Category Archives: Greg Laurie

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Greg Laurie – God with Skin On

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The Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. —John 1:14

I heard the story of a little boy who was frightened one night during a big thunderstorm. Terrified, he called out from his room, “Daddy, I’m scared!”

His father, not wanting to get out of bed, called back, “Don’t worry, Son. God loves you and will take care of you.”

There was a moment of silence. The little boy said, “I know God loves me, but right now, I need somebody with skin on.”

Sometimes our great and awesome God seems almost untouchable. That is where Jesus comes in. He was God with skin on, walking among us and showing us what God is like. I think C. S. Lewis put it well: “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.”

God became a man so that you might become God’s child. You aren’t born as a child of God; the Bible says that you need to be born again (see John 3:3). There must come a moment in your life in which you turn from your sins and invite Jesus Christ to come into your life to be your Savior and Lord.

Have you done that yet? Would you like to know with certainty that if you died today, you would go to heaven? You can. He walked among us for a short time on this earth. But you can walk with Him forever. The choice is yours.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Chasing Sardines

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Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, ll your soul, and all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

—Matthew 22:37–39

Some years ago, three hundred whales were found marooned on a beach. Scientists speculated that the whales had been chasing sardines and became trapped in shallow water when the tide went out. Now, that’s an amazing thing. By chasing little sardines, these gigantic creatures were ultimately led to their doom.

Many people waste their lives chasing sardines, so to speak. They major on the minors and have no clear focus or objective in mind. But God tells us what should be the primary goal of every Christian. If we can get our priorities straight in this area, everything else will come together. In fact, if we can get these two principles operative in our lives, then all the commandments of God will become a natural outflow of our commitment to Him. What are these principles? One, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind” (Matthew 22:37, NLT), and two, “Love your neighbor as yourself ” (verse 39, NLT).

When Jesus spoke these words, He was identifying what should be the focus of every person. Essentially, He was saying that love is the basis for all obedience. If you really love God, then you will naturally want to do the things that please Him.

It has been said that if you aim at nothing, you are bound to hit it. What is your highest priority in life? What are your goals? We all channel our energies and passions and thoughts toward something in life. What is it for you?

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Priorities

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Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. —Matthew 6:33

A man was out driving in the country during a heavy rainstorm when he came across an old farmer who was surveying the ruins of his barn. He pulled over and asked the farmer what happened.

“Roof fell in,” the farmer replied. “What happened with it? Why did it fall in?” asked the stranger.

“It leaked so long, it just finally rotted through,” the farmer said. “Why in the world didn’t you fix it before it rotted through?”

“Well, sir,” said the farmer, “I just got around to it. When the weather was good, there wasn’t a need for it. And when it rained, it was just too wet to work on.”

Isn’t it amazing that when you want to do something you somehow manage to find the time, no matter how busy you are? But when someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do, suddenly there is just no room in the schedule.

This can happen when it comes to the Christian life as well. If we are serving God only when it’s convenient, then we are settling for second best. If we make time for the things of God only when something better doesn’t come along first, then we are missing out on what God wants to do in our lives.

How much better it is to make time for the things of God — to put the things of God above everything else. How much better it is to get your priorities right. Instead of making excuses, make time for the Lord. It is not only the simple way to live, but it is also the best way.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Prescription for Happy Living

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“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  —Matthew 22:37–39

Conventional wisdom says that if you want to be happy, then you have to look out for number one. You have to do whatever it takes to succeed and whatever it takes to fulfill your own desires and needs. It doesn’t matter whom you step on. It doesn’t matter who gets hurt in the process. You have to think about yourself. That is what the world says.

The question is, does it work? No. Because all of us know from the experience of having probably tried it that it is a complete failure to some degree. We know that our happiness ebbs and flows, and it isn’t lasting.

