God’s Plan for Your Pain

Current Teaching Series Building My Life on Values That Last

God's Plan for Your Pain Rick Warren — July 11, 2018 "If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you" (1 Peter 4:19 NLT). Remember what photography was like before everything went digital? When you took a picture, the first thing you'd get was a negative. Then you had to develop the negative into a positive by going into a darkroom and shining a light through it onto photographic paper. This turned the negative into a positive full-color photograph. That's what God wants to do with the injustices in our lives. We all have them. People have mistreated us. They've passed over us. They've taken advantage of us. God wants to take all the negatives, shine the light of Jesus through them, and turn them into positives — a full-color picture of the life we were made to live. The Bible says, "If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you" (1 Peter 4:19 NLT). The most important thing you can remember when you've been treated unfairly is that Jesus is on your side. There is no sin that God judges more harshly, except maybe pride, than that of injustice. Throughout Scripture, God shows special care for people who are treated unfairly. He is a God of justice. He hears your cry, sees your pain, and knows you were hurt. You didn't get what you thought you deserved. But God has a plan for your pain. When you shine the light of God's love through your circumstances, he can turn your pain into a beautiful picture. He develops your character through it. He makes you stronger. Most importantly, he uses your pain. You'll never get an explanation for much of the pain you endure in this life. When you get to heaven, you may understand more about why bad things happened to you. But God does not owe you an explanation for it. But here's the good news: You don't need an explanation. You just need to know that God loves you. He has a plan for you. God will settle the score with whoever hurt you. God never wastes a hurt. Welcome the light of the Gospel into it and God will use your hurt — the very real injustice that has happened to you — to create a beautiful picture through your life.PLAY today's audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk About It How can you use the pain from your past to help other people? In what ways have you seen God grow your character through an injustice you experienced? Instead of retaliating, how do you think God wants you to treat the person who treated you unfairly? What effect does it have on you when you respond in love?

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