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 00:00:56.399 --> 00:00:59.240 here's Pastor Rick with part two of a message called 16 00:00:59.479 --> 00:01:00.960 It's All All about Loves. 17 00:01:02.039 --> 00:01:04.719 So during forty Days of Love, we're gonna have to 18 00:01:04.760 --> 00:01:08.840 do some healing in your heart because you have been 19 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:13.760 hurt in life. You've been hurt by parents, or you've 20 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:18.439 been hurt by peers on school, or you've been hurt 21 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:25.400 by professionals. Are you been hurt by partners? Maybe some 22 00:01:25.439 --> 00:01:29.560 of you have been abused, or you've been misused, or 23 00:01:29.560 --> 00:01:33.719 you've been rejected, or you've been abandoned, or you've been betrayed, 24 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:37.400 and you've got some scabs on your heart, and we're 25 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:40.519 gonna have to do some gentle surgery on your heart 26 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:45.480 because you can't love others until you feel loved. 27 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:46.560 Let me say that again. 28 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:48.640 We're gonna have to come back to this several times 29 00:01:49.280 --> 00:01:52.519 this in the next forty days. You cannot give to 30 00:01:52.599 --> 00:01:57.400 others what you have not received yourself. You cannot give 31 00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:05.560 to others what you don't possess. Unlovely people are unloved people, 32 00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:11.400 Hurt people, hurt people. It's like a bottle of toothpaste. 33 00:02:11.439 --> 00:02:13.199 When you squeeze a bottle of toothpaste, what's going to 34 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:18.120 come out? Whatever is inside it. And if you're filled 35 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:20.639 with anger and you're filled with impatience and you don't 36 00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:23.000 feel loved, guess what, You're not gonna be able to 37 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:27.360 love anybody else. So you have to learn how much 38 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:30.840 God loves you and experience that and let it heal 39 00:02:30.919 --> 00:02:34.599 your heart so His love can flow through you. It 40 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:39.400 is impossible to love others until you really feel love yourself. 41 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:43.520 So during forty Days of Love, we're gonna work on this. 42 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:45.840 We're going to experience it, and I want you to 43 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:50.599 feel the love of transforming love that comes from God. 44 00:02:50.919 --> 00:02:55.840 First John four sixteen says this, we know and we 45 00:02:55.960 --> 00:02:59.439 rely on the love that God has for us. Do 46 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:01.960 you know the love of God? And do you rely 47 00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:04.719 on the love of God for you? If you don't, 48 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:07.479 you have a hard time love on other people. Oh, 49 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:10.080 it's easy to love people who love you, that's no problem. 50 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:12.960 I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about loving the unlovely, 51 00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:16.120 loving the difficult, loving the irritable, loving the people who 52 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:19.719 are different, who are demanding, loving people all around you 53 00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:23.520 who you don't feel like loving. You can't do that 54 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:28.199 until you have God's love coming through you. Love happens 55 00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:31.759 because we are loved by God. Now, Number two, the 56 00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:34.479 second thing that the Bible teaches us is that love 57 00:03:34.919 --> 00:03:39.159 is a choice. Love is a choice and it is 58 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:43.000 a commitment. It is a choice and it is a commitment. 59 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:46.719 You choose to love or you choose not to love. 60 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:48.039 It is a choice. 61 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:51.759 You see, today, we've bought into this myth that love 62 00:03:51.960 --> 00:03:55.319 is uncontrollable, that you really can't control it. It just 63 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:58.599 kind of happens to you. No, that's not true. Love 64 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:01.479 is a choice and love is commitment. In fact, even 65 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:06.080 the language we use is this language that it's uncontrollable. 66 00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:10.479 We say I fell in love like it was a ditch, 67 00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:12.800 you know. 68 00:04:13.080 --> 00:04:14.360 I was just walking along. 69 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:15.960 One day and I was like coman, you know, I 70 00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:17.079 fell in love. 71 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:20.519 I couldn't help myself. I'm sorry I fell in love. 72 00:04:20.759 --> 00:04:23.800 That's not love. Now. 73 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:30.160 Attraction is uncontrollable, no doubt about it, and arousal is uncontrollable, 74 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:33.480 no doubt about it. But our attraction and arousal are 75 00:04:33.519 --> 00:04:37.480 not love. They could lead to love, but they are 76 00:04:37.519 --> 00:04:42.439 not love. Love is a choice. This last week I 77 00:04:42.439 --> 00:04:45.160 don't get to do weddings anymore, But this last week 78 00:04:45.240 --> 00:04:50.879 I did a wedding for my personal associate, my assistant, Steve, 79 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:55.560 and he and his fiancee Nicole stood right here on 80 00:04:55.560 --> 00:04:59.240 this stage and they made choices, and they made commitments 81 00:04:59.800 --> 00:05:00.600 in and their vows. 82 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:01.399 They said to each. 83 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:03.959 Other, I choose you above everybody else in the world, 84 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:06.720 and I choose you for the rest of my life. 85 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:10.920 That's a choice, and that's a commitment. Now, you can't 86 00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:13.839 force somebody to fall in love with you, and you 87 00:05:13.879 --> 00:05:15.439 can't force them to stay in. 88 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:17.920 Love with you. Why Because love is a choice. 89 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:23.040 Love cannot be forced, and this is true of all relationships. 90 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:28.800 It is a choice. Notice this verse Deuteronomy, chapter thirty. 91 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:34.279 Choose to love the Lord your God and commit yourself 92 00:05:34.439 --> 00:05:40.000 to him. Now, that same principle there is true about 93 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:43.399 all relationships. You must choose to love God. God is 94 00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:44.800 going to force you to love him. You can fund 95 00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:47.079 your nose to God and go a total different way. 96 00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:48.959 You can destroy your life if you want to. God 97 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:52.959 won't force you to love him because love can't be forced. 98 00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:54.720 Love is a choice. 99 00:05:54.839 --> 00:05:57.720 But, as it says, choosed, I have chosen to love 100 00:05:57.759 --> 00:06:00.800 God and I've chosen to commit myself to him. 101 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:02.279 It's the same thing with everything else. 102 00:06:02.360 --> 00:06:04.800 I choose to love you, and I choose to commit 103 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:05.839 myself to you. 104 00:06:06.040 --> 00:06:08.199 Love is a choice and is a commitment. 105 00:06:08.839 --> 00:06:12.199 Now, when people say, well, I just don't love her anymore, 106 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:16.720 as if you don't have any choice, No, just be 107 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:19.240 a man, own up to it. You're choosing not to 108 00:06:19.319 --> 00:06:24.000 love her anymore. Given the right circumstance, any two people 109 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:26.879 could quote fall in love. But love is a choice, 110 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:32.040 and you can choose to love anybody, and you can 111 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:34.279 choose not to love anybody. So when you say, well 112 00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:36.600 I don't love him anymore, I don't love her anymore, 113 00:06:37.319 --> 00:06:40.959 Well that's your choice, but don't blame it on circumstances. 114 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:46.560 You are choosing not to love. It's a choice. Number three. 115 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:52.600 Love is an action, not just emotion. Love is an action, 116 00:06:53.279 --> 00:06:57.639 not just emotion. Now, as I said, it's more than 117 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:02.839 a traction, it's more than a rouse. It's more than sentimentality. 118 00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:06.240 You know today the songs of love are. You know, 119 00:07:06.279 --> 00:07:10.279 I've got to quiver in my liver. You know, it's 120 00:07:10.319 --> 00:07:14.600 an ocean of emotion. Well, when the emotion is gone, 121 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:17.279 does that mean love is dead? No, not at all, 122 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:22.000 Because love is an action, it's something you do. Love 123 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:26.319 is a behavior. Now, love can cause emotion. In fact, 124 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:29.920 it causes the strongest emotions in human beings. It can 125 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:33.639 create emotion, It can cause emotion, it can produce emotion. 