In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. 

—Hebrews 9:22

Scripture:

Hebrews 9:22 

The classic hymn by Robert Lowry says, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Sometimes, even people who are Christians say things like, “I think that other people may find their own path to God. Who am I to say they can’t know God if they haven’t come through Christ? I found my way to God through Christ. But maybe someone else has found their way through another path.”

That may sound sweet and touching, but it is not biblical thinking. The Bible clearly teaches that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins (see Hebrews 9:22). This is God’s order. He set it up.

In the Old Testament, a priest sacrificed an animal for a person’s sin. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ fulfilled all that the Old Testament pointed to. He became the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world (see John 1:29).

Now, the only way that we can know God is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We can only come to God through Jesus Christ. And if we are not coming to Him through the blood of Christ, then we cannot know God.

We don’t come to God because we seek to follow the example of Jesus alone. No one can do that. If anything, if we were to take an honest look at Jesus’ life, it would show us how far we fall short. We don’t gain access to God because we try to live by the teachings of Jesus, as wonderful and profound as they are as the words of God to us.

It isn’t following His teaching alone that does it. If we honestly look at the teaching of Jesus, it will make us aware of our own sinful condition.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, among other things, “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48 NLT). He also said that God looks at our hearts as well as our actions.

His teaching drives us to Him. So, can we approach God because we’re worthy? No. It is built upon a relationship that stands, no matter what our state may be.

Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for us so that we could be forgiven of our sins. We put our complete trust in Him because it is only through His blood that we can approach God.

It is one thing to know that God has done this for us and to say that we believe it’s true. But we need to ask ourselves these questions: Have we applied it in our lives? Are we applying it to the situations that we’re facing?

We have open access to God through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no other way.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 

—Hebrews 10:19

Scripture:

Hebrews 10:19 

Sometimes, our consciences can condemn us. They go into hyperdrive and won’t let us alone, whispering, “You are unworthy. You have done wrong. You can’t approach God.”

Yet the Bible tells us that God’s Spirit can cleanse us of a guilty conscience because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. Hebrews 10:19 says, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus” (NLT).

And in 1 John 3:20, we read, “Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything” (NLT).

This means that we can approach God no matter what we have done.

However, the devil doesn’t want us to know this. He wants us to think that we can only approach God when we have done well. He wants us to believe that if we have been walking closely with the Lord, then we can pray. But if we’ve fouled up, we can’t.

For example, maybe you’ve had a disagreement with your husband or wife. You think, “Maybe we should pray before we go to bed. But that would be hypocritical because we just had a fight. How can we pray after we’ve had a fight?”

Or maybe you’ve thought, “I can’t pray because I lost my temper in this situation,” or “I can’t pray because I just had an impure thought.”

That kind of thinking is from the devil himself. The Bible calls him “the accuser of our brothers and sisters” (Revelation 12:10 NLT). And as you prepare to go into God’s presence in prayer, he’ll say, “Do you think you are worthy to approach God? You call yourself a Christian! What a hypocrite you are! What a failure and disappointment to God you are!”

But he is a liar. And when Satan talks to you about God, he lies. He lies to you because he wants to keep you away from God. He also wants to keep you out of the Word of God because he knows that is where the power is. That is how changes will take place in your life.

When the Spirit of God convicts us, He will use the Word of God, in love, to seek to bring us back into fellowship with the Father. In contrast, when Satan accuses us, he will use our own sins in a hateful way to drive us away from fellowship with the Father.

God’s Spirit will make us aware of what we’ve done wrong, but He always will bring us back to the cross. When we have messed up, we need to go to the cross. When we have done something wrong, we need to go to the cross. We always need to go to the cross and to God in prayer.

The devil wants to keep us away from God, and his accusations always will drive us away from the cross. God’s Spirit, however, always will bring us to the cross.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. 

—Ephesians 2:13

Scripture:

Ephesians 2:13 

Ancient Ephesus was known for its cultural learning, its incredible edifices, and its spirituality. The people of Ephesus were very religious. They worshipped many gods and erected idols of every conceivable deity.

