WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.560 --> 00:00:05.719 This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, the audio broadcast ministry 2 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.519 of Pastor Rick Warren. Today, Pastor Rick continues in a 3 00:00:09.640 --> 00:00:13.880 series called Forty Days of Love. In these lessons, Rick 4 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:17.399 looks into the Bible to help you better understand God's 5 00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:20.839 great love for you and to empower you to love 6 00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:25.320 others the way Jesus does. But first, in just a bit, 7 00:00:25.559 --> 00:00:28.320 we'll tell you how to get Pastor Rick's Forty Days 8 00:00:28.359 --> 00:00:32.640 of Love Bible study with six video sessions and workbook. 9 00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:36.600 It's perfect for individual studying and also great to do 10 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:39.280 with a small group of friends. You can take a 11 00:00:39.320 --> 00:00:43.679 sneak peek by going to Pastorick dot com while you listen, 12 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:47.759 or just text the word hope to eight hundred, six 13 00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:51.520 hundred five thousand and four. That's the word hope to 14 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:56.240 eight hundred six hundred five thousand and four. Right now, 15 00:00:56.359 --> 00:00:59.280 here's Pastor Rick with the final part of a message 16 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:01.399 called it All about Love. 17 00:01:01.960 --> 00:01:04.760 Now, love has to become a lifestyle, the Bible says 18 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:09.879 in Hebrews, the Book of Hebrews, chapter thirteen, continue to 19 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:13.159 love each other with true Christian love. Continue means make 20 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:15.799 a habit of it, do it all the time. Don't 21 00:01:15.799 --> 00:01:18.480 make it a light switch. It goes on and off. 22 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:21.560 And so during forty Days of Love, we're going to 23 00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:25.040 learn the habits of love. You're going to learn some 24 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:27.799 new habits. Now, do you know how long it takes 25 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:33.200 to develop a good habit. Studies have shown that it 26 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:37.560 takes about six weeks to develop a good habit, that's 27 00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:42.680 about forty days. It is not an accident that we 28 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:47.200 choose to do these spiritual journeys on forty days because 29 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:50.439 study after study has shown it takes about three weeks 30 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:53.840 to start doing something every day to turn it into 31 00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:56.359 a habit you start getting comfortable with, and then it 32 00:01:56.400 --> 00:01:59.840 takes another three weeks or about six weeks, about forty 33 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:03.319 forty two days for you to really develop something and 34 00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:05.840 get it down in your life as a habit. And 35 00:02:05.879 --> 00:02:08.719 that's why for forty days we're going to be focusing 36 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:12.360 on the habits of love. Now, if you want to 37 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:16.039 get healthy physically, the first thing you do is you 38 00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:18.800 go to a doctor and you get a checkup, and 39 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:20.439 you go, what do I need to do before I 40 00:02:20.479 --> 00:02:22.400 start working out and all this kind of stuff, And 41 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:25.840 the doctor figures out where you need to work on, 42 00:02:26.039 --> 00:02:28.960 what you need to work on and then prescribes a 43 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:31.879 plan of action for you to get physically healthy. The 44 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:34.000 same is true in health and any other area of 45 00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:39.439 your life, including relationships. If you want to get healthy relationships, 46 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:41.840 you got to do a checkup. So I'm going to 47 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:45.080 ask all of us before we begin forty Days of Love, 48 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:49.159 to begin looking at our relationships and take a little 49 00:02:49.159 --> 00:02:52.280 self evaluation. It's there on your outline where we're going 50 00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:55.960 to assess our relationships. Kind of a little pretest that 51 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:58.759 we're going to do before we do anything else. Now, 52 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:02.759 the Bible says that up here on the screen, test 53 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:07.159 yourselves to make sure you're solid in the faith. Don't 54 00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:11.919 drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. 