126 00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:39.920 But love is not an emotion. Why why do you 127 00:07:39.959 --> 00:07:42.680 say that, Well, in the first place, in the Bible, 128 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:46.120 over and over, we are commanded by God to love 129 00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:51.800 each other. And you cannot command an emotion. If I 130 00:07:51.879 --> 00:07:57.240 told you right now be sad, well, you can't just 131 00:07:57.439 --> 00:08:01.680 be sad on cue. You can fake it, but you 132 00:08:01.720 --> 00:08:03.680 can't command you know. Have you as a parent, have 133 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:05.519 you ever told a little kid, I command you to 134 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:05.959 be happy. 135 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:08.439 I'll try you, daddy. 136 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:14.519 You just can't command an emotion. Emotions are often uncontrollable, 137 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:18.439 and if love was just an emotion, then God couldn't 138 00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:24.360 command it. But love is something you do. It produces emotion, 139 00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:28.360 but it is an action. In fact, the Bible says 140 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:32.480 this first John, chapter three, verse eighteen. Let us love 141 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:35.639 not with words or tongue, in other words, just talk 142 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:40.200 about it, but with action and in truth. You know 143 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:42.519 you can talk a good action. So oh, I love 144 00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:44.759 people I love, But do you really love them? Let's 145 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:47.440 see how you act toward them. It's like the girlfriend 146 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:49.679 who said to her boyfriend, you know he's always saying, 147 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:52.000 he said, honey, I die for you, I die for you. 148 00:08:52.039 --> 00:08:53.799 She said, you always say that, but you never do it. 149 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:02.440 You're listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope Rip will be 150 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:05.320 back in just a moment with the rest of today's lesson. 151 00:09:05.799 --> 00:09:08.480 If you've missed any part of today's teaching, you can 152 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:15.000 listen online anytime at Pastorick dot com. That's Pastorick dot com. 153 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:18.799 Jesus said there's nothing more important than loving God and 154 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:22.480 loving others. That's why Pastor Rick created the Forty Days 155 00:09:22.519 --> 00:09:25.240 of Love Bible Study that comes with a six session 156 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:28.919 DVD in workbook. In these sessions, Rick helps you understand 157 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:31.960 how deep and wide God's love is for you and 158 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:35.799 reveals how you can enjoy happy and successful relationships with 159 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:41.000 others by focusing on the spiritual principles of patience, kindness, truth, 160 00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:45.440 and forgiveness. This resource is perfect for personal study, or 161 00:09:45.480 --> 00:09:47.399 you can invite a few friends over and do it 162 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:50.000 in a small group setting. And today, when you give 163 00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:52.679 a gift to share the love of Jesus with people 164 00:09:52.759 --> 00:09:55.919 here and around the world, Wilson to you Pastor Rick's 165 00:09:56.080 --> 00:09:59.200 forty Days of Love Bible Study to say thanks. Get 166 00:09:59.240 --> 00:10:03.159 yours now and experience more fulfilling relationships as you live 167 00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:06.360 a life powered by the love of Jesus. Go to 168 00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:09.600 Pastorick dot com right now to get your copy, or 169 00:10:09.639 --> 00:10:12.159 you can call eight hundred at six hundred eight five 170 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:15.759 zero zero four that's Pastorick dot com. Or call eight 171 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:19.120 hundred six hundred at five zero zero four. Thank you 172 00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:21.679 so much for your support, and don't forget to let 173 00:10:21.799 --> 00:10:23.720 us know which radio station you heard us on. 174 00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:33.279 Now back to more from God's Word with Pastor Rick Warren. 