"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

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"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19
—
<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

PHILIPPIANS 4:19: And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Life in Balance | Philippians 4:19

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” (2 Timothy 3:16 NLT)

As we mentioned in the previous devotion, this month we’ll be looking at passages in the Old Testament in which Jesus appears or is referred to. Before we do that, though, let’s briefly review how the Bible came to be. The more we understand about what God’s Word is—and isn’t—the better we can appreciate its specific references to Jesus centuries before His birth.

The Bible is the most amazing document ever given to man. Technically speaking, it is not one book. The Bible is a compilation of sixty-six books with more than forty different authors. It has been separated into two sections.

The first section contains thirty-nine books that make up the Old Testament. The second section contains twenty-seven books that make up the New Testament.

Overall, the Bible was written over the course of approximately 1,500 years and was written in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) by people all over the place—from kings to peasants to philosophers to laborers, poets, statesmen, and scholars. Moses was a political leader trained in the schools of Egypt. He wrote the first five books of the Bible that we know as the Pentateuch. Peter was a fisherman. Joshua was a military general. Daniel was the equivalent of a prime minister. Luke was a doctor. Solomon was a king. Matthew was a tax collector. Paul was a rabbi.

 The Bible is the most ambitious literary project ever conceived. And it’s a miracle. There’s no earthly reason for so many disparate parts to form such a seamless whole. But there is a heavenly reason. God guided every author, every step of the way. He didn’t dictate the words of Scripture. He allowed each author to use his own writing style and personality. But God made sure that they wrote what He intended. He inspired them to express His truths in their own words. And though they all bring different perspectives to the material, they all tell a single story.

The Bible is the story of God’s love for us, even after we sinned against Him, and His amazing plan to save us from the punishment we deserve for our sin. The Bible is the story of Jesus. He is the golden thread that runs through its pages. He bridges the Old and New Testaments. He connects sixty-six separate books into one.

We see the promise of Jesus in the Garden of Eden. We see the work of Jesus in Noah’s ark. We see the ancestors of Jesus in the stories of Abraham, Jacob, and David. We see specific predictions about Jesus in the Old Testament books of prophecy. And we see the fulfillment of everything written about Him in the Gospels.

God’s perfect plan of salvation can be seen in the perfect Book He gave the world.

Reflection question: How do you know God’s Word can be trusted?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.&rdquo; (2 Timothy 3:16 NLT)
As we mentioned in the previous devotion, this month we&rsquo;ll be looking at passages in the Old Testament in which Jesus appears or is referred to. Before we do that, though, let&rsquo;s briefly review how the Bible came to be. The more we understand about what God&rsquo;s Word is&mdash;and isn&rsquo;t&mdash;the better we can appreciate its specific references to Jesus centuries before His birth.
The Bible is the most amazing document ever given to man. Technically speaking, it is not one book. The Bible is a compilation of sixty-six books with more than forty different authors. It has been separated into two sections.
The first section contains thirty-nine books that make up the Old Testament. The second section contains twenty-seven books that make up the New Testament.
Overall, the Bible was written over the course of approximately 1,500 years and was written in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) by people all over the place&mdash;from kings to peasants to philosophers to laborers, poets, statesmen, and scholars. Moses was a political leader trained in the schools of Egypt. He wrote the first five books of the Bible that we know as the Pentateuch. Peter was a fisherman. Joshua was a military general. Daniel was the equivalent of a prime minister. Luke was a doctor. Solomon was a king. Matthew was a tax collector. Paul was a rabbi.
&nbsp;The Bible is the most ambitious literary project ever conceived. And it&rsquo;s a miracle. There&rsquo;s no earthly reason for so many disparate parts to form such a seamless whole. But there is a heavenly reason. God guided every author, every step of the way. He didn&rsquo;t dictate the words of Scripture. He allowed each author to use his own writing style and personality. But God made sure that they wrote what He intended. He inspired them to express His truths in their own words. And though they all bring different perspectives to the material, they all tell a single story.
The Bible is the story of God&rsquo;s love for us, even after we sinned against Him, and His amazing plan to save us from the punishment we deserve for our sin. The Bible is the story of Jesus. He is the golden thread that runs through its pages. He bridges the Old and New Testaments. He connects sixty-six separate books into one.
We see the promise of Jesus in the Garden of Eden. We see the work of Jesus in Noah&rsquo;s ark. We see the ancestors of Jesus in the stories of Abraham, Jacob, and David. We see specific predictions about Jesus in the Old Testament books of prophecy. And we see the fulfillment of everything written about Him in the Gospels.
God&rsquo;s perfect plan of salvation can be seen in the perfect Book He gave the world.
Reflection question: How do you know God&rsquo;s Word can be trusted?
<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/landing?from=https%3A%2F%2Fdisciple.harvest.org%2Fspaces%2F17592429%2Ffeed%3Futm_source%3DDD%26utm_medium%3Dpodcast%26utm_campaign%3DHarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&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>

