Every Day With Jesus: Forty Years of Favorite Devotions

By Greg Laurie

Doing the same thing every day can make it seem common or ordinary. But there is nothing even remotely ordinary about a daily
encounter with Jesus Christ. Walking with the living Son of God through the ups and downs and ins and outs of daily circumstances
doesn't just add value to life; it completely transforms it. Seeking and finding God in the course of a normal, three-dimensional day 
adds a fourth dimension: eternity. In the pages of God's Word we begin to grasp an eternal perspective that changes everything we experience.
It isn't like getting a new pair of glasses; it's like getting a new pair of eyes. For well over thirty years through his teaching, preaching, and
numerous books, Greg Laurie has been leading people into the adventure of knowing Christ and understanding the Bible. The readings in this 
book will kindle a new or renewed hunger to spend time in God's Word—and empower you to experience the life of His Son. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charisma House
• Release date: Jun 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9781629995427

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie, the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, one of the largest churches in America, has written more than seventy books. Featured on the syndicated radio program A New Beginning and on a weekly television show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, he serves on the board of directors of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He and his wife, Cathe, have two children and five grandchildren.

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Notes

WEEK 1: MONDAY

Excess Baggage

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)

I’M THE KIND of person who likes to drag a lot of stuff with me when I travel.

It isn’t that I’m a rookie traveler. Not at all! I’ve traveled all over the world for many years now, and yet . . . I still overpack. You would think, in this day and age, that I would have learned. But no, I still want to drag along almost everything I own—even though I know excess baggage makes traveling more hassled, complicated, and expensive.

In the same way, when we are running the race of life, we need to travel light. Sometimes we drag along a lot of excess weight. Notice that the author of Hebrews tells us to strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. Sin is sin, and it will always trip us up and cause us to fall. But there might also be other weights in our lives—weights that aren’t necessarily sins, but nevertheless trouble us, slow us down, and impede our spiritual progress.

Periodically, I need to take stock of my life as a Christian and look at the things I am doing with my time. I need to ask myself the question, Is it a wing or a weight? Is it speeding me on my way spiritually, or is it slowing me down? Is it increasing my spiritual appetite, or is it dulling it?

How often we are so busy doing a lot of things that aren’t really all that important, but they seem important at the time. We need to ask ourselves if we need to do all of those things. Are they slowing us down? Are they keeping us from running the race God has given us?

Lay aside the weight and the sin that hinders your progress.

WEEK 1: TUESDAY

Talk About It

After some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.

(ACTS 24:24)

WHEN THE APOSTLE Paul stood before the Roman governor Felix and his wife, he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come (Acts 24:25).

Governor Felix, however, was frightened by what he was hearing and told Paul, Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you (verse 25). That is how a lot of people face spiritual issues in their lives: I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to deal with this now.

That was my mother’s response every time the topic turned to spiritual things. She would cut the conversation short and say, I don’t want to talk about it. Whenever we got to the topic of the meaning of life or the afterlife, she would say, I don’t want to talk about it.

I didn’t want to have a confrontation with her every time I saw her. But one morning I felt especially convicted that I needed to visit my mother and raise the subject once again. When I arrived, I told her, I want to talk to you about eternity.

I don’t want to talk about it, she said.

But I wasn’t backing down. Not on that day! I said, "Mom, today we are going to talk about it."

She didn’t like it. But we had the conversation, and it ultimately resulted in her making a recommitment to the Lord. I am so glad we spoke about spiritual things that day because it wasn’t long afterward that she died unexpectedly.

If you know someone right now—a mom or dad, a grandfather or grandmother, or someone who is getting close to the end—and you are feeling convicted by the Holy Spirit to have that conversation, then go have it. What if it’s awkward? Then let it be awkward. But it just may result in their making a commitment to Christ.

WEEK 1: WEDNESDAY

The Leaning Tower of You

No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

(1 CORINTHIANS 3:11–12, NIV)

WORKERS LAID THE foundation for one of Italy’s most famous structures in 1173, a tower designed to stand next to a cathedral. During construction, however, they discovered the soil was softer than previously thought, and the tower began to sink.

Today the top of that tower is nearly thirteen feet off center. People come from around the world to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and scientists travel to Pisa yearly to measure its slow descent. They calculate that at its current rate of decline, and without taking any countermeasures, it will one day collapse.

