"Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him." Genesis 5:23–24

—

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"Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him." Genesis 5:23–24
—
<a href="https://link.chtbl.com/A1PWfZ8W">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/">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. 

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 <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.

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

Daily Devotions From Greg Laurie

GENESIS 5:23–24: Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.

Learning to Walk with God | Genesis 5:23–24

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15 NLT)

It is mind-boggling to think that the Creator of the universe became an embryo. He who created the solar system chose to become an infant. The Almighty appeared on Earth as a helpless human being, unable to do anything more than wiggle and make noises.

Jesus didn’t arrive with His full faculties intact. He was a baby who cried and needed His diaper changed. That is the mystery of the Incarnation—that God would allow Himself to live within the limitations of a human body.

There wasn’t a moment when Jesus suddenly became God or ceased to be God. First John 1:1 tells us, “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life” (NLT).

Jesus was God before Bethlehem. He was God in the manger. He was God as a young man. And He was God during His earthly ministry. He also was God as He hung on the cross, and He was God when He rose from the dead.

Jesus came to live among us. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (9:6 NLT).

At Christmas we celebrate the arrival of God’s Son on Earth. But it also was a departure from Heaven.

Jesus came and walked among us, enduring the limitations of a human body. He experienced the things we experience. Jesus knew what it was like to be hungry and thirsty. And like anyone else, He got tired and had to sleep. While He had the ability to perform miracles—and He did so–He never performed a miracle for His own benefit.

Also, Jesus knew what it was like to be lonely. Imagine how He felt when His disciples deserted Him. When He hung on the cross and all the sin of the world was placed upon Him, at that moment He was the loneliest man who ever lived. He knew what it was like for His friends to betray Him. And He knew what it was like for someone to lie about Him.

Jesus experienced all those things. That is why the Bible says of Him, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15 NLT).

When we go to God, we’re not talking to some distant celestial being who has no idea of what it’s like to live on Planet Earth. We’re talking about God who became a man. He knows exactly what we’re going through. Therefore, He can help us in our time of need.

It is hard for us to imagine both deity and humanity in one person. Yet when Jesus came to Earth and walked among us, that is who He was.

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15 NLT)
It is mind-boggling to think that the Creator of the universe became an embryo. He who created the solar system chose to become an infant. The Almighty appeared on Earth as a helpless human being, unable to do anything more than wiggle and make noises.
Jesus didn&rsquo;t arrive with His full faculties intact. He was a baby who cried and needed His diaper changed. That is the mystery of the Incarnation&mdash;that God would allow Himself to live within the limitations of a human body.
There wasn&rsquo;t a moment when Jesus suddenly became God or ceased to be God. First John 1:1 tells us, &ldquo;We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life&rdquo; (NLT).
Jesus was God before Bethlehem. He was God in the manger. He was God as a young man. And He was God during His earthly ministry. He also was God as He hung on the cross, and He was God when He rose from the dead.
Jesus came to live among us. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, &ldquo;For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.&rdquo; (9:6 NLT).
At Christmas we celebrate the arrival of God&rsquo;s Son on Earth. But it also was a departure from Heaven.
Jesus came and walked among us, enduring the limitations of a human body. He experienced the things we experience. Jesus knew what it was like to be hungry and thirsty. And like anyone else, He got tired and had to sleep. While He had the ability to perform miracles&mdash;and He did so&ndash;He never performed a miracle for His own benefit.
Also, Jesus knew what it was like to be lonely. Imagine how He felt when His disciples deserted Him. When He hung on the cross and all the sin of the world was placed upon Him, at that moment He was the loneliest man who ever lived. He knew what it was like for His friends to betray Him. And He knew what it was like for someone to lie about Him.
Jesus experienced all those things. That is why the Bible says of Him, &ldquo;This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin&rdquo; (Hebrews 4:15 NLT).
When we go to God, we&rsquo;re not talking to some distant celestial being who has no idea of what it&rsquo;s like to live on Planet Earth. We&rsquo;re talking about God who became a man. He knows exactly what we&rsquo;re going through. Therefore, He can help us in our time of need.
It is hard for us to imagine both deity and humanity in one person. Yet when Jesus came to Earth and walked among us, that is who He was.
&mdash;
<a href="https://link.chtbl.com/A1PWfZ8W">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

When God Became a Man | Hebrews 4:15

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. (John 1:14 NLT)

Can you imagine looking at God in human form? During the earthly ministry of Jesus, we can imagine the disciples walking along with Him and looking at Him all the time.