Sixty-Six Equals One | 2 Timothy 3:16

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?’ Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25–27 NLT)

Did Jesus exist before the nativity in Bethlehem? Was there a Christ before Christmas?

The answer is yes.

Jesus’ arrival in Bethlehem is when the incarnation took place. The incarnation is when God became a man. But that’s not when Jesus came into being. Jesus, being God, has always been and He always will be. He is eternal because He is God. Understanding that opens up Scripture to us in a whole new way.

The Bible is divided into two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament covers events that occurred before Jesus’ birth. The New Testament covers events surrounding His birth and after. It’s similar to the way we divide history. The Old Testament is BC (before Christ); the New Testament is AD (anno Domini), which is Latin for “in the year of the Lord.”

Casual readers of the Bible may assume that Jesus is a New Testament figure, an AD man. But that’s not the case. Remember, He’s eternal, so there’s no such period as BC because nothing existed before Christ.

John 1:1–2 says, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God” (NLT). And in Colossians 1:17, the apostle Paul writes of Christ, “He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together” (NLT).

Not only has Christ existed forever, He is also the central figure of Scripture. Not just the New Testament, but the Old Testament as well. That’s the theme for our devotions this month: Jesus in the Old Testament. You can’t fully appreciate God’s amazing plan of salvation until you connect the dots between the Old Testament passages that anticipate Christ’s coming and the New Testament passages that detail His saving work.

Luke 24 tells the story of two followers of Christ who were walking to the village of Emmaus three days after Jesus’ crucifixion, just as news of His resurrection was starting to spread. They were sad and confused. Jesus appeared to them, but God kept them from recognizing Him at first.

Jesus’ words to them—“You foolish people!”—may seem harsh. But Jesus wanted them to understand that it wasn’t the time for mourning or confusion. The Messiah was alive! God’s plan of salvation had been accomplished! Death had been conquered! Centuries of prophecy and promises had been fulfilled!

Verse 27 says, “Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (NLT). These men likely were no strangers to Old Testament Scripture. But they had failed to make some very important connections. Not only were Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection all part of God’s prophetic plan, but so was just about everything else He did. The evidence was there, in the words of Scripture, for anyone who searched for it. Jesus helped His followers recognize the clues they had missed.

We are never alone in life. That’s the message we see from Genesis to Revelation. Jesus has always been there. He appeared to Abraham and Jacob, among others. He was never far from the minds of the Old Testament prophets. And to those who are His disciples, He says, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 NLT).