55 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:16.120 You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay that Jesus Christ 56 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:20.080 is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, 57 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:24.199 do something about it. I love that message. Paraphrase of 58 00:03:24.439 --> 00:03:27.680 two Corindon's thirteen to five. You know he says, you're 59 00:03:27.719 --> 00:03:32.039 doing this because you want to make progress. Now, let 60 00:03:32.120 --> 00:03:35.639 me be blunt with you, and let me be honest 61 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:38.919 with you. True confession. When I took the test we're 62 00:03:38.919 --> 00:03:40.919 about going to take together, I didn't do so good. 63 00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:41.159 On it. 64 00:03:42.199 --> 00:03:44.240 There were some areas I realized I needed a lot 65 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:47.599 of work. We all think we're very loving people, but 66 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:49.919 the truth is there's a lot of areas. I can 67 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:52.960 be quite self centered. I can be quite selfish. I 68 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:56.080 can think of myself and not my family or my staff, 69 00:03:56.360 --> 00:04:00.439 or you or anybody else. So I want to challenge 70 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:03.520 you to look at this and do a self analysis, 71 00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:07.080 because we're going to judge ourselves forty days from the day, 72 00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:10.759 and you're going to see the progress. I don't want 73 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:15.080 this next six weeks to just be six lessons on love. 74 00:04:16.360 --> 00:04:18.040 I don't know about you, but I want to be 75 00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:21.600 more loving. I personally want to be more loving. There's 76 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:23.480 a lot of areas I need to work one in 77 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:26.120 my life because one day I'm going to stand before 78 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:28.759 God and he's going to say, did you do the 79 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:30.879 two things that were most important of all? Did you 80 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:32.959 learn to love me with all your heart? And did 81 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:35.759 you learn to love other people not just your family? 82 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:40.000 And I want to be ready for that day. Would 83 00:04:40.040 --> 00:04:45.199 you welcome Pastor Tom Holliday. 84 00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:48.040 So let's just walk through this, just some quick evaluation. 85 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:51.000 How about with your parents? How is your relationship with 86 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:53.240 your parents right now? Just a quick evaluation. Would you 87 00:04:53.279 --> 00:04:56.959 say it's poor, it's great, It's somewhere in between. I 88 00:04:57.000 --> 00:04:59.519 know one person's three is another person's five. We're not 89 00:04:59.800 --> 00:05:03.360 of evaluating ourselves against each other and getting a score here, 90 00:05:03.399 --> 00:05:05.759 We're just saying, how is it going right now? By 91 00:05:05.800 --> 00:05:07.639 the way you say, well, my parents are dead, you 92 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:10.279 can improve your relationship with your parents even after they're dead, 93 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:13.040 and your attitude towards them and your thoughts towards them, 94 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:16.120 and so maybe there's some work to do there. How 95 00:05:16.120 --> 00:05:18.000 about those of you that aren't married but you want 96 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:21.040 to get married. Marriage is a God given desire. How 97 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:23.480 about your marriage prospects? Where would you say that those 98 00:05:23.519 --> 00:05:26.000 are right now? If you're not married and you want 99 00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:28.480 to get married. One of the things that we want 100 00:05:28.519 --> 00:05:30.279 to see happened during forty Days of Love as a 101 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:32.879 church is we want to help you in that. That's 102 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:35.040 what a church is. Where should you look to get married? 103 00:05:35.079 --> 00:05:36.680 If you want to get married as a believer in 104 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:38.519 a bar, is that the best place to look? I 105 00:05:38.519 --> 00:05:40.360 think the church is a great place to look. So 106 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:42.480 we're going to be talking about how we can become 107 00:05:42.600 --> 00:05:45.000 less selfish in our lives, how we can love in 108 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:47.800 a better way, and who knows what God might work out. Now, 109 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:49.920 those of you that are married, you shouldn't be filling 110 00:05:49.959 --> 00:05:51.839 this out. By the way, I see some of you wondering, 111 00:05:51.879 --> 00:05:53.800 right you should not be filling this out. This is 112 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:56.079 not cool. This is for those of you that are single. 