"And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil." John 3:19

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"And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil." John 3:19
—
<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

JOHN 3:19: And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.

When People Love Darkness | John 3:19

“O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past.” (Psalm 78:1–2 NLT)

Jesus’ twelve disciples had front-row seats to the most amazing three years in human history—the years of Jesus’ public ministry. They witnessed miracles that defied explanation. They heard the most profound truths ever spoken. They experienced life with the Son of God. They had access to the wisdom of the ages.

But it wasn’t all fish and loaves. Discipleship had its challenges, too. The constant crowd control. The sneering contempt of the Jewish religious establishment. The threat of arrest by Roman authorities.

One of the biggest challenges, though, had to be understanding Jesus’ parables. Often the disciples were the liaisons between Jesus and the people who came to hear Him speak. After one of His sermons or teaching sessions, those who couldn’t talk to Jesus Himself sought out His disciples. And it’s likely that one of the most frequently asked questions they fielded was, “What did Jesus mean by that parable?”

That may explain why, in Matthew 13:10, they asked Him the question that many people still ask today: “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” (NLT).

So why did Jesus speak in parables?

You can make the case that He understood the power of imagery and analogy. The story of a wayward son, a lost coin, or even a mustard seed is more memorable than a three-point presentation.

You can make the case that He wanted to open the eyes of His followers and help them see the world around them in a different way. To help them understand that there are spiritual truths to be found everywhere, even in things as mundane as a lost sheep or a barren fig tree.

Or you can search Jesus’ reply in Matthew 13:10–17. Jesus spoke in parables to give people with a spiritual hunger something to feed on—and to make it harder for those whose ears had grown dull—and whose hearts had grown hard—to understand His message.

But there’s another truth we can’t overlook. Jesus spoke in parables to fulfill the prophecy of Psalm 78. That’s why we read these words in Matthew 13:35: “This fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet: ‘I will speak to you in parables. I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world’” (NLT).

The more Jesus obscured certain parts of His message, the more clearly He revealed His identity. Anyone who had searched Scripture for prophecies of the Anointed One would have picked up on Jesus’ use of parables. And it stands to reason that those same people would have had “the ears to hear” the spiritual wisdom in those parables. That’s who Jesus was targeting. He spoke in parables because He wanted people to recognize Him as the Messiah.

Jesus’ principal adversaries were looking for a different kind of Messiah. They were looking for someone who would support their religious system and their chosen way of living, someone who would cater to their whims and conform to their wishes.

A lot of people today want Jesus, but they want Him on their own terms. They want the kind of Jesus who will not challenge them. So they do nothing to meet the living Savior. Don’t make that mistake. Embrace the challenge that Jesus offers. There is life in His words.

Reflection question: Which of Jesus’ parables speaks most loudly to you and why?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past.&rdquo; (Psalm 78:1&ndash;2 NLT)
Jesus&rsquo; twelve disciples had front-row seats to the most amazing three years in human history&mdash;the years of Jesus&rsquo; public ministry. They witnessed miracles that defied explanation. They heard the most profound truths ever spoken. They experienced life with the Son of God. They had access to the wisdom of the ages.
But it wasn&rsquo;t all fish and loaves. Discipleship had its challenges, too. The constant crowd control. The sneering contempt of the Jewish religious establishment. The threat of arrest by Roman authorities.
One of the biggest challenges, though, had to be understanding Jesus&rsquo; parables. Often the disciples were the liaisons between Jesus and the people who came to hear Him speak. After one of His sermons or teaching sessions, those who couldn&rsquo;t talk to Jesus Himself sought out His disciples. And it&rsquo;s likely that one of the most frequently asked questions they fielded was, &ldquo;What did Jesus mean by that parable?&rdquo;
That may explain why, in Matthew 13:10, they asked Him the question that many people still ask today: &ldquo;Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?&rdquo; (NLT).
So why did Jesus speak in parables?
You can make the case that He understood the power of imagery and analogy. The story of a wayward son, a lost coin, or even a mustard seed is more memorable than a three-point presentation.
You can make the case that He wanted to open the eyes of His followers and help them see the world around them in a different way. To help them understand that there are spiritual truths to be found everywhere, even in things as mundane as a lost sheep or a barren fig tree.
Or you can search Jesus&rsquo; reply in Matthew 13:10&ndash;17. Jesus spoke in parables to give people with a spiritual hunger something to feed on&mdash;and to make it harder for those whose ears had grown dull&mdash;and whose hearts had grown hard&mdash;to understand His message.
But there&rsquo;s another truth we can&rsquo;t overlook. Jesus spoke in parables to fulfill the prophecy of Psalm 78. That&rsquo;s why we read these words in Matthew 13:35: &ldquo;This fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet: &lsquo;I will speak to you in parables. I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world&rsquo;&rdquo; (NLT).
The more Jesus obscured certain parts of His message, the more clearly He revealed His identity. Anyone who had searched Scripture for prophecies of the Anointed One would have picked up on Jesus&rsquo; use of parables. And it stands to reason that those same people would have had &ldquo;the ears to hear&rdquo; the spiritual wisdom in those parables. That&rsquo;s who Jesus was targeting. He spoke in parables because He wanted people to recognize Him as the Messiah.
Jesus&rsquo; principal adversaries were looking for a different kind of Messiah. They were looking for someone who would support their religious system and their chosen way of living, someone who would cater to their whims and conform to their wishes.
A lot of people today want Jesus, but they want Him on their own terms. They want the kind of Jesus who will not challenge them. So they do nothing to meet the living Savior. Don&rsquo;t make that mistake. Embrace the challenge that Jesus offers. There is life in His words.
Reflection question: Which of Jesus&rsquo; parables speaks most loudly to you and why?
<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>

Jesus’ parables offer life-changing wisdom to those who understand them.

Speaking in Parables | Psalm 78:1–2

“And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!” (Isaiah 35:5–6 NLT)

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord, ate the forbidden fruit, and brought sin into God’s perfect creation. But sin wasn’t all they brought into the world. Suddenly, sickness and death became part of human existence.

When the Messiah came, then, what better way to reveal Himself than by showing His power over these misery-makers? And by giving a preview of His coming kingdom, where “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4 NLT).

Jesus showed His power over death when He rose from the grave on the third day after He was crucified. Before that, though, He showed His power over sickness and pain time and time again. Two thousand years later, it’s hard to understand how everyone who witnessed even one of Jesus’ miraculous healings wasn’t immediately and forever convinced that He is the Messiah.

As word spread of His healing power, people flocked to Him, pleading for relief from pain, sickness, and other afflictions. Only Jesus’ deft handling of crowds—and expectations—kept His healing ministry from overshadowing His message.

Jesus healed from a distance. He restored full movement to the paralyzed servant of a Roman centurion without going anywhere near the centurion’s home (see Matthew 8:5–13).

Jesus healed with a word. He relieved the suffering of a Canaanite woman’s daughter simply by telling the woman that her daughter was healed (see Matthew 15:22–28).

Jesus healed with a touch. He spit in the dirt and rubbed the resulting mud on the eyes of a blind man. When the blind man rinsed off the mud, he could see (see John 9:6–7). Jesus placed His hands on a leper to cure the man of his disease (see Mark 1:40–45).

Jesus healed the casualties of spiritual warfare. Several times in the Gospels, He drove demons from the bodies of people who were possessed.

Jesus healed when religious authorities didn’t approve. He miraculously took away the afflictions of a woman who had suffered a crippling condition for eighteen years (see Luke 13:10–17), a man who had been born blind (see John 9:1–41), Simon Peter’s ailing mother-in-law (see Mark 1:29–31), a man with a withered hand (see Mark 3:1–6), and others. But He did so on the Jewish day of rest. So rather than praise God for allowing them to witness such miracles, the religious leaders of the day criticized Jesus for doing too much work on the Sabbath.

