Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, “Who are these people with you?”

“These are the children God has graciously given to me, your servant,” Jacob replied. (Genesis 33:5 NLT)

 

In Genesis 33:5, Jacob acknowledged that God had “graciously given” his family to him. The members of our family are blessings, graciously given to us by our loving heavenly Father. And today we give God thanks for our family.

 

The comedian George Burns said, “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring family in another city.” But the quirks, irritations, and annoyances that drive us crazy sometimes are also what give our families their unique flavor. So let’s give thanks for them. Besides, did it ever occur to you that maybe you’re the weird one in your family? That when another family member is telling a story, you’re the crazy aunt or wacky cousin? Some food for thought to go with your turkey.

 

We don’t all have family to gather with, so that’s where the church comes in. If you are a believer, church is your spiritual family. Sometimes, you can be closer to a fellow Christian than you can be to a blood relative. And in a sense, aren’t Christians blood relatives? Christians are referred to as “brothers and sisters” throughout the New Testament. In Ephesians 2:19, Paul wrote, “You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family” (NLT). We’re all bought with the blood of Jesus Christ, and we’ve been brought into the family of God. So, let’s thank God for our fellow church family members.

 

Of course, the heartbreaking reality is that not all family dynamics lend themselves to an attitude of gratitude. Dysfunction and abuse make it difficult to see past the pain. If that’s your situation, take some time today to give thanks first for the people who make up your real family. Friends who love you. Neighbors who look out for you. Coworkers who have your back.

 

And second, give thanks that there’s always hope where your family is concerned. Cycles of abuse and dysfunction can be broken. I don’t believe in generational curses. I do believe that godly and godless behavior can be passed on as a legacy. If you were raised in an alcoholic home, you stand a greater chance of becoming an alcoholic. If you come from a divorced home, you stand a greater chance of getting divorced. But I was raised in an alcoholic home, and my mother was divorced seven times. I don’t drink, and I’ve been married for over forty-seven years. So God can change the narrative in your family.

 

No family is perfect, just as no family member is perfect. So, if you celebrate the season with your family, bring with you a spirit of grace, patience, forgiveness, and gratitude, along with the dressing and green bean casserole. Savor the little moments, the unguarded conversations, the recollections of years past and loved ones who are no longer with you. Thank God for them—and for His wondrous gift of family, whatever form it takes.

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I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Corinthians 1:4 NLT)

 

Serving the Lord is one of the greatest joys this side of Heaven. What makes it even better is that God has given each of us unique gifts to make the experience more fulfilling. And for that, we give thanks today.

 

God gives His gifts as He chooses. We don’t earn them. Some people have an ability to speak publicly. Some are better working behind the scenes. Some have business acumen. Some have athletic skills. Some have an ability to sing. Whatever your gift, God has given it for a very specific purpose. He wants you to use it for His glory and His work.

 

The apostle Paul wrote, “We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly” (Romans 12:5–8 NLT).

 

Just as each member of the human body plays an important role, so does each member of Christ’s body, the church. Your specific gifts are needed. You are needed. The work you do with your gifts facilitates the work other people do with their gifts.

 

Figuring out what you do well, what your God-given gifts are, is part of the adventure of faith. One of the best ways to do that is through the process of elimination. To find out what you’re good at, you must first find out what you’re not good at.

 

When I was seventeen, I volunteered for everything at church. I said, “I’ll do anything, whatever you want me to do.” I started with janitorial work and moved on to other areas. I quickly discovered that I was not gifted in a lot of them. But then I started finding areas where I was gifted. And I started to develop and cultivate those gifts. You develop a gift by using it, putting it into practice.

 

And then God does something truly amazing. God takes what we offer and multiplies it. He uses our gifts to work in the lives of others—to bless them, challenge them, motivate them, and bring them to Christ.

 

God has given us an important role in serving Him. He has equipped us with unique gifts and abilities that we can develop, hone, and use for the rest of our lives. He has made each of us an integral part of the body of Christ. And He multiplies our efforts in ways we can’t imagine to accomplish more than we ever dreamed possible. Let us give thanks.