113 00:05:56.680 --> 00:05:59.560 Just say where it's a one right now, it's a 114 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:02.040 nine right now? Just be praying for what God might 115 00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:04.800 want to do. Wouldn't it be great if during forty 116 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:06.720 Days of Love we had a lot of forty days 117 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:09.279 of love marriages that happened at saddleback, and then like 118 00:06:09.279 --> 00:06:11.120 two years later we had like a forty days of 119 00:06:11.120 --> 00:06:13.600 love baby boom. I mean, really, wouldn't that be That'd 120 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:16.480 be awesome. That'd be awesome. How about your spouse, those 121 00:06:16.519 --> 00:06:19.319 of you that are married, your husband, your wife, how's 122 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:22.160 your relationship right now? I know some of this can 123 00:06:22.199 --> 00:06:24.879 be brutal honesty, but the question is, how can I 124 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:27.920 take a relationship that's struggling and begin to see it grow? 125 00:06:27.959 --> 00:06:30.480 How can I take a relationship that's even good and 126 00:06:30.519 --> 00:06:34.600 make it even better? How about a relative And there's 127 00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:36.639 just a line there so you can write a name in. 128 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:38.759 It might be it might be a brother might be 129 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:41.600 a sister you'd like to relate to better during forty 130 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:43.360 days of Love. It might be an aunt or an uncle. 131 00:06:43.399 --> 00:06:46.399 Write their name in and then just quickly put here's 132 00:06:46.399 --> 00:06:49.560 where the relationship is. Or how about a co worker, 133 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:51.720 somebody at your work you've just matter, you've known for 134 00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:54.360 a long time, that you'd really like to work on 135 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:58.360 expressing love to them during forty days of Love. They've 136 00:06:58.439 --> 00:07:00.759 just been noticed by you late. You think that person 137 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:02.800 is in need of love, or I'd like to encourage 138 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:05.439 them with love, or we've been struggling and I'd like 139 00:07:05.439 --> 00:07:07.439 to love them in a better way. Write their name 140 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:09.920 down and say how things are going. Or how about 141 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:13.000 a neighbor. Jesus says, we're supposed to love our neighbors. 142 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:15.759 That's all of our neighbors. But what's the one specific 143 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:18.600 neighbor you'd like to really work on during forty days 144 00:07:18.600 --> 00:07:21.519 of Love in loving them in practical and specific ways. 145 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:25.319 Just rate yourself on that one, or how about this 146 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:29.040 next one. How about a different or difficult person in 147 00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:32.240 your life. Don't draw little arrows to them right now, Okay, 148 00:07:32.279 --> 00:07:36.920 if they happen to be sitting next to you. Somebody 149 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:40.839 who irritates you. Somebody that it's tough to love, Somebody 150 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:43.560 that justics doesn't respond when you try to love them. 151 00:07:43.639 --> 00:07:46.639 How about that kind of a person. Listen, God is 152 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:49.519 up to big challenges. And the person you think there 153 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:52.040 is no way I could love that person, write their 154 00:07:52.120 --> 00:07:54.319 name down and go ahead and put the one yeah, 155 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:56.560 it's not going good on that one. And then watch 156 00:07:56.600 --> 00:07:58.480 what God's going to do during forty days of Love. 157 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:01.720 And then there's one more line just for somebody that 158 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:03.480 we haven't mentioned. For a lot of you, it might 159 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:05.639 be one of your kids, might be your son or 160 00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:07.519 your daughter that you'd want to write in here. I'd 161 00:08:07.519 --> 00:08:09.480 really like to work on love and this one of 162 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:12.079 my kids during forty days of love. Write that in 163 00:08:12.199 --> 00:08:14.519 and where the relationship is right now, and then watch 164 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:17.319 what God's going to do. And God does work. He 165 00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:20.000 does great things. And here's the incredible thing with love, 166 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:24.120 a little bit of growth shows great impact in our lives. 167 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:26.720 Love is such a powerful thing that when I grow 168 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:30.920 a little bit, incredible wonderful things happen. Listen to this story. 169 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:34.200 It came in from a mom who felt overwhelmed by 170 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:38.000 her children, her schedule, her responsibilities, the busyness of her home. 171 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:42.039 She wrote in and said, all I seemed to do 172 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:45.480 was nag and bark at and scold my kids incessantly. 