These were religious people, but they did not know God. Their religion was their vain attempt to reach God through their own human efforts. Although there were numerous gods in Ephesus, the people of that city did not have a relationship with the one true God.

Historians tell us that a great cloud of hopelessness covered the ancient world. Their philosophies were empty, and their traditions were disappearing. In addition, their religions were powerless to impact them in this life or to prepare them for the life to come.

Yet, is that not a picture, in many ways, of our culture today? We have made incredible advances in technology, but people are searching spiritually. They’re asking the big questions: Why am I here? What is the meaning of life?

Sadly, so many are looking for truth in all the wrong places. They want the benefits of faith but not the restrictions of it. They have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof. The Bible tells us that will be a sign of the last days. According to 2 Timothy 3:5, people “will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly” (NLT).

There is only one way of reconciliation that God has made available to us. If we want reconciliation with God, it will come only through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:13 tells us, “But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ” (NLT).

Notice the words “but now.” We were on our way to a certain judgment, but God interrupted that when He sent Jesus. It was a blessed interruption. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus and His shed blood, we now have been reconciled to God.

Sin is the great separator in the world. Ever since it entered in, it has been dividing people throughout human history.

When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, sin immediately began its work of separation. It separated Adam and Eve from God. And ultimately, it separated their sons Cain and Abel.

But at the cross of Calvary, Jesus eliminated the wall that separates us from God. He brought about reconciliation.

We can come to God right now, but not because of our worthiness or because of the good deeds we’ve done. We come to Him because of a relationship with Him—and that relationship was purchased through the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ. 

—Philippians 3:8

Scripture:

Philippians 3:8 

If ever there was a man who had a spiritual pedigree, it was the apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul. He was someone who had done it all.

In his own words, he said, “Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law” (Philippians 3:4–5 NLT).

Then, a few verses later, he made an amazing statement: “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (verses 7–8 NLT).

Paul was saying, “I know all about self-righteousness. In fact, I obeyed the law so carefully, there was no one who could claim that I broke God’s commandments.” Yet Paul was saying that the things that he once considered valuable were worthless to him. They no longer meant anything.

We shouldn’t feel arrogant as believers. Paul reminded the Christians in Ephesus, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8–9 nlt).

Christians are not better than non-Christians. Are we better off? Yes. But are we better? No. I’ve often described myself as one beggar telling another beggar where to find food. We need to be humble because it wasn’t that long ago that we, too, were separated from God.

Sometimes people who were raised in a Christian environment or in a home where Christian values were honored develop a resistance to the gospel. There can be boasting in a spiritual pedigree.

Sometimes, we feel so proud of ourselves as Christians. We might sit in church and think, “Here I am at church while my children are in Sunday school, learning the Word of God. Right next to me is my spouse of twelve years. We’ve never had any problems in our marriage to speak of. Everything is going well in our lives. We’re very spiritual people.”

But we’d better be careful because the Bible says that pride goes before a fall (see Proverbs 16:18). And 1 John 2:16 warns, “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world” (NLT).

The devil is cunning. If he doesn’t catch you in other sins, he might get you through pride. You might just slip and fall. So don’t boast.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 

—Ephesians 2:8

Scripture:

Ephesians 2:8 

Christians have no grounds whatsoever for boasting. There is nothing to boast about. We didn’t become Christians because we were born into a Christian family, were relatively moral people, or did a number of good deeds. Therefore, we have absolutely nothing we can take credit for.

And if we find ourselves bragging about anything that we have done to obtain our salvation, either we are not saved, or we don’t understand what it means for God to forgive us.

In Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul makes a bedrock statement about the Christian faith: “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (verses 8–9 NLT).

This is a foundational Christian doctrine. Yet it’s surprising how many people don’t grasp the simple yet profound truth that we are Christians entirely and solely because of the grace of God.

Earlier in Ephesians, Paul spoke of God’s mercy. Here, He speaks of God’s grace. God has dealt with us in grace, which is getting what we don’t deserve: His forgiveness, His pardon, and adoption into His family.