The apostle John wrote of Jesus, “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son” (John 1:14 NLT).

The disciples watched Him. They heard His words. Yet interestingly, in all the Gospel accounts, not one person gave a physical description of Jesus. The Bible suggests that Jesus was ordinary in appearance, because Isaiah 53 says, “There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him” (verse 2 NLT).

In other words, when Jesus walked this earth, He was an ordinary-looking man. He didn’t have a striking appearance. Nor did He have a permanent halo. In fact, when Judas Iscariot was about to identify Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, he said, “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss” (Matthew 26:48 NLT).

Why did Judas need to say that?  Because they wouldn’t have been able to find Jesus in the crowd. Judas was essentially saying, “Let me point Him out to you.”

This makes it all the more extraordinary that God Almighty became an ordinary human being, a person just like us. He came to this earth. He walked among us.

John was saying, “We walked with Him. We talked with Him. And we want you to know that you can have fellowship with Him just like we had fellowship with Him.”

This isn’t a privilege only afforded to first-century believers. It’s one that is indeed available to twenty-first century believers too. We can know Jesus. Yet for some, God can seem so distant and unapproachable. But Jesus, who was God, came to show us what the Father is like.

Jesus stands apart from all other prophets, teachers, and so-called gurus. Jesus wasn’t a man who became God. Rather, He was God who became a man. And it never will happen again.

If you want to know what God is like, then take a long look at Jesus. You don’t need to look further. If you want to know how God feels about children, then look at Jesus taking the little ones into His arms, blessing them, and saying, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children” (Matthew 19:14 NLT).

And if you want to know how God feels about sinners, then look at Jesus reaching out to the down-and-outers of society and showing them love and compassion. We see Him going out of His way to make time for people that no one else wanted anything to do with.

Thus, if you want to know what God thinks about anything, then look at the story of Jesus. He is showing us what God is like.

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father&rsquo;s one and only Son. (John 1:14 NLT)
Can you imagine looking at God in human form? During the earthly ministry of Jesus, we can imagine the disciples walking along with Him and looking at Him all the time.
The apostle John wrote of Jesus, &ldquo;So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father&rsquo;s one and only Son&rdquo; (John 1:14 NLT).
The disciples watched Him. They heard His words. Yet interestingly, in all the Gospel accounts, not one person gave a physical description of Jesus. The Bible suggests that Jesus was ordinary in appearance, because Isaiah 53 says, &ldquo;There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him&rdquo; (verse 2 NLT).
In other words, when Jesus walked this earth, He was an ordinary-looking man. He didn&rsquo;t have a striking appearance. Nor did He have a permanent halo. In fact, when Judas Iscariot was about to identify Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, he said, &ldquo;You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss&rdquo; (Matthew 26:48 NLT).
Why did Judas need to say that?&nbsp; Because they wouldn&rsquo;t have been able to find Jesus in the crowd. Judas was essentially saying, &ldquo;Let me point Him out to you.&rdquo;
This makes it all the more extraordinary that God Almighty became an ordinary human being, a person just like us. He came to this earth. He walked among us.
John was saying, &ldquo;We walked with Him. We talked with Him. And we want you to know that you can have fellowship with Him just like we had fellowship with Him.&rdquo;
This isn&rsquo;t a privilege only afforded to first-century believers. It&rsquo;s one that is indeed available to twenty-first century believers too. We can know Jesus. Yet for some, God can seem so distant and unapproachable. But Jesus, who was God, came to show us what the Father is like.
Jesus stands apart from all other prophets, teachers, and so-called gurus. Jesus wasn&rsquo;t a man who became God. Rather, He was God who became a man. And it never will happen again.
If you want to know what God is like, then take a long look at Jesus. You don&rsquo;t need to look further. If you want to know how God feels about children, then look at Jesus taking the little ones into His arms, blessing them, and saying, &ldquo;Let the children come to me. Don&rsquo;t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children&rdquo; (Matthew 19:14 NLT).
And if you want to know how God feels about sinners, then look at Jesus reaching out to the down-and-outers of society and showing them love and compassion. We see Him going out of His way to make time for people that no one else wanted anything to do with.
Thus, if you want to know what God thinks about anything, then look at the story of Jesus. He is showing us what God is like.
&mdash;
<a href="https://link.chtbl.com/A1PWfZ8W">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

Want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus.