Jesus heals today. And it’s okay to pray for that healing. Maybe you’re going through a time of suffering right now, and you’re saying, “Lord, it’s enough. Could you just make this stop? Could you get me through this? Could you bring an end to this?” It’s okay to pray that. And sometimes, the Lord will heal. But other times He will not do that. And it is in those times that He will walk with us through the suffering, and we will see Him on the other side.

Reflection question: When have you or someone you know experienced Jesus’ healing power?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!&rdquo; (Isaiah 35:5&ndash;6 NLT)
In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord, ate the forbidden fruit, and brought sin into God&rsquo;s perfect creation. But sin wasn&rsquo;t all they brought into the world. Suddenly, sickness and death became part of human existence.
When the Messiah came, then, what better way to reveal Himself than by showing His power over these misery-makers? And by giving a preview of His coming kingdom, where &ldquo;He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever&rdquo; (Revelation 21:4 NLT).
Jesus showed His power over death when He rose from the grave on the third day after He was crucified. Before that, though, He showed His power over sickness and pain time and time again. Two thousand years later, it&rsquo;s hard to understand how everyone who witnessed even one of Jesus&rsquo; miraculous healings wasn&rsquo;t immediately and forever convinced that He is the Messiah.
As word spread of His healing power, people flocked to Him, pleading for relief from pain, sickness, and other afflictions. Only Jesus&rsquo; deft handling of crowds&mdash;and expectations&mdash;kept His healing ministry from overshadowing His message.
Jesus healed from a distance. He restored full movement to the paralyzed servant of a Roman centurion without going anywhere near the centurion&rsquo;s home (see Matthew 8:5&ndash;13).
Jesus healed with a word. He relieved the suffering of a Canaanite woman&rsquo;s daughter simply by telling the woman that her daughter was healed (see Matthew 15:22&ndash;28).
Jesus healed with a touch. He spit in the dirt and rubbed the resulting mud on the eyes of a blind man. When the blind man rinsed off the mud, he could see (see John 9:6&ndash;7). Jesus placed His hands on a leper to cure the man of his disease (see Mark 1:40&ndash;45).
Jesus healed the casualties of spiritual warfare. Several times in the Gospels, He drove demons from the bodies of people who were possessed.
Jesus healed when religious authorities didn&rsquo;t approve. He miraculously took away the afflictions of a woman who had suffered a crippling condition for eighteen years (see Luke 13:10&ndash;17), a man who had been born blind (see John 9:1&ndash;41), Simon Peter&rsquo;s ailing mother-in-law (see Mark 1:29&ndash;31), a man with a withered hand (see Mark 3:1&ndash;6), and others. But He did so on the Jewish day of rest. So rather than praise God for allowing them to witness such miracles, the religious leaders of the day criticized Jesus for doing too much work on the Sabbath.
Jesus heals today. And it&rsquo;s okay to pray for that healing. Maybe you&rsquo;re going through a time of suffering right now, and you&rsquo;re saying, &ldquo;Lord, it&rsquo;s enough. Could you just make this stop? Could you get me through this? Could you bring an end to this?&rdquo; It&rsquo;s okay to pray that. And sometimes, the Lord will heal. But other times He will not do that. And it is in those times that He will walk with us through the suffering, and we will see Him on the other side.
Reflection question: When have you or someone you know experienced Jesus&rsquo; healing power?
<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>

Jesus’ power is greater than the power of sickness and death.

The Power to Heal | Isaiah 35:5–6

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.” (Isaiah 61:1–2 NLT)

The person speaking these words in Isaiah 61 is Jesus—seven hundred years before He was born. This is a prophecy about the Messiah. The speaker says, “The Lord has anointed me” (NLT). The word Messiah means “anointed one.”

