The Greatest Gift of Love Is Attention

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Better Together

The Greatest Gift of Love Is Attention By Rick Warren — May 26, 2015 “Give special attention to those who are in the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:10 NCV) The Bible says in Galatians 6:10, “Give special attention to those who are in the family of believers” (NCV). So why do people in the family of God get special attention? Because whatever you pay attention to is going to grow. If I pay attention to my garden, it’s going to grow. If I pay attention to my kids, they’re going to grow. If I pay attention to my marriage, it’s going to grow. If I pay attention to my work, it’s going to grow. What is the greatest gift of love? It’s not diamonds, flowers, or chocolate. The greatest gift of love you can give is focused attention. You can affirm people just by looking them in the eye, which essentially tells them, “I value you. What you have to say is important to me because you matter to me.” What people want more than anything else is focused attention. They want to know that their thoughts matter, that their lives matter, that they are valuable. The essence of relationships is not what we do for each other or what we give to each other. The essence of relationships is how much of ourselves we give to each other. I can’t tell you how many men I’ve talked to who said, “I don’t understand it. I provide everything my family needs. I give my wife everything she needs. I give my kids everything they need. What more do they want?” They want you! They want your time. They want your attention. They want your focus. They want to know that you think they matter. Nothing can replace time. Kids don’t need things; they need time. Marriages need time and friendships need time and small groups need time. This weekend, look for opportunities to show attention to the people in your life. That is the greatest gift of love you can give! But don’t just wait for it to happen; make opportunities to show attention. If you have to put it in your schedule, do it. If you have to give up Netflix time, do it. If it means putting off housework, do it. If you have to make sacrifices, do it. Do whatever you need to do to give your relationships attention. It is essential to their growth! Talk It Over What kind of attention do you think God wants you to give to people outside the family of believers? How can you practice giving more attention and focus to the time that you spend with people? What are the things that take time away from growing your relationships? Our Gift: 40 Days of Community Study Kit Pastor Rick wants to help you learn how to develop deeper, and healthier relationships and that’s why he developed the 6-session DVD and workbook study kit called 40 Days of Community. In this series, Pastor Rick explains how to do life in relationship to other people. You’ll grow if you do this study independently, but it is a wonderful way to bring a few people together and start forming meaningful friendships! LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren Better Together teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: Why We Need Each Other Message 2: Reaching Out Together Message 3: What Destroys Relationships and What Builds Them Message 4: How We Help Each Other Message 5: Serving Together Message 6: Living a Generous Life PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe