Requirements of Restored Relationship

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES God's Prescription for a Healthy Life

Requirements of Restored Relationship By Rick Warren — Apr 24, 2016 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NIV). Forgiveness is not resuming a relationship without change. In fact, forgiveness and resuming a relationship are two different things. One of them is what you do as the offended person. Resuming the relationship is what the other person does in order to get back into your good graces. Saying “I’m sorry” is not enough. In fact, the Bible teaches three things that are essential to resume a relationship that’s been broken. These are all what the offender has to do. Restoring a relationship requires repentance. In other words, you’re truly saddened about what you did. That’s not just saying, “I’m sorry.” It means saying, “I was wrong. Please forgive me.” You can be sorry that the weather was bad or something like that, but repentance is admitting wrong and being truly sorry. Restoring a relationship requires restitution. Sometimes you have to do some kind of physical or material restitution. Even when you’re forgiven, it doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. You still have to pay a debt to society or to someone for what was damaged or destroyed by your actions. Restoring a relationship requires rebuilding trust. That, friends, takes a long, long time. When somebody hurts you, you have to forgive him or her immediately. But you don’t have to trust that person immediately. Forgiveness is built on grace and is unconditional. Trust has to be rebuilt over a period of time. Most people in our culture don’t get the difference between forgiveness and rebuilding trust in a relationship. Whenever a political or religious leader gets caught in a scandal, there will always be people who say, “We’re all imperfect. We’re all human. We need to just forgive him and keep on going.” No! You must forgive him immediately, but you don’t have to trust him. The Bible says trust is built with time. Credibility is what a leader leads with. All leaders must have trust; it’s the currency they live in. If you lose trust, you have lost your right to lead at that moment. You may have the title, but you’re not the leader until you rebuild trust. And that isn’t going to happen instantly. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What does it take for someone to regain your trust? What are you willing to do to regain someone’s trust? Give some examples from your life when you were sorry and when you were truly repentant. In these three factors for restoring a relationship, what is the responsibility of the person who was offended? Our Gift: The Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional The Daniel Plan Daily Devotional builds on the top essential—Faith—that has made The Daniel Plan doable and successful for thousands of people worldwide. A dream team of spiritual, fitness, and health professionals, including Rick Warren, Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Mark Hyman, and the Daniel Plan Wellness Faculty will help you continue your journey toward whole health and wellness. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren God's Prescription for a Healthy Life teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: Why We Need Each Other Message 2: ​​​​​​​Getting Your Ship Out of the Harbor Message 3: Setting Goals In Faith Message 4: What It Takes to Really Change Message 5: God's Prescription for Health Message 6: Winning With the Hand You're Dealt Message 7: The Awesome Power of Focus Message 8: The Awesome Power of Forgiveness Message 9: The Awesome Power of Faith 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 © 2016 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