175 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:35.879 You know you can talk a good action, so oh, 176 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:38.159 I love people I love, But do you really love? Well, 177 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:40.679 let's see how you act toward them. It's like the 178 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:43.360 girlfriend who said to her boyfriend, you know he's always saying, 179 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:45.679 he said, honey, I die for you, I die for you. 180 00:10:45.720 --> 00:10:46.639 She said, you always say that. 181 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:47.519 But you never do it. 182 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:55.639 Love is something you do. Now, let me say a 183 00:10:55.679 --> 00:11:00.399 couple of things about love and action. Actually, acting in 184 00:11:00.440 --> 00:11:04.159 love when you don't feel it is the highest form 185 00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:09.600 of love. It's actually a more mature love when you 186 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:12.879 act loving toward a person when they're not responding to 187 00:11:12.960 --> 00:11:16.000 you or you don't feel it. I mean, it's easy 188 00:11:16.039 --> 00:11:19.120 to love somebody who loves you. That's nothing, that takes 189 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:22.840 nothing at all. But real love acts and does the 190 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:25.759 loving thing when they don't deserve it, when they don't 191 00:11:25.799 --> 00:11:31.240 respond or when you don't feel it. Anybody who's had 192 00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:35.639 children knows that when they're growing up as babies, as 193 00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:38.720 little babies, and you get up five or six times 194 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:39.799 in the night to take care of. 195 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:42.120 That little baby. You don't do it because you feel 196 00:11:42.159 --> 00:11:47.240 like it. I think I'll get up again. I've had 197 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:48.200 too much sleep. 198 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:51.519 I think I'll just get up again and go check 199 00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:55.279 on that baby. No, you do it because you feel 200 00:11:55.320 --> 00:11:55.559 like it. 201 00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:58.240 No, you do it because it's the loving thing to do. 202 00:11:59.480 --> 00:12:04.080 Anytime you've held a sick pen for a loved one 203 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:09.399 who was nauseated, you didn't feel like doing that, but 204 00:12:09.480 --> 00:12:13.440 it's what they needed, and you were being loving when 205 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:17.000 they were sick. You were giving them what they needed, 206 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:18.639 not what you felt like doing. 207 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:20.440 That is the ultimate form of love. 208 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:25.360 When you are patient with somebody who's irritable, a clerk 209 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:28.759 who's being a jerk, and every bone in your body 210 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:32.679 wants to be sarcastic back to them, and you respond 211 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:36.159 in kindness and politeness and in love to that clerk 212 00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:39.080 who's being a jerk, and you're giving them not what 213 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:40.600 they deserve, but what they need. 214 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:41.559 That's love. 215 00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:45.639 When you do the loving thing, when you come home 216 00:12:45.679 --> 00:12:48.200 at night and you're as tired as everybody else is, 217 00:12:49.879 --> 00:12:52.960 but you do the loving thing not because you feel 218 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:54.720 like doing it, but you do it out of love. 219 00:12:54.919 --> 00:12:58.279 That's ultimate love. Does that make sense? So love is 220 00:12:58.279 --> 00:13:00.759 an action more than an emotion. In fact, the Book 221 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:02.759 of James James says, you know, if you do all 222 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:05.399 this big talk about love and all this talk about faith, 223 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:07.720 but you don't follow it up with actions, it's worthless. 224 00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:11.960 What good is that? It doesn't matter. The second thing 225 00:13:11.960 --> 00:13:14.720 I'd say about love is action, is that it is 226 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:18.759 always easier to act your way into a feeling than 227 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:21.399 it is to feel your way into an action. 228 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:23.879 Let me say that again. 