Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Mark 8:36–37 NLT)

Years ago, I ran into a guy I used to hang out with in school. I hadn’t seen him in twenty-five years. He called to say that he was coming to hear me speak, so we arranged to meet beforehand.

As we talked, he told me that he had been married twice and was present...

“But Jesus replied, ‘We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.’” (Mark 1:38 NLT)

In John 4, Jesus visits a Samaritan village, meets a woman at a well, and talks to her. A simple story, right? No miracles, no healings, no drama. Perhaps, but this seemingly simple story is loaded with profound significance.

For one thing, in Jesus’ day, most Jewish p...

“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)

We’re a month removed from the Christmas season, although you wouldn’t know it from the number of people who still have their decorations up. Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus’ coming. But amidst the traditional readings, carols, and pageants of the season, one quest...

“Peter exclaimed, ‘Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified.” (Mark 9:5–6 NLT)

Sometimes the words just hang in the air for a moment. That awful moment when you realize too late that you should hav...

“A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.” (Mark 5:15–17 NLT)

In our previous two de...

“This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him.” (Mark 5:3–4 NLT)

Mark 5 tells the story of Jesus’ encounter with a demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes. In our last devot...

“When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him.” (Mark 5:2 NLT)

One of the most memorable stories in the Gospel of Mark is Jesus’ encounter with a demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes. Over the next few days, we’re going to look at this encounter from different perspectives. Today, we’re going to focus on the fear the man ...

“After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.” (Mark 16:9–11 NLT)

Of all the people Jesus could have appeared to...

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.” (Mark 4:3–4 NLT)

“Pick on someone your own size.” It’s a noble thought, but saying it usually doesn’t work. Bullies don’t become bullies by picking on someone their own size. They target the small, the weak, the vulnerable. The...

“Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.’” (Mark 9:7 NLT)

Two thousand years ago, Jesus put this question to the Pharisees: “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is He?” (Matthew 22:42 NLT). Some of history’s greatest minds have grappled with that question ever since. The confusion, doubt, and skepticism ...

“Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.” (Mark 16:7 NLT)

Except for Judas Iscariot, no one failed harder during the events of Jesus’ crucifixion than Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ closest companions. His failure likely came as a surprise not just to himself but also to his fellow disciples.

O...

“‘Abba, Father,’ he cried out, ‘everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’” (Mark 14:36 NLT)

Mark 14 describes what may be the darkest night of the soul in human history. Jesus was “deeply troubled and distressed” (verse 33 NLT) because He knew the “awful hour” (verse 35 NLT) of His suf...

“Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Mark 4:8 NLT)

The Bible has a lot to say about the human heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says it’s “the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked” (NLT). Mark 12:30 says the heart is part of the whole self with which people must lov...

“She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.” (Mark 16:10–11 NLT)

Satan was powerless to thwart God’s plan of salvation. Throughout Scripture, we see his efforts to sidetrack God’s plan by attacking His people. He tried to tempt Jesus in the wildern...

“Some of those at the table were indignant. ‘Why waste such expensive perfume?’ they asked. ‘It could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!’ So they scolded her harshly.” (Mark 14:4–5 NLT)

As you read the New Testament, you can’t help but notice how little it says about the major events of world history. You might think Scripture would me...

“As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.’ So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.” (Mark 4:35–37 NLT)

In Mark 5, we find an interesting story in which Jesus invites the ...

“Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.” (Mark 16:12–13 NLT)

One of the great mysteries of the Bible is why Jesus chose to appear to certain people and not others after His resurrection. There is no record of His appearing to the Jewish religious leaders who opposed Him...

“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’...