Here is God’s formula for a life that is meaningful and full. Here is how God tells us to live:

There’s still time to sign up for the spring trip to Israel with Pastor Greg happening April 28–May 10. »

If there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. (Philippians 2:1-3)

Everyone says, “Look out for yourself. Think of yourself.” But the Bible says, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).

The Bible teaches that we already look out for number one. That comes with human nature. It is not something we need to learn how to do.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Crowded Out

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The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. —Luke 8:14

I have always been amazed by weeds. You can take a little flower, plant it in the perfect location, water it, and make sure there are no pests to threaten it. You can do everything possible for that flower, and it will slowly grow. But then, in the same amount of time, some weed springs up from a little crack in the sidewalk and that weed chokes out the flower.

But the weed doesn’t suddenly burst out of the ground, grab the flower, and start shaking it. The process is gradual. First, there is a flower growing, and then the weed appears. The next day, the weed is a little closer. And on it goes until the weed starts to wrap itself around the flower and choke out its growth.

That is what Jesus was describing in the parable of the sower when He spoke about those who are “choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity” (Luke 8:14). This isn’t something that happens overnight; it happens over a period of time.

I also find it interesting that it is the “cares, riches, and pleasures of life” that prevent the seed of God’s Word from maturing and producing fruit. These aren’t necessarily bad things in and of themselves. But these are good things that become the most important things and choke out the spiritual things.

This is not a picture of someone who says they don’t want to pray, read the Bible, or go to church. Rather, this represents someone who thinks those are good things to do. But over time, they start losing interest, and the things of this world become more important to them than the things of the next world. And that is what chokes them out spiritually.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Sovereignty of God

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Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you. —Psalm 119:91

Luke’s gospel tells the story of ten men with leprosy who were in need of a touch from Jesus. Leprosy was incurable. They asked Jesus for a healing, and He extended it to them. But out of the ten, only one returned to give Him thanks. We read that “one of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, ‘Praise God!’ He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done” (Luke 17:15-16, NLT).

Earlier he had prayed loudly for a healing, and then he was loud with his praise. I love the fact that the original language uses two words from which get our English word megaphone. The man was loud in thanking Jesus for what He had done for him.

As Christians, we should give thanks to God because we recognize that He is in control of all circumstances surrounding our lives. As Proverbs 16:9 reminds us, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps” (NLT).

God is sovereign, which means that God is able to do what He pleases with whomever He chooses whenever He wishes. The prophet Jeremiah said, “I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course” (Jeremiah 10:23, NLT). And we read in Proverbs 20:24, “The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” (NLT). That is the sovereignty of God.

But what about when bad things happen? Is God still in control? Yes. And the Bible tells us that despite the bad things that happen, which many times are inexplicable, God can work all things together for good to those who love Him (see Romans 8:28). As the psalmist wrote, “Everything serves [His] plans” (119:91, NLT).

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Eternally Good

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When they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. —Acts 16:6

God is wiser than I am, and what is immediately good actually may not be eternally good. And what is eternally good isn’t always immediately good, but painful. Sometimes when God says no, we will say that God didn’t answer our prayers. But what we really mean is that we didn’t like the answer. We say, “God, will You do this?” and God says no. So we conclude that He doesn’t love us. But the truth is, God said no because He does love us. He has a different purpose in mind.

We find an example of this in Acts 16 when Paul was concerned for the churches in Asia Minor and wanted to revisit them to check on their progress. There was one small problem, however. God had a different plan. Although Paul made every attempt to go to Asia, God basically said no: “After [Paul and Silas] had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them” (verse 7).

The Spirit did not permit them. I am intrigued by that statement because I wonder how the Holy Spirit conveyed that truth to them. Was it simply a lack of peace? Have you ever been heading into a situation in which everything looked good outwardly, but in your heart you had a sense of doubt as to whether it was good? Whatever it was, you didn’t know whether you really should be doing it.

