“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?” (2 Corinthians 2:14–16 NLT)

Have you ever eaten something that tasted sweet going down but made you sick later? Let me restate the question: Have you ever eaten eight Krispy Kreme doughnuts in one sitting? I have. I got a little carried away. They were great going down. But less than 10 minutes later, I was asking, “What have I done?”

My gastronomical mistake reminds me of an unforgettable image from the apostle John’s vision in Revelation 10. In his vision, John asked an angel for a small scroll. When the angel gave him the scroll, he told John, “Yes, take it and eat it . . . It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!” (verse 9 NLT).

John continued, “So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach. Then I was told, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings’” (verses 10–11 NLT).

The message that we believe as Christians may seem sweet to us, but it’s bitter to others. We recognize it as God’s Word. We consume it as spiritual nourishment. Job said, “I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food” (Job 23:12 NLT). For Christians, a Bible study is like a feast. We love it. But for others, it’s misery and torment. They dislike it intensely.

The apostle Paul used another of the five senses to communicate a similar message:

“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?” (2 Corinthians 2:14–16 NLT)

Some people will hear the gospel message and say, “I love that. I believe it. I want Jesus in my life.” Other people will hear it and say, “Not only do I not like it, I hate it. And I hate you for saying it.”

Of course, we as believers have no way of knowing how someone will respond. So, we must share the gospel with as many people as we can. Whether they embrace it or reject it is up to them.

Reflection question: What are some things that make people react negatively to the gospel message?

The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! Stay updated on all important event details.

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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“Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair.” (Psalm 19:9 NLT)

Our customization culture tells us that we can have just about anything, exactly as we want it, as long as we’re willing to shell out the necessary dough. Unfortunately, many people try to carry that sense of privilege into their spiritual lives. They try to customize God.

They say things like, “I believe in a God who loves us, not in a God who judges us.” They act as though God can be reduced to a single attribute, as if all His perfections cannot exist in perfect harmony.

Those words sound good, especially to other would-be spiritual customizers. But they’re not grounded in biblical truth. When people say, “I believe in a nonjudgmental god,” what they’re really saying is, “I believe in a god who doesn’t care about right and wrong.” To put it more bluntly, they’re saying they believe in a god they just made up in their heads. They believe in a wish-fulfillment god.

The reality is that if God really is loving, then He also will be just. That’s what the Bible tells us. God’s perfect love makes Him a righteous judge. It cannot be separated from His perfect justice. The psalmist wrote, “Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair” (Psalm 19:9 NLT). There is no legitimate excuse for disobeying the Lord or for ignoring His gracious plan of salvation.

Know this: No one in Heaven deserves to be there. The apostle Paul wrote, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8–9 NLT).

Likewise, no one will be in Hell who does not deserve to be there. Just as no one will be in Heaven who went there unwillingly, no one will be in Hell who didn’t go there willingly.

God won’t force anyone into eternal life with Him. He won’t say, “Get up to Heaven right now!” You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. And He won’t violate His perfect justice to make exceptions for people who willingly choose to go to Hell.

I like the way J. I. Packer summed it up: “Scripture sees hell as self-chosen. . . . hell appears as God’s gesture of respect for human choice. All receive what they actually chose, either to be with God forever, worshipping him, or without God forever, worshipping themselves.”

How could a God of love send people to Hell? God does not desire that anyone perish, but people end up in Hell because they reject His offer of salvation. But if you ask God to forgive you of your sin, He will remove it from you and bring real change and transformation to your life. You will be born again.

Reflection question: How would you explain to an unbeliever that a person’s eternal destination is self-chosen?

The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! Stay updated on all important event details.

—

The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time: ‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.’” (Jonah 3:1–2 NLT)

Most believers have reasons not to evangelize. Some of these reasons might even seem compelling or legitimate. “I don’t want to make the friendship weird or awkward.” “I’m afraid I won’t be able to answer people’s questions.” “I don’t want to become a person that other people avoid.”

The Old Testament prophet Jonah had some pretty compelling reasons not to evangelize. At least, he thought they were compelling. He’d been given an assignment that no prophet in his day would have been excited about. God had called him to preach His Word in Nineveh, which was one of the most wicked cities on earth. The Ninevites were the enemies of Israel. Other prophets had warned Israel that one day the Assyrians would overtake them, and Nineveh just happened to be the capital of Assyria.

Jonah likely reasoned, “Wait a second! If I go and preach to them, they might repent. And if they repent, then God will spare them, and they will conquer us. But if I don’t preach to them, they won’t repent, and God will judge them. That will be one less enemy we have to deal with.”

So, Jonah tried to go in the opposite direction. He went down to Joppa, boarded a ship, and set sail for Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. He would have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had remembered the words of David, “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!” (Psalm 139:7 NLT).

You probably know the rest of the story. God sent a great storm that threatened the lives of everyone aboard the vessel. Jonah admitted that he was the cause of the storm and was tossed overboard: “The LORD had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17 NLT). Jonah repented, and the great fish—likely a whale—vomited him up on shore.

“Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time: ‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you’” (Jonah 3:1–2 NLT). This time, Jonah did what God had called him to do. God helped him recognize what all believers need to understand: The work of evangelism is far more important and pressing than any discomfort we may experience or any objections we may have.

We’ve been called to share the gospel, even with people we may not like. Nonbelievers aren’t the enemy; they’ve been taken captive by the god of this world to do what he wants them to do (see 2 Timothy 2:26). Until the end of our lives or until the Lord returns, our job is to reach them with the Good News of Christ.

Let’s embrace the work God’s given us so that others may experience His forgiveness, salvation, and love.

Reflection question: What seemingly compelling reasons might keep you from sharing the gospel?

The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! Stay updated on all important event details.

—

The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.