Daily Devotions with Greg Laurie – Thursday,
2 January 2014 – “Sent to Minister”
Are they not all ministering spirits sent
forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?(Hebrews 1:14)
Do each of us have a guardian angel? I
can't say for sure, but I do know this: Angels are involved in the lives of
Christians here on earth. The Bible says, "The angel of the Lord encamps
all around those who fear Him, and delivers them" (Psalm 34:7). We also
read that angels are "ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those
who will inherit salvation" (Hebrews 1:14). So the Bible teaches that we
have angels around us as Christians.
Jesus also made an interesting statement
when He was speaking about children: "Take heed that you do not despise
one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always
see the face of My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 18:10). So perhaps
children have guardian angels. I do think children need guardian angels. You
have to always keep your eye on them — especially when they're young. But
whatever the case, angels are involved in our lives.
When you had that close call, it may have
been an angel who intervened. Or when something stopped you suddenly, keeping
you out of harm's way, maybe it was an angel. But we are to properly give glory
to God for His protection because we aren't supposed to pray to angels or even
thank angels. They are there to do the work of God, like God's secret agents,
and we are to give the glory to God for what happens.
But what about when the accident does
take place? What about when the plane does go down? Where was the angel then?
I'll tell you where the angel was: escorting the believer into God's presence.
When things happen, when life ends
suddenly, it doesn't seem logical to us. But God is still in control. And the
angels did their job, guiding us, protecting us, and finally taking us to
glory.
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Today's Bible Reading:
Genesis The First Sin
and Its Punishment
3: Now the
serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God
had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree
in the garden’?” 2 The
woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 but God said,
‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the
garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” 4 But the
serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; 5 for God knows
that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,[a]knowing
good and evil.” 6 So
when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight
to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of
its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and
he ate. 7 Then
the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they
sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
8 They heard the
sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at
the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from
the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the
garden. 9 But
the Lord God called to the man, and said
to him, “Where are you?” 10 He
said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was
naked; and I hid myself.” 11 He
said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which
I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The
man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the
tree, and I ate.” 13 Then
theLord God said to the woman, “What is
this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”14 The Lord God
said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you among all animals
and among all wild creatures;
upon your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
cursed are you among all animals
and among all wild creatures;
upon your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
16 To the woman
he said,
“I will greatly increase your pangs in
childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children,
yet your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.”
in pain you shall bring forth children,
yet your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.”
17 And to the man[b] he said,
“Because you have listened to the
voice of your wife,
and have eaten of the tree
about which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
and have eaten of the tree
about which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
20 The man named
his wife Eve,[c] because she was the mother of
all living. 21 And
the Lord God made garments of skins for
the man[d] and for his wife, and clothed
them.
22 Then the Lord God
said, “See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now,
he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and
live forever”— 23 therefore
the Lord God sent him forth from the
garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.24 He drove out the man; and at the east of the
garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard
the way to the tree of life.
Cain Murders Abel
4: Now the man
knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have produced[e] a man with the help of theLord.” 2 Next
she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of
the ground. 3 In
the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an
offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel for
his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had
regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain
and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance
fell. 6 The Lordsaid to Cain, “Why are you angry, and
why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do
well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at
the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
8 Cain said to
his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.”[f]And
when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed
him. 9 Then
the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your
brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the Lord said,
“What have you done? Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the
ground! 11 And
now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your
brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When
you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a
fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to
the Lord, “My
punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Today you have
driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be
a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said
to him, “Not so![g] Whoever kills Cain will suffer
a sevenfold vengeance.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no
one who came upon him would kill him. 16 Then Cain went
away from the presence of the Lord, and settled
in the land of Nod,[h] east of Eden.
Beginnings of Civilization
17 Cain
knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch; and he built a city, and named
it Enoch after his son Enoch. 18 To
Enoch was born Irad; and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael the
father of Methushael, and Methushael the father of Lamech. 19 Lamech took
two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 Adah bore
Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who live in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother’s
name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 Zillah bore
Tubal-cain, who made all kinds of bronze and iron tools. The sister of
Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to
his wives:
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for striking me.
24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for striking me.
24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
25 Adam knew his
wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, for she said, “God has
appointed[i] for me another child instead of
Abel, because Cain killed him.” 26 To
Seth also a son was born, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to
invoke the name of the Lord.
Adam’s
Descendants to Noah and His Sons
5: This is the
list of the descendants of Adam. When God created humankind,[j] he made them[k] in the likeness of God.2 Male and female he created them, and he
blessed them and named them “Humankind”[l] when they were created.
3 When Adam had
lived one hundred thirty years, he became the father of a son in his likeness,
according to his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of
Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years; and he had
other sons and daughters. 5 Thus
all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years; and he died.
6 When Seth had
lived one hundred five years, he became the father of Enosh. 7 Seth lived
after the birth of Enosh eight hundred seven years, and had other sons and
daughters.8 Thus all the
days of Seth were nine hundred twelve years; and he died.