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Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:2–4 NLT)

 

On your list of things to be thankful for this season, trials may not be in your top ten. Or top one hundred. But God’s Word makes it clear that suffering and adversity are essential for our spiritual growth. And they are evidence of God’s work in our lives.

 

Adversity keeps us humble. Prosperity and success tend to make people proud and self-sufficient. They don’t pray with the same intensity when their needs are met.

 

Adversity teaches us eternal truths we would otherwise not learn. For example, it’s human nature to try to avoid pain at all costs. But pain reminds us of a deeper need. Just as hunger pangs remind us that it’s time to eat, adversity can remind us that it’s time to make an important change in our lives.

 

Adversity gives us a deeper compassion for others in pain. It’s been said, “If you preach to people who are hurting, you will never lack for an audience.” It’s also been said, “Success builds walls; failure builds bridges.” If you say, “Look at how great my life is! I don’t have any problems! Follow me on Instagram! Everything’s perfect!” who can connect with that? But if you talk about your failures, difficulties, and challenges, now you’re speaking the language of real people who live in the real world.

 

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:4–5, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ” (NLT). If I could change history, I would choose not to endure the loss of my son. I would bring him back in a heartbeat. But I can say this: God has given me, my wife, and our son a ministry we did not ask for, but a ministry we embrace. It’s a ministry of helping others who’ve lost loved ones.

 

I don’t want to waste my pain. If I can offer a word of encouragement or hope to someone who’s gone through the worst tragedy imaginable, I’ll seize the opportunity. I’ll tell them that God will be with them through the pain and grief. And I’ll thank God for the ministry opportunity.

 

It’s easy to give thanks when your health is good, the lights are green, the sky is blue, and the bills are paid. It’s not as easy to give thanks when problems mount. But we must. Psalm 106:1 says, “Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever!” (NLT). If God ceases to be good, we no longer need to give thanks. But God will always be good, so we must always give thanks.

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We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. (Colossians 1:11–14 NLT)

 

In this week of Thanksgiving, let’s take time to give thanks for God’s specific blessings in our lives. We’ll start with the greatest gift ever given, the most amazing blessing ever bestowed, and the costliest sacrifice ever offered: salvation. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (NLT).

 

The gift begins with justification. Romans 5:1–2 says, “Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God” (NIV).

 

Being justified is a two-part process. The first part involves removing our sin and the punishment for that sin. Think about the things you’ve done and said that you regret or are ashamed of. If you have placed your faith in Jesus, your sins are all forgiven—and forgotten—because of Jesus’ death on the cross. In Hebrews 8:12, God promises His people, “I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins” (nlt). If you’ve asked Christ to forgive you, God will never hold your sins against you again. So there’s no need for us to bring them up again or to beat ourselves up over them. Psalm 103:12 tells us that when God forgives us, He removes “our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (NLT).

 

The second part of justification involves God putting His righteousness into our account. Acts 13:38–39 says, “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight” (NLT). So, you stand before God today as a righteous person. Because of Christ alone.

 

God has dropped one lifeline from Heaven for us to come into a relationship with Him. Only Jesus, the Son of God, was uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between a holy God that we’ve all offended and sinful humanity. Jesus died on the cross, in our place. And it was Jesus who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT). Peter put it this way: “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 NLT).

 

Jesus finished the work of salvation. Once you believe in Him, you can rest from the weight of sin, and from your fears, forever.

 

Salvation is a gift so precious that even the angels in Heaven celebrate it. Jesus said, “In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away” (Luke 15:7 NLT).

 

Let’s celebrate it too. Today, we give thanks to God for His amazing gift of salvation.

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This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. (Romans 13:11–12 NLT)

 

The setting of Acts 12 is pretty bleak. Peter was in prison, chained to two Roman soldiers. King Herod had already executed James, Peter’s fellow apostle, for his Christian ministry. It was the night before Peter’s trial, where, in all likelihood, he, too, would be found “guilty” and executed. And what was Peter doing in what may have been the last few hours of his life? He was sleeping.

 

He was probably the only Christian in Jerusalem asleep that night. Everyone else was praying fervently for his release. So why was Peter asleep? Because he trusted in the Lord.

