Tag Archives: Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – You Don’t Have to Work for It

July 29, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. —Romans 4:4–5

As a young Christian, I remember thinking that the reason God was blessing me was because of my disciplined Bible study. I would get up well before school every morning and study the Scripture for about an hour. Then I would pray for an hour or more (I know because I kept checking my watch). I could say to my friends, “While I was studying the Bible for an hour and praying for over an hour today, the Lord showed me. . . .” It gave me bragging rights. I thought that when I got to school, God would use me because I had done so much for Him. Look at how faithful I was! Look at how diligent I was! I was so proud.

Then one morning my alarm didn’t go off, and I woke up very late. I didn’t have time to pray or read my Bible . . . and it turned out to be one of the most blessed days of my life. God even allowed me the privilege of leading someone to Christ that day. I thought, What does this mean? Don’t read the Bible or pray? I think what God was trying to say to me was, “Greg, don’t do those things to seek My approval. Rather, do those things because you have My approval.”

It is not because of what we have done that we have God’s approval; it is because of what God has done for us. We put our faith in Him, and then God puts His righteousness into our account. He loves us when we do well, but He also loves us when we stumble.

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

Greg Laurie –Take It to the Bank

July 28, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort. —Philippians 1:3

A homeless man was standing on a street corner, asking for money, when a well-dressed attorney came walking by. The attorney looked at him and said, “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?”

The man recognized the attorney and said, “Remember third-period English in high school?”

“You sat right next to me,” the attorney said. “What happened?”

“I just fell on hard times.”

The attorney said, “Don’t say another word.” He pulled out his checkbook and wrote out a check for $500. Then he said, “I want to help you out. Take this money, get cleaned up, and get a new set of clothes. Don’t thank me. It’s the least I can do.” And off he went.

With the check in hand, the man made his way down to the bank where the attorney’s account was. But when he saw how nicely dressed the people were and how clean and tidy the bank was, he felt unworthy and didn’t go in.

The next day, the attorney was walking down the same street when he saw the same man asking for money. He said, “What are doing here?”

The man said, “I felt ashamed. I didn’t feel worthy to go into the bank and cash your check.”

The attorney told him, “That check has my signature on it. You take that down and cash it. It’s not based on who you are. It is based on me. My signature is on it, and it is good. Cash it.”

That is what God has done for us in justification. God’s grace has been extended to us. We are wrong when we think we have to do something to somehow earn it.

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

Greg Laurie – Gone for Good

July 26, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. —Micah 7:19

Have you ever done anything you wished you hadn’t done and were ashamed of? If you have repented of that sin and have turned your back on it, then the Bible clearly declares that you are forgiven.

In speaking of our sins, God says, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25). And Micah 7:19 tells us that God will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Have you ever lost anything in a lake or in the ocean? It’s pretty much a lost cause. Once it goes down, it goes way down.

Years ago I was scuba diving in Hawaii. As we started making our way out, it was about fifteen feet deep, then about twenty feet deep, then about seventy feet. We kept going, and the shelf of sand kept lowering and lowering. Then all of a sudden, it dropped straight down. I looked down and could not see the bottom. It was scary. I looked at that and hovered there for a minute. Although I wasn’t any deeper than I had been three minutes before, I turned around and started swimming back. I can guarantee that if you dropped something down to those depths, you would never see it again.

God has taken your sin and has thrown it into the deepest part of the sea. To put it another way, it is gone. Therefore, you need to accept God’s forgiveness and put it behind you.

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

Greg Laurie – Lapses of Faith

July 25, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” —Romans 4:3

The Bible doesn’t teach that if you are a Christian, you will never stumble or periodically fall short. But it does teach that if you are a true believer, when you have had a lapse or a stumble, you always will get up and move forward. That is the way to determine whether a person is really a believer or not.

