Riverside, California, United States - Harvest Ministry with Greg Laurie Daily Devotion for Thursday, 5 June 2014 "A Great Reunion"He chose to share the oppression of God's people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.(Hebrews 11:25)
A Christian father who was terminally ill called his three sons to his bedside. To his two sons who were believers, he said, "Good-bye, my sons. I will see you in the morning." Turning to his third son, he simply and sadly said, "Good-bye, my son."
The young man was deeply disturbed. He said, "Father, why is it you said to my brothers,
'I will see you in the morning,' and you only said to me, 'Good-bye, my son'? Why didn't you say you would see me in the morning, too?"
His father replied, "Son, you have never asked Jesus Christ into your heart to be your Savior and Lord. And that is what breaks my heart the most. I will never see you again." That son began to ask his father how he could be saved, how he could see his father again. His father told him how. And so he prayed and received Christ into his life. Then his father said, "Now our family will be together in eternity."
That can happen for everyone who has put their faith in Christ. It will be a great reunion one day in the future. But what does the unbeliever have to look forward to? Judgment after death and a miserable, empty life on earth. There might be some fun in sin — for a while. But payday comes. "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).
If you do not commit your life to Christ, ultimately you will look back on your life and realize that you wasted it. But don't wait until the end of your life to figure that out. Figure it out now.[Today's devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013]
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There will be a great reunion one day in the future for everyone who has done this. . . .
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Today's Bible Reading:
Proverbs 30:1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation:
the man says to Ithiel,
to Ithiel and Ucal:
2 “Surely I am the most ignorant man,
and don’t have a man’s understanding.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended?
Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has bound the waters in his garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if you know?
5 “Every word of God is flawless.
He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Don’t you add to his words,
lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.
7 “Two things I have asked of you;
don’t deny me before I die:
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies.
Give me neither poverty nor riches.
Feed me with the food that is needful for me;
9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, ‘Who is Yahweh?’
or lest I be poor, and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.
10 “Don’t slander a servant to his master,
lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.
11 There is a generation that curses their father,
and doesn’t bless their mother.
12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes,
yet are not washed from their filthiness.
13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes!
Their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
and their jaws like knives,
to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men.
15 “The leach has two daughters:
‘Give, give.’
“There are three things that are never satisfied;
four that don’t say, ‘Enough:’
16 Sheol,[a]
the barren womb;
the earth that is not satisfied with water;
and the fire that doesn’t say, ‘Enough.’
17 “The eye that mocks at his father,
and scorns obedience to his mother:
the ravens of the valley shall pick it out,
the young eagles shall eat it.
18 “There are three things which are too amazing for me,
four which I don’t understand:
19 The way of an eagle in the air;
the way of a serpent on a rock;
the way of a ship in the middle of the sea;
and the way of a man with a maiden.
20 “So is the way of an adulterous woman:
she eats and wipes her mouth,
and says, ‘I have done nothing wrong.’
21 “For three things the earth tremble,
and under four, it can’t bear up:
22 For a servant when he is king;
a fool when he is filled with food;
23 for an unloved woman when she is married;
and a servant who is heir to her mistress.
24 “There are four things which are little on the earth,
but they are exceedingly wise:
25 the ants are not a strong people,
yet they provide their food in the summer.
26 The conies are but a feeble folk,
yet make they their houses in the rocks.
27 The locusts have no king,
yet they advance in ranks.
28 You can catch a lizard with your hands,
yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29 “There are three things which are stately in their march,
four which are stately in going:
30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals,
and doesn’t turn away for any;
31 the greyhound,
the male goat also;
and the king against whom there is no rising up.
32 “If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself,
or if you have thought evil,
put your hand over your mouth.
33 For as the churning of milk produces butter,
and the wringing of the nose produces blood;
so the forcing of wrath produces strife.”
31:1 The words of king Lemuel; the revelation which his mother taught him.
2 “Oh, my son!
Oh, son of my womb!
Oh, son of my vows!
3 Don’t give your strength to women,
nor your ways to that which destroys kings.
4 It is not for kings, Lemuel;
it is not for kings to drink wine;
nor for princes to say, ‘Where is strong drink?’
5 lest they drink, and forget the law,
and pervert the justice due to anyone who is afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to him who is ready to perish;
and wine to the bitter in soul:
7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty,
and remember his misery no more.
8 Open your mouth for the mute,
in the cause of all who are left desolate.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
and serve justice to the poor and needy.”
10 [b]Who can find a worthy woman?
For her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her.
He shall have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works eagerly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships.
She brings her bread from afar.
15 She rises also while it is yet night,
gives food to her household,
and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field, and buys it.
With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard.
17 She arms her waist with strength,
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp doesn’t go out by night.
19 She lays her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her arms to the poor;
yes, she extends her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household;
for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes for herself carpets of tapestry.
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected in the gates,
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing.
She laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom.
Faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household,
and doesn’t eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed.
Her husband also praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain;
but a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands!
Let her works praise her in the gates!
Footnotes:
a. Proverbs 30:16 Sheol is the place of the dead.
b. Proverbs 31:10 Proverbs 31:10-31 form an acrostic, with each verse starting with each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in order.
Psalm 33:1 Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous!
Praise is fitting for the upright.
2 Give thanks to Yahweh with the lyre.
Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings.
3 Sing to him a new song.
Play skillfully with a shout of joy!
4 For Yahweh’s word is right.
All his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice.
The earth is full of the loving kindness of Yahweh.
6 By Yahweh’s word, the heavens were made;
all their army by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap.
He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear Yahweh.
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spoke, and it was done.
He commanded, and it stood firm.
10 Yahweh brings the counsel of the nations to nothing.
He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.
11 The counsel of Yahweh stands fast forever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh,
the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.
13 Yahweh looks from heaven.
He sees all the sons of men.
14 From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions all of their hearts;
and he considers all of their works.
16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an army.
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a vain thing for safety,
neither does he deliver any by his great power.
18 Behold, Yahweh’s eye is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his loving kindness;
19 to deliver their soul from death,
to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul has waited for Yahweh.
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart rejoices in him,
because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Let your loving kindness be on us, Yahweh,
since we have hoped in you.
Ephesians 1: 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God,
to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love; 5 having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved, 7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him 10 to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him; 11 in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will; 12 to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ: 13 in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory. 15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which you have toward all the saints, 16 don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; 18 having the eyes of your hearts[a] enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might 20 which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. 22 He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Footnotes:
a. Ephesians 1:18 TR reads “understanding” instead of “hearts”
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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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