"Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts." (Ephesians 5:18–19 NLT)

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

"Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts." (Ephesians 5:18–19 NLT)
—
<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

"Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts." (Ephesians 5:18–19 NLT)

Powered By the Holy Spirit | Ephesians 5:18-19

“Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.” (1 Timothy 1:19 NLT)

 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was a bit of a practical joker. One day, he jotted notes to twelve of his friends and sent them off with no name signed to them. On the notes he wrote these words: “Flee at once—all is discovered.” Within twenty-four hours, all twelve of the people who received the notes had left the country. Doyle got a big laugh out of showing what happens when people have guilty consciences.

Your conscience may be the most overlooked part of you. If you did a quick online search, you’d find hundreds of articles and tips for keeping your heart healthy. Or improving your memory. Or protecting your skin. Or taking care of other important parts of your body. But what about your conscience?

The apostle Paul emphasized its importance when he gave this advice to Timothy for choosing deacons: “They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience” (1 Timothy 3:9 NLT).

Everyone has a conscience. In Romans 2:14–15, Paul said, “Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right” (NLT).

Not everyone appreciates their conscience. Some people treat it like a nagging companion who always starts complaining just when things begin to get fun. They learn to ignore or disable it. And that’s a huge mistake. Paul warned in 1 Timothy 4:2 about people whose “consciences are dead” (NLT).

Your conscience is actually one of the most valuable gifts God has given you. You don’t have to guess at what’s right or wrong. You can sense it, deep in your heart, thanks to your God-given conscience.

Let’s look at one more warning from Paul to Timothy: “Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked” (1 Timothy 1:19 NLT).

Many believers spend a lot of time trying to discover God’s will for their lives. But in most cases, it’s not a one-time reveal. It’s the dozens of daily decisions we make that bring us closer to Him. Every day we’re given choices to do right or wrong. Every time we choose to do right, to obey God—using our conscience—we grow closer to Him. The closer we are to Him, the better we can see the doors He opens and closes. The closer we are to Him, the better we can sense His leading in key situations. The closer we are to Him, the better we can recognize His hand in the events around us.

If you want to discover God’s will for your life, stay close to Him and keep your conscience clear.

 

Reflection question: What can you do to keep your conscience performing at a high level?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.&rdquo; (1 Timothy 1:19 NLT)
&nbsp;
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was a bit of a practical joker. One day, he jotted notes to twelve of his friends and sent them off with no name signed to them. On the notes he wrote these words: &ldquo;Flee at once&mdash;all is discovered.&rdquo; Within twenty-four hours, all twelve of the people who received the notes had left the country. Doyle got a big laugh out of showing what happens when people have guilty consciences.
Your conscience may be the most overlooked part of you. If you did a quick online search, you&rsquo;d find hundreds of articles and tips for keeping your heart healthy. Or improving your memory. Or protecting your skin. Or taking care of other important parts of your body. But what about your conscience?
The apostle Paul emphasized its importance when he gave this advice to Timothy for choosing deacons: &ldquo;They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience&rdquo; (1 Timothy 3:9 NLT).
Everyone has a conscience. In Romans 2:14&ndash;15, Paul said, &ldquo;Even Gentiles, who do not have God&rsquo;s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it.&nbsp;They demonstrate that God&rsquo;s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right&rdquo; (NLT).
Not everyone appreciates their conscience. Some people treat it like a nagging companion who always starts complaining just when things begin to get fun. They learn to ignore or disable it. And that&rsquo;s a huge mistake. Paul warned in 1 Timothy 4:2 about people whose &ldquo;consciences are dead&rdquo; (NLT).
Your conscience is actually one of the most valuable gifts God has given you. You don&rsquo;t have to guess at what&rsquo;s right or wrong. You can sense it, deep in your heart, thanks to your God-given conscience.
Let&rsquo;s look at one more warning from Paul to Timothy: &ldquo;Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked&rdquo; (1 Timothy 1:19 NLT).
Many believers spend a lot of time trying to discover God&rsquo;s will for their lives. But in most cases, it&rsquo;s not a one-time reveal. It&rsquo;s the dozens of daily decisions we make that bring us closer to Him. Every day we&rsquo;re given choices to do right or wrong. Every time we choose to do right, to obey God&mdash;using our conscience&mdash;we grow closer to Him. The closer we are to Him, the better we can see the doors He opens and closes. The closer we are to Him, the better we can sense His leading in key situations. The closer we are to Him, the better we can recognize His hand in the events around us.
If you want to discover God&rsquo;s will for your life, stay close to Him and keep your conscience clear.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: What can you do to keep your conscience performing at a high level?
<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>

If you want to discover God’s will for your life, stay close to Him and keep your conscience clear.

