Daily Devotions From Greg Laurie

“For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21 NLT)

I heard a story of a man who was trying to start his own religion, without much success. He went to a wise friend and said, “I’m trying to start my own religion, but no one is joining. What do you think I ought to do?”

His friend r...

“May he equip you with all you need for doing his will.” (Hebrews 13:21 NLT)

Fear comes in many forms. Kathisophobia is the fear of sitting. Ablutophobia is the fear of bathing. Anuptaphobia is the fear of being single. Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Automatonophobia is the fear of ventriloquist dummies.

I don’t know the name of the fear Jesus’ disc...

“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10 NLT)

Who is this man that we are talking about today? What sets the Christian faith apart from all other beliefs and religious systems out there in the world? It might come down to this. If you go to the tomb of Confucius, you will find that it is occupied. If you go to the tomb of Buddha, you will find that i...

“And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17 NLT)

The day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is known as Silent Saturday. Silent because the Bible has little to say about it, aside from a passage in Matthew 27 in which the leading priests and Pharisees ask Pilate to post guards at Jesus’ tomb to keep His disciples from stealin...

“A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, ‘It is finished!’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:29–30 NLT)

Ever since I was a little kid, I have always had a great admiration for the historical person known as Jesus. I had seen all His movies. I thought very highly ...

“Then Jesus shouted, ‘Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!’ And with those words he breathed his last.” (Luke 23:46 NLT)

Today we are going to discover the most painful moment in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. What do you think it was? Perhaps your mind races to the crucifixion itself. You think of the spikes being driven into His hands and feet. As painful and horrific as that was, I don&rsq...

“For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken! ” (Psalm 34:20 NLT)

Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross made eternal life possible. It’s the greatest gift ever offered. And God wanted to make sure that people recognized the gift for what it was. So even in the most agonizing moments of Jesus’ sacrifice, He continued to fulfill prophecies about His death that had been m...

“They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, ‘Hail! King of the Jews!’ And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it.” (Matthew 27:28–30 NLT)

The list of assaults and indignities Jesus su...

“‘Away with him,’ they yelled. ‘Away with him! Crucify him!’

‘What? Crucify your king?’ Pilate asked.

‘We have no king but Caesar,’ the leading priests shouted back.” (John 19:15 NLT)

In the hours after His arrest, Jesus faced several different trials before Jewish and Roman leaders. His accusers made false allegations against Him and twisted His words to make their...

“The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any.” (Mark 14:55 NIV)

The prosecution of Jesus offers a case study in injustice, hypocrisy, and evil. After He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was taken to the house of Annas, a former high priest. Annas interrogated Him briefly and then sent Him to the house of C...

“Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. ‘Am I some dangerous revolutionary,’ he asked, ‘that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me?’” (Luke 22:52 NLT)

The scene in Gethsemane when Jesus was arrested is chaotic and confusing in the Gospel account. Imagine how much more chaotic and confusing it was in person. Judas Iscar...

“Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, ‘My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.’” (Matthew 26:42 NLT)

Jesus’ last stop before His arrest was the Garden of Gethsemane. The garden was located on a slope of the Mount of Olives, just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. When the events of Jesus’ arrest took place, the garden was likely an olive g...

“And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, ‘Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.’” (Matthew 26:27–28 NLT)

As the hour of Jesus’ arrest approached, we see God’s plan continuing to unfold with amazing precision. Jesus and ...

“When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ‘As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.’” (Matthew 26:1–2 NLT)

At the same time Jesus was breaking the news of His imminent death to His disciples, the leading priests and elders plotting His death were trying to work around a snag in their plans. Jesus was still p...

“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’” (Matthew 25:21 NLT)

After Jesus described the events surrounding His Second Coming, He ended His Olivet Discourse by sharing four parables with His disciples. The parables continue the themes of pun...

“Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, ‘Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?’” (Matthew 24:3 NLT)

The Jerusalem temple was a magnificent structure, one the Jewish people were exceedingly proud of. Jesus’ disciples were no exception. As they left the temple, they pointed out its beauty and grandeu...

“When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.” (Mark 11:15–16 NLT)

On Palm Sunday, the people in Jerusalem mistakenly celebrated Jesus as the conquering Messiah, the King ...

“The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat your fruit again!’ And the disciples heard him say it.” (Mark 11:12–14 NLT)

Staying in Jerusalem during the P...

“Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.” (Matthew 21:8 NLT)

Jesus rode into Jerusalem for the Passover celebration on a donkey, as a king would. And that’s how the crowd treated Him when He arrived—as a king. Jesus accepted their praise and worship, something He rarely did during His earthly ministry.

Matthew 12 te...