Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

“As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable.” (1 Samuel 3:19 NLT)

 

In certain jobs, workers designate their hours of availability. That is, the times they can be scheduled to work. Employers consult these hours of availability to draw up weekly shifts and to determine whom to call to cover shifts for workers who are sick or on vacation or to lend support during times of heavy demand. Needless to say, workers who have a lot of availability are usually popular with their managers.

The same principle applies to the Christian life, with a few important distinctions. First, the Christian life is more than a job; it’s an identity. It’s the single most important priority in our lives. If you’re new to the Christian faith, or if you’ve neglected your faith in the past, you need to understand that, as your faith goes, so goes your life.

And that brings us to the second important distinction. If you’re a disciple of Christ, you don’t get to choose your hours of availability. Committing your life to the Lord means always being available to be used by Him. Our prayer should be, “Lord, You can use me whether it’s my day off or not. I may be out surfing or on the golf course or out snowboarding, but I want You to call upon me. I am available to represent You. Please call on me.”

Availability pleases the Lord. The Old Testament tells the story of Samuel, a boy who served in the tabernacle. One night, the Lord called to him, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10 NLT). Samuel was ready to do anything the Lord instructed. He made it clear that he was available to serve.

Nine verses later, we see the result of Samuel’s availability. “As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable” (1 Samuel 3:19 NLT). God does amazing things in the lives of those who make themselves available to Him.

God doesn’t choose spiritual giants; He makes spiritual giants of people who give themselves to His service. David was a shepherd whose own father couldn’t picture him as a king. Gideon thought so little of himself that he asked God to perform two different miracles just to prove that there was no mistake. But they made themselves available to God. And God took it from there.

It’s been said that ninety percent of success in life is showing up. In the Christian life, the percentage is one hundred percent. If you’re a Christian, the Holy Spirit dwells within you, guiding and directing you. So “showing up” in the Christian life is a matter of following His prompting, prioritizing God’s will, obeying the commands of Scripture, and living in a way that honors Christ. If you make yourself available to God in those ways, He will use you in ways you can’t imagine.

Are you available to be used by God? If so, let Him know. And then listen for His call.

 

Reflection question: How can you make yourself available to the Lord? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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“The Lord told Gideon, ‘With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.’” (Judges 7:7 NLT)

 

Gideon was the person God chose to lead the Israelites against the Midianites. Gideon had a fairly large army of 32,000 soldiers. But it paled in comparison to the forces of the Midianites and their allies, who were so numerous that Judges 7:12 describes them as a “swarm of locusts” (NLT).

Even so, God told Gideon that his army was too big. God knew that if the Israelites defeated the Midianites, they would chalk it up to their superior military skills. And God wanted to leave no doubt as to who deserved credit for the victory. He told Gideon to call his men together and say, “Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home” (Judges 7:3 NLT). Gideon obeyed the Lord, and 22,000 of his soldiers said, “We’re out of here.”

That left 10,000, still too many. God thinned the ranks once more, this time based on the way the soldiers drank water from a stream. Gideon was left with 300 men. They routed the Midianites and their allies.

If you’re new to the Christian faith, or if you’ve recently recommitted yourself to the Lord, you’ll find an important takeaway in Gideon’s story. There will be times when you feel hopelessly outnumbered. Godlessness seems to surround us. Social media has made it easier for enemies of the Christian faith to mock, accuse, and humiliate believers.

I remember how my life changed when I became a follower of Jesus Christ. I was harassed and mocked by friends whom I had known for many years. I recognized immediately that if I followed Christ, I would lose some so-called friends, and it would not always be easy.

You may experience similar reactions from family members, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances. Your job is to stay faithful through it all. To study and apply God’s truths in Scripture. To live in a way that honors Christ. To resist temptation. To confess and turn from your sin. To communicate continuously with the Lord in prayer. To worship Him. And to tell others about Him.

If you prioritize those things and commit yourself to spiritual battle, you won’t have to worry about the size of the opposition. God will take care of the numbers.