And sometimes the way God says no is as simple as a door being closed. God has His timing. In the case of Paul and Silas, His timing wasn’t right for them to go where they wanted to go. God wanted them to go to a different place. And the same can be true for you as well.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Thankful in Everything

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Powered by His Spirit

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. — 1 Thessalonians 5:18

In her remarkable book The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom relates an amazing story about the importance of being thankful. Corrie and her sister Betsie were held in a concentration camp known as Ravensbück, where they lived in barracks that were plagued with fleas. Fleas were everywhere — in their hair and on their bodies. One day Betsie told Corrie they needed to give thanks for the fleas.

Corrie thought Betsie had gone too far. She couldn’t imagine thanking God for fleas. But Betsie insisted, reminding her sister that the Bible said, “In everything give thanks.” Still, Corrie didn’t want to thank God for the fleas. But as it turned out, Corrie and Betsie

were trying to reach the other women in their barracks with the message of the gospel, and they had been holding Bible studies. They found out later that because of the fleas, the guards would not go into those barracks, and therefore, the women were able to have their Bible studies. As a result, they had the freedom to minister to numerous women. So God can even use fleas.

If the Bible said, “In some things give thanks,” I would say, “No problem there!”

But it says, “In everything give thanks.” And that is not an easy thing to do.

This verse doesn’t say we should give thanks for everything as much it says in everything. There are some things that happen, and I am not glad they happened. But I am glad that, in spite of the tragedies, God is still on the throne, and He is still in control of all circumstances that surround my life.

 

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Powered by His Spirit

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Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. —Ephesians 5:17–18

When we think of being filled with the Spirit, we often relate it to an emotional experience or a feeling of euphoria. But in reality, the word filled could be translated “controlled by.” It is a word that speaks of what happens when the wind fills the sails of a boat and guides it along. So God is saying that we are to let His Spirit fill us and control our lives.

Another interesting thing about this word is that in the original language, it’s in a tense that speaks of something that should be done continually. So you could translate this sentence, “Be constantly filled with the Spirit.” This isn’t a one-time event. Instead, it is something that takes place again and again, just as we repeatedly fill the gas tanks in our cars to keep them running. God wants to refill us with His Spirit. It is a great thing to say each day, “Lord, fill me with Your Spirit. . . . Lord, fill me once again.” You may have an emotional experience, or you may not. But that has very little to do with the reality of being filled with and controlled by the Spirit.

One other thing about this phrase from Ephesians 5:18 is that it’s a command, not a suggestion. The Scripture isn’t saying, “If it works with your schedule, if you don’t mind, would you please consider maybe letting the Holy Spirit fill and control you?” No, in Ephesians

5:18 God commands us — orders us — to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

He knows very well that an intimate relationship with Himself will bring us the greatest fulfillment and happiness in our lives that we could ever know. 

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Lord of All

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Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.—Luke 14:33

It was George Bernard Shaw who said, “There are two sources of unhappiness in life. One is not getting what you want; the other is getting it.”

This statement reminds me of the account in Matthew 19 of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus seeking answers. Here was a man who, of all men, should have been content and fulfilled. He had great influence and affluence. Yet in spite of all his accomplishments, there was something missing in his life. He asked, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

Jesus told him, “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Jesus was not implying that by keeping the Ten Commandments, a person would be saved. Rather, Jesus held the Ten Commandments up as a mirror to show this man his sin.

The ruler replied, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”

I think Jesus probably smiled at this. He saw what this man was really all about. So He took it up a notch and said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Jesus knew the problem with this young ruler was that possessions had possessed his soul. But Jesus just as easily could have said something completely different to someone else. What is really holding someone back from Christ and from further spiritual progress can vary from person to person.

We would do well to come before Jesus and ask, “Lord, is there anything in my life that is getting in the way of my relationship with You?”

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Spiritual Slumber

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Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” — not knowing what he said. —Luke 9:33

Why did Peter say what he said during such a significant event as the Transfiguration? The Gospels give us two reasons: One, he didn’t know what to say, and two, he was “heavy with sleep” (see Luke 9:32). This was a bad time to fall asleep. Imagine what else Peter might have seen had he been fully awake and watchful.