 

This isn’t the only instance of Peter sleeping in the Bible. In the Garden of Gethsemane, on the night of Jesus’ arrest, Jesus said to Peter, James, and John, “Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38 NLT). Jesus went off to pray, came back, and found them sleeping. “For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” Jesus said (verse 41 NLT).

 

Jesus went off again, came back, and found them sleeping again. And then it happened a third time.

 

In Luke 9, Jesus took the same three men to a mountain to pray. While they were there, Jesus was transfigured. Moses appeared on one side of Him; Elijah appeared on the other. And Peter? “Peter and the others had fallen asleep” (verse 32 NLT).

 

Peter woke up and “blurted out, ‘Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’” (verse 33 NLT). Makes you wonder whether Elijah turned to Jesus and asked, “Who is that? Is he with You?” Or whether Jesus rolled His eyes and said, “Yes, he’s with Me.”

 

But in Acts 12, Peter slept a good sleep. He was at rest with the peace of God in his heart. And nothing, not even the threat of death, could rob him of that peace. But the time for rest was over. The time for action had come. With the help of an angel, Peter walked out of prison and resumed his ministry.

 

Paul touched on this theme of a time for rest and a time for action in Romans 13 when he said, “This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (verse 11 NLT).

 

His warning is addressed to all Christians. We need to be wide awake because time is short. We’ve never been closer to the return of Jesus than we are right now.

 

In our society that’s dependent on sleeping pills and tranquilizers, we can take a lesson from Peter on how to trust God. There’s a time to rest and be at peace with Him. But there’s also a time to wake up, to be bold in our faith. To allow our faith to lead us out of our comfort zone—our sleeping zone.

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I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. But he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!” (Revelation 22:8–9 NLT)

 

Virtual reality and artificial intelligence are starting to make people question what’s real. Facebook changed its name to Meta to emphasize the metaverse, the virtual world. AR-enabled smart glasses allow us to see other worlds that don’t actually exist. I’ve tried them a few times. And I’ve determined that there’s no way you can look cool, or even normal, when you’re wearing them to fight imaginary battles or whatever. The point is that there are many different universes we can explore that aren’t real.

 

On the other hand, the supernatural world, the spiritual realm where angels dwell, is very real. It’s as real as our natural world. We just can’t see it. If we could peel away the veil that separates our world from the supernatural world, I believe that what we would see there would blow our minds. If an angel of the Lord were to appear to us right now, we’d be blown away. Or, as the Australians say, we’d be gobsmacked.

 

In fact, we might be so overwhelmed by the angel’s appearance—and by the fact that it’s so unlike anything we’ve ever encountered before—that we might even be tempted to worship it. That’s the situation the apostle John found himself in in the last chapter of the Bible.

 

In John’s defense, he was seeing things that no one else had ever seen before. The glory of Heaven. The horror of the Tribulation. The spectacle of God judging the world from His throne. John’s senses must have been close to overload.

 

So, as he stared at the angel who was revealing these unimaginable things to him, John fell down to worship at his feet. You can almost sense the angel’s alarm at being worshipped. He said to John, in effect, “Stop that! We’re on the same pay grade. I’m a servant, just like you.”

 

There are several occasions in the Bible where people who encountered angels were not just overwhelmed but terrified. When an angel appeared to a woman to tell her she would give birth to Samson, she told her husband, “A man of God appeared to me! He looked like one of God’s angels, terrifying to see” (Judges 13:6 nlt). The prophet Daniel “became so terrified” that he fell facedown and then fainted when the angel Gabriel approached him and spoke to him (Daniel 8:17–18 nlt). When an angel of the Lord announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds out in the fields, “they were terrified” (Luke 2:9 NLT).

 

No matter how awesome, powerful, or intimidating angels may seem, they are servants of God, just as we are. They don’t act on their own accord. They do only what God commands them to do. They don’t seek glory or praise. And when they receive it, they deflect it immediately to God.

 

When the devil attempted to get Jesus to worship him, Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him’” (Luke 4:8). And all the angels of Heaven say, “Amen.”

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“Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.’” (Numbers 22:32–33 NLT)

One important work of angels is to stop people from doing things God doesn’t want us to do. Obviously, it’s important and serious work, usually done without our realizing it. Sometimes, though, it can take an unexpectedly humorous turn. That’s what happened in the story of Balaam and his donkey found in Numbers 22.

Balaam was sort of a prophet for hire—more P-R-O-F-I-T than P-R-O-P-H-E-T. Balak, the king of Moab, hired him to curse the children of Israel. Balaam set out on his donkey to do the very thing that God didn’t want him to do. So, God dispatched an angel. The angel’s job was to stop Balaam from cursing the people of Israel.

The angel positioned himself in the middle of the road Balaam was traveling and drew his sword. He was prepared to stop the prophet by any means necessary. Balaam’s donkey saw the angel, but the prophet didn’t. The donkey veered off the road into a field.

The prophet beat the donkey until it returned to the road. The angel moved to a narrow part of the road between two vineyard walls. The donkey tried to go around and pinned Balaam’s foot against the wall. Balaam got angry and beat the donkey again.

The angel moved once more to a spot in the road too narrow for the donkey to get around. So the donkey simply lay down. Enraged, Balaam beat the donkey yet again. And that’s when the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth. The ensuing conversation went something like this:

“What have I done to deserve your beating me three times?”

“You made me look like a fool! If I had a sword, I’d kill you!”

“You’ve ridden me all your life. Have I done anything like this before?”

“Well, no.”

Meanwhile, the angel was still standing there, visible to the donkey, invisible to Balaam. He finally made himself visible to Balaam. He said to Balaam, “Why did you beat your donkey those three times? . . . Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey” (Numbers 22:32–33 NLT). His words must have unnerved Balaam. The prophet realized that the angel had come to stop him from doing something seriously wrong.

What are the takeaway lessons from this story? Number one: Don’t talk to donkeys.

And number two: When God is trying to stop you, don’t keep going in the same direction. How many times have we been headed for destruction when God changed our course by sending an angel to stop us?

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As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” (Acts 1:10–11 NLT)

You’ve probably been prompted by an angel, whether you realize it or not. More than once, in fact. Based on the number of times they appear to God’s people in the Bible, it seems angels are busy intervening in our lives, giving us the push we need in crucial moments. They may not make themselves known, but they make God’s message known. They speak to us in subtle ways but leave no doubt about what we should do.

The Book of Acts begins with a quick visit from angels. In fact, angels show up all throughout the Book of Acts. But in chapter 1, they appear as Jesus’ apostles stand staring at the sky watching the Lord ascend to Heaven. Luke describes them as “two white-robed men” (verse 10 NLT), but they were almost certainly angels.

Just before He ascended, Jesus instructed His disciples to head for Jerusalem and wait there for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. And then He gave them the Great Commission: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NLT).

The angels nudged the disciples to quit sky-gazing and start the journey to Jerusalem. There was important, world-changing work to be done. The angels’ prompt was the kick in the tunic the apostles needed. And after the angels delivered it, they exited the scene. A single encounter was all God ordered.

We find a more individual prompt seven chapters later. “As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza’” (Acts 8:26 NLT). Notice that the angel didn’t give Philip many details. He didn’t tell him what he was supposed to do when he got to the desert. The angel’s job was to tell Philip to go to the desert. Period. And that’s exactly what the angel did.

Philip responded to the prompt and hopped on the southbound desert road. Along the way, he encountered a visiting dignitary from Ethiopia. Philip explained a passage of Scripture from Isaiah to the Ethiopian man, led the man to faith in Jesus, and baptized him. And all this happened because Philip listened to the angel and did what God wanted him to do.

I wonder how many times an angel has prompted me. I can think of several times when I’ve felt directly led to do something, like right now. I need to go to this person and talk to them. I need to take this step of faith. I need to act on this prompt. I have no doubt that those prompts came from an angel sent by God.

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“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.” (2 Kings 6:16–17 NLT)

One of the most awe-inspiring stories about God’s use of angels is found in 2 Kings 6. To fully appreciate the account, some background information is necessary. The king of Syria declared war on Israel. The Syrian king devised secret battle plans with his servants. Unfortunately for him, nothing is secret from the Lord. God supernaturally revealed the king’s battle plans to the prophet Elisha. Elisha, in turn, relayed the plans to the king of Israel. The king of Israel then made the necessary strategic adjustments to thwart Syria’s plans.

After being outmaneuvered one too many times, the king of Syria began to suspect that an Israelite spy had infiltrated his inner circle. But then he received word about what Elisha was doing. The Syrian king learned that Elisha was staying in the town of Dothan. He sent an enormous army to surround Dothan. He intended to make Elisha pay for his God-assisted espionage.

The scene that plays out starting in verse 14 is almost comic. Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, gets up early in the morning while his master is still sleeping and walks outside to begin his day. What he sees blows his mind and shakes him to his core. The entire city is surrounded by Syrian troops and instruments of war. And Gehazi knows why they’re there.

So, while Elisha is trying to get a little shut-eye, Gehazi starts freaking out. He wakes the sleeping prophet and says something to the effect of, “Master! Master! We’re surrounded by our enemies! What are we going to do?”

Elisha did not panic when he heard the news. In fact, he was probably a little irritated that his sleep was interrupted.

“Don’t be afraid,” he told his servant. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” (verse 16 NLT). Obviously, that math didn’t make sense to Gehazi. Because he was assessing the situation based on what he could see physically.

Elisha asked God to sharpen Gehazi’s vision, to reveal what was invisible to the servant, so that he could have a more accurate sense of the situation. “The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire” (verse 17 NLT). Gehazi saw an invisible army of angels, ready to go to battle at God’s command.

Jesus alluded to a similar invisible army when he rebuked Peter for trying to “save” Him from being arrested. “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?” (Matthew 26:53 NLT).

Angels have our backs. They stand ready to support us whenever God commands. So when you feel alone, anxious, or outnumbered, pray as Elisha did. Ask God to make you aware of the invisible army that surrounds and protects you.

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Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. (Psalm 103:20 NLT)

We live in the natural world, but we coexist with the supernatural world. Our realm is visible, but there’s another realm that’s invisible. And it’s just as real as ours. We have physical bodies, but there are other beings who have spiritual bodies. The Bible refers to them as angels. In fact, it mentions angels more than three hundred times. Angels are real. They move back and forth between Heaven and Earth. They do vital work. And they’re actively involved in the lives of the followers of Jesus Christ.

Angels appear frequently in popular culture, which has led to some misconceptions about their nature and work. Here are a few things we need to understand about these important servants of God.

Some people believe that when you die, you become an angel. They comfort grieving loved ones by saying things like, “God needed another angel in Heaven” or “Now you have an angel looking over your family.” And while that may sound comforting, it’s not true. People do not become angels when they die.

Angels are created beings, completely separate from humans. Colossians 1:15–16 says, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him” (NLT). Other passages of Scripture suggest that angels are eternal; they never die. Angels are divided into different categories, including the cherubim and the seraphim. But none of them are former humans.

Angels appear as men in Scripture. When I told that to my granddaughters, they weren’t happy. They said, “That’s not fair, Papa.” We often think of angels as feminine. We say, “She’s as pretty as an angel.” We don’t often say, “He’s as handsome as an angel.” But the reality is that when angels show up in the Bible, they appear as men.

When some female followers of Jesus went to Jesus’ tomb after His resurrection, “two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes” (Luke 24:4 NLT)—these “men” were angels. And after Jesus’ disciples saw Jesus ascending to Heaven, “two white-robed men suddenly stood among them” (Acts 1:10 NLT). These angels told Jesus’ disciples that Jesus had been taken to Heaven but that He would return.

Angels fulfill specific God-given responsibilities. They “carry out his plans” (Psalm 103:20 NLT). They could be described as God’s secret agents. Or His SEAL Team 6. They do their job, but they don’t draw attention to themselves.

We probably would be amazed to discover how many times angels have stopped us from doing something we’d regret, gotten us out of tight situations, protected us from harm, or spoken directly to us. Hebrews 1:14 sums up their role this way: “Angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation” (NLT).

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