173 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:48.840 And when I looked at myself, I honestly saw a shrew. 174 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:52.399 In my tears, I cried out to God. And she 175 00:08:52.440 --> 00:08:57.000 was reading one Corinthians thirteen, and in reading that, she said, 176 00:08:57.080 --> 00:09:01.120 five words leaped out at me. Without love, I am nothing. 177 00:09:02.039 --> 00:09:03.799 So she wrote those words and put them on a 178 00:09:03.840 --> 00:09:06.519 refrigerator and her car and her mirror where she could 179 00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:09.080 see them all the time. And here's what she said. 180 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:12.960 I realized that the single most important thing I could 181 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:16.000 do was to love my family. And so I began 182 00:09:16.039 --> 00:09:18.440 to live my life by the love of Jesus. I 183 00:09:18.519 --> 00:09:22.559 began to run my home on love power. It was. 184 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:26.799 It was as transforming as when I accepted Christ into 185 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:31.480 my life. Focusing on love brought the happiness back into 186 00:09:31.519 --> 00:09:32.879 my life and my home. 187 00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:38.919 In some of Jesus' last words to his disciples, right 188 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:41.679 before he went to the cross, he's telling him the 189 00:09:41.799 --> 00:09:46.679 last minute instructions before he dies and resurrection goes back 190 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:49.919 to heaven. He's given him last minute instructions and he 191 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:55.559 says this, by this shall all men know that you 192 00:09:55.639 --> 00:10:00.240 are my followers, you're my disciples, that you love one another. 193 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:07.759 The mark of a true believer is love. He didn't 194 00:10:07.799 --> 00:10:11.120 say by this shalalman, No, you're a Christian. You have 195 00:10:11.159 --> 00:10:16.360 a bumper sticker on your car. No, the symbol of 196 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:20.519 a follower of Jesus is not a cross, it's not 197 00:10:20.600 --> 00:10:24.720 a fish, it's not a dove, it's not a crown. 198 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:29.440 The symbol of a genuine follower of Jesus is love. 199 00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:36.480 You're listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. Rick will be 200 00:10:36.519 --> 00:10:39.360 back in just a moment with the rest of today's lesson. 201 00:10:39.799 --> 00:10:42.519 If you've missed any part of today's teaching, you can 202 00:10:42.600 --> 00:10:49.000 listen online anytime at pastorick dot com. That's pastorick dot com. 203 00:10:49.159 --> 00:10:52.840 Jesus said there's nothing more important than loving God and 204 00:10:52.919 --> 00:10:56.519 loving others. That's why Pastor Rick created the Forty Days 205 00:10:56.519 --> 00:10:59.200 of Love Bible study that comes with a sixth session 206 00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:02.960 DVD in World. In these sessions, Rick helps you understand 207 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:06.000 how deep and wide God's love is for you and 208 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:09.799 reveals how you can enjoy happy and successful relationships with 209 00:11:09.879 --> 00:11:15.039 others by focusing on the spiritual principles of patience, kindness, truth, 210 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:19.480 and forgiveness. This resource is perfect for personal study, or 211 00:11:19.519 --> 00:11:21.440 you can invite a few friends over and do it 212 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:24.039 in a small group setting. And today, when you give 213 00:11:24.039 --> 00:11:26.720 a gift to share the love of Jesus with people 214 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:29.600 here and around the world, will send to you Pastor 215 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:32.720 Rick's forty Days of Love Bible study to say thanks. 216 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:36.879 Get yours now and experience more fulfilling relationships as you 217 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:40.200 live a life powered by the love of Jesus. Go 218 00:11:40.279 --> 00:11:43.240 to pastorik dot com right now to get your copy, 219 00:11:43.559 --> 00:11:46.519 or you can call eight hundred six hundred five zero 220 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:50.159 zero four that's pastoric dot com. Or call eight hundred 221 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:53.679 six hundred five zero zero four. Thank you so much 222 00:11:53.720 --> 00:11:56.039 for your support, and don't forget to let us know 223 00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:57.759 which radio station you heard us on. 224 00:12:03.320 --> 00:12:07.279 Now back to more from God's Word with Pastor Rick Warren. 225 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:11.360 Jesus said, one day you're going to be evaluated on 226 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:14.120 why God puts you on this planet for eighty years. 227 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:16.399 And He didn't put you here to live for yourself. 