Someone has accurately defined grace as “God’s unmerited favor.” This grace came in spite of what we were and what we did.

Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve. And justice is getting what we deserve.

We never want to ask God to give us justice because, in doing so, we’re asking Him to give us what we deserve. And what we deserve is Hell. Thankfully, God has not dealt with us according to justice because Jesus Christ met God’s righteous requirement at Calvary. The death of Jesus satisfied the justice of God.

An effective testimony (your story of how you came to faith) always will glorify God and never will glorify the past. Some Christians make their lives before Christ sound so juicy and interesting that they make the present seem dull. That is an inaccurate testimony.

If you are honest about what you were before you became a Christian, then you must talk about the spiritual state you were in. You were separated from God and in rebellion against Him. A good testimony never will glorify the past; it always will glorify the Lord.

Every Christian has a testimony because the power of God has gloriously transformed every person who has put his or her faith in Jesus Christ.

It’s important to realize that salvation does not come from anything that we’ve done. So, let’s not boast about what we’ve done or what we gave up to follow Jesus. Granted, we may have given up some things, but they’re nothing compared to what God gave us in their place.

If we don’t realize that, then we don’t know how dark our state was, how miserable of a condition we were in, and how far we were separated from God.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – God’s Greatest Creation

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 

—Psalm 139:16

Scripture:

Psalm 139:16 

Without question, people are God’s greatest creation. We are His crowning achievement. In fact, the psalmist David wrote about the intricacies of the human body that God created. He said, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it” (Psalm 139:13–14 NLT).

David continued, “You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed” (verses 15–16 NLT).

As we look at Scripture, it appears that God has a plan for each of us, even before we were conceived. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The Lord gave me this message: ‘I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations’ ” (Jeremiah 1:4–5 NLT).

These verses, among others, certainly lay to rest any warped concept that the Bible would somehow allow for abortion.

This masterpiece of God’s creation, the human being, is incredible. Scientists estimate that adult human bodies contain 16 trillion cells, all carefully organized to perform life’s various functions in harmony.

Consider these statistics about the human body and the amazing things it is capable of: The nose can recognize 10,000 different aromas. The tongue has about 6,000 taste buds. And the brain contains 10 billion nerve cells. Each nerve cell connects to as many as 10,000 other nerve cells throughout the body. In fact, the body has so many blood vessels that the combined length could circle the planet two and a half times.

God has custom-designed each of us with our own DNA blueprint, which every cell contains. And if you were to write out your individual blueprint in a book, it would require an estimated 200,000 pages. God, of course, knows about every word on every page.

We have the astounding capacity to store millions of bits of information, keep it in order, and recall it when necessary. We are “wonderfully complex,” as Psalm 139 tells us. And God’s plan for those who put their faith in Christ is even more amazing. We don’t have to be afraid because His motive is always love for us.

Ephesians 2:6–7 tells us, “He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus” (NLT).

God wants to spend all of eternity revealing to us His kindness, goodness, and grace. He wants to spend eternity showing us how much He loves us.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 

—Ephesians 2:2

Scripture:

Ephesians 2:2 

Have you ever bought something that you didn’t really need? You came back from the mall with a new purchase, and you wondered why you bought it. So, you mentally retraced your steps. How did it all start?

Maybe you went to the mall to pass some time. You were walking along and saw a nice window display, and there was something about it that got your attention. Then you walked into the store, and you browsed your way right over to something. Eventually, you decided to buy it. And when you got home, you thought, “How did I end up with this?”

It started because you were browsing. You were walking along without any aim or purpose. And the next thing you knew, you bought something that you didn’t need.

That is the picture the apostle Paul used in Ephesians when he wrote, “All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else” (Ephesians 2:3 NLT).

We were just browsing our way through the world, doing what everyone else did and parroting what everyone else said. We were acting like everyone else. That was the way we used to live before we committed our lives to Jesus Christ.