When God came to Abraham in Ur and told him to break away from his family, Abraham basically refused and didn’t go for years. Even after he left, he only partially obeyed God by dragging his nephew Lot along. This only resulted in more friction down the road, when he and Lot eventually parted company. In the course of Abraham’s life, we can also see other lapses of faith. Abraham told his beautiful wife, Sarah, to say that she was his sister because he was afraid someone would kill him if they realized he was indeed her husband. He did that on two occasions.

There were a number of acts of disobedience on Abraham’s part. Having said that, it is also important to point out that although he deviated occasionally from the straight and narrow, he always came back.

If a person says he or she is a believer and falls away and never comes back, then that person is not a believer. As 1 John 2:19 says, “When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.” (NLT). But if a person is a true believer, then he or she will be miserable in sin and eventually will beat a quick path back to the cross of Calvary.

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

Greg Laurie – Accepted

July 24, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

He made us accepted in the Beloved. —Ephesians 1:6

All that God has done has been because of His grace, which means “unmerited favor.” You aren’t merely forgiven, justified, and cleansed of your sins; you have been received in love by God Himself. This is because of His deep love for His own Son, Jesus. Because His Son lives in you, you have found His favor. You have the approval of God because of what Jesus has done.

Some people have been raised in homes in which their father may have never demonstrated any kind of love toward them. Maybe he was cold and distant. Or maybe they, like me, were raised in a home where there wasn’t a father at all. We can transfer those emotions to God the Father. We can walk around in life feeling as though we don’t have the approval of God: If I just did this, God would notice. If worked a little harder, then God would love me.

God approves of you. You are “accepted in the Beloved” — not because you read your Bible a little bit longer, share Christ with more people, or give a little more in the offering. You are still accepted even when you don’t do all of that. You are accepted in the Beloved when you fail, when you trip up. You are accepted in the Beloved not because of what you have done, but because of what He has done.

In understanding this great truth, however, you should want to do everything for His glory—not to earn His approval, but because you already have it.

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

Greg Laurie – Before the World Began

July 23, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. —Ephesians 1:4

Before the world was made, even before sin entered into this world that was made, God predestined you. He chose you to be His child. We use phrases like “the day I found the Lord,” and that is true in one sense. But in another sense, God chose us before we chose Him.

Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain . . .” (John 15:16). God chose us before we ever were around to choose Him. We may wonder, What merit or goodness did He find in me that He would choose me to be His child? There was no merit. In spite of our best intentions or the high opinion we may hold of ourselves, God’s choosing had nothing to do with our merit or goodness.

If you knew what would happen before it took place, would you choose something that worked in your favor or against it? God knew exactly how you would turn out. And He chose you from the foundation of the world.

You might say, “I think the Lord made a mistake here because I’m a loser.” But God chose you to win. God chose you to be something that He will make you into. You may look at yourself and see your flaws and shortcomings, but just remember that you are still a work in progress.

God isn’t finished with you yet — not while your heart is still beating! And He will complete what He has begun in your life. So rejoice that He chose you from the foundation of the world.

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

Greg Laurie – By the Will of God

July 22, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. —Ephesians 1:1

We may look today at people in the church who are called to be pastors or evangelists or worship leaders or elders and conclude they are the spiritual elite.

Meanwhile, someone is laboring away as an accountant or a waitress or a nurse or a teacher and might be thinking, I’m not as significant as they are. They’re really making a difference for the kingdom of God—and what am I accomplishing?

God has called each and every one of us to different vocations. Paul was called to be an apostle by the will of God. But Steve can be called to be an architect by the will of God. Mary can be called to be a nurse by the will of God. Joan can be called to be an attorney by the will of God. Jack can be called to be a police officer by the will of God.

Each of us has a part to play. The highest calling of God is what God has called you to be. There is no higher. We need to be faithful to what the Lord has called us to.

You may think it is a higher calling to preach. Granted, it is a high calling—and a great privilege. But the highest calling is what God has called you to do. So don’t feel like a secondclass citizen if you aren’t in full-time ministry.

When certain people at church are highly visible, you think they are important. Maybe they are, and maybe they aren’t. But then there is the person you don’t know anything about who is very important to God. You might be one of those people. Be who you are by the will of God.

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

Greg Laurie – Spiritual Multimillionaires

July 21, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. —Ephesians 1:3

Hetty Green was known as America’s greatest miser, but she was worth a lot of money. When she died in 1916, she left an estate valued at $100 to $200 million. That is a lot today, but it was even more back then.

What is amazing about Hetty Green is that she lived as through she were poverty stricken. She would eat cold oatmeal every day to save the expense of heating the water. She debated the value of skim milk compared to whole milk and how much money she could save. When her son had a severe leg injury, she took so long trying to find a free clinic to treat him that his leg had to be amputated because of advanced infection. She even hastened her own death by not taking care of herself. She lived like a pauper when, in reality, she was a multimillionaire.

Like Hetty Green, some Christians might not realize how much is actually in their spiritual bank account. Such believers are experiencing spiritual malnutrition because they have not taken advantage of the great storehouse of spiritual nourishment and resources that are at their disposal. Because of what God has done for us, we can live full, productive, and effective Christian lives. We don’t have to find insufficient funds when we go to our spiritual ATM machine. God’s heavenly bank has no such limitations or restrictions.

No Christian has to be spiritually deprived or undernourished or impoverished. The Lord’s heavenly resources are more than adequate to cover the cost of all of our past debts, our present liabilities, and our future needs and still not reduce our heavenly assets.

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

Greg Laurie – A Closed Mouth Gathers No Foot

July 19, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

To everything there is a season . . . a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.—Ecclesiastes 3:1,7

I can think of so many times when I should have kept silent but just had to speak. Have you ever done that? Have you ever said something, and the moment it left your lips, you thought, Why did I just say that? But you said it.

The Bible says, “My dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry” (James 1:19, NLT). How much better it would be for us if we would pause for a moment before we speak, asking ourselves, Is this the right thing to say? Would this be an appropriate statement to make? Lord, would this glorify You?

Peter was very outspoken, which is why I like him so much. One of my favorite stories about him was when he was on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus, James, and John. Jesus told His three disciples to stay awake with Him. Yet Peter and the boys fell asleep. When they woke up, Jesus was shining like the sun and talking with Moses and Elijah.

So Peter stood up and said, “It is good for us to be here” (Mark 9:5). I like the commentary Mark’s gospel adds: “He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say” (verse 6, NLT). But he said it anyway!

Have you ever been in a situation like that, when you wanted to say the perfect thing, yet you ended up saying the lamest thing possible?

An old proverb advises, “Better to be silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and dispel all doubt.” Or, as another proverb says, “A closed mouth gathers no foot.”

There is a time to speak. And there is a time to be quiet. We need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in our lives to know which is which.

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

Greg Laurie – Good Days and Bad Days

July 18, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

To everything there is a season . . . a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. —Ecclesiastes 3:1,4

Sorrows come into all of our lives. And while none of us enjoy them, they are a reality. You will experience heartache. If you ever choose to love anyone, if you ever choose to extend your friendship to another person, then you will be disappointed. You will be let down. You will be heartbroken. There will be great disappointments for you in life.

You also will lose loved ones. And as you get older, you will lose more loved ones. There might even come a day when you will recognize that you actually have more friends who have gone to heaven than you have on earth, and it probably won’t be long until you join them.

But there also will be times of laughter, times of great joy and celebration. One of the lessons I’ve learned from life is to enjoy the good times. Don’t take them for granted. Savor the moment because you can be sure some bad times will come down the road. But thank God they will first go through Him because He continues to be in control of all circumstances that surround our lives.

God can use suffering. He can use it to deepen you and to teach you compassion. He can use it to make you into a different person. And sometimes God even uses suffering to bring you to your spiritual senses.

If your heart is filled with sorrow right now, if it is filled with heartache, then I want you to know that Jesus Christ can bring you comfort. Cast your cares upon Him, and He will give you strength in your time of need.

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

Greg Laurie –The Missing Piece

July 17, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. —Romans 13:12

Have you ever tried to put a puzzle together, and when you were almost done, you realized that someone had lost the final piece? It can be incredibly frustrating.

Maybe you have tried to put your life together, thinking, If I put this here and that there, it will work. . . But where is that other piece?

God holds the missing piece. You won’t find it in your pursuits. The missing piece is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Have you found that missing piece? Or, do you still have a hole in your heart that you’ve tried to fill with everyone and everything, but nothing satisfies?

I was raised around many of the empty pursuits this world offers. And I pursued enough of them to know they were empty — enough to know they weren’t the answer to what I was looking for. So when I first heard about Jesus Christ, the idea of having a relationship with God held great appeal for me. But the Christians I knew were so nice and loving. I thought, I don’t know if I can become one of these people. But God started working in my life. He changed my heart. And if He can do it for me, then He can do it for you. In fact, when I told people I was a Christian, they didn’t believe it. Then a few years later when they learned I was a pastor, they laughed even harder. It was the last thing anyone ever envisioned for me. But God had a different plan for my life.

Who knows what kind of plan He has for you?

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

Greg Laurie – Nothing New

July 16, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. —Ecclesiastes 1:9

Joy Davidman, the wife of C. S. Lewis, made this insightful statement about the pursuit of pleasure: “Living for his own pleasure is the least pleasurable thing a man can do; if his neighbors don’t kill him in disgust, he will die slowly of boredom and lovelessness.” And that is true. It has been said that the only cure for hedonism is to try and practice it.

The pursuit of pleasure is nothing new. As Solomon reminds us a number of times in the book of Ecclesiastes, when you boil it down, there is nothing new under the sun. Though our technology has changed and we have had certain advancements since Solomon wrote those words, the basic cravings of humanity have not changed, nor have the basic things we look to. The philosophy of eat, drink, and be merry has been with us for a long time.

When Solomon decided he would pursue everything this world had to offer, He was not considering God in all of it. He was living horizontally — he had adapted a worldview that omitted God. Eventually he came to realize there was nothing to profit from under the sun. It was only when Solomon looked above the sun and looked to God that he found the answers he was seeking. When we see God for who He is, we will see the world for what it is.

If you have a close relationship with God and are walking closely with Him, you will recognize philosophies, concepts, and ideologies being propagated that are contradictory to what the Bible teaches. When you are walking closely with God, you will see this world for what it is.

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

Greg Laurie – Living in Lo-debar

July 15, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” . . . So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet. —2 Samuel 9:11,13

The Bible tells us that when David sought out Jonathan’s son to show him kindness, Mephibosheth was living in an out-of-the-way place called Lo-debar. The name actually means “the place of no pasture.” You didn’t want to live in Lo-debar. It was a dry, parched, crummy place to live.

But where were we when Jesus Christ found us? We were living in Lo-debar, a parched, dried-up place. And just like David sought out Mephibosheth, Jesus Christ sought us. It is worth noting that it was not Mephibosheth who looked for David; it was David who looked for Mephibosheth. That might not seem significant, but it really is. David wanted to have a relationship with him. We read in 2 Samuel 9:5, “So David sent for [Mephibosheth] and brought him from Makir’s home]” (NLT). David was persistent. He would not give up on Mephibosheth.

This is a reminder to us that we need to reach out to our friends, neighbors, and even enemies who don’t know Christ. They don’t realize it, but they are living in Lo-debar. They are living in a parched place — separated from God. So we need to ask God to place an urgency in our hearts. We all know people who need someone to reach out to them. That is exactly what David did. And that is what we need to do.

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

Greg Laurie – Dropped

July 14, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” —2 Samuel 9:1

Mephibosheth was only five years old when his father, Jonathan, and his grandfather, Saul, were killed on the battlefield. Imagine, if you will, life as he had known it up to this point. The privilege and potential of his pampered life as a prince could not have prepared him for the hard life he would face in the future. There was life in the palace as a young prince, with people waiting on him hand and foot, and he was being raised by his godly father, Jonathan. Life was good for this young boy.

But there were dark clouds gathering in his world. In one moment, through no fault of his own, his entire life would change forever. Jonathan knew things were going to change. That is why he persuaded David to make an agreement to look out for his descendants. He made David promise to show kindness to his family forever. David willingly made that promise—and he kept it.

When news hit the palace that Saul and Jonathan had been killed on the battlefield, the nurse who was caring for Mephibosheth, in her frenzied state, dropped this little boy on the ground. As a result, he was crippled for life.

Perhaps you have gone through hardships in your childhood. Maybe something traumatic has happened to you. You have been dropped in life, so to speak. You wonder if anything good can come out of your life.

Mephibosheth was dropped in life, but God intervened. In fact, God specializes in taking people who have been dropped and picking them up again. That is just what David did for Mephibosheth. And that is just what God will do for you.

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

Greg Laurie – Didn’t Miss a Thing

July 12, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil. —Proverbs 15:16

A little with God is better than much without Him. As believers, we will make sacrifices in our lives. There are times, if we were honest, that we will see some people doing certain things, and we think, That looks like fun. You might even be a little tempted. You look at people who live for selfishness, partying, or multiple sexual encounters. But then let the years pass. Look at the course their lives have taken and the course your life has taken.

I had friends from high school who didn’t accept Christ when I did. They went their way, and I went mine. I run into them every now and then, and I think, Thank God that I went the way that I went! Did I miss a few parties? Yes — a lot of them. Did I miss some good times? I missed a few. But I also missed a lot of hangovers and other problems that are associated with that kind of lifestyle. Did I miss out on a few things? Sure I did. But what God gave me in the place of those things has been infinitely better.

It has been said one must wait until sunset to see how splendid the day has been. I know that when you are young, many things look so tempting: Go out and party, or go to church? Go out and have fun, or go sing songs about God?

The point is that you will make some sacrifices. You will deny yourself at times. But then, when you look back on your life someday, you will come to realize that you didn’t really miss anything.

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

Greg Laurie – Living with Purpose

July 11, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. —Acts 11:23

If you were asked to complete the sentence “My purpose of life is . . .” what would you say? As Christians, I know we would quickly say, “God.” But let’s be honest and not just say what we think is the right thing to say. What really is your purpose in life?

To put it another way, where do you channel most of your energy? What do you think about the most? What is the most significant thing to you in life?

Some people, if they answered honestly, would say, “My purpose in life is to have fun.” Someone else might say, “My purpose in life is to experience pleasure.” Another might say, “My purpose in life is to be successful.” Another might say, “My purpose in life is to make money.”

The book of Acts tells us that when Barnabas came to Antioch, he exhorted the believers there “that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord” (Acts 11:23). And Paul said, “[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly]” (Philippians 3:10, amp). Paul knew where he was going. And if you don’t know where you are going, then you won’t know whether you get there. Paul was essentially saying, “My purpose in life is to know Him. Yes, there are other things that I do, but my primary purpose is to intimately, deeply, and personally know God.”

Is that your purpose in life right now?

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

Greg Laurie – What Friends Are For

July 10, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. —2 Timothy 2:22

One morning after one of our services at Harvest Christian Fellowship, a young woman walked up and asked if I would pray for her about a relationship she was in.

“What kind of a relationship is it?” I asked.

“It’s a relationship with a guy.”

“Let me ask you a question. Is this guy that you are in a relationship with a Christian?”

“Well,” she said, “I . . . think he is. Actually, I’m not really sure if he is or not.”

I said, “You know what? I am not going to pray that God will heal your relationship. I am going to pray that God will give you the courage to terminate the relationship. That is what needs to happen. Here you are in church, and you are struggling and having a hard time with a guy who doesn’t walk with the Lord.”

As we talked further, it was apparent that this was exactly what was happening. The relationship was dragging her down spiritually.

Many times we will pray for the Lord to fix something, and He will say, “You are in a place you don’t belong. You are hanging out with people you don’t belong with. This is bringing about many of your problems.”

In 2 Timothy 2:22 we read, “Pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts” (NLT). Are you enjoying the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts? Or, are you hanging around with people who are dragging you down spiritually?

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

Greg Laurie – Standing Strong

July 9, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. —1 Corinthians 16:13

There will come times in all of our lives when we will be tested in our faith. There will be times when what we believe will be challenged. There will be temptations to do the wrong thing.

We might ask ourselves, Will I be able to stand strong spiritually when this happens? That is entirely up to you. It isn’t up to God. It is up to you. God wants you to stand, but He will not force you to stand. He will give you all the resources you need. He will give you the power to resist. He will even give you a way out. But you have to cooperate. There are some things only God can do. And there are some things only you can do.

Only God can forgive sin. But only you can fall into sin. Only God can give you the power to change your life. But you need to be willing to have your life changed. You need to cooperate with Him. He is not going to force you to resist what is evil. You have to be willing to resist it on your own, then take hold of the resources that He gives you. You decide today whether or not you will fall tomorrow. The stand you make today will determine what kind of stand you make tomorrow.

When you are building a house, the most important time is not when you lay carpet or paint; it’s when you lay the foundation. If you don’t do that well, then all of your decorative additions will be for nothing. You have to get the foundation right.

Therefore, you determine today what kind of situation you will be in tomorrow.

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

Greg Laurie – Be of Good Courage

July 8, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” —Acts 23:11

Even the most committed believer has those times when fear and worry can kick in. Anxiety can overtake us. Maybe we are concerned about our future. Maybe we are discouraged or afraid. If that is the case, you might be surprised to know that even the great apostle Paul experienced emotions like this.

Paul had gone to Jerusalem, and the next thing he knew, he was locked up in a cold, damp, dark prison cell. All of this happened as a result of his bold proclamation of the gospel. Acts 23:11 tells us, “The following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Paul.’ ”

That phrase be of good cheer could be better translated “be of good courage.” Whenever we read in Scripture that an angel of the Lord appeared and said, “Fear not,” it was usually because someone was afraid. So I conclude that when the Lord himself stood by Paul and said, “Be of good courage,” the apostle needed that special word of encouragement at that particular moment.

Sometimes it seems as though God is the only one standing by us. But if everyone else had forsaken Paul, Jesus was company enough. If all the others despised him, the smile of Jesus was approval enough. Though his circumstances were less than ideal, I am sure he knew it was better to be in that jail with the Lord than to be anywhere else without Him.

Jesus is there in your prison as well, whatever and wherever that prison may be. And He knows what you are going through.

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

Greg Laurie – Healthy Fear

July 7, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. —Psalm 111:10

We all know what it is like to be gripped by fear. We all know what the sensation is like to have a shiver run down our spines, our mouths go dry, and our hair stand on end.

Fear has a close buddy known as worry, and the two often work in tandem. We can get caught up playing the what-if game: What if this happens? What if that happens? In fact, modern medical research has proved that worry can actually break down our resistance to disease—and even shorten our lives. Charles Mayo, founder of the famed Mayo Clinic, said that while he never knew anyone who died of overwork, he knew many who died of worry.

Far too often we are afraid of the wrong things in life, but we aren’t afraid of the right things—or perhaps I should say the right One. We don’t fear God. Yet the Bible tells us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

But what does that mean? First, let me tell you what it doesn’t mean. To fear God doesn’t mean cowering in terror before Him. Rather, the fear of God has been properly defined as a wholesome dread of displeasing Him. So if I have sinned, it is not the fear of what God will do to me but the fear of what I have done to Him. That is what it is to fear the Lord.

The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear Him, you fear nothing else. On the other hand, if you don’t fear God, then you fear everything else.

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

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