228 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:21.000 He put you here to learn some lessons to prepare 229 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:23.559 you for eternity. Did you learn to love God with 230 00:12:23.639 --> 00:12:26.000 all your heart? And did you learn to love your 231 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:29.600 neighbors yourself, that one has to take precedent over everything else. 232 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:33.480 Life is not about achievements. It is not about accomplishments. 233 00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:38.919 It is not about acquisition. It is about relationships. It's 234 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:42.759 why God puts you on this planet. Love is the 235 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:48.159 main thing. He said, Well, okay, I'm in. I want 236 00:12:48.200 --> 00:12:51.159 to become a great lover. I want to develop loving 237 00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:54.240 relationships more than anything else in my life. I want 238 00:12:54.279 --> 00:12:57.440 to be known that's the most loving person as that's 239 00:12:57.480 --> 00:13:00.279 the most loving person I've ever met. How do you 240 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:03.159 do it? Five things? If you write these down, we're 241 00:13:03.159 --> 00:13:05.480 going to look at these in detail in the weeks ahead. 242 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:07.919 This is just kind of like the index for forty 243 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:12.080 Days of Love. Number one. To become great at relationships, 244 00:13:12.440 --> 00:13:17.039 I must commit to growing. You don't become a great 245 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:21.559 lover accidentally. It is intentional. You're going to have to 246 00:13:21.639 --> 00:13:25.320 make a commitment. You devote yourself to it, You dedicate yourself, 247 00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:29.039 You commit, and we are committed to helping you grow. 248 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:32.360 And that's why we're doing forty Days of Love. Number two. 249 00:13:32.759 --> 00:13:37.600 I learn how Jesus did it. I learned how Jesus 250 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:42.360 did it. Jesus is the model of perfection in relationships 251 00:13:42.600 --> 00:13:45.039 because he was the son of God. He was perfect. 252 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:49.039 He's the only one who knew how to handle relationships perfectly. 253 00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:53.080 And we're going to look at this through several different ways. 254 00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:55.879 We're going to learn how Jesus did it. Through our ears, 255 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:58.679 through our eyes, through our mouth, through our hands, and 256 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:02.519 through our feet. We all learn in different ways. And 257 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:05.360 so part of forty Days of Love that involves hearing. 258 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:08.480 And you're gonna come and you're gonna hear your pastor 259 00:14:08.679 --> 00:14:13.080 teach on love for six weeks and you're gonna hear it. 260 00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:17.159 By the way, what is one Corinth in sixteenth fourteen? 261 00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:22.919 And everything you do, everything, it must be done with love. 262 00:14:23.399 --> 00:14:26.000 That's right. So we're gonna learn how Jesus did it. 263 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:27.600 The third thing we're gonna do is we're going to 264 00:14:27.720 --> 00:14:32.480 practice the skills. Practice the skills. That's how you become 265 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:36.679 great at relationships. You cannot become great at relationships if 266 00:14:36.759 --> 00:14:41.600 you are a hermit. You have to develop your life 267 00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:45.200 principle of love. You got to get out with people. 268 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:47.480 You know, we sing about love, we talk about love, 269 00:14:47.519 --> 00:14:49.559 we pray about love, we study about love, but do 270 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:52.639 we do it. No, we have to practice it. And 271 00:14:52.720 --> 00:14:55.600 so during forty Days of Love, we're going to help 272 00:14:55.639 --> 00:15:01.960 you start developing the love relationship of your existing relationships 273 00:15:02.200 --> 00:15:05.600 and improving those, taking the initiative to if you need 274 00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:07.799 to seek reconciliation, we're going to help you on that 275 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:10.759 some issues on existing relationships, and then we're going to 276 00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:14.720 help you expand your relationships to love people that you've 277 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:19.720 never loved before, because that's what God's watching and God 278 00:15:19.799 --> 00:15:22.559 sharing God's love with others. You see, this is what 279 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:27.720 makes Christianity different from every other faith. Christianity is a 280 00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:31.840 love based faith, not a law based faith, a love 281 00:15:32.159 --> 00:15:37.159 based faith. In every other religion, they treat the holiest 282 00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:40.960 person as the person who isolates themselves as a hermit, 283 00:15:41.320 --> 00:15:44.360 as a monk. They go up into the mountains and 284 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:47.080 they hide in a cave, and they don't get around 285 