229 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:27.799 It's always easier to act yourself into a loving feeling 230 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:31.279 instead of waiting for the feeling to come and then 231 00:13:31.320 --> 00:13:34.519 you're going to act loving. Some of you have been 232 00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:36.679 in marriages for a long time, and the truth is 233 00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:40.080 the flame's gone out and the thrill is gone, and 234 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:43.960 you're living separate lives in the same house. How do 235 00:13:44.039 --> 00:13:47.840 you rekindle that romance? How do you rekindle the feeling 236 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:51.960 of love? You act your way into a feeling. Now, 237 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:54.679 if you say, now, when I don't feel like acting 238 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:57.440 loving toward him, well so what or I don't feel 239 00:13:57.440 --> 00:14:01.480 like acting loving toward her? If you start acting in love, 240 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:07.120 I guarantee you the feelings follow, because feelings follow behavior. 241 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:11.879 In the Book of Revelation, Jesus says to the church, 242 00:14:12.440 --> 00:14:15.879 you have left your first love, and then he says 243 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:19.360 three things. So remember what it was like at first. 244 00:14:19.720 --> 00:14:20.120 Repent. 245 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:22.799 That means change your mind and do the things you 246 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:25.559 did at the start. And what he tells the church 247 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:27.440 is the same thing for renewing the love in a 248 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:31.679 marriage or any other relationship. You remember, you repent, and 249 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:33.679 you do the things you did at first. The reason 250 00:14:33.720 --> 00:14:36.000 the love went away is you stop doing the things 251 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:41.720 that created the love feelings in the early days. Now, 252 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:43.840 if you say, well, I wait till I feel romantic 253 00:14:43.879 --> 00:14:47.000 to be romantic is never going to happen. It's kind 254 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:47.720 of like prayer. 255 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:48.600 You know. 256 00:14:48.679 --> 00:14:50.759 If the only time I pray is when I feel 257 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:55.799 like it, the devil makes sure I never feel like it. Actually, 258 00:14:55.879 --> 00:14:57.879 I need to pray when I don't feel like it. 259 00:14:57.919 --> 00:15:00.759 In fact, that's when I need it the most. When 260 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:03.519 I don't feel like praying, that's when I really need 261 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:07.360 to pray. And actually, when I don't feel loving. This 262 00:15:07.799 --> 00:15:11.399 is a test. God is saying, are you going to 263 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:13.879 learn to love me and to love other people when 264 00:15:13.919 --> 00:15:17.320 you don't feel like it. God doesn't want you living 265 00:15:17.320 --> 00:15:19.519 by your feelings. He wants you living by faith, so 266 00:15:19.559 --> 00:15:21.840 you know what he does. Sometimes he lets the feelings 267 00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:25.639 go away, and then you have to love by faith 268 00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:29.399 and live by faith. And when you love somebody and 269 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:33.000 do the loving thing, even when they're not responding, and 270 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:36.559 even maybe when they're retaliating, you are loving by faith. 271 00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:40.240 And that is an action. You act your way into 272 00:15:40.279 --> 00:15:42.919 a feeling, not vice versa. Now you say, well, I 273 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:45.240 don't feel very loving, Well, so what just do the 274 00:15:45.320 --> 00:15:48.159 right thing during the forty Days of Love. 275 00:15:48.679 --> 00:15:51.320 That means we're going to have some practical assignments for 276 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:51.720 you to do. 277 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:55.360 You don't learn to love by listening to a sermon, 278 00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:58.200 and you don't learn to love simply by reading a book, 279 00:15:58.399 --> 00:16:01.159 and you don't learn to love simply by going to 280 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:04.200 a small group and discussing and watching some videos. Those 281 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:06.679 are all helpful things, but you actually learn to love 282 00:16:07.240 --> 00:16:10.799 by practicing it, by doing it. And so we're gonna 283 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:14.000 have some assignments for you to do each week to 284 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:16.919 help you practice learning how to love. 285 00:16:17.799 --> 00:16:18.559 And that brings me. 286 00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:20.759 To the fourth thing the Bible teaches us about love. 287 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:25.679 The Bible says that love is a skill. It is 288 00:16:25.720 --> 00:16:29.440 a skill, it's something you can get good at now. 289 00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:34.159 You may think you're a good lover, but I'm talking 290 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:42.080 about becoming a great lover, a skilled lover, a master lover, 291 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:46.080 