Reflection question: What does the Old Testament reveal about God and His plan of salvation?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;Then Jesus said to them, &lsquo;You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn&rsquo;t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?&rsquo; Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.&rdquo; (Luke 24:25&ndash;27 NLT)
Did Jesus exist before the nativity in Bethlehem? Was there a Christ before Christmas?
The answer is yes.
Jesus&rsquo; arrival in Bethlehem is when the incarnation took place. The incarnation is when God became a man. But that&rsquo;s not when Jesus came into being. Jesus, being God, has always been and He always will be. He is eternal because He is God. Understanding that opens up Scripture to us in a whole new way.
The Bible is divided into two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament covers events that occurred before Jesus&rsquo; birth. The New Testament covers events surrounding His birth and after. It&rsquo;s similar to the way we divide history. The Old Testament is BC (before Christ); the New Testament is AD (anno Domini), which is Latin for &ldquo;in the year of the Lord.&rdquo;
Casual readers of the Bible may assume that Jesus is a New Testament figure, an AD man. But that&rsquo;s not the case. Remember, He&rsquo;s eternal, so there&rsquo;s no such period as BC because nothing existed before Christ.
John 1:1&ndash;2 says, &ldquo;In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God&rdquo; (NLT). And in Colossians 1:17, the apostle Paul writes of Christ, &ldquo;He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together&rdquo; (NLT).
Not only has Christ existed forever, He is also the central figure of Scripture. Not just the New Testament, but the Old Testament as well. That&rsquo;s the theme for our devotions this month: Jesus in the Old Testament. You can&rsquo;t fully appreciate God&rsquo;s amazing plan of salvation until you connect the dots between the Old Testament passages that anticipate Christ&rsquo;s coming and the New Testament passages that detail His saving work.
Luke 24 tells the story of two followers of Christ who were walking to the village of Emmaus three days after Jesus&rsquo; crucifixion, just as news of His resurrection was starting to spread. They were sad and confused. Jesus appeared to them, but God kept them from recognizing Him at first.
Jesus&rsquo; words to them&mdash;&ldquo;You foolish people!&rdquo;&mdash;may seem harsh. But Jesus wanted them to understand that it wasn&rsquo;t the time for mourning or confusion. The Messiah was alive! God&rsquo;s plan of salvation had been accomplished! Death had been conquered! Centuries of prophecy and promises had been fulfilled!
Verse 27 says, &ldquo;Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself&rdquo; (NLT). These men likely were no strangers to Old Testament Scripture. But they had failed to make some very important connections. Not only were Jesus&rsquo; suffering, death, and resurrection all part of God&rsquo;s prophetic plan, but so was just about everything else He did. The evidence was there, in the words of Scripture, for anyone who searched for it. Jesus helped His followers recognize the clues they had missed.
We are never alone in life. That&rsquo;s the message we see from Genesis to Revelation. Jesus has always been there. He appeared to Abraham and Jacob, among others. He was never far from the minds of the Old Testament prophets. And to those who are His disciples, He says, &ldquo;I am with you always, even to the end of the age&rdquo; (Matthew 28:20 NLT).
Reflection question: What does the Old Testament reveal about God and His plan of salvation?
<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/landing?from=https%3A%2F%2Fdisciple.harvest.org%2Fspaces%2F17592429%2Ffeed%3Futm_source%3DDD%26utm_medium%3Dpodcast%26utm_campaign%3DHarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&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>

The Old Testament reveals the prophecies and promises that Jesus fulfilled.

Jesus BC | Luke 24:25–27

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (James 1:27 NLT)

In football, there are players who excel at their position on offense and players who excel at their position on defense. And then there are the exceedingly rare athletes who excel on both sides of the ball. They’re called two-way players. They have the skills to contribute both offensively and defensively.

In James 1:27, James calls for Christians to be “two-way players” in putting our faith into action. On the offensive side, he calls us to involve ourselves in the lives of people in need. On the defensive side, he warns us to guard against being corrupted by the world.

Unlike the athletic marvels in football, you don’t need to be extremely gifted to excel in both areas as a believer. You just need to align your priorities with God and follow the game plan in His Word.