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:50.600 people who are even with can mean bad, nasty, and 286 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:52.480 we don't want to get touched by human beings. And 287 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:55.440 so the holiest people in many religions are the people 288 00:15:55.559 --> 00:15:59.639 who have no contact with others. They must be holy 289 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:03.480 because they only spend their time with God. Jesus taught 290 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:08.799 the exact opposite that the way you grow spiritually is 291 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:14.320 by getting with other people by practicing love, and Jesus 292 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:17.120 taught you've got to be at the marketplace. You've got 293 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:19.919 to be in the business. You've got to be in 294 00:16:19.960 --> 00:16:23.159 the party at the wedding and be their what Because 295 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:26.840 life is all about love, loving God, and loving other people, 296 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:29.440 and you can't do that unless you're around other people. 297 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:32.759 Some of you are going to have to spend less 298 00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:36.279 time in front of the computer screen where you're hiding 299 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:39.360 from others, and you're going to have to actually get 300 00:16:39.399 --> 00:16:43.000 in a small group. A small group is a laboratory 301 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:47.840 for love. You cannot learn love without being in relationships. 302 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:52.840 Number four, we're going to develop the habits. We're going 303 00:16:52.840 --> 00:16:55.840 to develop the habits, and you're going to learn some 304 00:16:55.919 --> 00:16:58.840 new habits over the next forty days, the habits of 305 00:16:58.879 --> 00:17:01.639 the heart. Very very excited about how this is going 306 00:17:01.720 --> 00:17:05.440 to change your life. And then number five, you need 307 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:09.880 to trust God to help trust God to help you 308 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:13.079 and to help make you more loving. Now, this is 309 00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:15.839 what makes what we're going to do different from every 310 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:19.759 other relational quote a seminar. If you go to a 311 00:17:19.799 --> 00:17:23.240 typical seminar and marriage your relationships to friendships, here's what 312 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:27.119 they do. They say, we're just going to try to 313 00:17:27.160 --> 00:17:31.319 be more loving. Oh that helps, Try to be more patient. 314 00:17:31.400 --> 00:17:34.400 That's a lot of advice, try to be more kind. 315 00:17:34.680 --> 00:17:37.000 If all I had to offer you was try harder, 316 00:17:37.640 --> 00:17:39.880 we wouldn't even be doing this because I tell you what, 317 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:43.400 trying doesn't work. It's not a matter of trying, it's 318 00:17:43.400 --> 00:17:46.640 a matter of trusting. Jesus said you are to love 319 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:48.799 others as I have loved you. You say I can't 320 00:17:48.839 --> 00:17:52.359 do that. You are right, you can't. You will fail. 321 00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:57.480 You fail with unconditional love, and so do I. What. 322 00:17:57.640 --> 00:18:00.559 The key to love is not you trying harder to 323 00:18:00.599 --> 00:18:03.720 be more loving. The key to love is letting Jesus 324 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:07.319 Christ love through you. It has experienced the love of 325 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:10.799 God in your heart, feel love, feel forgiven, feel grace, 326 00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:12.759 and then all of a sudden, you know what, it 327 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:17.720 just bubbles out of you. It's actually quite easy. It's 328 00:18:17.799 --> 00:18:21.279 letting Jesus Christ love through you. So it starts with 329 00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:24.000 getting him in your heart. You can't love like he 330 00:18:24.039 --> 00:18:28.000 did by just trying, not by imitating. It's letting his 331 00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:31.359 love flow through you. And that's what we're going to 332 00:18:31.400 --> 00:18:37.880 talk about. But it starts with a decision. Are you ready? Okay? Now? 333 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:41.039 On your outline. There's a verse Philippians one nine, and 334 00:18:41.079 --> 00:18:44.440 it closes with this. This is my prayer for you 335 00:18:45.480 --> 00:18:51.000 that your love will grow more and more, and that 336 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:54.000 you will have knowledge and understanding with your love, not 337 00:18:54.039 --> 00:18:58.039 an immature love, knowledge and understanding, an insightful love. And 338 00:18:58.079 --> 00:19:01.559 that is my prayer for you. That together we will 339 00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:05.640 be known as churches that love. And I want you. 340 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:07.519 I want to grow in love. I want you to 341 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:09.839 grow in love. I want our churches to grow in love. 342 00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:13.279 You see, what America and the world needs is not 343 00:19:13.400 --> 00:19:18.519 more theology. It's not no more oratory, it's not more programs. 