A Clear Conscience | 1 Timothy 1:19

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22–23 NLT)

 

Many people have a very pessimistic, cynical outlook on life. Screenwriter John Patrick Shanley wrote this for a character played by actor Nicolas Cage: “We are here to ruin ourselves and break our hearts and love the wrong people and die.” Benjamin Disraeli, the former prime minister of England, came to this conclusion: “Youth is a blunder; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.” Actor George Clooney said, “I don’t believe in happy endings, but I do believe in happy travels, because ultimately, you die at a very young age, or you live long enough to watch your friends die. It is a mean thing, life.”

I’m here to tell you that there’s more to our existence in this world than this. Life need not be a series of inevitable bad choices. It need not be a progression of blunder, struggle, and regret. And it doesn’t need to be a mean thing.

Jesus said, “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10 NLT). Often, when we think about the life that Jesus offers, we think of the next one—how His death on the cross and resurrection makes eternal life possible for those who believe in Him. But as He makes clear in John 10, He transforms our lives in this world as well.

Jesus frees us from our slavery to sin and gives us a taste of true freedom. He allows us to experience life as God intends. He makes it possible for us to find real purpose and experience genuine fulfillment in this life.

The apostle Paul wrote, “And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago” (Ephesians 1:13 NLT). The Holy Spirit guides us down the paths God would have us go. If we follow His lead, our lives will be transformed.

In Galatians 5:22–23, Paul shows us what that transformation involves: “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (NLT). If you were to ask one hundred people what they need most in their lives right now, how many of them would mention one or more of the items on this list? Keep in mind, too, that these fruits grow in all conditions of life. Even without romance, you can grow in love. Even in trying times, you can find joy.

One of the devil’s most effective strategies is to convince people that the life Jesus offers is somehow restrictive, boring, or unfulfilling. He tries to distract us with empty, shallow, selfish, and ultimately destructive pursuits. He warps our perspective so that we can’t tell what’s truly meaningful and satisfying in life.

Don’t fall for his lies. Follow Christ. Discover how rich and satisfying your life can be.

 

Reflection question: How would you summarize your philosophy of life?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!&rdquo; (Galatians 5:22&ndash;23 NLT)
&nbsp;
Many people have a very pessimistic, cynical outlook on life. Screenwriter John Patrick Shanley wrote this for a character played by actor Nicolas Cage: &ldquo;We are here to ruin ourselves and break our hearts and love the wrong people and die.&rdquo; Benjamin Disraeli, the former prime minister of England, came to this conclusion: &ldquo;Youth is a blunder; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.&rdquo; Actor George Clooney said, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t believe in happy endings, but I do believe in happy travels, because ultimately, you die at a very young age, or you live long enough to watch your friends die. It is a mean thing, life.&rdquo;
I&rsquo;m here to tell you that there&rsquo;s more to our existence in this world than this. Life need not be a series of inevitable bad choices. It need not be a progression of blunder, struggle, and regret. And it doesn&rsquo;t need to be a mean thing.
Jesus said, &ldquo;My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life&rdquo; (John 10:10 NLT). Often, when we think about the life that Jesus offers, we think of the next one&mdash;how His death on the cross and resurrection makes eternal life possible for those who believe in Him. But as He makes clear in John 10, He transforms our lives in this world as well.
Jesus frees us from our slavery to sin and gives us a taste of true freedom. He allows us to experience life as God intends. He makes it possible for us to find real purpose and experience genuine fulfillment in this life.
The apostle Paul wrote, &ldquo;And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago&rdquo; (Ephesians 1:13 NLT). The Holy Spirit guides us down the paths God would have us go. If we follow His lead, our lives will be transformed.
In Galatians 5:22&ndash;23, Paul shows us what that transformation involves: &ldquo;But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control&rdquo; (NLT). If you were to ask one hundred people what they need most in their lives right now, how many of them would mention one or more of the items on this list? Keep in mind, too, that these fruits grow in all conditions of life. Even without romance, you can grow in love. Even in trying times, you can find joy.
One of the devil&rsquo;s most effective strategies is to convince people that the life Jesus offers is somehow restrictive, boring, or unfulfilling. He tries to distract us with empty, shallow, selfish, and ultimately destructive pursuits. He warps our perspective so that we can&rsquo;t tell what&rsquo;s truly meaningful and satisfying in life.
Don&rsquo;t fall for his lies. Follow Christ. Discover how rich and satisfying your life can be.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How would you summarize your philosophy of life?
<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>

If you embrace the life Jesus offers, you will experience genuine love, joy, and peace.