In this case, the game plan begins with choosing a side. Here’s a hint: Always team up with people in need, those who fall through the cracks of our society. God loves underdogs—and the people who side with them. Proverbs 19:17 says, “If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—and he will repay you!” (NLT). And Jesus Himself, quoting Isaiah 61:1–2, said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come” (Luke 4:18–19 NLT).

Your first instinct may be to pray for the poor and needy in your community. And that’s an instinct you should certainly follow. But if you do, and you stay alert to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, you’ll probably discover that you’re the answer to your own prayer. Or at least part of the answer. There’s a very good chance that He’ll call you to get actively involved in the lives of the people you pray for.

What that might look like is hard to say. What matters is that you can make a difference. You can bring hope to people who desperately need it. You can use your skills and resources to give them assistance. You can connect them to your community. You can let them know that you care in tangible ways. You can show them what Jesus’ love looks like.

But as you concern yourself with other people’s well-being, don’t neglect your own. Especially your spiritual well-being. The world’s influence is a constant threat. What makes it so dangerous is that often you don’t even know you’re being influenced or corrupted.

You need accountability partners—people who can recognize signs of corruption, or even just worldly influence, in you. People who aren’t afraid to lovingly challenge you when necessary. The ideal accountability partner is a Christian spouse or loved one, someone who knows you well and has a deep concern and a vested interest in your spiritual well-being.

Reflection question: What are some subtle ways in which a person can be corrupted or negatively influenced by the world?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.&rdquo; (James 1:27 NLT)
In football, there are players who excel at their position on offense and players who excel at their position on defense. And then there are the exceedingly rare athletes who excel on both sides of the ball. They&rsquo;re called two-way players. They have the skills to contribute both offensively and defensively.
In James 1:27, James calls for Christians to be &ldquo;two-way players&rdquo; in putting our faith into action. On the offensive side, he calls us to involve ourselves in the lives of people in need. On the defensive side, he warns us to guard against being corrupted by the world.
Unlike the athletic marvels in football, you don&rsquo;t need to be extremely gifted to excel in both areas as a believer. You just need to align your priorities with God and follow the game plan in His Word.
In this case, the game plan begins with choosing a side. Here&rsquo;s a hint: Always team up with people in need, those who fall through the cracks of our society. God loves underdogs&mdash;and the people who side with them. Proverbs 19:17 says, &ldquo;If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord&mdash;and he will repay you!&rdquo; (NLT). And Jesus Himself, quoting Isaiah 61:1&ndash;2, said, &ldquo;The Spirit of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,&nbsp;that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the&nbsp;Lord&rsquo;s favor has come&rdquo; (Luke 4:18&ndash;19 NLT).
Your first instinct may be to pray for the poor and needy in your community. And that&rsquo;s an instinct you should certainly follow. But if you do, and you stay alert to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, you&rsquo;ll probably discover that you&rsquo;re the answer to your own prayer. Or at least part of the answer. There&rsquo;s a very good chance that He&rsquo;ll call you to get actively involved in the lives of the people you pray for.
What that might look like is hard to say. What matters is that you can make a difference. You can bring hope to people who desperately need it. You can use your skills and resources to give them assistance. You can connect them to your community. You can let them know that you care in tangible ways. You can show them what Jesus&rsquo; love looks like.
But as you concern yourself with other people&rsquo;s well-being, don&rsquo;t neglect your own. Especially your spiritual well-being. The world&rsquo;s influence is a constant threat. What makes it so dangerous is that often you don&rsquo;t even know you&rsquo;re being influenced or corrupted.
You need accountability partners&mdash;people who can recognize signs of corruption, or even just worldly influence, in you. People who aren&rsquo;t afraid to lovingly challenge you when necessary. The ideal accountability partner is a Christian spouse or loved one, someone who knows you well and has a deep concern and a vested interest in your spiritual well-being.
Reflection question: What are some subtle ways in which a person can be corrupted or negatively influenced by the world?
<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&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>

Make a difference in the lives of people in need, but guard against being corrupted by the world.

Life in Balance | Philippians 4:19

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