In fact, we thought we were in control of our lives, but it is clear that we were being blown about like a weather vane as Satan manipulated our lives.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God” (4:4 NLT).

And 1 John 5:19 tells us, “We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one” (NLT). This mentality, this realm, this wavelength that people are on is energized by Satan, the god of this world. That is a bleak scenario.

However, we come to these great words in Ephesians 2:4–5: “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)” (NLT).

But God. We were in a bad place, doing bad things and going the wrong way. But God. Underline those words in your Bible. If you want to do a fascinating word study, follow that phrase throughout Scripture.

Against a dark background with all the things that were going wrong in our lives, God, who “is so rich in mercy, . . . gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.” This is what God has done for every believer. This is what God has done for you.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 

—Ephesians 1:7

Scripture:

Ephesians 1:7 

At the time Paul was writing his letter to the Christians in Ephesus, there were many slaves living in the Roman Empire. Some scholars believe that up to six million people lived in slavery at this point in history.

So, in the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul used the analogy of a slave that had been bought out of a slave market. He wrote that God “is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins” (verse 7 NLT).

If someone wanted to free a loved one from slavery, they could go to the slave market and pay the price. They could purchase freedom for the enslaved person. This is what Christ has done for us. He redeemed us. He purchased our freedom. And it all came about through the blood that He shed for us.

The irony is that non-Christians often think they’re free, while they see Christians as people who live under a lot of rules, regulations, and restrictions. Meanwhile, they think they can do whatever they want to do because they’re the captains of their own ships and the masters of their own destinies.

But that simply isn’t true. They are not the captains of their own ships. The captain of their ship is, in fact, Satan. One of the greatest deceptions the devil pulled off on humanity was to convince people that he doesn’t even exist—all while he manipulates their lives.

Referring to unbelievers, the apostle Paul said, “Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants” (2 Timothy 2:25–26 NLT).

Before you became a Christian, you were not free. You were a captive, a slave. But Jesus Christ came and paid the redemption price for you. That is the Good News.

This, of course, points back to the Old Testament, where the priest went into the temple, took an unblemished lamb or goat, and killed it, thus spilling the blood of that animal. It symbolically placed people’s sins on the sacrificial animal.

The Bible says, “According to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22 NLT).

But that never got to the heart of the problem. In fact, the definition of the Old Testament word atonement means “covering.” At best, it was just a cover-up. But it didn’t get rid of the stain.

In the New Testament, however, we read that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, took away the sins of the world. He got to the heart of the matter. He shed His blood for us. He met God’s righteous demands at the cross. Therefore, we have open access to the throne of God, regardless of what we have done. Our access comes through Jesus Christ.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. 

—Jude 1:20–21

Scripture:

Jude 1:20-21 

Though God’s love is unsought, undeserved, and unconditional, it is possible for us to be out of harmony with Him.

The Book of Jude tells us, “But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love” (verses 20–21 NLT).

Notice the words “keep yourselves safe in God’s love.” The New King James Version translates it as “keep yourselves in the love of God.”

Does this mean we need to keep ourselves in a state where God will love us? In other words, do we need to make sure that we’re very lovable people? That is virtually impossible. No matter how hard we try, we ultimately will fall short of God’s standards.

Obviously, there is God’s part: He is ready to keep us. But we must take practical steps to keep ourselves in His love.

The Bible isn’t saying that we should do certain things to somehow merit God’s love or earn His approval. Rather, to keep ourselves in the love of God simply means that we need to keep ourselves in a place where God can actively bless us and show His love toward us.

Take, for example, the story of the Prodigal Son. His father loved him, but he foolishly took his portion of the inheritance and went to a distant country to live as a fool. Ultimately, he came to his senses and returned home.

Here’s the question: While the prodigal was away, was he still his father’s son? Yes, although he was a wayward son and a distant son. But technically, was the prodigal still his son? Yes. Was he keeping himself in a place where his father could actively demonstrate his love? No, he was not.

His father probably didn’t even know where his son was at the time. But when his son returned home, he forgave him. The father took off his son’s rags, put a ring on his finger, clothed him, and threw a party for him. So, was the son then in a place where his father could actively show his love toward him? Yes, he was.

