Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

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Murder by Hate | Matthew 5:21–22 Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” (Matthew 5:21–22 NLT)

“You must not murder” (Exodus 20:13 NLT). At first glance, this seems like the easiest commandment in all of Scripture to obey. Most people can say, “I may not be a saint, but at least I’ve never killed anyone.”

But in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reframed the idea of murder and brought it closer to home—maybe a little closer than most people are comfortable with. Look at His words:“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell” (Matthew 5:21–22 NLT).

That’s quite an expansion of the concept of murder. It’s not simply an act of physical violence; it also involves thoughts that are less than wholesome. Jesus was saying, “I’m not just telling you that it’s wrong to kill someone; I’m saying that it’s wrong to hate someone. I’m saying that it’s wrong to hold anger in your heart toward someone.”

With those words, Jesus turned one of the easiest commandments to obey into one of the most challenging. Is there anyone you hate? Is there anyone who could cause your blood pressure to spike just by walking into a room? Is there anyone who, though you may not wish them dead, you would not mourn if they did die? If so, then as Jesus said, “You are in danger.” You’re violating God’s commandment. You’re committing a sin for which you need to repent. That doesn’t mean simply confessing the sin; it also means turning away from it.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior” (Ephesians 4:31 NLT). A spirit of love is evidence of our Christian faith. Love toward our fellow believers. Love toward our enemies. The fact that showing love toward certain people seems next to impossible doesn’t relieve us of the responsibility.

The apostle John wrote, “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7 NLT). That’s the key. The love we show others doesn’t come from us; it comes from God. We love people who are unlovable because God loved us when we were unlovable.

When we choose love over hate, we strengthen our relationship with others as well as our relationship with God.

Reflection question: How can you show love to someone you’re tempted to hate?

Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed—but it’s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you join the waitlist in case more tickets become available.

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Persecuted and Blessed | Matthew 5:10 Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:10 NLT)

The great preacher John Wesley was riding his horse one day when he realized that three days had passed since he’d been persecuted in any way. In that time, not a single brick had been thrown in his direction. He’d not been hit by even a single egg. He stopped his horse and said out loud, “Could it be that I am backslidden or I have sinned?” Slipping down from his mount, he knelt on one knee and asked the Lord to show him if there was anything wrong with him spiritually.

A man who disliked Wesley happened by and saw him kneeling in prayer. The man picked up a brick and threw it at him, barely missing the preacher. When Wesley saw the brick fly by, he said, “Thank you, Lord! I know I still have Your presence.”Is it any wonder that Wesley was such a powerful preacher?

The takeaway from this story isn’t that we should pray for bricks to be thrown our way. The takeaway is that opposition and persecution are often signs that we’re doing something right, spiritually speaking. There’s no reason for our spiritual enemy to attack ineffective believers. But believers who have the potential to make a difference for God’s kingdom scare him. So, he hauls out the big gun of persecution to try to silence them.

If you’re a follower of Christ, your very presence will bother some people. You don’t even have to say anything to arouse their opposition. Your presence is like a bright light shining in a dark place. And for some people, that’s not necessarily a good thing. Jesus said, “God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil” (John 3:19 NLT).

The persecution we experience because of our beliefs aligns us with the One in whom we believe. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you” (John 15:18–19 NLT). To be treated in the same way that Jesus was treated is an honor and a blessing.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5:10 NLT). Sometimes persecution shows itself as a brick coming our way—that is, as some kind of physical harm, or perhaps even death. Other times, it shows itself in the form of mockery or rejection and causes us to lose friends or perhaps even a job. Whatever form it takes, the reality is this: If you’re living a godly life, then you will face persecution.

If you endure and thrive in the face of that persecution, you’ll forge a powerful testimony that impacts people more than words ever could.

Reflection question: What would enduring and thriving in the face of persecution look like in your life?

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Taking the Gospel Where We May Not Want to Go | Matthew 5:44 Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew 5:44 NLT)

In this week’s devotions, we’re going to focus on one of the most beloved and most challenging passages in all of Scripture: Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Specifically, we’re going to look at some of the people Jesus singled out. And we’re going to start with enemies.

As our culture becomes more and more fractured, it seems that enemies can be found everywhere. In fact, it seems people are actively looking for reasons to separate from others. They tend to focus on differences and areas of disagreement instead of common ground. They define themselves by the people they oppose as much as by the people they embrace.

Even in the church today, believers tend to write off a lot of people, sometimes even their fellow believers. These people seem to live by the slogan, “Us four and no more.” Believers divide over minutiae and allow second-tier and third-tier issues to bring unnecessary division to our ranks.

