“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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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" 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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&ldquo;Reverence for the&nbsp;LORD&nbsp;is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the&nbsp;LORD&nbsp;are true; each one is fair.&rdquo; (Psalm 19:9 NLT)
&nbsp;
Our customization culture tells us that we can have just about anything, exactly as we want it, as long as we&rsquo;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, &ldquo;I believe in a God who loves us, not in a God who judges us.&rdquo; 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&rsquo;re not grounded in biblical truth. When people say, &ldquo;I believe in a nonjudgmental god,&rdquo; what they&rsquo;re really saying is, &ldquo;I believe in a god who doesn&rsquo;t care about right and wrong.&rdquo; To put it more bluntly, they&rsquo;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&rsquo;s what the Bible tells us. God&rsquo;s perfect love makes Him a righteous judge. It cannot be separated from His perfect justice. The psalmist wrote, &ldquo;Reverence for the&nbsp;LORD&nbsp;is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the&nbsp;LORD&nbsp;are true; each one is fair&rdquo; (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, &ldquo;God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can&rsquo;t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.&nbsp;Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it&rdquo; (Ephesians 2:8&ndash;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&rsquo;t go there willingly.
God won&rsquo;t force anyone into eternal life with Him. He won&rsquo;t say, &ldquo;Get up to Heaven right now!&rdquo; You don&rsquo;t have to go if you don&rsquo;t want to. And He won&rsquo;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: &ldquo;Scripture sees hell as self-chosen. . . . hell appears as God&rsquo;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.&rdquo;
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.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How would you explain to an unbeliever that a person&rsquo;s eternal destination is self-chosen?
The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! <a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-crusade-2026/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=SoCal2026">Stay updated on all important event details</a>.&nbsp;
&mdash;
The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
&nbsp;
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast 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.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;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.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

People, not God, choose their eternal destiny by how they respond to Jesus.