other words, God promises to do certain things for us, hinging on our doing certain things that are required.

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Verse 1 begins, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High . . .” The word dwells could be translated as “quiet and resting, enduring and remaining with consistency.” It is very similar to the word abide, which we see often in the New Testament. Jesus said, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit” (John 15:5). That word abide means “to stay in a given place, to maintain unbroken fellowship and communion with another.”

Here’s what God is saying: If you want to experience the promises of Psalm 91 — My protection, My provision, and My blessing — you must dwell in the secret place of the Most High. You must remain in constant fellowship with Me.”

We have relationship with God because we have put our faith in Jesus Christ and have turned from our sin. But are we living in constant fellowship with God? Many believers aren’t.

God is interested in a relationship with you — not just on Sundays, but throughout the week. He wants you to dwell in the secret place of the Most High.