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Thursday, December 16, 2010
Through Rough Waters
Friday, December 10, 2010
No Trials, No Triumphs
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. —Psalm 23:4
Maybe you are in one of life's storm right now and have cried out for it to stop, and it hasn't. In fact, it has gotten worse. You're asking why—why has God allowed this? There are no easy answers to that. But know this: where there are no trials in life, there will be no triumphs. It has been said, "The hammer shatters glass, but it forges steel." And often in the hardships of life, great things will come as a result.
The apostle Paul died and went to heaven, and he wrote a few lines about it. But then he was imprisoned under house arrest and wrote the epistles of 1 and 2 Timothy. Through his glorious triumph in heaven, he said very little. But through his difficulties and hardships, he said a lot.
Many times when you go through difficulties in life, there are things you will learn and discover that you could not learn anywhere else.
Psalm 23 is a well-loved passage of Scripture that many have committed to memory. It is a pleasant scene of sheep grazing on grass and drinking from cool mountain springs. We love that. We love the green pastures and still waters. But then David continues on: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4).
Yes, there will be those times when God will take us to the green pastures and still waters. But He will be with us in the valleys as well. And it is through those valleys we learn important lessons, because fruit does not grow on mountaintops; it grows in valleys.
God has His purposes in the storms of life. And He is with you in your storm.
Greg Laurie
Monday, November 22, 2010
Reasons to Be Thankful
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.—Psalm 107:1
It seems as though merchants really don't know what to do with Thanksgiving. They market Halloween and Christmas and make a lot of money off these holidays. But they don't really know what to do with Thanksgiving, which is really very spiritual in its origins. It was designated by President George Washington in 1789 as a national day for giving thanks to God.
In the midst of all our feasting, it is very easy to forget about the one we are celebrating. Sometimes we even forget to give thanks altogether. You might be thinking,Well, I don't have a lot to give thanks for. Maybe you are having financial troubles or health problems. Maybe there is conflict in your family. But we need to put things into perspective. As someone wrote,
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who won't survive the week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 20 million people around the world. If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than almost three billion people in the world. If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75 percent of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8 percent of the world's wealthy.
There is a lot to give thanks for. And the primary reason we were put on this earth as human beings is to glorify God and to give Him thanks.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
A Pivotal Belief
"But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again." (1 Corinthians 15:20)
I read about a person who wrote the following to a local newspaper advice columnist: Dear Uticus, Our preacher said on Easter that Jesus just swooned on the cross and that His disciples nursed Him back to health. What do you think? Sincerely, Bewildered. The columnist replied, Dear Bewildered, Beat your preacher with a cat of nine tails with 39 heavy strokes, nail him to a cross, hang him in the sun for six hours, run a spear through his heart, embalm him, put him in an airless tomb for 36 hours, and see what happens. Sincerely, Uticus.
What sets the Christian faith apart from all other beliefs and religious systems in this world? It might come down to this: If you go to the tombs of any of the prophets on which world religions have been founded, you will find them occupied. But if you go to the tomb of Jesus Christ, you will find it empty, because He is alive. We serve a living Savior.
This is why the resurrection of Jesus is such an important message and also why it has been opposed so much throughout history. The devil knows that the Resurrection spells his defeat. He also knows that if you believe this great truth that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose again from the dead, it can change your life.
Not only can it change your life, but putting your faith in Him also means that you will have a new, resurrected body someday. As believers, we have this great hope that we too will live again.
Pastor Greg Laurie
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Finishing What We Start
"You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?" (Galatians 5:7)
Imagine, for a moment, that we are competing in a race. When the starter's pistol is fired, we take off, and I leave you in my dust. I'm running really well. Let's say we are going for 10 laps, and we are coming to the last one. I say to myself, "I am creaming the competition. I am going to go get a Krispy Kreme doughnut now." So I wander off the track. Let's say that you cross the finish line 10 minutes later. It is clear that I beat you, but if I didn't do the final lap and cross the finish line, then I have lost the race. It doesn't matter if I led for nine out of 10 laps. I had to finish the race I began.
In the same way, there are people who started off with a great burst of energy as they followed the Lord. Maybe you were one of those people. Maybe you came to Christ during the days of the Jesus Movement. Or perhaps you came more recently. That is great. But that was then and this is now. How you were running a year ago, or even a month ago, is no longer significant. But how you are running right now is. Are you keeping up the pace? Are you going to make it across the finishing line? You can make it if you want to.
There will be times as you live the Christian life when it will be hard. You will have to hold on to God's Word and the promise that He will complete the work He has begun in your life (see Philippians 1:6). But will you make the effort to cross the finish line?
