Before You Chose God, He Chose You - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - December 12, 2019
Before You Chose God, He Chose You
By Rick Warren
“You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit” (1 Peter 1:2 GNT).
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. He said one reason we can have a radical hope is because 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 GNT).
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 can give you hope.
The highest honor you will ever receive is this: God invites you to spend eternity with him. That’s a big deal!
And it’s why we can have hope, no matter what’s going on in our lives.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Be Encouraged Each Day to Live Out God’s Purposes
As thanks for your gift below to help share the gospel with more people around the world through Daily Hope, we’ll send you Pastor Rick’s new book, Daily Hope Devotional: 365 Days of Purpose, Peace, and Promise.
Each devotional starts out with a Bible verse, followed by teaching that explains God’s Word and shows you how to apply it daily so you can face any challenge and live the life you were created to live.
As a special bonus when you give, we’ll also send you What's Driving Your Life?: A 10-Day Turnaround for a Fresh Start. Featuring 10 hand-picked devotions from Pastor Rick’s new book, they’ll guide anyone feeling stressed, worried, or discouraged toward seeking God for a fresh start.
Request your copy below when you give—and take the first step towards a year of real purpose, lasting peace, and unfailing promises.
Thank you for your partnership!
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
