Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

“The people who were standing nearby said, ‘See how much he loved him!’” (John 11:36 NLT)

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were siblings and friends of Jesus. When Lazarus got deathly ill, Mary and Martha sent a message to Jesus: “Lord, your dear friend is very sick” (John 11:3 NLT). Theirs is a story of hope, although that’s not immediately apparent in the biblical narrative. In our last d...

“So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, ‘Lord, your dear friend is very sick.’” (John 11:3 NLT)

In our next series of devotions, we’re going to talk about hope for people in difficult circumstances. And we’re going to start with hope for people who have lost loved ones.

What I’m going to share doesn’t come from an ivory tower of theory. It comes from the valley...

“Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people.” (Acts 6:8 NLT)

The Bible gives us several different examples of well-lived lives. One is found in Acts 6, in the story of Stephen, the first known Christian martyr. Though he did not live long, Stephen demonstrated several qualities that are necessary for a well-lived life—qualities that allowed him ...

“Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.” (Romans 2:14–15 NLT)

A well-lived life is one that is guided by a Spirit-controlled conscience. Someone...

“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (Psalm 42:5–6 NLT)

The Christian life is full of difficult questions. Many of them begin with “Why, Lord?” or some variation thereof. The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk asked, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! ‘Violence is e...

“When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.” (Psalm 146:4 NLT)

A well-lived life is one in which we keep death in perspective. Death is a reality because of our sin. The apostle Paul wrote, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Romans 5:12 NLT).

Death is a ticking cloc...

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV)

A well-lived life is a project to start early. The younger you start, the more of an advantage you’ll have. We can see this principle at work in Solomon’s advice to parents in Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV): “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it...

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” (Ephesians 5:15–17 NLT)

Over the next few days, we’re going to talk about a life well-lived. James 4:14 says, “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little tim...

“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.’” (John 3:3 NLT)

Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. If you’re going to take a trip, you must book a flight. You must secure a ticket. You can’t just walk into an airport and board a plane. In the same way, if you want to go to Heaven, you must secure a ticket. You may ask, &ldq...

“That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT)

If you get your theology from popular culture, you might imagine Heaven as a place where people sit on clouds and strum harps for eternity. But the truth is much more exciting. The Bible offers a glimpse of a few of the th...

“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” (1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT)

Will we recognize one another in Heaven? The short answer is yes, absolutely. Why would we know less in Heaven than we know on earth? In...

“Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.” (1 Corinthians 15:43–44 NLT)

When you get to Heaven, God will give you a brand-new body. But the blueprint fo...

“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.” (Hebrews 12:1 NLT)

One question people ask when a loved one dies is whether the person will still be aware of what’s happening on earth. The Bible suggests th...

“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT)

Manx shearwaters are seabirds that nest off the coast of Wales. To study the birds’ homing instincts, scientists tagged and transported several Manx shearwaters to various points around the glob...

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NLT)

The Holy Spirit dwells within every believer. He bears witness with us that we are children of God. He seals us. Jesus’ disciples experienced His indwelling. When Jesus appeared to His...

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” (John 14:26 NLT)

Have you ever experienced the Holy Spirit’s biblical intervention? Maybe you were struggling in a certain area of your life. Or you were facing a difficult temptation. Or you were unsure of what to do in a situatio...

“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” (Romans 8:26–27 NLT)

There will be times when you don’t kn...

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22–23 NLT)

How do I know if you’re a Christian? For that matter, how do you know if I’m a Christian? You can’t see my heart. You can’t see my faith. But you can see the results of...

“And because of what Christ did, all you others too, who heard the Good News about how to be saved, and trusted Christ, were marked as belonging to Christ by the Holy Spirit, who long ago had been promised to all of us Christians. His presence within us is God’s guarantee that he really will give us all that he promised; and the Spirit’s seal upon us means that God has already purchased us and that he guarantees t...