But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” 

—Luke 9:58

Scripture:

Luke 9:58 

The reception that the world gave Mary and Joseph before Christ was born is typical of the reception it gave Jesus when He was here on this earth. Jesus Himself said, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head” (Luke 9:58 NLT).

We’ve romanticized the story of Jesus’ birth in our Nativity scenes, with Mary, Joseph, and the baby in a stable full of adoring animals. Meanwhile, the shepherds and wise men look on as a bright star shines in the distance and angels fly overhead.

But the reality is that the birth of Jesus was cold, unsanitary, and difficult. He was wrapped not in satin but in cheap rags. That doesn’t diminish the story. Rather, it enhances it to show the humiliation that Christ went through to enter this world of ours.

It symbolizes His entire life on Earth from the cradle to the cross. Jesus could have been born in the most elegant mansion on the ritziest boulevard in the Roman Empire. He could have had aristocratic parents. He could have had the finest clothes from the most exclusive shops. And He could have had legions of angels at His beck and call.

But He did not. Instead, He laid it all aside.

Think about it: Jesus was born in a cave. He borrowed food to feed a crowd. He borrowed a coin to illustrate a truth. And He rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey and celebrated Passover in a borrowed room. He even died on a borrowed cross that was meant for another: Barabbas. Then He was laid in a borrowed tomb that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea.

C.H. Spurgeon said that Jesus was “infinite, and an infant—eternal, and yet born of a woman . . . supporting the universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother’s arms.”

Philippians 2:6–7 points out, “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being” (NLT).

He who was larger than the universe became an embryo. Jesus Christ was deity in diapers.

Jesus was God in Heaven. Then He was God as an embryo, God as a baby, God as a man, God on the cross, and God rising again. He never ceased to be God. But He did lay aside some of the privileges of deity.

Philippians goes on to say, “When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (2:7–8 NLT).

Jesus humbled Himself and walked this earth and breathed our air and lived our life. And then He died our death. We have a God in Heaven who understands what it’s like to walk through this life. He literally felt our pain. And He went through all of this for us.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 

—Galatians 4:4–5

Scripture:

Galatians 4:4-5 

The birth of Jesus Christ divided human time. Rome had established control over much of the world at this point. The Pax Romana, a period of peace during the Roman Empire, was a time of brutal peace. The Romans cared most about two things: submission to Rome and a steady flow of wealth into Roman coffers.

But with the absence of war, many people were rediscovering art, literature, and philosophy, and they were asking questions. They were talking about human destiny and the meaning of life.

“When the right time came,” the Bible says, “God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children” (Galatians 4:4–5 NLT).

Caesar Augustus thought he was a powerful man, and he was, but he also was a pawn in the hand of God Almighty. That’s because history is His story. Thus, God moved Augustus to accomplish His purposes, reminding us that God is in control. He is sovereign over all nations and over all people.

The Bible says, “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases” (Proverbs 21:1 NLT). God can move the heart of a king, queen, prime minister, president, senator, congressman, or CEO. God will accomplish His purposes.

Augustus thought that by ordering a census, he would have greater control over the world. But in the end, all he did was run an errand for God.

The Lord needed Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem because Scripture prophesied, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf” (Micah 5:2 NLT).

Joseph and Mary made the ninety-mile journey to Bethlehem for the census that Augustus decreed. We like to imagine scenes of Joseph and Mary silhouetted against a full moon on such a beautiful night. But the reality is that it was a very difficult and dangerous journey, especially for a woman in the ninth month of her pregnancy.

You would have hoped the hardships would have ended when they finally arrived in Bethlehem. But the Bible says, “There was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7 NKJV). This doesn’t vilify the innkeeper (if there was indeed an innkeeper); it simply presents him for who he was: a man who was preoccupied and busy. You would have thought he could have found it in his heart to make room for a woman who was ready to give birth at any moment. But he sent Joseph and Mary to a barn, or more likely a cave, where the Savior of the world was born.

There are people today who are just like this innkeeper. They don’t have any time in their lives for God. But we had better make room for Him. As the Christmas hymn “Joy to the World” reminds us, “Let every heart prepare Him room.” Make time for Him today.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. 

—Philippians 1:6

Scripture:

Philippians 1:6 

If you were involved in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, would you be tempted to brag about it a little? Mary easily could have gone to her friends and said, “Hey, have you checked out Isaiah 7:14 lately? You know, the part where it says, ‘The virgin will conceive a child’? Well, you’re looking at her!”

Mary, however, didn’t do anything of the kind. She was amazed, even flabbergasted, that God had chosen her to be the one to bear the Messiah.

But then she had a question, which was a logical one considering the circumstances: “But how can this happen? I am a virgin” (Luke 1:34 NLT).

Now, Mary was not doubting or questioning the angel Gabriel. This had more to do with methodology. And Gabriel answered her because it was a legitimate question. He said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God” (verse 35 NLT).

In the same way, sometimes we look at what God asks of us and wonder how we can possibly accomplish it. We think, “How can I live a godly life in this culture?” Or “How can I, as a single person, be sexually pure and wait for the right person that God will bring to me?” Or “How can I, as a married person, remain faithful to my spouse, honest in my work, and uncompromised in my principles?”

The answer that Gabriel gave to Mary applies to us as well: “For with God nothing will be impossible” (verse 37 NKJV).

God will complete the work He has begun in our lives.

The angel promised that the Holy Spirit would come upon Mary, and the Holy Spirit comes upon us as well. God will give us the power to do what He has called us to do.

Although Mary didn’t fully understand, she was obedient to God’s will for her life. In essence she said, “It’s a done deal, Lord.” She didn’t ask for a detailed explanation. She simply said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true” (verse 38 nlt).

Often we want to know God’s will before we submit to it. But if we want to know God’s will for our lives, we first need to surrender ourselves to Him. As Alan Redpath said, “The condition of an enlightened mind is a surrendered heart.”

The apostle Paul wrote, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him” (Romans 12:1 NLT).

We want to know the perfect will of God. But God is saying, “Submit yourself to Me, and I will tell you. First, give yourself over to Me.” Mary did that. She submitted her will to God.

Have you surrendered your heart to Jesus Christ?

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 

—1 Corinthians 1:27

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 1:27 

There are a lot of misperceptions about Mary. On one hand, people place her on a pedestal. And on the other hand, she is ignored and misunderstood. But Mary was a godly person living in a godless place.

And she showed us that it’s possible for someone to live a godly life even while living in the midst of an ungodly environment. Mary lived in Nazareth, which, for the most part, was not a popular destination.

God could have chosen someone from Rome to bear the Messiah. After all, Rome was ruling most of the world at that time. God could have chosen someone from Jerusalem, the spiritual capital of the world. Or, God could have chosen someone from Athens, the intellectual and cultural capital of the world.

But God didn’t choose someone from any of these places. Instead, He chose a young woman who was living in Nazareth.

Roman soldiers overran Nazareth, an obscure place known for its wickedness. That is why Nathanael, when he heard that Jesus was from Nazareth, said, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46 NLT).

Yet God chose Mary and this obscure place to accomplish His purpose. He chose an unknown teenager living in an unknown place to bring about the most known event in human history: the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It seems that God goes out of His way to choose the most unexpected people to accomplish His plans. The Bible is filled with examples of the most ordinary individuals being chosen by God to do the most extraordinary things.

Mary was genuinely humble. She was surprised when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, . . . for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David” (Luke 1:30–32 NLT).

When we think of certain men and women of the Bible, we see them in their greatness because of what God did. But remember, when God called David, he was a shepherd boy whose father didn’t even acknowledge him. Yet God instructed the prophet Samuel to anoint David as the next king of Israel.

When God chose Gideon, he was hiding from his enemies. And when God called Simon Peter, he was out catching fish. But the Lord raised him up to be one of the great apostles. And God chose Mary to bring about the arrival of the Messiah.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful” (1 Corinthians 1:26–27 NLT).

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 

—Luke 1:11

Scripture:

Luke 11:1 

C.S. Lewis said, “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.”

We live by time. God is outside of time. This doesn’t mean that God isn’t aware of time, because He is completely aware of every minute and second of our lives and everything that happens in them.

But He lives in the eternal realm. God’s interpretation of time is quite different from ours. He has His timing. And there are times in life when it appears as though God is late, that He is somehow disengaged and not paying attention.

Sometimes as we look at the way things are, we wonder whether God is aware of what the world is like. Why has Christ not come back? The implication is that God is somehow off schedule.

However, the Bible says of Christ’s return, “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 NLT).

Jesus Christ will come back to this earth at the appointed time that God has determined.

When Jesus came to Earth the first time, the people of Israel were tired of waiting. They felt it was time for the Messiah to arrive. These were difficult and dark days in Israel’s history. They were under the control of Rome and the tyrannical rule of the puppet king known as Herod. The fact is that 6 BC was a lousy time to live in Judea.

The people hadn’t heard from God for 400 years. Not a single prophet had said, “Thus saith the Lord. . . .” There hadn’t been any miracles or angelic appearances. Instead, there was a stony silence from Heaven.

The people were probing, searching, and wondering when things would change.

But there was a sense that something was in the air, that something was about to break. And indeed, it was. The moment was coming for the Messiah to arrive.

It all began with the aged priest Zechariah, who was in the temple bringing sacrifices on behalf of the people. The angel Gabriel appeared with the announcement that he would be the father of John the Baptist the forerunner of Jesus.