learning to love. Like most people never learn how to love. 292 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:49.600 Love is a skill that can be learned. I can 293 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:52.200 learn it. Did you know that? Did you know that 294 00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:55.480 love can be learned? And you can get good at it, 295 00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:58.320 and you can get better at it, and you can 296 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:02.679 become an expert at relationships. And God wants you to 297 00:17:02.679 --> 00:17:06.000 become a skilled lover. We want our church to be 298 00:17:06.200 --> 00:17:10.079 known as the most loving church around. We don't want 299 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:13.440 saddleback Church to be known for, well, that's the big church, 300 00:17:13.559 --> 00:17:16.960 or that's the church that has the good music or whatever. 301 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:21.039 We want that people say, that's the church where they love. 302 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:24.279 And they don't care who you are or what you 303 00:17:24.359 --> 00:17:26.559 look like, or where you've been or what you've done, 304 00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:27.599 or where you're from. 305 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:29.000 They love you there. 306 00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:31.880 And not only do they love you there, they teach 307 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:35.119 you how to love. And So what we're going to 308 00:17:35.200 --> 00:17:36.440 do for the next forty days is. 309 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:39.640 Have some lessons on loving Now. 310 00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:43.359 The Bible says this and one John four seven, Dear friends, 311 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:47.759 let us practice loving each other circle the word practice. 312 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:50.599 The only way you get skilled at something is you 313 00:17:50.680 --> 00:17:52.799 practice it. You do it over and over, and the 314 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:54.960 first time you do it feels awkward, and the more 315 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:56.680 you do it, you get better and better at it. 316 00:17:57.319 --> 00:17:58.359 Same as to you with love. 317 00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:02.759 Let us practice loving each other, and we're going to 318 00:18:02.839 --> 00:18:05.799 practice during these forty days, for love comes from God, 319 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:09.599 and those who are loving and kind show that they 320 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:12.359 are the children of God and that they're getting to 321 00:18:12.440 --> 00:18:14.720 know Him better. He said, it's proof that you're really 322 00:18:14.759 --> 00:18:16.720 a believer, that you're in the family of God, that 323 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:19.559 you're saved, he says. The proof is that you love 324 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:24.559 other people. He says, let us practice this skill. Now, 325 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:28.039 we're going to practice that. In fact, in one Timothy 326 00:18:28.279 --> 00:18:33.119 four fifteen, let's read this one aloud. Together, practice these 327 00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:39.440 things and devote yourself to them in order that your progress. 328 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:40.640 May be seen by all. 329 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:42.799 In just a minute, we're going to set up a 330 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:46.359 little example of how we're going to measure our progress 331 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:49.920 between today and between the end of the forty days 332 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:52.799 of purpose journey, because I want you to be able 333 00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:57.039 to see your progress in love if you will do 334 00:18:57.279 --> 00:18:59.279 the things that we ask you to do during these 335 00:18:59.319 --> 00:19:02.119 forty days, not just to tend and listen. But if 336 00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:06.440 you'll do all the different assignments, I guarantee you will 337 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:09.799 become a better lover. You will become a more loving man, 338 00:19:09.880 --> 00:19:13.079 you will become a more loving woman. Your character will 339 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:17.240 be transformed, and you will see your progress. But it 340 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:19.920 says in order to see that progress, it said, you've 341 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:23.200 got to practice, and you've got to devote. You've got 342 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:25.319 to make the commitment to do it, and you then 343 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:27.160 you have to to practice it. 344 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:28.720 Now. The fifth thing. 