On the night Jesus was arrested, He warned His disciples that all of them would desert Him before the night was over. That came as a shock to Peter, who declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you” (Matthew 26:33 NLT). That’s a warrior’s mentality.

In the short term, Peter was unable to back up his claim. A few hours later, he denied even knowing Jesus on three separate occasions. In the long term, however, Peter was a force to be reckoned with. After Jesus restored him to ministry, Peter helped establish the church and spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire—all in the face of overwhelming opposition.

If you’re willing to echo Peter’s words and to endure in your faith no matter how overwhelming the opposition seems, you’re in for the greatest adventure imaginable in serving the Lord. God is looking for men and women to enlist in His army for His divine Delta Force.

 

Reflection question: What kind of opposition do you face in your faith? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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“How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.” (Psalm 119:9 NLT)

 

Nothing scares the devil more than a passion for Christ. So if you’ve recently made the decision to receive Christ as Savior and Lord, or if you’ve recently experienced a personal revival in your relationship with Him, you can expect to be targeted by your spiritual enemy.

The devil will do everything in his power to stop Christians from growing and thriving in our faith. He wants to keep us from living abundant, fulfilling, difference-making, holy lives. He will set traps for us. He will try to trip us up with temptations that exploit our weaknesses. He’s crafty that way.

So what are Christians to do? Can we effectively resist temptation? Or can we only heed the advice of Oscar Wilde, who said, “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” Is that the only way to get rid of temptation? The answer is no.

How can we be spiritually productive in the face of his opposition? How can we live holy lives when he’s so determined to keep us from doing so? The Bible gives us the key in Psalm 119:9: “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word” (NLT). If we want to live a holy life, we must obey the Word of God. We must get God’s Word into our hearts and minds. That way, when the devil sets his sights on us, we’ll be able to use God’s Word against him.

Make no mistake: The Bible is a weapon as far as the devil is concerned. We see this in the story of Jesus’ temptation in Luke 4. After Jesus was baptized, He fasted for forty days in the desert wilderness. There, the devil appeared to Him to try to persuade Him to sin. Three times the devil tempted Jesus, and three times Jesus quoted God’s Word in response. And what did the devil do? “He left” (verse 13 NLT). Nothing in the devil’s arsenal was powerful enough to withstand God’s Word.

Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (NLT). After you give your life to Jesus, one of your next steps is to begin studying and memorizing God’s Word. Start with passages that give you comfort, strength, and reassurance, as well as passages that speak to areas in which you might be vulnerable—perhaps ones that deal with loneliness, temptation, or doubt. Run them through your mind again and again until reciting them becomes second nature to you.

Once they’re securely hidden in your heart, you can draw on them immediately when you start to feel tempted, lonely, or spiritually vulnerable. You can stop the devil in his tracks by quoting God’s Word, just as Jesus did in the wilderness. The Bible is your best weapon against the devil. The more wisely and skillfully you wield it, the less of a chance he has against you.

 

Reflection question: How can you make Bible memorization a regular part of your daily or weekly schedule? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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“Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” (Romans 13:14 NLT)

 

I like comfortable clothes. Most of the time you’ll find me wearing jeans because they’re comfortable. I don’t like starched shirts. When I send my shirts to the cleaners, I specify “no starch.” Unfortunately, for one of the cleaners we previously used, “no starch” meant “extra starch.” I would put on these shirts and could barely move in them because they were so stiff. That’s not the kind of clothing I want. I want clothes that move where I move.

That concept applies to the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 13:14, “Clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ” (NLT). The phrase means to prioritize His views and His interests and to imitate Him in all things. But Paul makes it seem as natural as putting on a shirt. Just as your clothing goes with you wherever you go, so should Christ. Let Him be a part of every aspect of your life, from the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to sleep at night.

In time, people may start to recognize you for clothing yourself in Christ—that is, living in a way that brings honor and glory to Him—just as they might recognize you for wearing a favorite shirt all the time. When they see that your faith is genuine, that you “walk the walk,” they’ll likely be more receptive when you “talk the talk.”

That’s not to say that clothing yourself with Jesus is easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is. The appeal of clothing yourself with yourself instead is strong. The temptation to prioritize your own interests is hard to resist.