It was a day like any other day when the supernatural invaded the natural. It was the day that God chose to reveal to Zechariah that he was going to be the father of the forerunner of the Messiah. Zechariah was praying, and God heard him and answered his prayer.

The Bible says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6 NLT). No matter what you’re facing, no matter what kind of challenges you’re going through, you need to pray.

There may be things that we go through in life that don’t make sense. But one day we will know. Until then, we must trust God and surrender ourselves to Him.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

—Isaiah 9:6

Scripture:

Isaiah 9:6 

In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet famously asked, “What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell just as sweet.”

That may be true for flowers. But for people, names make a difference.

In the Bible, names mean something. Parents often named their children in honor of events that took place at the time of their birth. Or, they named their children for their unique physical characteristics.

For example, the name of the first man, Adam, means “earth” because God formed him from the dust of the earth. Esau’s name means “hairy” because he was hairy. His twin brother, who hung on to Esau’s heel as he was born, was named Jacob, which means “heel catcher.”

One woman went into labor when she heard that her father-in-law and husband had died and the Philistines had captured the ark of the covenant. She named her child Ichabod, which means “Where is the glory?” (1 Samuel 4:21).

Yet the name that is above all names is the name of Jesus. The prophet Isaiah told us some important things about the name of the Messiah who was to come and also gave us some insights into the character of Jesus: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 NLT).

Each name Isaiah used to describe Jesus portrays a different aspect of the work that God wants to do in our lives. “Wonderful Counselor” means that we no longer have to look to the cheap substitutes this world offers to bring us fulfillment because Jesus Christ makes life wonderful. The problems we face in life do not need to baffle us; we know that God will reveal His will to us because Christ is our Counselor.

“Mighty God” takes care of the demands of life that can overwhelm us. “Everlasting Father” means that because Christ came to Earth to die on the cross, pay for our sins, and rise from the dead, we have an everlasting Father who will be with us forever. “Prince of Peace” takes care of the disturbances of life. And how we need that peace in these frightening times.

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus. In one sense, it was that. But in another sense, Jesus never was technically born. In one sense, He was born as a human and died some thirty-three years later on a Roman cross. But in another sense, Jesus has neither a beginning nor an end.

Jesus is God. He is eternal. He is part of the Trinity: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

To us, Christmas represents the entrance of Jesus to Earth. For God, it meant the departure of His Son from Heaven. “A child is born to us.” That is Earth’s perspective. “A son is given to us.” That is Heaven’s perspective.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety. 

—Proverbs 29:25

Scripture:

Proverbs 29:25 

Imagine the scene. Moses is descending from Mount Sinai, holding the commandments that God gave him. As he nears the Israelite camp, he sees the people dancing before a golden calf.

Outraged, he says to Aaron, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin upon them?” (Exodus 32:21 NLT).

Aaron’s excuse for the behavior of the people is so absurd that it should be permanently enshrined in the Excuse Hall of Fame.

He replied, “You yourself know how evil these people are. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!” (verses 22–24 NLT).

Aaron should have drawn the line when the people came to him and demanded something to worship. He should have told them, “You just worship God, and wait until Moses gets back.” Instead, he caved in.

Not only did Aaron go along with their plan, but he also facilitated it. He helped produce the problem.

Let’s remember that when God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, He wanted Moses alone to go to Pharaoh. God promised to do miracles through Moses to confirm that He had sent him.

However, Moses offered a series of excuses as to why he wasn’t the one for the job. He also complained that he’d never been a gifted speaker. So God said, “Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say” (Exodus 4:16 NLT).

But while Moses was away, Aaron made a mess of things.

There are a lot of people like Aaron today. When they’re around committed Christians, they’re strong. But when they’re away from Christians, they blend into the woodwork.

The story of Aaron’s spiritual demise serves as a warning to the vacillating, compromising person who always wants to go along with public opinion and is more concerned with what people think than with what God thinks.

As we see in this story, the compromiser reaches no one.

Maybe you think the way to reach your nonbelieving friends is to do what they do and simply blend in. You conclude that in doing so, you will win them over and they will come to Christ.

The reality is that no one has ever been won to Christ that way. The way people come to Christ is through Christians living godly lives. They come to Christ when Christians practice what they preach. They come to Christ when Christians love them with compassion and share God’s Word with them.

Don’t be an Aaron. Be a Moses. Be the person who stands up for what is right, because one person can make a big difference.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin, but I will go back up to the Lord on the mountain. Perhaps I will be able to obtain forgiveness for your sin.” 

—Exodus 32:30

Scripture:

Exodus 32:30 

It was a test for Moses. God told him that He was going to destroy the Israelites. And when we read Exodus 32, it would appear that Moses pleaded with God and brought Him around. But God was testing Moses. He wanted to see if Moses was learning anything.

Jesus sometimes tested His disciples. When the multitudes gathered and had nothing to eat, Jesus turned to Philip and said, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” (John 6:5 NLT). The Bible goes on to say that Jesus said this to test Philip.

Then there was the Syro-Phoenician woman. She came to Jesus and asked Him to touch her demon-possessed daughter. Being a non-Jew, she was coming to the Messiah of Israel and asking for His mercy.

But Jesus seemed almost flippant in His reply, saying, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs” (Mark 7:27 NLT).

The woman told Him, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates” (verse 28 NLT). So Jesus commended her and granted her request.

She passed His test. Jesus wasn’t turning her away; He was drawing her out. It was a test for her to rise to the occasion. And when she did, Jesus rewarded her for it.

Moses passed God’s test as well. He interceded for the people, saying, “Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people!” (Exodus 32:12 nlt).

God wants us to care about people who are separated from Him and intercede for them. He wants us to see them not as the enemy but as sheep without a shepherd—as people who need the Savior.

In fact, Moses cared so much about these people that he said, “But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, erase my name from the record you have written!” (verse 32 NLT). Thankfully, no such thing is required. But it shows the heart of a true intercessor.

The apostle Paul said something similar when he wrote, “For my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them” (Romans 9:3 NLT).

That is the kind of heart that we need to have toward nonbelievers. That is standing in the gap. Speaking through the prophet Ezekiel, God said, “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30 NLT).

God is still looking for people to stand in the gap today to pray and proclaim His Word.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Give to the LORD the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. 

—1 Chronicles 16:29

Scripture:

1 Chronicles 16:29 

If you’ve ever played the game of Monopoly, then you’ve seen the various strategies people use to win. Some people buy every piece of property on the board and hope to put their opponents out of business. Others save up, hoping they’ll land on green or blue so they can buy up Boardwalk and Park Place and put hotels on them. They can make a lot of money that way.

But when the game ends, so do their winnings.

How accurate is the verse in Proverbs that says, “In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle” (23:5 nlt). It’s amazing how quickly finances can disappear.

We can’t take it with us, but we can send it on ahead. How? By investing in the work of the kingdom of God. In doing so, we’re storing treasures in Heaven.

Money is neither good nor evil. Money is neutral. The Bible doesn’t say that money is the root of evil. Here’s what it does say: “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10 NLT).

The problem isn’t money itself. The problem is the love of it. If money is the most important thing in our lives, then it will be the root of all kinds of evil in our lives. But if we can put it in the proper perspective, it can be a force for good to help and touch others.

And we honor God by bringing our offerings to Him.

The Bible says, “O nations of the world, recognize the Lord, recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence” (1 Chronicles 16:28–29 NLT).

Jesus said that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35 NLT). There is so much joy that we can experience in giving.

He also warned, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:19–21 NLT ).

Jesus didn’t say this because wealth might be lost. He said it because it always will be lost. In other words, we always will leave it behind. Either it leaves us while we’re living, or we leave it when we die. There are no exceptions. Whatever is valuable on earth will have no value in Heaven.

Is Jesus condemning those who are financially prosperous? No. Is He saying that it’s wrong to make and save money? Absolutely not. Rather, He’s saying that it’s wrong to put all our hope in temporary, earthly treasures and have nothing waiting for us in eternity.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. 

—1 Peter 2:12

Scripture:

1 Peter 2:12 

A little salt will go a long way. Just a pinch of salt in your oatmeal or on your watermelon can enhance the flavor. And one Christian in a family, neighborhood, or workplace can influence everyone.

Jesus said of His church, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless” (Matthew 5:13 NLT).

For example, Moses, through his personal integrity and godliness, influenced the Israelites for good. Imagine how hard it must have been for him. They were so full of unbelief and whining and complaining.

We need more people like this who will make a difference in this world. When you get together for family reunions and everyone wants to drink or smoke or party, you’re the odd one out. And you’re probably the person they always choose to do the token prayer at Thanksgiving. It is so uncomfortable.

Or you might be at a workplace where all the others are nonbelievers. You’re the brunt of their jokes. And you want to get a new job.

Maybe in your classroom you’re the one Christian who will disagree with the professor who’s promoting evolution or some other ungodly worldview.

It’s tough, and we often want to get out of those types of situations. But do we ever consider that God put us where we are to be an influence?

Take Moses, for example. God called him to Mount Sinai to receive the commandments. The Bible tells us, “When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. ‘Come on,’ they said, ‘make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt’ ” (Exodus 32:1 NLT).

Moses was gone, and they needed something to worship. And instead of recognizing that it was the Lord working through Moses who led them out of Egypt, they thought it was Moses himself. As soon as Moses was gone, they were looking for something to replace him.

In effect, they were saying, “We need something tangible, something we can reach out and touch.” So the plans for the golden calf began, which ultimately led to sexual immorality and idol worship.

Moses’ personal godliness and integrity kept them in check up to that point. And when he left, everything fell apart.

In the same way, it’s the very presence of the church in the world today that keeps things from getting even worse. We think things are bad in our country now, and they are. But wait until the Lord calls His church home. We can imagine how quickly the whole scenario of the end times, inaugurated by the emergence of the Antichrist, will unfold.

We are the salt of the earth. We are God’s representatives. And God can do a lot with a little.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 What can I offer the LORD for all he has done for me? 

—Psalm 116:12

Scripture:

Psalm 116:12 

What do we give to God, who has everything? The Bible gives us some ideas as to what we can give to God as we begin this holiday season.

In Psalm 116, we find a number of things that we can do to show our thanksgiving to God. The psalmist speaks of God’s blessing in his life and specifically thanks God for protecting him from danger, even potential death. As he reflects on that, he considers what he can offer to the Lord.

In verse 12, the psalmist poses this question: “What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me?” (NLT).

And in the next verse, he gives us the answer: “I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord’s name for saving me” (verse 13 nlt).

We think nothing of cheering on our favorite teams at a game. We wear their jerseys and yell and scream. And we see this as relatively normal.

But when we go to church and see people lifting their hands in praise to God, we call them fanatics.

Is there not a place for verbally praising God? Yes, there is.

Is there not a place for lifting our hands to the Lord in worship? Yes, there is.

The psalmist wrote, “Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer” (Psalm 63:3–4 NLT). It is biblical to lift our hands to the Lord. It’s a good thing to do. We shouldn’t be reluctant to lift our hands in praise to God.

Nor should we be hesitant to verbally sing His praises. Sometimes during a time of worship in a church service, we just stand there and don’t even try to sing. Why is that? God wants to hear our praise.

If you’re married, don’t you like to hear “I love you” from your husband or wife? There is a place for saying “I love you.” In the same way, when we come into God’s presence, we should praise Him. We should let Him know that we love Him.

Maybe you’re thinking that you don’t have all that much to be thankful for today. You may be going through a hardship right now or a time of crisis. But perhaps you need to put things into perspective.

Take the apostle Paul, for example. One of the main themes of Philippians is joy. Again and again in this epistle, Paul wrote that we need to have joy in the Lord.

Meanwhile, Paul was facing some very difficult circumstances personally. He was a Roman prisoner at this time, and his trial was coming up shortly. He faced acquittal or death. He didn’t know what lay ahead.

Yet Paul said, “I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. . . . I have learned the secret of living in every situation” (Philippians 4:11–12 NLT). Paul shows us that we can learn to find joy and contentment in a troubled world.

On this day set aside for giving thanks, let’s offer the One who has everything our verbal praise.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. “All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God,” he said. “But do it here in this land.” 

—Exodus 8:25

Scripture:

Exodus 8:25 

Pharaoh had finally buckled. He wanted the plagues to stop. So, he called in Moses and Aaron and said, “All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God. . . . But do it here in this land” (Exodus 8:25 NLT).

As we watch Pharaoh try to manipulate Moses, we see a picture of how the devil tries to manipulate us. This is the anatomy of a compromise.

What did God tell Moses and Aaron to do? He told them to put three days’ distance between Egypt and themselves and then offer sacrifices to Him (see Exodus 3:18).

However, Pharaoh told them they could go and offer their sacrifices to God, but they needed to do it in Egypt.

Pharaoh was trying to force them into making some concessions. He was saying, in effect, “If you don’t want to worship the gods of Egypt and have to worship your God, then go do it. Just don’t go very far. Stick around.”

Maybe you’ve seen this trick before, perhaps even in your own life. After you give your life to Christ, the devil essentially says, “I didn’t want you to do that, but I will concede that you have gone over to the other side. Let’s strike a deal. Don’t get too fanatical here. Can we still have a little fun together? You don’t have to give up all your old friends and lifestyle. You can still believe in God. But be practical.”

That is what the devil does with us: “Go ahead, but don’t go too far. You don’t have to believe all this stuff.”

Moses, however, said no. He knew they had to go.

Some people have believed in Jesus, but they haven’t gone very far from their old lives. They’ve stayed close enough for the enemy to still have a foothold. They are still influenced by ungodly friends and things that have dragged them down. They are still engaged in a lifestyle they should have repented of long ago.

For example, how many generations have been destroyed by drugs, sex, and rock ’n’ roll? It’s amazing how each successive generation acts as though they’ve discovered it themselves. The fashions may change (or sometimes don’t), but they get into the same things that previous generations did.

We need to obey God. We need to commit the nonbelievers in our lives to the Lord. If they’re going to come to Christ, they won’t come to Him through our compromise. In fact, it will drive them away.

Sometimes we think we can reach people for Christ if we just do what they do and relate to them on their level. Then they will believe and think we’re really cool. But no one has ever come to Christ that way. Nonbelievers come to Christ because Christians living genuine lives before God aren’t afraid to let their lights shine.

Sometimes we’re trying so hard to be cool and relatable that we forget about being righteous. We forget about standing up for what is right.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith. 

—2 Timothy 3:8

Scripture:

2 Timothy 3:8 

God directed ten plagues against Egypt, and each one of these plagues dealt with one of their deities. The Egyptians worshipped thousands of gods. They worshipped the Nile River as a god. They worshipped the sun. And they worshipped the animals. In fact, they worshipped just about anything we could imagine.

Interestingly, the serpent, specifically the cobra, was an important symbol for the Egyptians. And what was the first miracle that God performed through Moses and Aaron? Aaron threw down his staff, and it turned into a serpent, which probably was a cobra.

Pharaoh’s magicians said they could do duplicate that, which they did. But Aaron’s staff consumed the magicians’ staffs.

From this first miracle, God was saying to Pharaoh, “I am more powerful than you. My power is greater than your gods.” Still, Pharaoh didn’t believe. His heart only became harder.

Two of Satan’s most effective strategies are imitation and infiltration. He will try to stop a work altogether, but if that isn’t successful, then he will imitate. In this way, he seeks to minimize the power and glory of God and neutralize the impact of someone’s life and testimony.

For example, Jesus told a story about a farmer who sowed a field of wheat, but in the darkness of night, his neighbor came and sowed weeds among the wheat. This type of weed, also known as darnel, is almost identical to wheat in its initial stages of growth. To the undiscerning eye, it’s difficult to detect until later, when the weeds grow up and choke out the wheat.

The devil uses cheap imitations in the same way. How many times have people said the reason they aren’t Christians is because there are so many hypocrites in the church? That puts followers of Jesus Christ in the very uncomfortable position of trying to defend people who don’t live what they say they believe.

However, maybe they aren’t believers at all. Maybe they’re weeds among the wheat. See how effective that ploy could be? Someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus contradicts it by the way they live. Then a nonbeliever says that person is a hypocrite.

Yet who is to say that individual is a hypocrite—or even a Christian? Maybe the devil is using such a person for the very purpose of keeping nonbelievers from coming to faith.

The Bible tells us that Pharaoh’s’ magicians, known as Jannes and Jambres (see 2 Timothy 3:8), were imitating what God was doing, thus making it look as though it wasn’t genuine. And it was a very effective strategy.

We have to be careful. We’re living in critical times. While we read of many miracles in the Bible, no one ever claimed to have a miracle ministry. Believers in the early church answered God’s call to preach the gospel to nonbelievers and teach the truth of God’s Word.

Miracles happened when and where God wanted them to happen. This reminds us that signs and wonders should follow believers. But believers shouldn’t follow signs and wonders.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 

—Ephesians 4:18

Scripture:

Ephesians 4:18 

Moses had made a mess of things. He was a Hebrew who was raised in the house of Pharaoh, groomed to become the next leader of Egypt. Yet Moses was concerned for his fellow Hebrews and the plight they faced. And one day on an impulse, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

He looked to the right and to the left, and then he killed an Egyptian. When word reached Pharaoh, he put a contract out on Moses’ life. So, Moses fled for his life into the wilderness.

He settled down there and tended sheep until the Lord recommissioned him forty years later. God told Moses he was to go back to Egypt to the court of Pharaoh and demand the release of his people.

Understandably, Moses was reluctant. He offered some flimsy excuses as to why he wasn’t qualified, which the Lord refuted. God even performed some miracles to convince Moses of the authenticity of his calling. And ultimately, Moses and his brother, Aaron, went to do what God had called them to do.

Moses and Aaron went into Pharaoh’s court and demanded the release of the Hebrews. They probably were hoping he would say, “No problem! God has been speaking to me about that. God bless you.”

But that isn’t quite how it went. Pharaoh basically said, “Are you kidding? There’s no way that is going to happen.”

This reminds us that being in the will of God doesn’t mean that it always will be green lights, blue skies, and singing birds. Sometimes we think that if God wants us to do something, it will be an easy thing to do.

It will happen, but it will be in His timing. And the devil will oppose us.

We also find an important statement in Exodus 7. God said to Moses and Aaron, “But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt” (verse 3 NLT).

Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart? Some would think that Pharaoh had nothing to say about this, that he was simply a chess piece on the board of life. But that isn’t true. Pharaoh had a choice in the matter. He hardened his heart, and the Lord confirmed the decision he had already made.

Pharaoh hardened his heart further, the Bible tells us, when his magicians counterfeited the signs. Then he hardened his heart even more when his magicians could not counterfeit the signs.

The Lord had given Pharaoh more than enough evidence to convince him that the gods of Egypt were false and the God of Israel was the true and living God. He was giving Pharaoh the opportunity to cooperate. But Pharaoh would have none of it.

This reminds us that to turn from the truth is to become more thoroughly entrenched in darkness. If you have heard the truth, know what is right, and don’t respond, then you are in danger of getting a hardened heart.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. 

—Numbers 32:23

Scripture:

Numbers 32:23 

Some years ago, I read a humorous article about someone who decided to rob a Baptist church in North Carolina. But he was more than six feet tall and weighed 235 pounds. And when he tried to escape with his loot through a bathroom window, he got stuck. It took four police officers pushing and pulling him to get him out of the window.

His sin found him out.

Moses warned the children of Israel, “But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 NLT).

He knew this from firsthand experience.

After Moses killed an Egyptian who was beating one of his fellow Hebrews, he probably thought the Hebrew people would applaud him. He may have been hoping they’d say, “That Moses is something! He’s the grandson of Pharaoh, but he risked everything to help us. He’s our new hero.”

However, things didn’t go as Moses had hoped.

The next day when he saw a couple of Hebrews fighting, he walked up and tried to settle the dispute. But one of them said, “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” (Exodus 2:14 NLT).

Moses thought he had hidden his sin, but he suddenly realized that everyone knew. He also realized that he was in trouble. When Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses. So, Moses fled for his life into the wilderness.

Moses lost everything: his position, his people, and his reputation. But he hadn’t lost God. He did the wrong thing in the wrong way at the wrong time. His timing was horribly off—by about forty years. Though Moses was gifted to be a leader, he wasn’t quite ready yet.

His heart was in the right place, but he went about it the wrong way. He made a huge mess for himself, and it seemed as though everyone had turned against him. But God had not turned against Moses. And what looked like the end of his life actually was the beginning of a new one.

He found a family that befriended them. He married one of the daughters in the family and ended up watching her father’s sheep. He probably thought that was where he would die.

But God had other plans. Moses was a leader in training.

It has been said that Moses spent forty years in Pharaoh’s court finding out he was a somebody. He spent forty years in the wilderness finding out he was a nobody. And then he spent forty years finding out what God can do with a somebody who realizes they are a nobody.

Are you trying to cover up something right now? Is there some secret sin in your life? If so, then just come out with it and confess it, because sooner or later, it will be exposed. Nothing is hidden from God.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 

—Matthew 7:7

Scripture:

Matthew 7:7 

Can you think of a time in your life when you acted impulsively and came to regret it?

Maybe you bought a car or a house on an impulse, and now you’re sorry you did so. Maybe you signed a contract that you didn’t read carefully or entered into a business deal that you should have considered more. Or maybe you made a marriage commitment that you didn’t bring before the Lord in prayer, and you have regretted that.

I’ve come to discover that God’s timing is just as important as God’s will.

There are times when we pray about something and God says no. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that His answer always will be no. It means that is His answer for now. So don’t give up. That is why the Bible tells us to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking (see Matthew 7:7).

On the other hand, there are certain things we may ask God to do, and He always will say no. Those are things that are in direct opposition to what the Bible teaches.

In the Book of Exodus, we find a story about a man of God who had bad timing. If he were in a race, he would be the guy who comes out of nowhere to take the lead and then suddenly self-destructs. His name was Moses.

If we were to draw up a short list of people whom God has used in a powerful way, certainly Moses would be at the top. He was Moses, the great lawgiver and the man who, through his personal godliness and integrity, kept three million people from turning to idolatry. But perhaps the best description of all is this one: Moses the man of God.

Yet Moses was a bit on the impulsive side. Even though Pharaoh’s daughter had adopted him and raised him in the royal household, Moses knew who he was. He was a true believer in the Lord God. Underneath those Egyptian robes of royalty beat the heart of a Hebrew.

Moses’ heart was in the right place, but his actions were foolhardy, to say the least. He took action, and it was the worst mistake of his life.

In Exodus 2 we read, “Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand” (verse 11–12 NLT).

Clearly God did not tell Moses to do this. Moses looked in all directions, but he should have looked up. If he had done that, God would have said no.

Sometimes we want the will of God, but we will go about it in our own way. God wants us to do His will in His way in His time.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. 

—Hebrews 13:15–16

Scripture:

Hebrews 13:15–16 

Sometimes we’re not in the mood to praise God. We might not be feeling well. We might be dealing with a problem. Or we might have just had an argument with a family member. And then when we go to church, the singing starts and we just don’t want to sing.

However, our worship is pleasing to God. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name” (NLT). That is why it’s called a sacrifice of praise.

Yes, God can see our hearts. But God wants to hear it from our lips. It doesn’t matter whether we have any singing ability. Our worship pleases God.

Another thing that pleases God is giving to the work of His kingdom. The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi, “I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. 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 4:17–18 NLT).

Some people get uptight in church when an offering is received. Yet the Bible promises God’s blessing if we will give to the Lord. Jesus said, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38 NLT).

We cannot outgive God. It is a privilege. It is a joy. And it pleases God when we invest in His kingdom.

It also pleases God when we are witnesses for Him. Every Christian is a witness. But before we can effectively witness for God, we must first walk with God. It is the overflow of our lives.

For some Christians, it’s a big deal to talk about their faith. But if we’re walking with God and our lives are pleasing to Him, we will find that Jesus overflows into our lives. One of the greatest compliments a nonbeliever can pay a believer is when they say, “I don’t know what you believe. I don’t know what it is about you that makes you the way that you are. And I don’t know where you get this special something. But whatever it is, I want it.”

That is when we can say, “Let me tell you about my faith in Jesus Christ.”

I came to Christ because of the powerful testimony of a group of kids on my high school campus who truly knew what it was to walk with God. Before I heard a sermon, before anyone talked to me about my need for God, it was their lifestyle that got my attention.

Would your lifestyle reach anyone? People are watching you. Are you being a positive witness for Jesus Christ?

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

—Genesis 5:23–24

Scripture:

Genesis 5:23-24 

Some people falsely envision God up in Heaven, eagerly awaiting the moment He will bring judgment on the earth. But that is not what the Bible says.

In Ezekiel 33:11 we read, “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?” (NLT).

And 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “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” (NLT).

When we look at our world and how wicked things are, we wonder, “Lord, when are You going to come and establish Your kingdom? Why haven’t You brought judgment?”

The reason Jesus hasn’t yet returned is that God is waiting for more people to believe. He wants you to know Him, have faith in Him, and be ready for His return.

The Bible talks about a man named Enoch, who walked with God. But it appears from Scripture that he didn’t start walking with God until his son Methuselah was born. Genesis 5:21–22 says, “When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters” (NLT).

His son’s name helps us understand why Enoch began walking with God. The name Methuselah means “when he is gone [or dead], it shall be sent.” God revealed to Enoch that when this child died, judgment would fall on the earth. And Methuselah lived 969 years. That tells us a lot about the grace of God.

The revelation that God would send judgment when Methuselah died prompted Enoch to get right with God. And the Book of Hebrews gives us insight into his relationship with God: “It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—‘he disappeared, because God took him.’ For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5 NLT).

Maybe Enoch said to his wife one day, “I’m going for a walk with God,” and he never came home. Yet he did go home—he went to his heavenly home. He started his journey on Earth and ended it in Heaven.

Some people have the mistaken notion that God is very difficult to please. He is not. He loves us. He knows all about us. Our failures do not come as a surprise to Him. He wants the very best for us. He is patient with us. His resources are at our disposal.

Our lives can please God. We start by finding out what God specifically says pleases Him. And the Bible gives us some very clear truths that it identifies as things that please God.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? 

—Amos 3:3

Scripture:

Amos 3:3 

It was a unique time in human history. Before God’s judgment of the earth by water, people were very wicked—so wicked, in fact, that God was sorry He made them.

Here’s how the Bible describes this time: “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” (Genesis 6:5 NLT).

Yet in the midst of this dark environment was an individual who walked with God. His name was Enoch, and he showed that it is possible to live a godly life in an ungodly world.

Enoch also was a prototype of a generation of people who will not see death but will be caught up to meet the Lord in what the Bible calls the Rapture. And we could be that generation.

The Bible says, “Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him” (Genesis 5:23–24 NLT).

When you’re walking somewhere, it means you’re making progress. You’re moving toward a destination, going from one place to another.

In the original language, the word the Bible uses for “walking” carries a lot of meaning. We also find a helpful verse in Amos 3, which says, “Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” (verse 3 NLT).

Together, these passages give us a good picture of what it means to walk with God.

“Walk together” means walking in tandem or harmony. Think of a bicycle for two, a tandem cycle. If the rider in front is pedaling away while the rider in back is hitting the brakes, that is going to slow things down.

The same is true of two people in a canoe. They both have to work together in perfect rhythm. If one person digs in the paddle like a brake, it will hinder both of them from going where they want to go.

The idea is that both need to get into harmony. Both need to move together. And that is what it means to walk with God.

As followers of Christ, we need to get into harmony with God. It doesn’t mean that God needs to get into harmony with us. But often we think that is the case. We want God to bless the plans that we’ve made apart from Him.

Jesus said, “But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” (John 15:7 NLT).

We like the second half of the verse about asking for anything we want. But let’s not forget the first half: “But if you remain in me and my words remain in you . . .” If we’re doing that, then we’ll start asking for what is aligned with God’s will. And that’s what prayer is all about.

In the same way, to walk with God means to get into harmony with Him. Are you walking with God today?

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie