Tag Archives: Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Some Thoughts on the Love of God

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“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”—John 15:13

What a contrast the love of God is to the so-called “love” of our culture.

Our world loves you when you are young and beautiful; God loves you when you are old and not so attractive.

Our world loves you when you are famous and a celebrity; God loves you when you are unknown and a complete nobody.

Our world loves you when you are rich and powerful; God loves you when you are penniless and weak.

Our world loves the extraordinary. God loves the ordinary. People like you and me.

And God has demonstrated this love for us in a tangible way. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13 NKJV).

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Absence of Beauty

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I stood in front of the painting long enough that my neck hurt from craning upward, long enough to make the connection that onlookers that day likely held a similar stance as they watched Jesus of Nazareth on the cross. Francisco de Zurbarán’s massive 1627 painting The Crucifixion hangs in gallery 211 of the Chicago Art Institute. Viewers must stand back from the piece and gaze upward in order to take it all in. Zurbarán depicts the point just before Christ takes his last breath. His body leans forward from exhaustion; his head hangs downward. All details of any background activity are absent, the black backdrop a jarring juxtaposition beside his pale, bruised skin. The artist’s use of light intensifies the stark pull of sympathy towards a body that is both clearly suffering and yet somehow beautiful. At the time, I wasn’t sure what I believed about Christianity. But there was something about the painting I couldn’t stop trying to grasp.

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Finished!

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When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.—John 19:30

The cross was the goal of Jesus from the very beginning. His birth was so there would be His death. The incarnation was for our atonement. He was born to die so that we might live. And when He had accomplished the purpose He had come to fulfill, He summed it up with a single word: “finished.”

In the original Greek, it was a common word. Jesus probably used it after He finished a project that He and Joseph might have been working on together in the carpentry shop. Jesus might have turned to Joseph and said, “Finished. Now let’s go have lunch.” It is finished. Mission accomplished. It is done. It is made an end of.

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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; – Credentials

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Some may remember the show What’s My Line? The panel had a certain amount of time to ask questions of three contestants, two of whom were imposters and the other who actually was who he said he was. Today many ask, “Since there are many religions, how do we know which one is true?” Even after the panelists asked questions, they often guessed the wrong person. The one who was true had the credentials.

Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, “After three days I will rise.”

Matthew 27:63

In today’s verse, the religious leaders pointed out to Pilate that Jesus said He’d rise again, so Pilate told them to secure the body so His disciples couldn’t steal it and say He had risen. They didn’t count on angels showing up and Jesus actually rising from the dead as He said He would. He fulfilled hundreds of scriptures, healed the sick and raised the dead. He died for everyone’s sin, resurrected, and ascended to Heaven. His predictions are coming true. Jesus has the credentials.

Many in America are still serving imposters. Ask the Lord to open their eyes in these last days and bring a spiritual revival to this nation. Pray for America’s leaders and citizens this Easter season to put their trust in the One who is alive!

Recommended Reading: Matthew 16:13-20

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Greg Laurie – The Power of Christ’s Words

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Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. —2 Timothy 1:13

Christ’ passionate love for the world is evident in His statements from the Cross:

 

Statement One

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34

Do you realize that you are in need of the Father’s forgiveness?

 

Statement Two

“Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43

Have you realized and confessed Jesus as your personal Savior?

 

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Holy Spirit Unleashed 

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Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Revelation 5:6

The Holy Spirit assumes a variety of roles in support of those surrendered to their Savior Jesus and experience the fullness of God. They include: the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Christ better, the Spirit of truth to guide in all truth, the Spirit of holiness to live in the power of the resurrected life of Christ, the Spirit of self-control to resist temptations and to remain resilient through trials, the Spirit of love to receive strength and security from above—and to exercise patience and offer peace below. A diversity of applications, but only one Spirit distributes them.

The Lamb of God—Jesus—was the final sacrifice for sin; that sacrifice unleashed the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The cross was a catalyst for the Spirit’s manifest power throughout the ages. The seven horns represent perfect power and the seven eyes express the explosion of the Spirit throughout the world as prophesied by Zechariah. What the apostle John envisions is a global outpouring of the Holy Spirit to draw the lost into the light of salvation, to heal the broken hearted, and for the Church to worship in the Spirit’s power. The Holy Spirit is unleashed to empower!

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Surrender at Gethsemane

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Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”—Mark 14:34

Have you ever felt lonely? Have you ever felt as though your friends and family had abandoned you? Have you ever felt like you were misunderstood? Have you ever had a hard time understanding or submitting to the will of God for your life?

If so, then you have an idea of what the Lord Jesus went through as He agonized at Gethsemane.

Hebrews tells us, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it” (4:15–16 NLT).

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Lord’s Supper

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So if anyone eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily, that person is guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking from the cup.—1 Corinthians 11:27–28

Matthew 26 contains one of the most well-known events in human history and certainly the most famous meal ever eaten, the Last Supper.

As the disciples sat together, Jesus said, ” ‘Take it and eat it, for this is my body’ ” (verse 26). He then gave thanks and offered them the cup and said, ” ‘Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many’ ” (verses 27–28).