The same is true when we disobey God and do things we shouldn’t do. It isn’t that God stops loving us. It isn’t even that we have ceased to be true Christians. We are simply wayward children or prodigals. We have essentially taken ourselves out of the love of God. We have removed ourselves from a place where God can actively show His love in our lives.

Stay in a place where God can show His love to you. Keep yourself from all that is unlike Him, from all that would violate God’s love and grieve Him. Stay away from the things that would tear you down. Instead, stay close to the Lord and around people who will build you up spiritually.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them. 

—Isaiah 43:7

Scripture:

Isaiah 43:7 

What is the purpose of our lives? Why do we exist? Why are we here on this earth?

According to the Bible, we exist primarily to bring pleasure to God. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God said, “Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them” (Isaiah 43:7 NLT).

That thought really bothers some people. They like to think that the world revolves around them. The result is they will end up squandering their lives in pursuit of something they never should have been seeking outright, and that something is happiness.

If you want to be an unhappy person, then try to be a happy person. In other words, if you try to find happiness by pursuing it, you never will attain it.

God predestined us to bring Him glory. That is a foundational truth that we all need to lay hold of. To miss this is to miss the reason that we’re on this earth in the first place.

The Bible says, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:4–5 NLT).

This is also echoed in Heaven. We read in Revelation 4 about twenty-four elders who fall in worship before the Lord on His throne, saying, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased” (verse 11 NLT).

Let that sink in for a moment. The twenty-four elders are saying to God, “You created everything, and it’s for Your pleasure that they exist and were created.” God didn’t create us for our own pleasure; He created us for His pleasure. He created us to glorify Him.

When people try to find happiness in someone or something, it always will be a little bit beyond their reach, a little bit elusive, a little bit hard to get. They think it will be in that next relationship, that next experience, that next possession, or that next accomplishment.

Those who live this way don’t care what it costs. They don’t care about rules and regulations. Happiness is the main priority of their lives. But they never will find it.

Here’s the good news for us as Christians. When we seek to fulfill the purpose for which God created us—which is to glorify Him, honor Him, and bring Him pleasure—then we will find happiness.

It will come not from seeking it but from seeking Him. As the psalmist David wrote, “Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:15 NLT). We must never lose sight of the simple truth that we were created to glorify God.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 

—2 Peter 3:9

Scripture:

2 Peter 3:9 

The heart of God is for everyone to be saved.

However, some people argue that it’s wrong to say that God loves everyone because if someone isn’t one of God’s elect, then God doesn’t love them and therefore didn’t die for them. This is foolishness.

We ought to take the gospel to every person because we don’t know who the chosen are—or are not. All we know is that God wants everyone to believe.

As Dwight L. Moody pointed out, “The whosoever wills are the elect, and the whosoever won’ts are the non-elect.”

Our responsibility is to bring the gospel to everyone we can. The apostle Paul wrote, “So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ” (Colossians 1:28 NLT).

There is no denying the fact that the Bible appeals to the will of man. Jesus said, “Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die” (John 11:25–26 NLT).

Revelation 22 tells us, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who hears this say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life” (verse 17 NLT).

We get hung up on the hows and the whats of predestination, and we miss the whys. Why did God choose us from the foundation of the world? For what did He predestine us? We need to know the answers to these questions.

God chose us so that we could have fellowship and intimacy with Him. God wants us to be His children. Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (NLT).

Our sin separated us from God, but God adopted us into His family. That is why the Bible says, “And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father’ ” (Galatians 4:6 nlt). This is the affectionate cry of a child. An English equivalent of “Abba” is “Daddy.”

God predestined us to be adopted into His family. But that is not all. He also predestined us to be holy and without blame. In Ephesians 1:4 we read, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (NLT).

This is the outgrowth of relationship. Realizing that we are children of God and that He has forgiven us causes us to want to live a life that honors Him. Holiness speaks of inward purity. And blamelessness speaks of outward purity. It means that we live it both on the inside and the outside.