But when we give in to that temptation, we put ourselves on a collision course with God, fighting and resisting Him when we should be obeying Him. Instead of going where He wants us to go and doing what He wants us to do, we start pulling against Him at every turn. We become spiritual prodigals, intent on going our own way. We convince ourselves that no one knows what will bring us joy, happiness, fulfillment, and adventure in life better than we do.

But that type of thinking is the result of misunderstanding God. We must never lose sight of the fact that He is our Creator. He designed us. He wired us. He knows what will give us a genuine sense of fulfillment, joy, and satisfaction. He knows what will challenge and stretch us, what will make us stronger and wiser. He gave us our spiritual gifts, so He knows how we can maximize their effectiveness. He knows the impact we can have on the people who cross our path.

God knows everything about us and wants only the best for us. Why wouldn’t we make Him part of every aspect of our lives?

 

Reflection question: What would clothing yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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“The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

“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 25:20–21 NLT)

 

As a young man, Alan Redpath was a successful accountant. One day, he was talking with a Christian friend who told him, “Alan, it is possible to have a saved soul and a wasted life.” Redpath couldn’t forget those words. He knew he was guilty of having a saved soul and a wasted life. He prayed, “Lord, I want Your will for me. I don’t want to waste my life. I dedicate it to You.” God redirected his course, and Redpath ultimately became an evangelist, pastor, author, president of a missions organization, and dean of a Bible school. He served the Lord faithfully until the end of his life.

Do you see anything familiar in Alan Redpath’s story? Has it ever occurred to you that you might have a saved soul but a wasted life? In other words, you have the assurance of Heaven, but you’re wasting your life here on earth. You’re not serving Christ to the fullest.

Every person’s life is filled with opportunities to serve the Lord. What we do with those opportunities is the difference between a successful life and a wasted life, as far as the Lord is concerned. Do we let the opportunities slip by? Or do we seize the day and serve the Lord to the fullest so that we can hear Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”?

If you desire to hear those words, then make a change in your life like Alan Redpath made. Take what God has given you and make the most of it. You might say to yourself, “But I don’t have much.” You have everything you need. You have God’s most precious gift, Jesus Christ. You have the Holy Spirit to empower you.

You also need to remember that God has instilled in you certain gifts for His glory. The apostle Peter wrote, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen” (1 Peter 4:10–11 NLT).

That means your life is valuable. Take what God has given you and dedicate it to His glory. Just watch what He will accomplish.

 

Reflection question: What would serving Christ to the fullest look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8 NLT)

 

When you tell other people about what God has done for you, you’re sharing your testimony. Every Christian has a testimony. Some Christians have dramatic testimonies that involve being delivered from a life of drug addiction or crime or other sordid deeds. I like to hear how people came to Christ, but I don’t necessarily like to hear the gory details of their past. Other Christians have testimonies that aren’t quite as dramatic but are just as significant.

Some people talk about how much they gave up for Jesus. They’ll say things like, “I gave up this and that for Jesus. I’ve made tremendous sacrifices for the Lord. I’ve done it all for Him!” But your testimony is not about what you gave up for Jesus. It’s about what He gave up for you. It’s always a good idea to stay out of the spotlight when you share your faith. Remember, Jesus is the One who has done the work. He is the One we are proclaiming.

The book of Psalms contains several powerful testimonies that we can look to for inspiration. “Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me” (Psalm 66:16–20 NLT). You’ll notice that every “I” and “me” the psalmist uses is in reference to receiving God’s grace.

“I will tell everyone about your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim your saving power, though I am not skilled with words. I will praise your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord. I will tell everyone that you alone are just. O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do. Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me” (Psalm 71:15–18 NLT). The psalmist recognized the urgency of his calling. He didn’t say, “Lord, let me practice for a while until I get good at it, and then I’ll start sharing my testimony.” Instead, he said, “Though I am not skilled with words, I will praise your mighty deeds.” He was willing to learn on the job. He knew that God could use his words, no matter how amateurishly he spoke them, to make a difference in other people’s lives.

