God Says Respond to Unfairness with Love

Current Teaching Series Building My Life on Values That Last

God Says Respond to Unfairness with Love — July 9, 2018 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:43-44 NIV). Unfairness is part of the human condition. You can't live on this earth for long without feeling like someone has treated you unfairly. Maybe it's a parent who put you through a miserable childhood. Maybe it's an employer who treats you differently than your co-workers. Maybe you feel like you were treated unfairly by the legal process. You can choose to respond to the people who hurt you by hurting them. That's the easiest choice to make, no doubt about it. But God gives us another option in his Word: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:43-44 NIV). When people hurt you, they expect you to retaliate. They expect you to seek revenge. But God wants you to do the exact opposite. He wants you to respond in love. Respond to mistreatment with love, and you keep the other person from controlling you. Booker T. Washington once said, "I will never allow another man to control my life by allowing him to make me hate him." You can't control when another person treats you unfairly. You can control whether you get bitter in the process. You can control your response to injustice. Just because you respond to an offender lovingly doesn't mean you continue to allow injustice. On the contrary, we must lovingly seek justice. We must work for justice in the world without retaliating. The Bible commands us to "be fair-minded and just. Do what is right!" (Jeremiah 22:3 NLT) Martin Luther King Jr. was a great example of this. He fought against injustice without violence. He overcame evil through the power of love. He followed the example of Jesus, who chose to forgive his persecutors even as they were killing him. That's our calling as followers of Jesus. Unfairness and injustice may be part of the human condition, but we must not feed into it. Instead, God calls us to respond in love.PLAY today's audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk About It What personal injustice in your life are you struggling to respond to in love? Why? How do we allow others to control us when we hate them or harbor bitterness toward them? What are some creative ways that your family or small group can respond to injustices in your community with the love of Jesus?

Our Gift: Building My Life on Values That Last Complete Audio Series Each day, you have to make important life choices—How am I going to think, speak, and act? Many people struggle with making the best choices—because they're taking their cues from the wrong people and living by values that are at odds with God's values. Pastor Rick Warren shares the practical advice you need to make life-giving moral choices in his complete audio series, Building My Life on Values That Last. Messages include: • Choosing My Standards • Accepting Responsibility • Developing Trust • Developing Self-Control • The Balanced Life • Showing Respect • Offering Forgiveness • Maintaining Moral Purity • Showing Fairness 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