This, of course, would not be the last time that Peter, along with James and John, would fall asleep on the watch. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told them, “Watch and pray. . . .” Then He went a few feet away and began to pray. When He came back, they were all sleeping. They were missing out on a significant event in the life of the Lord.

I wonder how much we miss out on because of our spiritual slumber. How many times are we spiritually slumbering when God wants to speak to us through His Word? Because we are too preoccupied with other things, we don’t have the discipline to pick up the Bible and open it. How many times are we spiritually slumbering instead of going to church and being fed from the Word of God? How many times are we spiritually slumbering when the Lord would want us to speak up for Him?

Like the disciples, we, too, can miss out on what God wants to do in and through us. We need to be awake, alert, and paying attention.

 

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Like Sheep

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Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. —1 Peter 2:25

On more than one occasion, the Bible compares Christians to sheep. I don’t know if I’m really happy about that because sheep aren’t the most intelligent animals on earth. It would have been nice if God had compared us to dolphins. Now, there’s an intelligent animal. I once had the opportunity to talk to a man who trained dolphins. I asked him, “Are dolphins really as intelligent as they seem?”

He said, “In some ways, yes, and in some ways, no. They are very intelligent in many ways because a dolphin can read a symbol and understand what it means.” That is amazing to me.

But Jesus didn’t compare us to dolphins. He compared us to sheep. And sheep are some of the stupidest animals around. They are vulnerable, easily spooked, can’t run very fast, and lack any means of defending themselves. What’s more, they are in constant need of care and attention. Sheep are known to follow each other even to their own death. It has been documented that if one sheep walks off a cliff, the others will follow.

The Bible says, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own” (Isaiah 53:6, NLT). Think about how many people have bought into the same lies, generation after generation. They fall into the same junk, the same addictions, and the same traps again and again.

We are like sheep. That is a fact. The question is, are you going to be a smart sheep or a dumb one? Smart sheep stay close to the Shepherd, and that is where we all need to be.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Songs in the Night

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The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me — a prayer to the God of my life. —Psalm 42:8

Have you ever been awakened in the middle of the night and had a Christian song or a worship chorus going through your mind? If so, then that tells me you are laying up the things of God in your heart. Instead of waking up with the latest pop music in your head, you are thinking of a Christian song or maybe a Scripture verse. That is a song in the night God has given you.

When Paul and Silas were thrown into prison in Philippi, Acts 16 tells us that “at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (verse 25).

The word “listening” used here is significant. In the original language, it means to listen very, very carefully. Another way to translate it is “they listened with pleasure.” There are some things that aren’t a pleasure to listen to — they are painful, like fingernails on a chalkboard. But this was pleasurable, like when your favorite song comes on the radio and you turn it up. Oh, I love this song! This is a great song! That is how the prisoners were listening.

I doubt they had ever heard anyone sing in that dungeon before. And I think the simple fact that they were singing at all in such a place was a powerful testimony. It was a platform for evangelism. You see, you can talk about trusting God in adversity, but when someone sees it in action in your life, there is an undeniable authenticity. It is a powerful witness. Worship can be a powerful tool for a nonbeliever to be exposed to.

When you are in pain, the midnight hour is not the easiest time for a worship service. But God can give you songs in the night. And never doubt it: people will be listening.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Subtle Damage

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He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips. —Proverbs 20:19

Among the many ways we can use our words to hurt others, three of them are backbiting, gossip, and flattery.

The word used for backbite in Hebrew means “to play the spy.” It’s a picture of someone who collects clues and scraps of information regarding a person’s character and then relates the information to anyone who will listen.

Gossip is more subtle because it can veil itself in “acceptable” language. People will say, “Have you heard?” or “I personally don’t believe it’s true, but I did hear that. . . .” Or, here is one of my personal favorites: “I wouldn’t normally share this, but I know it won’t go any further. Keep this to yourself.”