Seven hundred years later, an audience at a synagogue in Nazareth was treated to an encore reading of these words by the original artist. The audience members just didn’t realize it at the time.

Luke tells us that after Jesus was baptized and tempted by the devil, He returned to Nazareth, the town where He grew up. As was His custom, He went to the synagogue to read Scripture and teach.

The passage He read was Isaiah 61:1–2. And then look what happened next: “He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. ‘The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!’” (Luke 4:20–21 NLT).

Translation: I am the Messiah!

The synagogue crowd didn’t need a translator to figure out what He was saying. As far as they were concerned, anyone who claimed to be the Messiah was guilty of blasphemy. They rushed Him as a mob and pushed Him out of the synagogue and toward the edge of the hill on which the city was built. They intended to kill Him, or at least harm Him. But that wasn’t God’s plan, so Jesus slipped away and continued His ministry—the work of the Messiah.

Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 61 throughout His ministry. When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask if Jesus was the Messiah, “Jesus told them, ‘Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor’” (Matthew 11:4–5 NLT).

Jesus identified closely with people in need. And He wants us to do the same. That’s the message of Matthew 25:34–40: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” (NLT).

If you only hang around with people who look like you and people you like, so what? That is no big accomplishment. Jesus said in Matthew 5, “If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that” (verses 46–47 NLT). It is when you love the unlovable that your love stands out.

Reflection question: What does having a heart for people in need look like in your life?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord&rsquo;s favor has come, and with it, the day of God&rsquo;s anger against their enemies.&rdquo; (Isaiah 61:1&ndash;2 NLT)
The person speaking these words in Isaiah 61 is Jesus&mdash;seven hundred years before He was born. This is a prophecy about the Messiah. The speaker says, &ldquo;The Lord has anointed me&rdquo; (NLT). The word Messiah means &ldquo;anointed one.&rdquo;
Seven hundred years later, an audience at a synagogue in Nazareth was treated to an encore reading of these words by the original artist. The audience members just didn&rsquo;t realize it at the time.
Luke tells us that after Jesus was baptized and tempted by the devil, He returned to Nazareth, the town where He grew up. As was His custom, He went to the synagogue to read Scripture and teach.
The passage He read was Isaiah 61:1&ndash;2. And then look what happened next: &ldquo;He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. &lsquo;The Scripture you&rsquo;ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!&rsquo;&rdquo; (Luke 4:20&ndash;21 NLT).
Translation: I am the Messiah!
The synagogue crowd didn&rsquo;t need a translator to figure out what He was saying. As far as they were concerned, anyone who claimed to be the Messiah was guilty of blasphemy. They rushed Him as a mob and pushed Him out of the synagogue and toward the edge of the hill on which the city was built. They intended to kill Him, or at least harm Him. But that wasn&rsquo;t God&rsquo;s plan, so Jesus slipped away and continued His ministry&mdash;the work of the Messiah.
Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 61 throughout His ministry. When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask if Jesus was the Messiah, &ldquo;Jesus told them, &lsquo;Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen&mdash;the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor&rsquo;&rdquo; (Matthew 11:4&ndash;5 NLT).
Jesus identified closely with people in need. And He wants us to do the same. That&rsquo;s the message of Matthew 25:34&ndash;40: &ldquo;Then the King will say to those on his right, &lsquo;Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.&nbsp;For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.&nbsp;I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.&rsquo;
&ldquo;Then these righteous ones will reply, &lsquo;Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?&nbsp;Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?&rsquo;&nbsp;And the King will say, &lsquo;I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!&rsquo;&rdquo; (NLT).
If you only hang around with people who look like you and people you like, so what? That is no big accomplishment. Jesus said in Matthew 5, &ldquo;If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that&rdquo; (verses 46&ndash;47 NLT). It is when you love the unlovable that your love stands out.
Reflection question:&nbsp;What does having a heart for people in need look like in your 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>

Jesus ministered to people in need, and He wants us to do the same.

When People Love Darkness | John 3:19

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