What a Life! | Galatians 5:22–23

“No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.” (Ephesians 5:29 NLT)

 

In yesterday’s devotion, we looked at the problems that arise when you prioritize yourself in marriage. Today we’re going to expand the picture and look at the problems that arise when you prioritize yourself as a believer.

So often today we hear about the importance of self-image, self-love, self-worth, and self-esteem. We even hear it proclaimed from our pulpits: “Doesn’t Jesus say in Mark 12:31, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’? First, you must love yourself before you can love your neighbor.” Wrong.

Jesus was not teaching you to first love yourself and then love your neighbor. Rather, He was teaching that you already love yourself, so now love your neighbor. Look again at the apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 5:29: “No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church” (NLT). We already have self-love. Now we need to love others in the same way.

You’ll hear people say things like, “I’m trying to find myself,” to explain their inward gaze. Jesus said, “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39 NIV). In other words, if you want to find out what your life was really intended for, deny yourself. You’ve heard the expression, “Finders, keepers; losers, weepers.” We could take what Jesus is saying and call it “losers, keepers.” The people who lose their lives, in reality, keep them.

Think of it in computer terms. Self-regard, self-image, self-love, self-worth, and self-esteem take up enormous storage space in our lives. They leave little capacity to operate efficiently in other important areas, especially when it comes to serving or having empathy for others.

Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows” (NLT). But how can you do those things if your focus is on yourself?

You’ll find no wavering in Paul’s words in Philippians 3:7–9: “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him” (NLT). He knew for certain that he had made the right decision in losing his life for Christ’s sake.

People who “lose” their lives as Jesus instructed discover an amazing truth. God loves us far more than we can ever love ourselves. He knows far more than we do about what will bring us lasting fulfillment and joy. So when we sacrifice our self-interest for His sake, we gain far more than we lose.

 

Reflection Question: What’s been your experience in losing and finding your life in your walk with Christ?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.&rdquo; (Ephesians 5:29 NLT)
&nbsp;
In yesterday&rsquo;s devotion, we looked at the problems that arise when you prioritize yourself in marriage. Today we&rsquo;re going to expand the picture and look at the problems that arise when you prioritize yourself as a believer.
So often today we hear about the importance of self-image, self-love, self-worth, and self-esteem. We even hear it proclaimed from our pulpits: &ldquo;Doesn&rsquo;t Jesus say in Mark 12:31, &lsquo;Love your neighbor as yourself&rsquo;? First, you must love yourself before you can love your neighbor.&rdquo; Wrong.
Jesus was not teaching you to first love yourself and then love your neighbor. Rather, He was teaching that you already love yourself, so now love your neighbor. Look again at the apostle Paul&rsquo;s words in Ephesians 5:29: &ldquo;No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church&rdquo; (NLT). We already have self-love. Now we need to love others in the same way.
You&rsquo;ll hear people say things like, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m trying to find myself,&rdquo; to explain their inward gaze. Jesus said, &ldquo;Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it&rdquo; (Matthew 10:39 NIV). In other words, if you want to find out what your life was really intended for, deny yourself. You&rsquo;ve heard the expression, &ldquo;Finders, keepers; losers, weepers.&rdquo; We could take what Jesus is saying and call it &ldquo;losers, keepers.&rdquo; The people who lose their lives, in reality, keep them.
Think of it in computer terms. Self-regard, self-image, self-love, self-worth, and self-esteem take up enormous storage space in our lives. They leave little capacity to operate efficiently in other important areas, especially when it comes to serving or having empathy for others.
Isaiah 1:17 says, &ldquo;Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows&rdquo; (NLT). But how can you do those things if your focus is on yourself?
You&rsquo;ll find no wavering in Paul&rsquo;s words in Philippians 3:7&ndash;9: &ldquo;I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.&nbsp;Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ&nbsp;and become one with him&rdquo; (NLT). He knew for certain that he had made the right decision in losing his life for Christ&rsquo;s sake.
People who &ldquo;lose&rdquo; their lives as Jesus instructed discover an amazing truth. God loves us far more than we can ever love ourselves. He knows far more than we do about what will bring us lasting fulfillment and joy. So when we sacrifice our self-interest for His sake, we gain far more than we lose.
&nbsp;
Reflection Question: What&rsquo;s been your experience in losing and finding your life in your walk with Christ?
<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>

 If you sacrifice your self-interest for the sake of Christ, you will find a lasting sense of purpose, fulfillment, and joy.

Powered By the Holy Spirit | Ephesians 5:18-19

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