Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38 NLT)

Today’s social media encourages people to stand up and be counted—to unapologetically announce and promote an agenda that they want to be associated with. Exactly what it is they stand for seems t...

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45 NLT)

Can you think of a movie that was ruined by its ending? Maybe the final scenes were too heartbreaking. Or too happy. Or too unbelievable. Or too predictable. Or too confusing. Or too abrupt.

When I was young, I had similar feelings about the story of Jesus. Ever since childhood, I’...

“Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.’” (Mark 8:34 NLT)

The cross isn’t something to take lightly, even in casual conversation. Sometimes people say, “We all have our crosses to bear,” or “My cross is my supervisor at work,” or “My cross is th...

“But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” (Mark 11:25 NLT)

Every so often in the news cycle, we get stories of huge problems that can be traced back to small, seemingly minor causes. For example, a computer glitch that delays flights at a single airport can lead to a national travel emergency.

In Mark 11:25, Jesus ...

“Jesus replied, ‘The most important commandment is this: “Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” The second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” No other commandment is greater than these.’” (Mar...

“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:14 NLT)

New Year’s resolutions are funny things. We dream up grand lifestyle changes and tell ourselves “Ok, everything will be different on January 1st!” But the truth is, many of us adjust our New Year’s resolutions as time passes because we’re...

“In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the...

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)

We don’t know what the new year will bring. We don’t know what problems we will encounter or what changes will come our way. We don’t even know what blessings the Lord has in store for us. God knows, of course. &ldqu...

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. . . . If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you ...

“Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other!” (Luke 12:51 NLT)

This may come as a shock to you, but the real Christmas story is not about love, peace, harmony, and gathering with family around a crackling fire. The real Christmas story is about conflict. It always has been, and it always will be. In Luke 12:51, Jesus said, “Do you think I have c...

“And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.” (Revelation 13:8 NLT)

We celebrate Christmas to rejoice over God’s most precious gift to us. The birth of Jesus Christ is a gift from God that came in simple wrapping, as well as a gift that we don’...

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8 NLT)

When you’re a child, Christmas is all about receiving gifts. In December, your head is swimming with nothing but images of your favorite toys. But the true message of Christmas is not the presents we give to one another. The true meaning is the gift that God gave to us, His Son Jesus Christ.

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“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” (Matthew 1:23 NLT)

As Christmas approaches, we have the opportunity to carefully consider the wonder of the Incarnation—that mysterious moment when God became a man. Of course, there’s no way for us to fully appreciate the sacrifice involved. But that shoul...

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2 NLT)

Christmas is a time of giving, and I’ve found it to be true that it’s more blessed to give than to receive. If you’re like me, you can’t wait to give your gifts. When you get something for someone, you want to see the joy they have in receiving it.

Matthew 2:11 tells us t...

“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’” (Matthew 1:20–21 NLT)

When an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph...

“She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.” (Luke 2:7 NLT)

Imagine for a moment that it’s your birthday and your friends and family have decided to throw you a party. It isn’t just any party. It’s a mega party. Everyone that you know is there. There are gifts galore and the largest cak...

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!’” (Luke 1:26–28 NLT)

It’s difficult for us to understand, two thousand years after the eve...

“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 NLT)

When we think of Christmas, we think of the arrival 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: Wo...

“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” (James 1:17 NLT)

You’ve probably heard the saying, “All that glitters is not gold.” But it’s equally important to remember that all that’s gold doesn’t necessarily glitter. That is, not all valuable things appear...