Of course, we Christians like to wrap gossip in spiritual language: “I need to tell you this about so-and-so so you can pray for them.” But how often do we really follow through and make it a matter of prayer?

A more subtle misuse of the tongue is in flattery. Flattery is just a fancy lie. It’s when you say something that is really not true to win a person’s favor, attention, or approval when you don’t mean what you said about him or her at all. A good definition of gossip and flattery is this: Gossip is saying behind a person’s back what you would never say to his or her face. Flattery is saying to a person’s face what you would never say behind his or her back.

That is why James tells us, “If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:2). That is a mark of true spirituality.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Unlikely Conversions

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Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. —Hebrews 4:7

An attorney was trying to deliver an important paper to a man who was determined to avoid him. The man reasoned that the attorney had some type of subpoena, so he went out of his way to dodge him. Fourteen years passed, and the man finally found himself in the hospital, dying of cancer. Through a strange series of events, the attorney was admitted to the hospital and was assigned to the same room as the dying man.

The man turned to the attorney and said, “Well, you never got me. I’ve escaped you all this time, and now it doesn’t matter. You can even serve your subpoena. I don’t care.”

The lawyer replied, “Subpoena? I was trying to give you a document that proved you had inherited forty-five million dollars!”

Many people go out of their way to avoid Christians and the opportunity to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. All the while, their hearts grow harder, and they risk becoming calloused to the point of no return. We don’t know when that point will come in their lives. Maybe you even know someone who seems to have already reached it.

We can take heart when we look at the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. It was so radical and unexpected that when it happened, first-century Christians thought he was attempting to infiltrate their ranks and persecute the church even further. They didn’t believe that God could save someone as wicked and hostile toward the church as Saul. They couldn’t wrap their minds around a change of that magnitude. But we know that Saul became Paul the apostle.

If you know someone who seems so far gone and permanently hardened toward the gospel, keep praying. You never know. That person just might be the next Paul.

 

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Strength in Troubled Times

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Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. —Matthew 24:35

Where will you turn in a time of crisis? When tragedy hits? When disaster strikes? Will it be your favorite magazine? The morning newspaper? The evening news? You will need something to give you strength and direction in your time of need — and you can’t find a better resource than the Word of God.

As one pastor said, “One gem from that ocean is worth all the pebbles of earthly streams.” Just a single pebble from the ocean of God’s Word can make all the difference when tragedy or hardship strikes. How many in their affliction have found comfort from the Scriptures?

Trusting in what God has said through the Bible can sustain us and give us direction and hope and comfort when we most need it. Inspirational platitudes or clever sayings don’t help — or at least, not for very long — but the Word of God does. It has been said that “he who rejects the Bible has nothing to live by. Neither does he have anything to die by.”

Ideas and philosophies go in and out of style with the passing of years, but the Word of God never goes out of style. It never goes out of date, unlike this morning’s news. The Word of God always will be relevant.

That is why C. S. Lewis said, “All that is not eternal is eternally out of date.”

I urge you to get a good foundation in this Book because it is only a matter of time until hardship strikes you. It happens in every life, without exception. But if you have a good foundation in the Word of God, then you will be ready for difficulty when it comes. Don’t wait until then to try and catch up.

Get that foundation now.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – From His Perspective

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Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” —Matthew 19:26

I heard the story of an elderly minister who liked to visit people in hospitals. He often would take along a little, embroidered bookmark that he carried in his Bible. On the back of the bookmark was a group of tangled threads with no apparent pattern. He would hand this bookmark, with the back facing up, to those who were hurting or upset and say, “Look at that and tell me what it says.” As they looked at all the tangled threads, they would say, “I have no idea what it says. It doesn’t seem to say anything.”

Then he said, “Now, turn it over.” As they would flip that bookmark over, they saw the words “God is love.” The minister would say, “Many times as we look at what God is doing, we just see tangled threads with no rhyme or reason. But from God’s perspective, He is dealing with us in love, and He knows what He is doing.”

The next time you think it’s all over for you, just remember how things turned out for Joseph in the book of Genesis. Just remember how things turned out for Daniel — no doubt things looked pretty grim when he was in the den of lions. It looked hopeless as well for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego when they were thrown into the fiery furnace. Things looked pretty hopeless for Peter when he was in prison, awaiting execution. And things certainly looked bleak for Martha and Mary when their brother died.

You see, things can look bad at one moment, but then God will step in and turn events around. Then as time goes on, you will look back and say, “Now I understand what God was doing.”

 

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Dealing with Discouragement

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Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God. —Psalm 42:11

It’s not unusual for even the most spiritual people to have their days of doubt. Moses, on one occasion at least, was overwhelmed by his circumstances. After he had listened to the constant complaining of the children of Israel, he basically told the Lord, “I’m fed up. Just kill me. I don’t want to deal with this another day.”

Elijah, after his contest with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, heard that Jezebel had put a contract out on his life. He was so overwhelmed by his circumstances, so discouraged, so uncertain, and so filled with doubt that he said to God, “Take my life.”

Even the great apostle Paul had moments when he was discouraged. He wrote to the church at Corinth, “We were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8).

Jeremiah, the great prophet, faced it as well. He was ridiculed and harassed for giving out the Word of God. Because he was tired of the pressure he was facing, it made him want to stop giving out God’s Word altogether. He said, “The word of the Lord was made to me a reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name’ ” (Jeremiah 20:8-9).

You aren’t the only one who has ever faced doubt or uncertainty or has been perplexed as to why God did not work in a certain way. We may be in the midst of God’s working and can’t see the big picture as He can.

We can trust His heart, even when we can’t trace His path.

 

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greglaurie The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. —2 Chronicles 16:9 Before he became the great evangelist, D. L. Moody had a conversation that deeply impacted him and would direct the course of his life from that point on. Someone said to Moody, “You know, the world has yet to see what God can do with and through the man who is totally committed to Him.” Those words went deep into Moody’s heart, and he prayed, Lord, I want to be that man. He sure came close. The book of Acts is a story of ordinary men and women who did extraordinary things because they allowed God to have His way in their lives. In the same way, God wants to use you to turn your world upside down for Christ. It starts with your saying, “Lord, I want to make a difference. I don’t want this world to turn me around. I want to turn it around. Use me.” The world has yet to see what God can do with and through the man or woman who is totally committed to Him. Will God find such people today? I wonder if you would say, like Moody, “I want to be that person.” If you will, then your life can make a difference. It will be exciting in the days ahead to see what God will do through and with you. But He wants you to be available to Him. One of these days, your life will come to an end. What will you say about your life? What will others say? How great it would be to say, like Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful” (2 Timothy 4:7, NLT).

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Contemplating the Cross

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greglaurie

Thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. —1 Corinthians 15:57

I heard about a man who tried to start his own religion but soon found that it didn’t go so well. He decided to approach the French statesman Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-érigord and ask him what he should do to gain converts. The statesman told him, “I recommend that you get yourself crucified, die, and then rise again on the third day.”

Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection on the third day is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. It is what sets our faith as Christians apart from the faith of all others. Yet many view Christ’s crucifixion as a rude interruption of what was an otherwise successful ministry. But the cross was at the forefront of the mind of Jesus Christ from the very beginning. This is where He knew He was headed, and He spoke of it often. The Bible even tells us that before He even came to this earth, a decision was made that He would ultimately go to the cross. Scripture calls Him “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8 NLT).

It was at the cross that the righteous demands of God were satisfied. It was at the cross that God and humanity were reconciled once again. It was at the cross that a decisive blow was dealt against Satan and his minions. It was at the cross that our very salvation was purchased. Therefore, we can’t talk about the cross too much — or contemplate it too often.