If you’ve received Christ as your Savior and Lord, you have a story to tell. It may not be a showstopper. And you may not feel entirely comfortable sharing it. But there are people whose lives will be changed forever because of it. God will make sure of that.

 

Reflection question: What details would your testimony include? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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“Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.” (Acts 3:19 NLT)

 

Spiritually speaking, there’s a vast difference between the words remorse and repentance. And it’s important that we understand this difference. People are sorry when their sin catches up with them. They feel remorse when they begin to reap what they sow. But remorse doesn’t necessarily mean that someone has repented. The apostle Paul wrote, “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT). If you are truly sorry, you will not only have remorse for your sins, but you will also repent and change your behavior.

Too many people have a false assurance that they are Christians because they possess a sense of remorse for their sins, even though they never repent. But look at the words of Acts 3:19 again: “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away” (NLT).

The word repent means to change direction. But we have people today who theoretically come to Christ without ever changing their lifestyle. They have never repented. They will say, “I’m sorry for what I did,” and then keep sinning like nothing ever happened. What kind of sorrow is that?

C.S. Lewis wisely observed, “Repentance is no fun at all. It’s something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years.”

Remorse is a great first step when it comes to sin, but it’s only the first step. If you stop there, you deny yourself the opportunity to live as God intends, in joyful fellowship with Him, in this life and the next. If you continue in your sin, your remorse is nothing more than a mask, a way of concealing what you’re actually doing. And the Bible warns against that. “People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy” (Proverbs 28:13 NLT).

Furthermore, if you stop at remorse, you’re disregarding God’s reaction to sin. And that’s a dangerous mistake. The apostle John wrote, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts” (1 John 1:8–10 NLT).

The stark contrast between remorse and repentance should be a warning to all believers. Let us never passively soak in the truth without any real intent to apply it. I plead with you today, if you are living in some form of habitual sin, for your own sake, repent and be converted.

 

Reflection question: What would repentance look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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“The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.” (Acts 11:21 NLT)

 

Christians often underestimate the raw, even explosive power that is inherent in the gospel message. The apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile” (Romans 1:16 NLT).

Keep in mind that Paul was a great intellectual. He was a master student and orator. When sharing the Good News about Christ, he could have called upon his ability to convince people. He could have called upon his powers of oration to bring his listeners around. Instead, Paul concentrated on the simple yet profound gospel message because he recognized its power. It’s the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.

The gospel message can impact anyone, regardless of background. It reaches the wealthy and poor, the educated and uneducated. It cuts through cultural barriers, racial barriers, economic barriers, and age barriers. The words of Acts 11:21 above testify to its impact. Everyone can grasp the gospel because God blesses it and plants it into the heart of the listener.

Skeptics might argue that the message is hopelessly outdated, a relic from a different time and different culture. But these aren’t two-thousand-year-old words; they’re timeless words. Their truths are eternal.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God “has planted eternity in the human heart” (NLT). He’s given every person a soul-deep awareness that there is something more than this world—that something greater, something eternal is available to us. The gospel message brings that “something more” into focus. It shows us how we can have what our soul has been yearning for—even if we don’t exactly know what we were yearning for.

The author of Hebrews wrote, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (Hebrews 4:12 NLT). The gospel message penetrates to the deepest part of our being. What’s interesting, though, is that not everyone feels the blade right away.

So when you share your faith with someone, when you help them understand the gospel message, you may not get an immediate, joyful, hallelujah-my-life-has-been-changed-forever response. You may not get any response at all. You may even get a rejection. And while that may be disappointing in the moment, it’s far from the end of the story.

When you share the Good News of Christ, you’re doing the vital work of piercing someone’s soul with God’s two-edged sword. You’re connecting to the eternity He planted in someone’s heart. You’re preparing someone to experience the power of the gospel message. You’re setting the stage for God to change the person’s life.

You don’t need to add anything to the gospel. You don’t need to take anything away from it. You don’t need to apologize for it. You don’t need to offer any disclaimers about it. All you need to do is proclaim it and stand back and watch God work.

 

Reflection question: When have you witnessed the power of the gospel, in your own life or in the life of someone you know? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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“But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.” (Ecclesiastes 2:11 NLT)

 

Life is a choice. God makes that clear in Deuteronomy 30:19: “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” (NLT). We decide not only where we are going in this life but also where we will spend eternity.

What road are you on today? Which way are you going? If you’re living for yourself, if you’re living for pleasure, if you’re living for happiness, you’re heading for a dead end. You’re never going to find what you’re looking for. No one knew this better than Solomon, the great king of Israel. He had almost limitless wealth, and he pursued earthly pleasures with reckless abandon. And when he was done, he had this to say about it all: “But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere” (Ecclesiastes 2:11 NLT). If you live for happiness or pleasure, those things will always be beyond your grasp.

However, if you change your course and follow Jesus Christ, He will give you the absolute assurance of life beyond the grave, life in His presence, life in a place called Heaven, which is greater than anything you can imagine. As you walk with Christ, He will also give you a life here on earth that is full and rich, with true purpose and meaning. The alternative is a life without true purpose, where you reap the consequences of sin and one day face a certain judgment. I encourage you today to choose life.

If you’ve already chosen life and received Christ as your Savior and Lord, you are perfectly positioned to help others make the same choice. You can do that by living the “rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10 NLT) that Jesus makes possible. Or, as the apostle Paul wrote, “Live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ” (Philippians 1:27 NLT). Let other people see Christ in you—in the way you treat others, in the things you prioritize, in the way you act and speak, and in the joy with which you approach each day. Help them see that the same kind of life is available to them.

If you chose life in the past but have strayed from the right road, remember this: The Lord hasn’t abandoned you. He stands ready to forgive you. You can still experience the life He offers. Just as the prodigal son was welcomed by his father, you will be welcomed by your heavenly Father. All you have to do is turn away from your sin and ask Him to restore you. It’s never too late to get back on the right road.

 

Reflection question: How do you know if you’re on the right road, spiritually speaking? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)

 

During a visit to the Pacific Northwest several years ago, I met a man who told me he’d been heavily into alcohol and drugs. His marriage, he said, had been hanging by a thread. One day, he loaded a gun, planning to kill himself. Then he turned on the TV. There on the screen was a Harvest Crusade, where I was sharing a message called, “How to Get Right with God.”

The man said, “God began to speak to me. When you led those people in prayer, I prayed and asked Jesus Christ to come into my life.” After he found Christ, the man realized he needed to reconcile with his father. So, he rode his motorcycle across the country to see his dad. That’s a long ride on a motorcycle. That sounds like a conversion to me. That sounds like a man who had met God, because there was a change in his life.

That’s a familiar pattern in Scripture: have a personal encounter with the Lord and then find that your life is changed as a result. In 2 Kings 5, after the military commander Naaman was healed from his leprosy, he immediately rejected all idols and wanted to show his gratitude with a gift. In Acts 9, after Saul encountered Jesus on his way to arrest Christians, he changed the entire trajectory of his life. He became a leader of the people he had been persecuting. In Acts 16, after the Philippian jailer became a believer, he washed the backs of the prisoners he had previously whipped. And in Luke 19, after the tax collector Zacchaeus encountered Jesus, he vowed to give half his wealth to the poor and repay the people he’d cheated four times what he owed them.

Let’s be clear: None of these people changed so that they could make themselves good enough for the Lord. They didn’t earn their salvation or righteousness with their good deeds. The change came after their encounter with the Lord, as a result of His impact on their life.

The apostle Paul—the man known as Saul in Acts 9—wrote, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT). After you give your life to Christ, your next step is to foster this new person and embrace the changes that will occur in your life.

The Holy Spirit, who takes up residence inside you when you receive Christ, will guide you in this step. He will remind you that certain attitudes, habits, and routines are part of your old life. He will help you adjust to the changes that Jesus initiates. He will help you enjoy the “rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10 NLT) that only Jesus offers.

 

Reflection question: What has changed in your life since you became a believer? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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