Jesus, as He often did, was speaking symbolically. To say He was speaking literally here does not fit with the word pictures He often used. After all, Jesus said He was the Bread of Life. And didn’t He say that He was the Door?

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Easter Brings Hope

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Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”—John 11:25

Easter is not about brightly colored eggs, wearing pastels, or enjoying a big meal, although it could include these. Easter is about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

For some, Easter will be a great day, spent surrounded by family and friends. But for others, it will be a sad day, because Easter is a reminder of a loved one who has died and is now desperately missed.

Death seems so cruel, so harsh, and so final. That is what the disciples were feeling when they saw their Lord, whom they had left everything to follow, hanging on the cross. They were devastated. Death had crushed them. But if they would have gone back in their memories, they would have recalled an important event and statement Jesus had made.

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Why God Allows Suffering

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“For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation!”—2 Corinthians 1:5–6

This is not an exhaustive treatment of a very weighty subject, but merely some thoughts for your consideration.

Suffering helps us grow spiritually and makes us stronger in the faith. It takes our faith from the realm of theory to reality, so we can start living out our faith in the real world.

A.B. Simpson said, “Temptation exercises our faith and teaches us to pray. It is like military drill and a taste of battle to the young soldier. It puts us under fire and compels us to exercise our weapons and prove their potency. It shows us the recourse of Christ and the preciousness of the promises of God. Every victory gives us new confidence in our victorious leader and new courage for the next onslaught of the foe.”

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – A New Relationship

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Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ” —John 20:17

On the morning of the Resurrection, Jesus didn’t allow Mary to touch Him. He was essentially saying, “It’s not going to be the way it used to be. You can’t hold on to Me in the old way. It’s a new covenant.”

Then He made a radical statement: “Go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God’ ” (John 20:17). For Jesus to call God His Father was one thing. But He said, “I am ascending to My Father and your Father. . . . ” In other words, “He is your Father now too.”

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Wholehearted Devotion

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Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene. . . .—Mark 16:9

Of all the people Jesus could have appeared to first after His resurrection, He appeared to Mary Magdalene. It is interesting to think about, because among the Jews of the day, the testimony of a woman was not held in high regard. In fact, some of the rabbis falsely taught that it was better for the words of the Law to be burned than to be delivered by a woman. Yet Jesus chose a woman to be the first herald of His resurrection.

It is also worth noting that women were the last at the cross and the first at the tomb. Mary had courage that many of the men did not have when Jesus was crucified. She stood by Him through it all. In fact, the Bible tells us that after He was crucified, Mary “observed where He was laid” (Mark 15:47). She watched as they took His crucified body from the cross and wrapped it and placed it in a tomb that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea. And Mary, along with the other women, was at the tomb very early on Sunday morning to demonstrate her love for Jesus by anointing His body with spices (see Mark 16:1–2).

And her love was rewarded. God said, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). God rewards the person who is diligent. And for those who will take time in their day to seek the Lord, for those who will take time to read His Word, for those who will take time to wait upon Him, He will reveal His truths to them.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The God Who Suffers

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He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief . . . Surely He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows.—Isaiah 53:3–4

When we think of God, we usually consider that fact that He is righteous, holy, loving, and good. But here is something else to consider about God: He is the God who has suffered. We don’t tend to think that a perfect Creator would experience such a human trait as human pain and suffering. After all, why would you suffer if you did not have to?

But God has suffered, and more deeply than any of us could ever imagine. In his book The Cross of Christ, John Stott said, “Our God is a suffering God.” And I think he is right.

Listen to Isaiah’s description of what Jesus (who was God) went through at Calvary:

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Bad Company

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Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying–I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed. —Matthew 26:74

Peter’s denial of Jesus did not happen over a period of seconds or minutes, but over a period of hours. An hour had passed from the time the first person said, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean,” to the time Peter made his second denial. He had ample opportunity to hightail it out of there, but he remained in this situation. It just reminds us of the fact that no person is safe from temptation except the one who flees from it. Peter, having been warned by Jesus himself, of all people, should have avoided any place where he could be weakened. He definitely should have steered clear of all roosters. I would have said, “Are there any roosters here? Because I’m leaving if there are. The Lord mentioned a rooster.”

Greater men and women of God than most of us certainly have been compromised by lowering their standards and allowing themselves to be drawn into sin. People like Solomon. Samson. David. They all found out the hard way. Are we better than they were? Are we more spiritual than they were? I don’t think so.

If someone like Simon Peter was capable of falling, then surely we are. 1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us, ” ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’ ” Peter was around people who were dragging him down spiritually. Are you in a similar situation today? Have you entered into relationships where people are dragging you down? Maybe it’s a romance. Maybe it’s a close friendship. Are you finding yourself compromising your principles to fit in and not offend anyone? Perhaps you need to reconsider who your friends are. Perhaps you need to make some immediate changes.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Pray, Because God Is Sovereign

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Today’s Scripture: Psalm 57:2

“I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.”

Prayer assumes the sovereignty of God. If God is not sovereign, we have no assurance that he’s able to answer our prayers. Our prayers would become nothing more than wishes. But while God’s sovereignty, along with his wisdom and love, is the foundation of our trust in him, prayer is the expression of that trust.

The Puritan preacher Thomas Lye wrote, “as prayer without faith is but a beating of the air, so trust without prayer [is] but a presumptuous bravado. He that promises to give, and bids us trust his promises, commands us to pray, and expects obedience to his commands. He will give, but not without our asking.”

While imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote to his friend Philemon, “Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers” (Philemon 22, NIV). Paul hoped to be restored but didn’t presume to know God’s secret will. He didn’t say, “I will be restored.” But he did know God in his sovereignty was well able to effect his release, so he asked Philemon to pray. Prayer was the expression of his confidence in the sovereignty of God.

John Flavel, another Puritan preacher, wrote a classic treatise titled The Mystery of Providence, first published in 1678. He began this treatise on God’s sovereign providence with a discourse on Psalm 57:2: “I cry out to God Most high, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” Flavel was saying that because God is sovereign, we should pray. God’s sovereignty does not negate our responsibility to pray, but rather makes it possible to pray with confidence. (Excerpt taken from Is God Really in Control?)

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Abigail’s Reminder

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Read: 1 Samuel 25:14-33

Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 17-19; Mark 13:1-20

When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, he causes their enemies to make peace with them. —Proverbs 16:7

David and 400 of his warriors thundered through the countryside in search of Nabal, a prosperous brute who had harshly refused to lend them help. David would have murdered him if he hadn’t first encountered Abigail, Nabal’s wife. She had packed up enough food to feed an army and traveled out to meet the troops, hoping to head off disaster. She respectfully reminded David that guilt would haunt him if he followed through with his vengeful plan (1 Sam. 25:31). David realized she was right and blessed her for her good judgment.

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Is God Trying to Get Your Attention?

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“The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”—Psalm 34:19

God will sometimes allow suffering and sickness to get our attention!

reluctant prophet Jonah. Psalm 119:67 says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word” (NIV). So the Lord may allow a hard situation to wake us up to our real need—even something as tragic as the death of a child.

One person wrote me whose child died, saying,

“A person expects to lose a parent, maybe even a brother, sister, aunt, or uncle; but never a child. My son would have been 16 years old this year. It has been 15 years since his death. He was the person who brought me to the Lord. Because of his death, I received my salvation. The comfort I found when I fell into God’s hands . . . God knows my pain; He lost a son too!

“Fifteen years later . . . I still cry at Christmas; that’s when I remember his life and my loss. I still cry at Easter; that’s when I am assured I will see him again. I know I will never get over it because I don’t want to get over it. The intensity is less; but, like the joy of life takes the pain of birth away, I have found salvation through God’s Son because of the loss of mine!”

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Easter Is for Second Chances

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But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples–and Peter–that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”—Mark 16:6–7

Do you need a second chance today? On the first Easter morning, Peter needed one. There in the Upper Room, he had insisted that he would never deny Christ. But just as Jesus had predicted, Peter not only denied the Lord, but he denied Him three times. The last glimpse Peter had of Jesus before His crucifixion was in the glow of the fire in the high priest’s courtyard, where he actually made eye contact with Jesus. And then he went out and wept bitterly.

What kind of look do you think Jesus gave Peter when their eyes met? Do you think it was one of those I-told-you-so looks? Do you think it was one of scorn, as if to say, “How could you betray Me?” I don’t think it was either one. I think it was a look of love, a look of compassion that said, “I still love you, Peter.” And I believe that is why Peter went out and wept bitterly. He had failed the Lord so miserably. He probably thought there was no hope for him.

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – New Life for Us All

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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. —1 Peter 1:3

A couple from Chicago was planning a vacation to a warmer climate, but the wife couldn’t join her husband until the next day, because she was on a business trip. Her husband scribbled down her e-mail address on a little scrap of paper, but upon his arrival, he discovered that he had lost it. He wanted to send off a quick e-mail to let her know he had arrived safely. So trying his best to remember her e-mail address, he composed a brief message and sent it off.

Unfortunately, his e-mail did not reach his wife. Instead, it went to a grieving widow who had just lost her husband, a preacher, the day before. She had gone to her computer and was checking her e-mail when she let out a loud shriek and fainted on the spot. Her family came rushing in to see what was on the screen: “Dearest wife, I just checked in. Everything is prepared for your arrival tomorrow. P. S.: It sure is hot down here!”

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The “Crown Jewel” of Scriptures

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“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16

One of the greatest verses in all of the Bible is John 3:16. It gives us the gospel in a nutshell. Let’s break it down:

“For God so loved . . .”

Many picture God as some kind of “cosmic killjoy” out to ruin our lives. But the reality is that God loves you! He misses you. He wants a relationship with you. Look at the Lord in the garden after Adam’s fall, calling, “Adam, where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).

“. . . the world . . .”

The world? That includes dictators and criminals. It includes adulterers, cheats, liars, even murderers.

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