God Wants to Save You, Not Scold You

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES What On Earth Am I Here For?

God Wants to Save You, Not Scold You By Rick Warren — Sep 17, 2015 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17 NIV)   Knowing God is for you will change your whole perspective on life. You’ll stop thinking of God as someone looking down from Heaven, ready to yell “Gotcha!” any time you mess up. God is for your success in life. He created you for a purpose, and he wants you to succeed. It is God, your Creator, who will measure your success in life, and no one else. This is extremely good news! It means you don’t need to be afraid of God, because God is for you. Yet some people are so afraid of God they get nervous just talking about him. Do you know why? They feel guilty, and then they start thinking, “If I get close to God, he’s going to lecture me. He’s going to remind me of all the things I’ve done wrong, and then I’ll feel even worse!” Nothing could be further from the truth of God. John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (NIV). In effect, Jesus is saying, “I didn’t come to scold you. I came to save you.” Jesus came to save us, not to scare us. In fact, when God sends a message to people in the Bible, it’s not unusual for the first words to be: “Don’t be afraid.” There are 365 messages from God in the Bible that begin with a phrase like, “Fear not!” In other words, every single day of the year you can read a message from God that says, in effect, “You don’t need to be afraid. I am for you; I am with you; I love you.” How would your life change if you consistently believed God is for you? Ask God to help you in your unbelief. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What misconceptions about God make people afraid of him? How does God use discipline for our good? You may understand that God wants you to succeed. How does he help you succeed? Our Gift: The Purpose Driven Life, Expanded Edition Hardback Book PLUS 3 What Is the Purpose of My Life? booklets Since its release The Purpose Driven Life has been translated into 85 different languages and has become the “Bestselling non-fiction hardback book in history” according to Publishers Weekly, all because of the Christ centered approach the book takes to answering life’s most fundamental question: What on Earth Am I Here For? LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren What On Earth Am I Here For? teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: The Call Is For You Message 2: ​​​​Called To Be Loved Message 3: ​​​​You Are Called To Belong Message 4: ​​​You Are Called To Become Message 5: You Are Called To Bless Message 6: I'm Called To Be Sent Message 7: Why God Made You! 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