I’ve had people criticize me for the groups and organizations we work with in our Harvest Crusades. I hear things like, “Why do you let that church come? If that church is coming, then our church isn’t going to participate.” Or “Why did you let that pastor pray at the crusade? I don’t agree with that pastor because in one of his books he quoted someone who once had coffee with someone else, and it’s guilt by association. I want nothing to do with any of this.”

My response to these critics is this: “Look at the essential areas in which we’re in agreement. Even though we have some minor differences in our beliefs, we can still get together for the sake of the gospel of Christ. That’s all I’m trying to do.”

If people still want to withdraw over their sticking points, then I guess that’s what will happen. But I’m going to keep doing what I do and keep preaching the gospel and trying to get as many people to join me as possible. And I want to join many others who are doing this, too.

We mustn’t allow our tendency to separate and oppose to creep into our evangelism. It may be that we avoid sharing the gospel message with certain people. If we’re honest, bringing them to Christ isn’t high on our priority list. In fact, withholding the gospel from them may give us a measure of satisfaction—or at least a sense of payback.

But Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:44 don’t give us that option: “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (NLT). Our enemies and persecutors are the target audience for our gospel message.

Believers are called to build bridges, not burn them.

Reflection question: How can you build bridges, instead of burning them, with other believers and enemies?

Harvest Crusade tickets are available now—and going fast. Invite someone today and grab your tickets before they're gone!

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An Acquired Taste | 2 Corinthians 2:14–16 Jun 06, 2026

Show notes

“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?” (2 Corinthians 2:14–16 NLT)

Have you ever eaten something that tasted sweet going down but made you sick later? Let me restate the question: Have you ever eaten eight Krispy Kreme doughnuts in one sitting? I have. I got a little carried away. They were great going down. But less than 10 minutes later, I was asking, “What have I done?”

My gastronomical mistake reminds me of an unforgettable image from the apostle John’s vision in Revelation 10. In his vision, John asked an angel for a small scroll. When the angel gave him the scroll, he told John, “Yes, take it and eat it . . . It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!” (verse 9 NLT).

John continued, “So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach. Then I was told, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings’” (verses 10–11 NLT).

The message that we believe as Christians may seem sweet to us, but it’s bitter to others. We recognize it as God’s Word. We consume it as spiritual nourishment. Job said, “I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food” (Job 23:12 NLT). For Christians, a Bible study is like a feast. We love it. But for others, it’s misery and torment. They dislike it intensely.

The apostle Paul used another of the five senses to communicate a similar message:

Some people will hear the gospel message and say, “I love that. I believe it. I want Jesus in my life.” Other people will hear it and say, “Not only do I not like it, I hate it. And I hate you for saying it.”

Of course, we as believers have no way of knowing how someone will respond. So, we must share the gospel with as many people as we can. Whether they embrace it or reject it is up to them.

Reflection question: What are some things that make people react negatively to the gospel message?

The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! Stay updated on all important event details.

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A Self-Chosen Destination | Psalm 19:9 Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

“Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair.” (Psalm 19:9 NLT)

Our customization culture tells us that we can have just about anything, exactly as we want it, as long as we’re willing to shell out the necessary dough. Unfortunately, many people try to carry that sense of privilege into their spiritual lives. They try to customize God.

They say things like, “I believe in a God who loves us, not in a God who judges us.” They act as though God can be reduced to a single attribute, as if all His perfections cannot exist in perfect harmony.

Those words sound good, especially to other would-be spiritual customizers. But they’re not grounded in biblical truth. When people say, “I believe in a nonjudgmental god,” what they’re really saying is, “I believe in a god who doesn’t care about right and wrong.” To put it more bluntly, they’re saying they believe in a god they just made up in their heads. They believe in a wish-fulfillment god.

The reality is that if God really is loving, then He also will be just. That’s what the Bible tells us. God’s perfect love makes Him a righteous judge. It cannot be separated from His perfect justice. The psalmist wrote, “Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair” (Psalm 19:9 NLT). There is no legitimate excuse for disobeying the Lord or for ignoring His gracious plan of salvation.

Know this: No one in Heaven deserves to be there. The apostle Paul wrote, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8–9 NLT).

Likewise, no one will be in Hell who does not deserve to be there. Just as no one will be in Heaven who went there unwillingly, no one will be in Hell who didn’t go there willingly.

God won’t force anyone into eternal life with Him. He won’t say, “Get up to Heaven right now!” You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. And He won’t violate His perfect justice to make exceptions for people who willingly choose to go to Hell.

I like the way J. I. Packer summed it up: “Scripture sees hell as self-chosen. . . . hell appears as God’s gesture of respect for human choice. All receive what they actually chose, either to be with God forever, worshipping him, or without God forever, worshipping themselves.”

How could a God of love send people to Hell? God does not desire that anyone perish, but people end up in Hell because they reject His offer of salvation. But if you ask God to forgive you of your sin, He will remove it from you and bring real change and transformation to your life. You will be born again.

Reflection question: How would you explain to an unbeliever that a person’s eternal destination is self-chosen?

The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! Stay updated on all important event details.

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

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No-Excuse Evangelism | Jonah 3:1–2 Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

“Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time: ‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.’” (Jonah 3:1–2 NLT)

Most believers have reasons not to evangelize. Some of these reasons might even seem compelling or legitimate. “I don’t want to make the friendship weird or awkward.” “I’m afraid I won’t be able to answer people’s questions.” “I don’t want to become a person that other people avoid.”

The Old Testament prophet Jonah had some pretty compelling reasons not to evangelize. At least, he thought they were compelling. He’d been given an assignment that no prophet in his day would have been excited about. God had called him to preach His Word in Nineveh, which was one of the most wicked cities on earth. The Ninevites were the enemies of Israel. Other prophets had warned Israel that one day the Assyrians would overtake them, and Nineveh just happened to be the capital of Assyria.

Jonah likely reasoned, “Wait a second! If I go and preach to them, they might repent. And if they repent, then God will spare them, and they will conquer us. But if I don’t preach to them, they won’t repent, and God will judge them. That will be one less enemy we have to deal with.”

So, Jonah tried to go in the opposite direction. He went down to Joppa, boarded a ship, and set sail for Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. He would have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had remembered the words of David, “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!” (Psalm 139:7 NLT).

You probably know the rest of the story. God sent a great storm that threatened the lives of everyone aboard the vessel. Jonah admitted that he was the cause of the storm and was tossed overboard: “The LORD had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17 NLT). Jonah repented, and the great fish—likely a whale—vomited him up on shore.

“Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time:‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you’” (Jonah 3:1–2 NLT). This time, Jonah did what God had called him to do. God helped him recognize what all believers need to understand: The work of evangelism is far more important and pressing than any discomfort we may experience or any objections we may have.

We’ve been called to share the gospel, even with people we may not like. Nonbelievers aren’t the enemy; they’ve been taken captive by the god of this world to do what he wants them to do (see 2 Timothy 2:26). Until the end of our lives or until the Lord returns, our job is to reach them with the Good News of Christ.

Let’s embrace the work God’s given us so that others may experience His forgiveness, salvation, and love.

Reflection question: What seemingly compelling reasons might keep you from sharing the gospel?

The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! Stay updated on all important event details.

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Your Choice | Romans 5:1–2 Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” (Romans 5:1–2 NLT)

The arithmetic of the gospel is fascinating. If you’re born once, you’ll die twice. If you’re born twice, you’ll die once. If that seems confusing to you, you’re in good company. Nicodemus, a notable Jewish scholar and leader in Jesus’ day, asked, “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” (John 3:4 NLT).

By “born once,” I mean the physical birth. By “born twice,” I mean a physical birth as well as a spiritual birth in which you’re born again, after having put your faith in Christ.

Just as there are two births, the Bible teaches that there are two deaths: One is physical, and the other is spiritual. Jesus warned that we are to fear the second death more than the first one.

Revelation 20:14 tells us, “Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death” (NLT). The second death is mentioned again in Revelation 21:8, which says, “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (NLT). The second death is Hell.

It has been said, “The second death is the continuance of spiritual death in another and timeless existence.”

Thomas Watson wrote, “Eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset; eternity to the wicked is a night that has no sunrise.”

Jesus spoke of Hell in a very specific way. He warned of the fire of Hell (see Matthew 5:22). He warned about our bodies being thrown into Hell (see Matthew 5:29). And He warned of the soul and the body being destroyed in Hell (see Matthew 10:28).

The Bible teaches that all Christians—that is, sinners who have been forgiven and saved because they put their faith in Jesus Christ—will be in Heaven. And that offer of forgiveness and salvation is extended to everyone.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory” (Romans 5:1–2 NLT).

Your eternal destination is really your choice. Not everyone will be saved in the end—only those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. That’s the message God has entrusted to every believer. It’s a message we must spread.

Reflection question: In your circle of acquaintances, who needs to hear about the forgiveness and salvation that Jesus offers?

The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! Stay updated on all important event details.

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

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