Nothing is more important in construction work than making sure you have the foundation right. If you don’t get that correct, then nothing else will matter. It may be more fun to decide what color to paint the rooms and how you will decorate the finished structure, but without a proper foundation, nothing else you do will last long enough to make any difference.

Smart and successful Christians build their lives on the right foundation. Scripture makes it clear that the only foundation possible for a sound spiritual life is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11). And where do you learn about Jesus? In the Word of God. The Word is truth and it will never lead you astray. If you are building your life on the right foundation, which is Jesus Christ, then you’re also regularly getting into the Word. Only that foundation will stand the test of time.

Don’t become the Leaning Tower of You.

Build your life on the foundation of Jesus Christ, as you learn of Him in Scripture and stand straight and tall as the years pass.

WEEK 1: THURSDAY

Sent to Minister

Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

(HEBREWS 1:14)

DO EACH OF us have a guardian angel? I can’t say for sure, but I do know this: Angels are involved in the lives of Christians here on earth. The Bible says, The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them (Psalm 34:7). We also read that angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14). So the Bible teaches that we have angels around us as Christians.

Jesus also made an interesting statement when He was speaking about children: Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 18:10). So perhaps children have guardian angels. I do think children need guardian angels. You have to always keep your eye on them—especially when they’re young. But whatever the case, angels are involved in our lives.

When you had that close call, it may have been an angel who intervened. Or when something stopped you suddenly, keeping you out of harm’s way, maybe it was an angel. But we are to properly give glory to God for His protection because we aren’t supposed to pray to angels or even thank angels. They are there to do the work of God, like God’s secret agents, and we are to give the glory to God for what happens.

But what about when the accident does take place? What about when the plane does go down? Where was the angel then? I’ll tell you where the angel was: escorting the believer into God’s presence.

When things happen, when life ends suddenly, it doesn’t seem logical to us. But God is still in control. And the angels did their job, guiding us, protecting us, and finally taking us to glory.

WEEK 1: FRIDAY

Surrender at Gethsemane

He said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.

(MARK 14:34)

HAVE YOU EVER felt lonely? Have you ever felt as though your friends and family had abandoned you? Have you ever felt like you were misunderstood? Have you ever had a hard time understanding or submitting to the will of God for your life?

If so, then you have an idea of what the Lord Jesus went through when He agonized at Gethsemane.

Hebrews tells us, This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it (4:15–16 NLT).

The Bible tells us that Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief (Isaiah 53:3, NLT). But the sorrow He experienced in Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion seemed to be the culmination of all the sorrow He had ever known—and would accelerate to a climax the following day. The ultimate triumph that was to take place at Calvary was first accomplished beneath the gnarled, old olive trees of Gethsemane.

It’s interesting that the very word Gethsemane means olive press. Olives were pressed there to make oil, and truly, Jesus was being pressed from all sides that He might bring life to us. I don’t think we can even begin to fathom what He was going through. Isaiah 53:5 says that He was crushed for our iniquities.

But look at what that crushing and bruising accomplished. It brought about your salvation and mine. Because of what Jesus went through at Gethsemane, and ultimately at the cross, we can call upon His name. Though it was an unfathomably painful, horrific transition, it was necessary for the ultimate goal of what was accomplished.

Maybe you are at a crisis point in your life right now—a personal Gethsemane, if you will. You have your will; you know what you want. Yet you can sense that God’s will is different. Would you let the Lord choose for you? Would you be willing to say, Lord, I am submitting my will to Yours. Not my will, but Yours be done? You will never, never regret making that decision.

WEEK 1: WEEKEND

God’s Dynamite

Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.

(1 CORINTHIANS 1:17, NLT)

THERE IS EXPLOSIVE power in the message of the gospel because Paul says, It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes . . . (Romans 1:16, NLT). The word power that Paul used in this verse originates from the Greek word dunamis. It is the same word Jesus used in Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power [dunamis] when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere" (NLT). The English words dynamic, dynamo, and dynamite also have been translated from this word dunamis. Paul was saying the very message of the gospel is the dynamite and dynamic of God.

We often underestimate the raw power of the gospel in reaching even the most hardened heart. We think we need to add to it, dress it up, make it ultracontemporary, gloss it over, or even complicate it. But there is distinct power in the simple message of the life, words, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Never underestimate its appeal. Never be ashamed of its simplicity. Never add to it or take away from it. Just proclaim it, and then stand back and watch what God will do. As Paul said, The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18, NLT).

WEEK 2: MONDAY

By Faith

We walk by faith, not by sight.

(2 CORINTHIANS 5:7)

THE INSPIRED WRITERS of Scripture did not use the phrase walk by faith in a random way. Those three words are there for a purpose. Notice that the Bible doesn’t tell us to sprint by faith; it tells us to walk by faith. To walk speaks of continual, regulated motion. The Bible says Enoch walked with God. Many believers have their bursts of energy. For a few months, they run. Then they collapse for a while. They need to learn what it is to walk with God.

Of course, most of us like things fast. We have microwave dinners, e-mail, cell phones, and instant messaging. We have so much technology to make our lives a little easier and, most importantly, faster. Then, when we come to the Christian life, we say, All right, what’s the angle? What’s the shortcut?

Here it is: The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17). It’s a day-by-day process.

We are always looking for the angle, for the inside track. But it’s very simple. The Bible declares that the just shall live by faith—not by feeling, not by emotion, not by fear, not by worries—by faith.

I know sometimes that it seems like nothing is happening in terms of our spiritual growth. There are times when we don’t really feel like we are changing, because as we look at ourselves every day, we don’t necessarily see any changes. But as we are walking by faith day by day, month by month, and year by year, we are being transformed.

Colossians 2:6 tells us, As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

WEEK 2: TUESDAY

Contemplating the Cross

Thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

(1 CORINTHIANS 15:57, NLT)

I HEARD ABOUT A man who tried to start his own religion but soon found that it didn’t go so well. He decided to approach the French statesman Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord and ask him what he should do to gain converts. The statesman told him, I recommend that you get yourself crucified, die, and then rise again on the third day.

Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection on the third day is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. It is what sets our faith as Christians apart from the faith of all others. Yet many view Christ’s crucifixion as a rude interruption of what was an otherwise successful ministry. But the cross was at the forefront of the mind of Jesus Christ from the very beginning. This is where He knew He was headed, and He spoke of it often. The Bible even tells us that before He even came to this earth, a decision was made that He would ultimately go to the cross. Scripture calls Him the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8, NLT).

It was at the cross that the righteous demands of God were satisfied. It was at the cross that God and humanity were reconciled once again. It was at the cross that a decisive blow was dealt against Satan and his minions. It was at the cross that our very salvation was purchased. Therefore, we can’t talk about the cross too much—or contemplate it too often.

WEEK 2: WEDNESDAY

From Ordinary to Extraordinary

The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

(2 CHRONICLES 16:9, NLT)

BEFORE HE BECAME the great evangelist, D. L. Moody had a conversation that deeply impacted him and would direct the course of his life from that point on. Someone said to Moody, You know, the world has yet to see what God can do with and through the man who is totally committed to Him. Those words went deep into Moody’s heart, and he prayed, Lord, I want to be that man. He sure came close.

The book of Acts is a story of ordinary men and women who did extraordinary things because they allowed God to have His way in their lives. In the same way, God wants to use you to turn your world upside down for Christ. It starts with your saying, Lord, I want to make a difference. I don’t want this world to turn me around. I want to turn it around. Use me.

The world has yet to see what God can do with and through the man or woman who is totally committed to Him. Will God find such people today? I wonder if you would say, like Moody, I want to be that person. If you will, then your life can make a difference. It will be exciting in the days ahead to see what God will do through and with you. But He wants you to be available to Him.

One of these days, your life will come to an end. What will you say about your life? What will others say? How great it would be to say, like Paul, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful (2 Timothy 4:7, NLT).

WEEK 2: THURSDAY

Dealing with Discouragement

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

(PSALM 42:11)

IT’S NOT UNUSUAL for even the most spiritual people to have their days of doubt. Moses, on one occasion at least, was overwhelmed by his circumstances. After he had listened to the constant complaining of the children of Israel, he basically told the Lord, I’m fed up. Just kill me. I don’t want to deal with this another day.

Elijah, after his contest with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, heard that Jezebel had put a contract out on his life. He was so overwhelmed by his circumstances, so discouraged, so uncertain, and so filled with doubt that he said to God, Take my life.

Even the great apostle Paul had moments when he was discouraged. He wrote to the church at Corinth, We were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life (2 Corinthians 1:8).

Jeremiah, the great prophet, faced it as well. He was ridiculed and harassed for giving out the Word of God. Because he was tired of the pressure he was facing, it made him want to stop giving out God’s Word altogether. He said, The word of the LORD was made to me a reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name’ (Jeremiah 20:8–9).

You aren’t the only one who has ever faced doubt or uncertainty or has been perplexed as to why God did not work in a certain way. We may be in the midst of God’s working and can’t see the big picture as He can.

We can trust His heart, even when we can’t trace His path.

WEEK 2: FRIDAY

From His Perspective

Jesus looked at them and said to them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

(MATTHEW 19:26)

I HEARD THE STORY of an elderly minister who liked to visit people in hospitals. He often would take along a little, embroidered bookmark that he carried in his Bible. On the back of the bookmark was a group of tangled threads with no apparent pattern. He would hand this bookmark, with the back facing up, to those who were hurting or upset and say, Look at that and tell me what it says.

As they looked at all the tangled threads, they would say, I have no idea what it says. It doesn’t seem to say anything.

Then he said, Now, turn it over. As they would flip that bookmark over, they saw the words God is love. The minister would say, Many times as we look at what God is doing, we just see tangled threads with no rhyme or reason. But from God’s perspective, He is dealing with us in love, and He knows what He is doing.

The next time you think it’s all over for you, just remember how things turned out for Joseph in the book of Genesis. Just remember how things turned out for Daniel—no doubt things looked pretty grim when he was in the den of lions. It looked hopeless as well for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego when they were thrown into the fiery furnace. Things looked pretty hopeless for Peter when he was in prison, awaiting execution. And things certainly looked bleak for Martha and Mary when their brother died.

You see, things can look bad at one moment, but then God will step in and turn events around. Then as time goes on, you will look back and say, Now I understand what God was doing.

WEEK 2: WEEKEND

Strength in Troubled Times

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

(MATTHEW 24:35, NIV)

WHERE WILL YOU turn in a time of crisis? When tragedy hits? When disaster strikes? Will it be your favorite magazine? The morning newspaper? The evening news? You will need something to give you strength and direction in your time of need—and you can’t find a better resource than the Word of God.

As one pastor said, One gem from that ocean is worth all the pebbles of earthly streams. Just a single pebble from the ocean of God’s Word can make all the difference when tragedy or hardship strikes. How many in their affliction have found comfort from the Scriptures?

Trusting in what God has said through the Bible can sustain us and give us direction and hope and comfort when we most need it. Inspirational platitudes or clever sayings don’t help—or at least, not for very long—but the Word of God does. It has been said that he who rejects the Bible has nothing to live by. Neither does he have anything to die by.

Ideas and philosophies go in and out of style with the passing of years, but the Word of God never goes out of style. It never goes out of date, unlike this morning’s news. The Word of God always will be relevant.

That is why C. S. Lewis said, All that is not eternal is eternally out of date.

I urge you to get a good foundation in this Book because it is only a matter of time until hardship strikes you. It happens in every life, without exception. But if you have a good foundation in the Word of God, then you will be ready for difficulty when it comes. Don’t wait until then to try and catch up.

Get that foundation now.

WEEK 3: MONDAY

Unlikely Conversions

Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.

(HEBREWS 4:7)

AN ATTORNEY WAS trying to deliver an important paper to a man who was determined to avoid him. The man reasoned that the attorney had some type of subpoena, so he went out of his way to dodge him. Fourteen years passed, and the man finally found himself in the hospital, dying of cancer. Through a strange series of events, the attorney was admitted to the hospital and was assigned to the same room as the dying man.

The man turned to the attorney and said, Well, you never got me. I’ve escaped you all this time, and now it doesn’t matter. You can even serve your subpoena. I don’t care.

The lawyer replied, Subpoena? I was trying to give you a document that proved you had inherited forty-five million dollars!

Many people go out of their way to avoid Christians and the opportunity to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. All the while, their hearts grow harder, and they risk becoming calloused to the point of no return. We don’t know when that point will come in their lives. Maybe you even know someone who seems to have already reached it.

We can take heart when we look at the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. It was so radical and unexpected that when it happened, first-century Christians thought he was attempting to infiltrate their ranks and persecute the church even further. They didn’t believe that God could save someone as wicked and hostile toward the church as Saul.

They couldn’t wrap their minds around a change of that magnitude. But we know that Saul became Paul the apostle.

If you know someone who seems so far gone and permanently hardened toward the gospel, keep praying. You never know. That person just might be the next Paul.

WEEK 3: TUESDAY

Subtle Damage

He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.

(PROVERBS 20:19)

AMONG THE MANY ways we can use our words to hurt others, three of them are backbiting, gossip, and flattery.

The word used for backbite in Hebrew means to play the spy. It’s a picture of someone who collects clues and scraps of information regarding a person’s character and then relates the information to anyone who will listen.

Gossip is more subtle because it can veil itself in acceptable language. People will say, Have you heard? or I personally don’t believe it’s true, but I did hear that. . . . Or, here is one of my personal favorites: I wouldn’t normally share this, but I know it won’t go any further. Keep this to yourself.

Of course, we Christians like to wrap gossip in spiritual language: I need to tell you this about so-and-so so you can pray for them. But how often do we really follow through and make it a matter of prayer?

A more subtle misuse of the tongue is in flattery. Flattery is just a fancy lie. It’s when you say something that is really not true to win a person’s favor, attention, or approval when you don’t mean what you said about him or her at all. A good definition of gossip and flattery is this: Gossip is saying behind a person’s back what you would never say to his or her face. Flattery is saying to a person’s face what you would never say behind his or her back.

That is why James tells us, If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body (James 3:2). That is a mark of true spirituality.

WEEK 3: WEDNESDAY

Songs in the Night

The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life.

(PSALM 42:8)

HAVE YOU EVER been awakened in the middle of the night and had a Christian song or a worship chorus going through your mind? If so, then that tells me you are laying up the things of God in your heart. Instead of waking up with the latest pop music in your head, you are thinking of a Christian song or maybe a Scripture verse. That is a song in the night God has given you.

When Paul and Silas were thrown into prison in Philippi, Acts 16 tells us that at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them (verse 25).

The word listening used here is significant. In the original language, it means to listen very, very carefully. Another way to translate it is they listened with pleasure. There are some things that aren’t a pleasure to listen to—they are painful, like fingernails on a chalkboard. But this was pleasurable, like when your favorite song comes on the radio and you turn it up. Oh, I love this song! This is a great song! That is how the prisoners were listening.

I doubt they had ever heard anyone sing in that dungeon before. And I think the simple fact that they were singing at all in such a place was a powerful testimony. It was a platform for evangelism. You see, you can talk about trusting God in adversity, but when someone sees it in action in your life, there is an undeniable authenticity. It is a powerful witness. Worship can be a powerful tool for a nonbeliever to be exposed to.

When you are in pain, the midnight hour is not the easiest time for a worship service. But God can give you songs in the night. And never doubt it: people will be listening.

WEEK 3: THURSDAY

Like Sheep

Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.

(1 PETER 2:25, NLT)

ON MORE THAN one occasion, the Bible compares Christians to sheep. I don’t know if I’m really happy about that because sheep aren’t the most intelligent animals on earth.

It would have been nice if God had compared us to dolphins. Now, there’s an intelligent animal. I once had the opportunity to talk to a man who trained dolphins. I asked him, Are dolphins really as intelligent as they seem?

He said, In some ways, yes, and in some ways, no. They are very intelligent in many ways because a dolphin can read a symbol and understand what it means. That is amazing to me.

But Jesus didn’t compare us to dolphins. He compared us to sheep. And sheep are some of the stupidest animals around. They are vulnerable, easily spooked, can’t run very fast, and lack any means of defending themselves. What’s more, they are in constant need of care and attention. Sheep are known to follow each other even to their own death. It has been documented that if one sheep walks off a cliff, the others will follow.

The Bible says, All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own (Isaiah 53:6, NLT). Think about how many people have bought into the same lies, generation after generation. They fall into the same junk, the same addictions, and the same traps again and again.

We are like sheep. That is a fact. The question is, are you going to be a smart sheep or a dumb one? Smart sheep stay close to the Shepherd, and that is where we all need to be.

WEEK 3: FRIDAY

Spiritual Slumber

Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah—not knowing what he said.

(LUKE 9:33)

WHY DID PETER say what he said during such a significant event as the Transfiguration? The Gospels give us two reasons: One, he didn’t know what to say, and two, he was heavy with sleep (see Luke 9:32). This was a bad time to fall asleep. Imagine what else Peter might have seen had he been fully awake and watchful.

This, of course, would not be the last time that Peter, along with James and John, would fall asleep on the watch. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told them, Watch and pray. . . . Then He went a few feet away and began to pray. When He came back, they were all sleeping. They were missing out on a significant event in the life of the Lord.

I wonder how much we miss out on because of our spiritual slumber. How many times are we spiritually slumbering when God wants to speak to us through His Word? Because