345 00:19:28.759 --> 00:19:31.880 That the Bible teaches about love is that love is 346 00:19:31.880 --> 00:19:38.160 a habit. It is a habit. You can't claim to 347 00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:46.000 be a loving person unless you are habitually loving. See Basically, 348 00:19:46.039 --> 00:19:47.759 your character is the sum of your habits. 349 00:19:47.960 --> 00:19:49.079 Let me see it this way. 350 00:19:49.160 --> 00:19:52.720 If you only love off and on like a light switch, Boom, 351 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:54.720 i'm gonna love that person. Boom, I'm not gonna love 352 00:19:54.720 --> 00:19:57.599 that person. Boom, I'm gonna love that person. Boom, I'm 353 00:19:57.599 --> 00:20:00.000 gonna not love that If love is a light switch, 354 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:04.480 which you are not a loving person. Now you may 355 00:20:04.519 --> 00:20:08.880 think you're a loving person, but love happens when you 356 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:11.200 love the unlovely. Look at this verse on the screen. 357 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:14.960 Luke six p'int thirty two. If you only love those 358 00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:18.640 who love you, what credit is that to you? In 359 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:22.720 other words, well, big deal, big whoopee. The point is 360 00:20:23.319 --> 00:20:25.680 you think I'm a loving person because I love those 361 00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:28.440 who love me, I love my family. That's not being 362 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:31.440 a loving person. Being a loving person is when you 363 00:20:31.480 --> 00:20:34.200 love the unlovely, when you love people who don't love you, 364 00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:37.079 when you love people who irritate you, when you love 365 00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:41.279 people who backbite against you, who gossip about you. Anybody 366 00:20:41.319 --> 00:20:43.720 can love people who love them. That's no that takes 367 00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:48.119 no character at all. Shoot, a dog can love that 368 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:50.920 kind of love. You pet the dog, you feed the dog. 369 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:55.240 Guess what it all? Wag it's tail. Okay, you don't 370 00:20:55.279 --> 00:20:57.960 feed it, you don't pet it. It's going to learn 371 00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:02.359 something else, But it is. God says love must become 372 00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:02.960 a habit. 373 00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:12.200 This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. If you've missed any 374 00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:14.839 part of this message, or if you'd like to find 375 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:18.640 out more about Pastor Rick Warren in this ministry, just 376 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:23.640 visit Pastorick dot com, where you can listen online anytime. 377 00:21:23.880 --> 00:21:27.720 That's Pastor Rick with two rs inthemiddle dot com, and 378 00:21:27.799 --> 00:21:30.480 be sure to sign up for Rick's free daily email 379 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:33.759 devotional while you're there, Rick will be back in just 380 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:38.799 a moment. But first, Jesus said there's nothing more important 381 00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:42.880 than loving God and loving others. That's why Pastor Rick 382 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:46.680 created the Forty Days of Love Bible Study that comes 383 00:21:46.720 --> 00:21:50.839 with a sixth session DVD and workbook. In these sessions, 384 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:54.880 Rick helps you understand how deep and wide God's love 385 00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:57.880 is for you and reveals how you can enjoy a 386 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:02.519 happy and successful relatetion reationship with others by focusing on 387 00:22:02.599 --> 00:22:08.480 the spiritual principles of patience, kindness, truth, and forgiveness. This 388 00:22:08.640 --> 00:22:12.279 resource is perfect for a personal study, or you can 389 00:22:12.279 --> 00:22:14.400 invite a few friends over and do it in a 390 00:22:14.440 --> 00:22:17.720 small group setting. And today, when you give a gift 391 00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:20.680 to share the love of Jesus with people here and 392 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:24.359 around the world, We'll send you Pastor Rick's Forty Days 393 00:22:24.359 --> 00:22:28.279 of Love Bible Study to say thanks. Get yours now 394 00:22:28.440 --> 00:22:33.279 and experience more fulfilling relationships as you live a life 395 00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:37.240 powered by the love of Jesus. Go to Pastorick dot 396 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:40.920 com right now to get your copy, or you can 397 00:22:41.079 --> 00:22:44.960 just call eight hundred six hundred five thousand and four 398 00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:49.839 that's Pastorick dot com. Or call eight hundred, six hundred 399 00:22:50.119 --> 00:22:53.519 five thousand and four. Thanks so much for your support, 400 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:56.599 and don't forget to let us know which radio station 401 00:22:56.839 --> 00:22:59.799