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Destined for Greatness
"He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." (2 Corinthians 1:4)
It has been said that it takes a steady hand to hold a full cup.
God was planning to give a full cup to the apostle Paul. So He took Paul away and put him into obscurity in the desert of Arabia for a time. We are not told what happened there, but we can only presume that he drew close to the Lord in fellowship and communion. It was there that Paul refined his theology, as evidenced in the New Testament epistles that God inspired him to write.
This was typical of how God dealt with many people He was preparing for greater ministry assignments. When Elijah obediently delivered God's message to King Ahab and Queen Jezebel in their court, he was led away to the brook Cherith for a few years to wait on God. Moses had 40 years of training that prepared him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Even after the young teenager David was anointed king of Israel, it wasn't until he reached the age of 30 that he actually ascended the throne. Joseph was used greatly in the house of Potiphar, but was then sent to prison for two long years. God was preparing these men for what was ahead, and He was doing the same for Paul.
When you have gone through the desert of hardship, God uses you to more effectively minister to others. Do you find yourself in a "desert experience"? Maybe God has some training in mind for you. Remember, you can never be too small for God to use; only too big.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Shaped by Suffering
"Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10)
On a recent visit to North Carolina, I drove through a town named Mocksville. I should have been born there. Prior to becoming a Christian, I always loved to mock other people. So when I became a follower of Jesus, I was shocked to discover that I was the one being mocked. People were laughing at me because of my faith in Christ.
This is what happened to Paul, but in a far more intense way. Right after his conversion, he started preaching the gospel in Damascus. But he was so powerful and persuasive that the religious leaders wanted him dead.
The Christians found out and devised a plan to help Paul escape. They put him into a basket and lowered it over the city wall at night. Think of the irony! Just a short time before, he was Saul of Tarsus, the notorious persecutor of Christians. The hunter had become the hunted. He was getting a taste of his own medicine.
His name change, from Saul to Paul, offers insight into the real transformation that took place. The first king of Israel was named Saul. In contrast, Paul means "little." It would be like deliberately changing your name from Spike to Squirt. Obviously, God had changed Paul into a man of humility.
Sometimes, we want God to take certain things out of our lives that cause us pain. We pray over and over for those things to be removed. But do we ever stop to think that God is using those things in our lives to transform us and make us more like Him?
Copyright © 2003 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Characterized by Prayer
"The Lord said, 'Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you arrive, ask for Saul of Tarsus. He is praying to me right now.' " (Acts 9:11)
When God told Ananias to look for Saul, He said he would be praying. Sure enough, that is exactly what Ananias found him doing. I think Saul probably was asking God to forgive all the wrongs he had done. Can you imagine how hard it would be to accept God's forgiveness if you not only had been a murderer, but also had deliberately hunted down the followers of Jesus Christ and brought about their premature deaths? How hard it would be to have that on your conscience!
But Saul, prayed and in the process, discovered that intimacy could be found with this God whom he had only known in a distant way before. You can't help but notice as you read through his epistles that prayer characterized Paul's life. So many of them begin or end with beautiful prayers. It was Paul who told us to pray without ceasing (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Paul also practiced what he preached. When he and Silas were thrown in prison for preaching the gospel, they prayed and sang praises to God at midnight, and the other prisoners heard them. Now, who would want to pray at a time like that? But instead of cursing the men who put them there, they were blessing God. No wonder the other prisoners were listening to them. This was the transformation that took place in the life of Paul. He was a man of prayer.
Are you a man or a woman of prayer? Does prayer characterize your life? It should. If you want live this Christian life effectively, then you need to learn how to pray.
Copyright © 2003 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Characterized by Prayer
"The Lord said, 'Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you arrive, ask for Saul of Tarsus. He is praying to me right now.' " (Acts 9:11)
When God told Ananias to look for Saul, He said he would be praying. Sure enough, that is exactly what Ananias found him doing. I think Saul probably was asking God to forgive all the wrongs he had done. Can you imagine how hard it would be to accept God's forgiveness if you not only had been a murderer, but also had deliberately hunted down the followers of Jesus Christ and brought about their premature deaths? How hard it would be to have that on your conscience!
But Saul, prayed and in the process, discovered that intimacy could be found with this God whom he had only known in a distant way before. You can't help but notice as you read through his epistles that prayer characterized Paul's life. So many of them begin or end with beautiful prayers. It was Paul who told us to pray without ceasing (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Paul also practiced what he preached. When he and Silas were thrown in prison for preaching the gospel, they prayed and sang praises to God at midnight, and the other prisoners heard them. Now, who would want to pray at a time like that? But instead of cursing the men who put them there, they were blessing God. No wonder the other prisoners were listening to them. This was the transformation that took place in the life of Paul. He was a man of prayer.
