Why We Should Respond with Grace

Current Teaching Series Building My Life on Values That Last

Why We Should Respond with Grace By Rick Warren — June 15, 2018 "A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them" (Proverbs 29:11 GW). You can't control much of what happens to you in life. Like I mentioned a few days ago in these devotionals, you can't control who your parents are, where you were born, and a variety of other factors that have a significant influence on your life. But you can choose how you react to what life throws your way. You can get angry or stressed out or shrink into depression when slights come at you — or you can respond gracefully. The choice is always yours. The Bible says, "A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them" (Proverbs 29:11 GW). To live responsibly, we must put our minds in gear before we put our mouths in gear. We must think before we act. When others cause pain in our lives, we often respond by trying to get even. Ironically, in our effort to "get even" with a person who has wronged us, we do get even. We sink to the other person's level. God calls us to a much greater response: forgiveness. When you're mistreated, the proper reaction isn't to blow up or clam up. Both are irresponsible. Instead God calls us to respond to slights with calmness, love, and truth. Here's the bottom line: Trust God to settle the score. He has much better resources to do that than you do. PLAY today's audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>PLAY today's audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk About It What strategies can you use when you're hurt so you don't react without thinking? Why is learning to control your reactions an issue of faith? How can other people in your life hold you accountable as you learn to more responsibly control your reactions?

Our Gift: Building My Life on Values That Last In a world where what's true and right seems to shift every day, it's no wonder many people lead confused, unsatisfied lives. Building My Life on Values That Last reveals what God has to say about how you can . . . • Be responsible • Practice self-control • Find balance • Show respect • Give and receive forgiveness • Live honestly • And love completely LEARN MORE

Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes 9 full-length teaching CDs from Pastor Rick's series Building My Life on Values That Last LEARN MORE

Series Summary Session 1: Choosing My Standards Session 2: Accepting Responsibiilty Session 3: Developing Trust Session 4: Developing Self-Control Session 5: The Balanced Life Session 6: Showing Respect Session 7: Offering Forgiveness Session 8: Maintaining Moral Purity Session 9: Showing Fairness 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 © 2018 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