Before You Chose God, He Chose You

Current Teaching Series Radicalis: Developing Spiritual Roots

Before You Chose God, He Chose You By Rick Warren — Dec 10, 2017 “You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit” (1 Peter 1:2a TEV). There are many people in our broken world asking why things don’t seem to go right so much of the time. They want to know, “Is there hope?” Hope is essential. You and I need genuine hope — not just optimism. Optimism is psychological. It’s based on the way you think. Hope is theological. It’s based on who God is and his relationship with you. Optimism is positive thinking. Hope is passionate trusting. The book of 1 Peter is a letter of hope. Peter wrote it to Christians who were suffering persecution in the Roman Empire. In the first seven verses of 1 Peter, God gives us five roots of radical hope. Over the next few days in these devotionals, we’ll look at each of those five roots. The first is this: God chose us before we chose him. The Bible says, “You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit” (1 Peter 1:2 TEV). Your salvation is no accident. Long before you chose God, he chose you. It was his idea. Before God even created the universe, he decided he wanted to create you. You were chosen according to the purpose of God. He has a purpose for your life. He wants to make you holy for heaven. Understanding this simple truth gives us hope. The highest honor you will ever receive is this: God has chosen you to spend eternity with him. That’s a big deal! And it’s the first reason we can have hope, no matter what’s going on in our lives. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over Why do you think so many people struggle with hopelessness today? In what ways does God develop holiness in you? How does the truth that God has chosen you give you hope?

Our Gift: The Daily Hope Prayer Journal Take bold new steps in your prayer life in 2018! We want to help you make 2018 a year of deep and passionate prayer by sending you the brand-new, vegan leather, beautifully designed Daily Hope Prayer Journal. This resource gives you: • Practical encouragement for your prayer life from Pastor Rick • Sections that guide you to pray for specific people and situations • Space for you to write out what God tells you • Inspiring Bible verses to encourage you as you develop a vibrant prayer life LEARN MORE

Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes seven full-length teaching CD's from Pastor Rick's series Radicalis: Developing Spiritual Roots LEARN MORE

Series Summary Session 1: Radical Gratitude Session 2: Radical Faith Session 3: Radical Joy Session 4: Radical Hope Session 5: Radical Generosity Session 6: Radical Freedom Session 7: Radical Love 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 pastorrick.com. 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, which has been translated into 137 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. 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 around the world. This devotional © 2017 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