344 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:21.440 What the church needs and what the world needs are 345 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:28.240 people who genuinely love. It's all about love. Let's bow 346 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:33.119 our heads and as I close, I want to invite 347 00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:35.359 you to follow me in this prayer in your heart. 348 00:19:36.079 --> 00:19:39.519 You don't have to say it aloud. Dear Jesus, I 349 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:43.440 want to be more loving. I want to work on 350 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:47.799 my relationships. I want to learn to love you with 351 00:19:47.880 --> 00:19:50.400 all of my heart, and I want to learn to 352 00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:54.440 love everybody else. I want to be known as the 353 00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:58.680 most loving person people know. And so I'm going to 354 00:19:58.759 --> 00:20:03.359 make it my my primary value in life. My number 355 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:06.720 one goal to learn to love you and to learn 356 00:20:06.759 --> 00:20:10.880 to love other people, because it's all about love. Lord, 357 00:20:10.920 --> 00:20:12.559 I've got a lot of hurts in my heart that 358 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:16.000 need to be healed. I need to be filled with 359 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:18.559 your love. I can't give to others what I don't feel. 360 00:20:18.920 --> 00:20:23.279 I need to feel forgiven. I need to experience your grace. 361 00:20:24.519 --> 00:20:28.240 I need to know your love so it can overflow 362 00:20:28.279 --> 00:20:32.839 out of my life into others. Replace my fears with 363 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:38.160 your love, replace my hurts with your peace. I want 364 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:41.119 to learn to know you and love you, Jesus Christ, 365 00:20:42.359 --> 00:20:45.279 and I want to be a loving person. In your name, 366 00:20:45.319 --> 00:20:47.039 I pray Amen. 367 00:20:50.759 --> 00:20:54.279 This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. If you've missed any 368 00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:56.920 part of this message, or if you'd like to find 369 00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:00.759 out more about Pastor Rick Warren in this ministry, just 370 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:05.720 visit Pastorerick dot com, where you can listen online anytime. 371 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:09.799 That's Pastor Rick with two rs inthemiddle dot com, and 372 00:21:09.880 --> 00:21:12.559 be sure to sign up for ricks free daily email 373 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:15.839 devotional while you're there. Rick will be back in just 374 00:21:15.960 --> 00:21:19.720 a moment, but first, one of the main reasons Pastor 375 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:22.839 Rick started Daily Hope was to share the hope of 376 00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:26.799 Jesus Christ with people around the world, and because of 377 00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:31.319 your prayers and financial gifts, we're now reaching over thirty 378 00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:35.759 five million people every month, but there are still billions 379 00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:38.920 of people who need to hear the good news. Would 380 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:42.400 you prayerfully consider giving a gift to Daily Hope today 381 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:46.519 to help reach even more people for Jesus Christ. And 382 00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:50.000 when you do, we'll send you Pastor ricks forty Days 383 00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:53.359 of Love video based Bible study to say thanks for 384 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:57.200 your support of this ministry. Here's Pastor Rick to tell 385 00:21:57.240 --> 00:21:57.680 you more. 386 00:21:58.279 --> 00:22:00.920 Jesus says that the two most important things you can 387 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:03.480 do while you hear on earth are to love God 388 00:22:03.480 --> 00:22:06.440 with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. 389 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:10.839 In other words, life is all about love now. As believers, 390 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:13.960 it's not just enough to talk about love, or to 391 00:22:14.039 --> 00:22:17.240 read about love, or to discuss love. We must show it. 392 00:22:17.279 --> 00:22:22.359 We must exhibit it by the way we treat other people. Now. 393 00:22:22.359 --> 00:22:24.759 The Bible says that we do this, we learn to 394 00:22:24.839 --> 00:22:29.079 be genuinely loving people by relying on the love that 395 00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:32.079 God has for us. That's why I put together a 396 00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:35.519 six session study kit called forty Days of Love. It 397 00:22:35.559 --> 00:22:39.279 includes a study guide and a six session DVD that 398 00:22:39.319 --> 00:22:42.079 will teach you the habits of a loving heart. Now, 399 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:44.640 you can go through it by yourself, but really, how 400 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:46.960 are you going to learn to love by yourself? You 401 00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:49.039