9 When Enosh had
lived ninety years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 Enosh lived
after the birth of Kenan eight hundred fifteen years, and had other sons and
daughters. 11 Thus
all the days of Enosh were nine hundred five years; and he died.
12 When Kenan had
lived seventy years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived
after the birth of Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years, and had other sons
and daughters.14 Thus all
the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died.
15 When Mahalalel
had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Jared. 16 Mahalalel
lived after the birth of Jared eight hundred thirty years, and had other sons
and daughters.17 Thus all
the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety-five years; and he died.
18 When Jared had
lived one hundred sixty-two years he became the father of Enoch. 19 Jared lived
after the birth of Enoch eight hundred years, and had other sons and daughters.20 Thus all the days of Jared were nine hundred
sixty-two years; and he died.
21 When Enoch had
lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked
with God after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years, and had other sons
and daughters. 23 Thus
all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked
with God; then he was no more, because God took him.
25 When
Methuselah had lived one hundred eighty-seven years, he became the father of
Lamech. 26 Methuselah
lived after the birth of Lamech seven hundred eighty-two years, and had other
sons and daughters. 27 Thus
all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years; and he died.
28 When Lamech
had lived one hundred eighty-two years, he became the father of a son; 29 he named him
Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has
cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the toil of our
hands.”30 Lamech lived
after the birth of Noah five hundred ninety-five years, and had other sons and
daughters. 31 Thus
all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy-seven years; and he died.
32 After Noah was
five hundred years old, Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Footnotes:
a. Genesis 3:5 Or gods
b. Genesis 3:17 Or to
Adam
c. Genesis 3:20 In Heb Eve resembles the word for living
d. Genesis 3:21 Or for
Adam
e. Genesis 4:1 The verb in Heb resembles the word for Cain
f. Genesis 4:8 Sam Gk Syr Compare Vg: MT lacks Let us go out to the field
g. Genesis 4:15 Gk Syr Vg: Heb Therefore
h. Genesis 4:16 That is Wandering
i. Genesis 4:25 The verb in Heb resembles the word for Seth
j. Genesis 5:1 Heb adam
k. Genesis 5:1 Heb him
l. Genesis 5:2 Heb adam
Luke The Birth of
Jesus
2: In those days
a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be
registered. 2 This
was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to
their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also
went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called
Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be
registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they
were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave
birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a
manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Shepherds
and the Angels
8 In
that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their
flock by night. 9 Then
an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around
them, and they were terrified. 10 But
the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news
of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born
this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah,[a] the Lord. 12 This will be a
sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a
manger.” 13 And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,[b] praising God and saying,
14 “Glory
to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”[c]
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”[c]
15 When the
angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,
“Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the
Lord has made known to us.” 16 So
they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the
manger. 17 When
they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who
heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary
treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it
had been told them.
Jesus Is Named
21 After
eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called
Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Jesus Is
Presented in the Temple
22 When
the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they
brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as
it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated
as holy to the Lord”), 24 and
they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a
pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
25 Now there was
a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;[d] this man was righteous and
devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit
rested on him.26 It had
been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he
had seen the Lord’s Messiah.[e]27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon[f] came into the temple; and when
the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under
the law, 28 Simeon[g] took him in his arms and
praised God, saying,
29 “Master,
now you are dismissing your servant[h] in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33 And the
child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon[i] blessed them and said to his
mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in
Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the
inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul
too.”
36 There was also
a prophet, Anna[j] the daughter of Phanuel, of the
tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven
years after her marriage, 37 then
as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped
there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment
she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child[k] to all who were looking for the
redemption of Jerusalem.
The Return to
Nazareth
39 When
they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to
Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The
child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon
him.
The Boy Jesus
in the Temple
41 Now
every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42 And
when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43 When the
festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in
Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.44 Assuming that he was in the group of
travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among
their relatives and friends. 45 When
they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46 After three
days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to
them and asking them questions. 47 And
all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.48 When his parents[l] saw him they were astonished;
and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look,
your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” 49 He said to
them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my
Father’s house?”[m]50 But they did not understand what he said
to them. 51 Then
he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother
treasured all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus
increased in wisdom and in years,[n] and in divine and human favor.
Footnotes:
a. Luke 2:11 Or the
Christ
b. Luke 2:13 Gk army
c. Luke 2:14 Other ancient authorities read peace, goodwill among people
d. Luke 2:25 Gk Symeon
e. Luke 2:26 Or the
Lord’s Christ
f. Luke 2:27 Gk In
the Spirit, he
g. Luke 2:28 Gk he
h. Luke 2:29 Gk slave
i. Luke 2:34 Gk Symeon
j. Luke 2:36 Gk Hanna
k. Luke 2:38 Gk him
l. Luke 2:48 Gk they
m. Luke 2:49 Or be
about my Father’s interests?
n. Luke 2:52 Or in
stature
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Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie
P.O. Box 4000
Riverside, CA 92514-4000 United States
Phone: 1(800)821-3300
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