Are you a man or a woman of prayer? Does prayer characterize your life? It should. If you want live this Christian life effectively, then you need to learn how to pray.
Copyright © 2003 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Simple Obedience
"Go and do what I say. For Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel." (Acts 9:15)
Prior to his conversion, Saul was a leading Pharisee and possibly even a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin. He presided over the death of Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian church. After his encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road resulted in his conversion, the Christians of Saul's day were initially suspicious of his conversion, and understandably so.
When God directed a believer in Damascus named Ananias to seek out Saul and pray for him, Ananias was reluctant, of course. But Ananias did what God told him to do. He found Saul in the place where God said he would be. He prayed that the Lord would restore Saul's sight (he had been blinded by the light as Jesus spoke to him on the Damascus Road), which the Lord did.
It is interesting that when God wanted to use someone to minister to Saul, He didn't call an apostle like Peter or John. He called an ordinary man. Ananias didn't write any book of the New Testament, raise a dead person back to life, or give a notable sermon that we know of. But he did, by faith, take a man under his wing who would do all of the above and far more. Ananias discipled the newly converted Saul who, in time, became the legendary apostle Paul and probably the greatest preacher in the history of the church.
Thank God for the Ananiases of the kingdom, those who faithfully work behind the scenes to make such a difference in our lives. They may be unknown to man, but they are beloved of God.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Monday, January 7, 2008
A Change of Direction
"For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies." (2 Corinthians 5:10)
One morning as Alfred Nobel was reading the newspaper, he was shocked to find his name listed in the obituary column. It was a mistake, but nonetheless, there it was. He was stunned to see that he was primarily remembered as the man who invented dynamite. At that time in history, dynamite was used in great effect for warfare. It distressed Nobel to think that all he would be known for was inventing dynamite, something that was used to take the lives of others. As a result of reading this mistaken obituary, Nobel decided to change the course of his life. He committed himself to world peace and established what we know today as the Nobel Peace Prize. When the name Alfred Nobel is mentioned today, dynamite is rarely the first thing that comes to mind. Rather, we think of the prize that bears his name. It's all because Alfred Nobel decided to change the course his life was taking.
Another man, living centuries earlier, also changed the negative course his life was on. His name was Paul, formerly known as Saul of Tarsus. Known as a relentless persecutor of the early church, he was determined to stop the spread of Christianity. But after a dramatic conversion on the Damascus Road, Paul devoted the rest of his life to preaching the gospel and building the church. Today we remember him as a missionary, church planter, and author of 13 New Testament epistles.
If you were to read your own obituary today, what do you think people would remember you for? It isn't too late to change your direction.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Friday, January 4, 2008
What Awaits You?
Finally, there is laid up
for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will
give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His
appearing.
--2 Timothy 4:8
The concept of a crown, or a reward, in the Bible is something that is
given to a believer for his or her faithfulness. Paul said that if you look
forward with great anticipation to the return of Christ, then you will have the
crown of righteousness waiting for you (see 2 Timothy 4:8).
We are told in Revelation 3:11, "Hold fast what you have, that no one may
take your crown." This is speaking of the opportunities that God has given to
you. There is a reward promised to every believer who faithfully serves the
Lord. Don't miss that opportunity. If you do, you will not receive the crown
that Jesus has for you.
Speaking of Jesus as the foundation being laid in human hearts, the apostle
Paul wrote,
Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare
it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work,
of what sort it is. (1 Corinthians 3:12--13)
If we do not faithfully serve the Lord with the right motives and do what God
has set before us, there won't be a reward, or a crown, waiting for us in
heaven. But if we take hold of those opportunities God has given to us, then He
will give us that crown.
It will depend entirely on what God has called us to do. He will judge each
of us according to the plan and purpose He has placed in our lives. What if this
were your last year on earth? Live according to His purpose for your life and
earn a crown.
For more
relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to
www.harvest.org.
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Thursday, January 3, 2008
Keeping God's Word
Till I come, give attention
to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
1 Timothy 4:13
The Bible warns us that, among other things, one of the signs of the
last days will be the existence of false prophets, false apostles, false
teachers, and even lying wonders.
If that is not a description of the times we are living in, then I don't know
what is. I have never seen more false teaching and greater biblical illiteracy
among Christians than I am seeing today. I am amazed at how many believers are
lacking in the very basics of Christian theology. Hosea's cry for his day rings
true for ours as well: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge . . . "
(Hosea 4:6). How we need the Word of God. How we need to know the Word of God.
The only way we will ever know the true from the false is by having a good
knowledge of the Scripture. Jesus commended the awakened believers in the church
of Philadelphia who were keeping His Word (see Revelation 3:8). He also
commended this church for their perseverance and promised to keep them from the
hour of trial (see verse 10).
In addition to false teaching, another sign of the last days will be that
"some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines
of demons" (1 Timothy 4:1). In the days ahead, there will be trials and
temptations. We need to remember that our adversary, the devil, is out there
trying to bring us down.
Are you keeping God's Word right now? I believe the church, in many ways, has
strayed from this today. And as a result, we are not making the difference we
ought to make. We need to persevere and keep His Word.
For more
relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to
www.harvest.org.
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Tuesday, January 1, 2008
The Right Choice
I call heaven and earth as
witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing
and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.
--Deuteronomy 30:19
The smartest thing I did as a 17-year-old kid was to give my future to
God. Did I miss a few parties? Did I miss some fun times? In one sense, I
suppose I did. But as I look at what life has done to my friends back then who
were unbelievers and then look at how life has been for me, I know that I made
the right decision. I have missed nothing. What have I really given up,
especially when compared to what God has given to me? I have never regretted
that day.
There are two ways to learn things: the easy way and the hard way. You can go
out and make mistakes that will haunt you for the rest of your life, or you can
believe that God means what He says when He warns you about certain sins, and
you can walk the way He wants you to walk. I can assure you that you will look
back one day and say, "I made the right decision." You won't regret it. But if
you don't make the decision to follow Christ, you will indeed regret it.
God has a future for you. He has a plan for you. Don't be afraid to commit
your life to Him. If you have never asked Jesus Christ to come into your life,
if you have never known God in a personal way, then I am asking you to commit
your future to God, to say without reservation, "Lord, I want to follow You. I
want to be Your disciple. I want to go where You tell me to go. I will obey." Do
that today. Commit this New Year to God.
For more
relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to
www.harvest.org.
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Monday, December 31, 2007
A Future and a Hope
For I know the thoughts that
I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give
you a future and a hope.
--Jeremiah 29:11
I've heard it said that the future is an opportunity yet unmet, a path
yet untraveled, a life yet unlived. How our future will be lived depends on the
priorities and purposes of our lives today. The direction we take right now
determines where we will end up in the future.
We might be frightened by an uncertain future, but as Christians, we don't
have to be afraid. We can welcome the New Year with an anticipation of what God
will do in us and through us. Our future as Christians is as bright as the
promises of God.
When the children of Israel were being held as captives in Babylon, God sent
them a message of hope. Many of them felt that God had forgotten about them or
that His intentions toward them were bad. They were frightened about their
future, and they cried out to God for deliverance. So God raised up the prophet
Jeremiah to speak to them.
If you have ever felt as though you were forgotten by God, if you have ever
felt that God was against you, or if you have ever been frightened about your
future, then God's words to the Israelites apply to you as well: "For I know the
thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of
evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and
pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you
search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:11--13). Search for God. He has
a future and a hope for you too.
For more
relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to
www.harvest.org.
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Friday, December 28, 2007
True Worshipers
Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
--Palm 29:1--2
King Herod was a shrewd and clever tyrant, and he was a great builder. Today, some 2000 years later, the remains of his incredible structures, including his fortress of Masada, are still visible in Israel. He built Masada because he was afraid that someone would try to take his kingdom. He even had his own sons executed because he perceived them as a threat to his kingdom. It was said in Herod's day, "Better to be one of Herod's pigs than his sons."
When wise men from the East came to Jerusalem asking, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2), Herod suddenly realized there was another king in town. The Bible says Herod was troubled. He told them, "When you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also" (Matthew 2:8). Just as the wise men were true worshipers, Herod was a false one. He was hostile toward God, yet he masqueraded as a worshiper of Him.
Herods by the dozens sit in the pews of many churches today. Outwardly, they appear devout and deeply religious, but inwardly they are living a lie. They don't know God. They don't have a relationship with Him. They may sing the songs and give to the offering. They may do all the right things, but it doesn't mean they are true worshipers, because God looks on the heart.
If your life is not right with God when you come to worship Him, not only does it fail to please God, but it is offensive to Him. What does God see in your heart? There are plenty of false worshipers today. Are you a true one?
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
There's No Escaping It
Blessed is the man who
endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of
life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
--James 1:12
It was Martin Luther who said, "One Christian who has been tempted is
worth a thousand who haven't been." Temptation is a subject we are all familiar
with. None of us enjoys it, but it is a reality of the Christian life. No doubt
we would rather there were no such thing as temptation. But it may surprise you
to know that testing--even temptation--can have a positive affect in the life of
a Christian.
It has been said, "Christians are a lot like tea bags. You don't know what
they are made of until you put them into hot water." It is in the hot water of
testing and temptation that we see what we are really made of.
Everyone faces temptation in their lives. As James 1:13 says, "Let no one say
when he is tempted. . . ." This verse does not say if one is tempted, but when. Temptation is inevitable. There
is no escaping it.
The word tempt means "to entice
to do wrong by a promise of pleasure or gain." We must realize that it is not a
sin to be tempted. Jesus himself was tempted, after all. Paul certainly grappled
with it as well. But it is a sin when we give in to the temptation.
We don't want to underestimate the seductive power and pull of temptation. We
make a big mistake when we say, "I can handle this." Famous last words. Because
even the strongest Christians are vulnerable to the enticements of the devil.
Even those who have known the Lord for years are still susceptible to the
enemy's attacks.
For more
relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to
www.harvest.org.
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Monday, December 17, 2007
Not If, but When
My brethren, count it all
joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith
produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be
perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
--James 1:2--4
It would be nice if we could see the trials in our lives as options, as
electives. It would be nice if we could say, "I'm going to skip the trials
course."
But trials are going to happen in the life of every believer. Notice that
James says, "Count it all joy when
you fall into various trials . . . (James 1:2, emphasis mine). The phrase,
"various trials," could also be translated, "many-colored trials." So no two
trials or experiences are necessarily alike.
You will be tested. The question is, will you pass or fail? We must remember
that God never tests us without a reason.
God's ultimate purpose is to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ. God
wants to produce a family likeness in us. This means that some trials and
testings will show us immediate results, while others will produce long term
ones.
In other words, there are times when I can come through a trial, look back,
and say, "I learned this when I went through that experience." But then there
are times when I come through a difficulty, and I can't tell you what I have
learned.
But what has happened, maybe unnoticed by me, is that I have become a little
bit more like Jesus. He has worked in my life to mold me and shape me into His
own image. It's hard to say what has resulted sometimes. But we can know that
God is in control. And His ultimate purpose is to conform us into the image of
His own dear Son.
For more
relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to
www.harvest.org.
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Friday, December 14, 2007
Pop Quizzes
Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths.
--Psalm 25:4
One of the first things that often comes to mind when we go through difficulties is, What have I done to deserve such a thing? But it is important for us to know that God does have lessons He wants to teach us during trials. I definitely want to learn what He is trying to teach so that He doesn't have to repeat the lesson later on.
Remember in school when the teacher would announce, "Class, today I am going to give you a pop quiz"? Those who hadn't studied weren't ready for the test.
God gives pop quizzes too. There are times when He will bring certain tests into our lives. We find a good example of this in a test Jesus gave His disciples. The multitudes came wanting to hear Him, and they were all hungry. John 6:5--6 tells us, "Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?' But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do." Jesus wanted to see if His disciples were learning anything. Jesus wanted them to say, "Lord, you are the Creator of the universe. You have a plan. We trust You."
God will test you because He wants you to grow up. He wants you to mature. He wants you to develop a walk with Him that is not based on your fluctuating emotions, but on your commitment to Him as you learn to walk by faith. When a crisis hits, you will see how much faith you really have.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
The Question of His Return
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
--Luke 4:18--19
In 1999, as the world prepared to enter a new millennium, there were some who claimed to have somehow deciphered a biblical code, secret messages, and an understanding of the original language of Scripture that revealed that Christ would come back in the year 2000. Of course, there is no Scripture whatsoever to support this kind of idea. And, of course, Christ did not come back in 2000. The fact is that we don't know when He will return. He could come back today. Or He could come back in 10 years. We really don't know.
Jesus said, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matthew 24:36). If you were to translate that from the original language, it would say something like this: "No one knows the day or the hour when the Son of Man will come back." What that really is saying is, "No one knows the day or the hour when the Son of Man will come back." God said what He meant, and He meant what He said. He will return when He is ready. He will return at the appointed time.
The purpose of Jesus' first coming was to preach "the acceptable year of the Lord," in other words, that salvation is available to all. But the purpose of His second coming will be to execute the vengeance of God.
If you are an unbeliever, you ought to come to Him now, since now is "the acceptable year of the Lord." Come to know His grace and love and invite Him into your heart and life. Don't wait until He comes with judgment for a sin sick world.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.