As we spend time walking with God, we will want to become more like Him.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 

—Ephesians 1:3

Scripture:

Ephesians 1:3 

A Christian is someone who lives in two dimensions. There is the spiritual dimension, and as we walk in the Spirit, we know God in the Spirit. Yet we live on the earth. And we need to transfer what we have in the spiritual realm to the earthly realm.

The apostle Paul wanted believers to know what was waiting for them in the spiritual realm. He wrote, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ” (Ephesians 1:3 NLT).

When Paul spoke of the heavenly realms, he wasn’t talking about something that is merely waiting for us in Heaven. He was talking about the supernatural realm.

For example, when I travel outside the United States, I still maintain my citizenship as an American, but I am living in the culture of the country I’m visiting. There are things that I need to adapt to. I need to exchange dollars for the currency of that nation. And I need to be aware of the exchange rate so that I know how much I’m spending.

Spiritual resources are waiting for the believer who is walking with God. Although there are treasures in the heavenly realms, there are resources that God wants us to start using here.

As Christians, we often don’t know all that God has given to us. We don’t know the resources that He has placed into our spiritual bank accounts.

For example, we sometimes pray for things that God has already given to us. We might say, “Lord, give me more love,” when the Bible says that God “has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love” (Romans 5:5 nlt).

We might pray for more power, yet 2 Peter 1:3 tells us that “by his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life” (NLT).

Maybe we have prayed for peace, but Jesus already has said, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27 NLT).

It is not a matter of needing more; we need to use what we already have. We need to stop living like spiritual paupers and start laying hold of what God has given to us. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we have God’s approval. He has adopted us, loves us, has chosen us, and has called us.

Therefore, we don’t have to sit around doubting our salvation every other day, feeling defeated and unworthy. We never were worthy and never will be worthy. It is not about worthiness; it is about Jesus and what He has done for us.

You and I don’t have to do X, Y, and Z to gain the approval of God. Rather, we need to understand what God has done for us and let it impact the way that we live.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. 

—Philippians 4:19

Scripture:

Philippians 4:19 

I’m thankful that God overrules some of my prayers. Imagine, for example, what would happen in a family where parents gave their children everything they wanted. The kids want hot fudge sundaes for dinner and demand everything at the toy store. Whatever they want, their parents give it to them.

What those parents will end up raising are spoiled, undisciplined, hyperactive brats. And they will live to regret it because their children never will move out of the house. Parents need to teach their children responsibility, including how to work for things and how to save.

God knows what is good for us as His children. He knows what we need, and He also knows what we don’t need.

A Christian might pray, “Lord, I want to be incredibly wealthy. I want to be as wealthy as Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. Give me billions of dollars.”

For some people, probably most even, receiving a great amount of money could be the worst thing ever to happen to them. It would come with a lot of responsibility as well as a lot of temptation they may not be facing right now.

The apostle Paul wrote, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NLT).

Notice Paul said that God would supply all your needs—not all your greed or even all your wants or desires.

The writer of Proverbs 30 prayed, “Give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name” (verses 8–9 NLT).

In other words, “Lord, don’t give me so much that I would forget about You. But don’t give me so little that I would feel that You had forgotten about me. Give me as much as You think is right. I leave it in Your hands. I just want Your will for my life.”

We can go through life saying, “I need this” and “What about my needs?” Or, we can say, “God has blessed me. He has provided for me. I had a meal this morning. I have clothes on my back and a roof over my head. What can I do for someone else?”

When we start thinking of others instead of ourselves, one day, we will wake up and realize that we’re happy. But it won’t be the result of chasing after the things we thought would fulfill us. Rather, it will be the result of having our priorities in order.

If only we would do things God’s way. Then we would be able to say, like Paul, “I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little” (Philippians 4:12 NLT).

If we have our lives in balance, we can be confident that God will provide.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. 

—Philippians 4:18

Scripture:

Philippians 4:18 

We can talk all day about walking with God and relying on His strength, but if it doesn’t affect the way that we live and the way that we give, it means nothing.

There is perhaps no clearer evidence of spiritual maturity than financial generosity. Martin Luther, speaking of the Christian life, pointed out, “There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, the mind, and the purse [or wallet].”

Writing to the Christians in Philippi, the apostle Paul said, “As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once” (Philippians 4:15–16 NLT).

Our finances are often the last area that we’re willing to turn over to God. We want to retain complete control. In fact, we are uncomfortable when someone brings up the topic. It may be that our discomfort is an indication that this area is not in its proper order in our lives as Christians.

The Bible does address it quite frequently. Not only does Paul address it in this passage, but it’s worth noting that money is the main subject of nearly half the parables that Jesus told. In addition, one in every seven verses in the New Testament deals with this subject.

How does that compare with other topics? The Bible offers about 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, and 2,000 verses on money. God wants this area to be in balance in our lives.

Paul continued, “At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God” (verse 18).

Epaphroditus had brought a special offering from the believers in Philippi. This deeply touched the apostle because it was a sacrificial gift. These believers gave sacrificially and cheerfully when others who were more able to give weren’t giving at all. That meant a lot to Paul because there were others who could have helped him but didn’t.

Paul was saying, “God bless you for this. It is a sweet-smelling aroma to God that you have given in such a way.”

Today, most churches are supported financially by a relatively small percentage of people who give their tithes and offerings on a weekly basis.

Others, at best, give sporadically, while some don’t give at all. However, there is a core group that understands what the Bible teaches about giving, and they faithfully engage. And it’s because of their faithfulness that we have a ministry today.

God knows who they are. And through their faithfulness to Him, they make it possible for a lot of other people to be ministered to. They have discovered the joy of giving. And we might even venture to say that, as a result, they have probably discovered the secret of contentment as well.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. 

—Philippians 2:13

Scripture:

Philippians 2:13 

The Bible doesn’t say that Christians should do everything for themselves. Nor does it say that God will do everything for Christians. Rather, the Bible shows us that God will do certain things, and we must then respond to those things. It shows us that the power and resources are there, but we must appropriate them.

The apostle Paul wrote, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13 NLT). This is a great balance because it shows us that there is our part and there is God’s part. Instead of saying that Christ does everything and we do nothing, it says that we “can do everything through Christ,” who gives us strength.

God has given us the strength to be the people He is calling us to be, but we must appropriate it, apply it, and utilize it.

There are some things that only God can do and some things that only we can do. For example, only God can enable, but only we can yield. Only God can guide, but only we can follow. And only God can convict us of our sin, but only we can repent of it.

God won’t step over the boundary of our free will and make us do what He wants us to do. If He did, then we would be nothing more than robots. But because He wants us to act out of our own free will, He initiates. At the same time, we must respond to what He is doing.

This is the same principle we find in Philippians 2, where Paul wrote, “Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (verses 12–13 NLT).

So, it is God who is working, but we must be yielding. Yes, we “can do everything through Christ, who gives [us] strength,” but it’s also true that apart from Christ, we can do nothing (see John 15:5).

We can move forward in our own strength, try to make things happen, and fail. For instance, we can try to break free from an addiction, or put a marriage back together, or undertake a ministry with our own wisdom and resources. And we can fail.

Or, we can say, “I can’t do it, Lord, but I can do all things through Jesus, who gives me strength. I’m going to yield to the power of the Holy Spirit and take steps of practical obedience.” And everything can turn around.

Many times, we don’t take hold of the resources that God has given us so that we might effectively resist temptation, be bolder witnesses for Christ, or be better husbands or better wives. We’re trying to do it in our own strength. And we’re falling short.

Which way are you living right now? Are you trying to do things in your own strength? Or are you doing things through Christ who strengthens you? That is the key.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he wholeheartedly followed the LORD, the God of Israel. 

—Joshua 14:14

Scripture:

Joshua 14:14 

One of the reasons this world still appeals to many of us, one of the reasons the offerings of this world system still tantalize many of us, is that we’re lacking closeness with God.

However, if we can get our priorities right, we can see the world for what it is.

That is what Caleb did. The Bible said that he “wholeheartedly followed the Lord, the God of Israel” (Joshua 14:14 NLT).

The key to wholeheartedly following the Lord is maintaining a love relationship with Jesus Christ. When you do, this world will lose its appeal. Caleb was looking forward. He wanted fellowship, intimacy, and closeness with God. And that sustained him through the most difficult times.

In contrast, it was a lack of fellowship, a lack of closeness with God, that caused the other Israelites in the wilderness to turn to idolatry, immorality, complaining, and ultimately testing God.

When you are in love with Jesus Christ, you will see Him for who He is. And as a result, you will see this world for what it is. It’s like the hymn that says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

On the other hand, when you’re only giving God your bare minimum, when your love for Jesus is not burning brightly, then this world and its temporary pleasures will look more and more appealing.

To fully follow the Lord means that you will not compromise. You will stand your ground, wanting the approval of God more than the approval of others. It also means that you will take God at His word and stand on it. And you’ll desire fellowship and communion with God, which will give you the strength to carry on.

Finish well. We don’t know how much time we have left—both as His church on this earth and as individuals before the Lord. God is able to complete whatever we have committed to Him.

Let’s learn from the examples of those who did not finish well—people like Saul, Samson, and Gideon. And let’s also learn from the examples of those who did finish well—people like Caleb, Joseph, Peter, and Paul, who fully followed the Lord.

We find the key to finishing well in Hebrews 12:1–2: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (NLT).

May we all finish well. May we not be casualties in the spiritual race.

If we keep our eyes on Jesus, we will make it. So run the race for Him. This is where we started, and this is where we must end.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land. 

—Numbers 14:24

Scripture:

Numbers 14:24 

Through forty-five years of wilderness wandering, Caleb believed God and clung to His promise. God had promised Caleb that he would enter the Promised Land. But in the meantime, he had to put up with all the whining, griping, and complaining of his fellow Israelites.

Caleb was there when they complained about the manna God had provided and cried out for meat like they had in Egypt. He was there when they rebelled against Moses. And he had to put up with all of it.

Yet Caleb believed that God was going to keep His promise. He was able to fully follow the Lord and finish well because he took God at His word.

And after years of waiting and resisting the temptation to follow the crowd, Caleb was ready to receive his award. At eighty-five years old, he said, “I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then” (Joshua 14:11 NLT).

Some of the young guys of Israel probably laughed at this point. What was this eighty-five-year-old man going to be doing? But Caleb was still strong. Though his outward man was perishing, his inward man had been renewed day by day (see 2 Corinthians 4:16).

He had maintained a first-love relationship with God, and as a result, he maintained his first strength. We see the practical results of this inner strength demonstrated in Joshua 15: “So Caleb was given the town of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), which had been named after Anak’s ancestor. Caleb drove out the three groups of Anakites—the descendants of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the sons of Anak” (verses 13–14 NLT).

Here, we discover that of all the people who received an inheritance in the land, only Caleb completely drove out the enemy. And he faced some of the most formidable foes in the entire land.

Caleb had specifically asked for Hebron. This was no garden spot. It was a rugged, treacherous area with a powerful enemy stronghold guarded by the strongest men. This was no easy duty for Caleb.

Being an older guy, he could have asked for a nice, comfortable plot of land where there were no enemies to drive out. But he asked for one of the toughest assignments. And then he drove out his enemies.

Maybe, just maybe, there was another motive for Caleb’s wanting Hebron. The Bible tells us that in Hebron, God spoke with Abraham face to face and gave him the promise of the land in the first place.

The very name Hebron is descriptive, meaning “fellowship, love, and communion.” This was the place that Caleb longed for—and ultimately received. While others longed for Egypt, Caleb longed for Hebron. While others looked back, Caleb looked forward. While others wanted to please themselves, Caleb wanted to please God. He stood on the promises of God.

We need to do the same. We need to remember that God will keep His promises.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie