Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

“They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch,   strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’ they said.” (Acts 14:21–22 NIV)   I believe that when we get to Heaven, w...

“Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers.” (Philemon 1:23–24 NLT)   It’s been said that everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes. For a select few people, however, those fifteen minutes of fame stretched into centuries and millennia. Such is the case with the people mentioned in o...

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.” (1 Timothy 1:12–13 NLT)   Saul of Tarsus, who later became the apostle Paul, had...

“So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.” (Acts 8:35 NLT)   Every now and again, stories appear in the news about people who pose as physicians even though they’re not licensed to practice medicine. In some cases, the actions of these faux physicians prove to be destructive or even fatal for the people they’re “treating.&...

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.   A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1–2 NLT)   Reflecting on the passing of human life, ethicist Michael Josephson wrote, “Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days....

“When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” (John 15:8 NLT)   A headstone serves as a marker for a person’s grave. But it also serves as an extremely brief summary of the person’s life. A typical headstone might read: John Doe, May 29, 1946–October 15, 2025, beloved son, husband, and father. What’s interes...

“At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. One day the girl said to her mistress, ‘I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.’” (2 Kings 5:2–3 NLT)   Often the most profound and far-reaching spiritual op...

“Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ The man replied, ‘How can I, unless someone instructs me?’ And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.” (Acts 8:30–31 NLT)   Philip, a leader in the early church, was given a remarkable opportunity to share...

“Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.” (Ecclesiastes 11:6 NLT)   Here’s something amazing to think about. Saul, who would later become the apostle Paul, was doing the work of God’s kingdom before he was even in it. Remember, Saul was one of the early en...

“I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene.   Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death. Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so viole...

“Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:6 NLT)   I have a problem when I walk with my wife. I always walk a little faster than she does. Every time we go out together, I find myself walking ahead of her. I have to stop and wait for her to catch up. I make a conscious effort to walk more slowly—at least for a while. But the next thing...

“These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.” (1 John 2:19 NLT)   In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus delivered some sobering words to the people who followed Him: “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom o...

“Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.” (1 John 3:2 NLT)   Human ingenuity has devised countless ways to transform the human body. From plastic surgery to weight-loss drugs. From tattoos to piercings. From hair dye to colo...

“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” (1 John 1:8 NLT)   Visitors to San Francisco can’t help but be amazed at the architectural marvel that is the Golden Gate Bridge. But its beauty and innovation came at a tremendous cost. During the initial phases of construction, several workers lost their balance and plunged to their de...

“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?   And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.” (1 John 4:20–21 NLT)   One of the first things I remember taking place when I committed my lif...

“So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.” (1 John 3:13 NLT)   This week we’re going to focus on passages from the first epistle of John. And we’re going to start with one that addresses the topic of Christian persecution. I heard a story about some fish suppliers who were having problems shipping cod from the East Coast. By the t...

“But Joseph replied, ‘Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you?   You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.’ So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.” (Genesis 50:19&ndash...

“But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.” (Job 23:10 NLT)   “Why?” is a very popular question among God’s people. King David asked why his son rebelled against him and why the people of Israel stopped supporting him. Elijah asked why he was the only remaining prophet to stand for God. Jeremiah asked why he was sufferi...

“But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12 NLT)   A woman strolling on a beach noticed a man catching crabs. Every time he caught one, he placed it in an open bucket. “Don’t you need a lid on that bucket?” the woman asked. “No,” the man replied, “they can’t get out.&rdq...

“You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” (Genesis 4:7 NLT)   Years ago, my son Christopher was lying out in the sun at our house when he woke up to find a huge gopher snake, coiled up and hissing at him, poised to strike. It mu...

"For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear." (2 Timothy 4:3 NLT) There was a time when we were bombarded by a one-sided view of God as an angry deity, ready to throw people into the open fires of Hell. People complained about too mu...

“I have followed your commands, which keep me from following cruel and evil people.” (Psalm 17:4 NLT)   When the devil wanted to lead the first man and woman into sin, he started by attacking their minds. According to Genesis 3:1, “The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you must not e...

“Many people say, ‘Who will show us better times?’ Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.” (Psalm 4:6–8 NLT)   Dissatisfaction is the last of life’s headwinds that we’ll be talking about thi...

“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT)   Another of life’s difficult headwinds is guilt. The head of a mental institution in London once said, “I could release hal...

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:4 NLT)   One of the most unpredictable headwinds we face in this life is grief. Grief can be expected in the aftermath of a loss. But it isn’t confined to a specific period of mourning. There’s no way to anticipate ho...