God in Human Form | John 1:14

‘Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.’ (Revelation 22:12 NLT)

There were a lot of people who missed the first Christmas, the night that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. Of course, there were no the telltale signs that we have today. There were no Christmas carols, brightly colored lights, or sales at the local market.

Yet the first Christmas had its own signs that were being fulfilled before the eyes of the people, because the Hebrew prophets had foretold the arrival of a Savior. However, in the twenty-first century, we would be hard-pressed to miss Christmas. We can’t miss the fact that Christmas is upon us.

People today have a better idea of how to prepare for a Christmas celebration than how to prepare for the return of Jesus Christ. But Jesus Christ, who was born in the manger in Bethlehem, who was crucified on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead, is coming back again. And we don’t want to miss that.

He came right on schedule the first time, and He will come right on schedule the second time.

Jesus said, “Yes, I am coming soon!” (Revelation 22:20 NLT). And the answer of the true Christian will always be, along with the apostle John, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” What’s more, anything that would prevent us from saying the same thing is out of place in our lives.

We are not only to be waiting, but we are also to be working. Jesus said, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward” (Luke 12:42–43 NLT).

If watching is the evidence of faith, then working is the evidence of faith in action. Watching for the Lord’s return will help us prepare our own lives, but working will assure that we bring others with us. We should be serving the Lord and looking for opportunities to engage people and tell them about Jesus.

Jesus also said, “The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!” (verse 37 NLT). The word blessed could be translated as “happy.”

Looking for the return of Christ isn’t a miserable, repressive, confining way to live. It’s a happy, joyful, and purposeful way to live.

Christmas is coming. The signs are all around us. Of course, Christmas will come, and Christmas will go. And before long, we’ll forget about the gifts that we received. But Jesus Christ is coming back again. People missed the first Christmas. But we don’t want to miss it when Jesus Christ comes back again. He is coming for those who are watching and waiting.

So, don’t just be ready for Christmas. Be ready for Christ Himself. It is not about Christmas presents; it’s about His holy presence in our lives.

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&lsquo;Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.&rsquo; (Revelation 22:12 NLT)
There were a lot of people who missed the first Christmas, the night that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. Of course, there were no the telltale signs that we have today. There were no Christmas carols, brightly colored lights, or sales at the local market.
Yet the first Christmas had its own signs that were being fulfilled before the eyes of the people, because the Hebrew prophets had foretold the arrival of a Savior. However, in the twenty-first century, we would be hard-pressed to miss Christmas. We can&rsquo;t miss the fact that Christmas is upon us.
People today have a better idea of how to prepare for a Christmas celebration than how to prepare for the return of Jesus Christ. But Jesus Christ, who was born in the manger in Bethlehem, who was crucified on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead, is coming back again. And we don&rsquo;t want to miss that.
He came right on schedule the first time, and He will come right on schedule the second time.
Jesus said, &ldquo;Yes, I am coming soon!&rdquo; (Revelation 22:20 NLT). And the answer of the true Christian will always be, along with the apostle John, &ldquo;Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!&rdquo; What&rsquo;s more, anything that would prevent us from saying the same thing is out of place in our lives.
We are not only to be waiting, but we are also to be working. Jesus said, &ldquo;A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward&rdquo; (Luke 12:42&ndash;43 NLT).
If watching is the evidence of faith, then working is the evidence of faith in action. Watching for the Lord&rsquo;s return will help us prepare our own lives, but working will assure that we bring others with us. We should be serving the Lord and looking for opportunities to engage people and tell them about Jesus.
Jesus also said, &ldquo;The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!&rdquo; (verse 37 NLT). The word blessed could be translated as &ldquo;happy.&rdquo;
Looking for the return of Christ isn&rsquo;t a miserable, repressive, confining way to live. It&rsquo;s a happy, joyful, and purposeful way to live.
Christmas is coming. The signs are all around us. Of course, Christmas will come, and Christmas will go. And before long, we&rsquo;ll forget about the gifts that we received. But Jesus Christ is coming back again. People missed the first Christmas. But we don&rsquo;t want to miss it when Jesus Christ comes back again. He is coming for those who are watching and waiting.
So, don&rsquo;t just be ready for Christmas. Be ready for Christ Himself. It is not about Christmas presents; it&rsquo;s about His holy presence in our lives.
&mdash;
<a href="https://link.chtbl.com/A1PWfZ8W">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

We should be looking for opportunities to tell people about Jesus.

Learning to Walk with God | Genesis 5:23–24

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