The Church Isn’t Perfect; Love It Anyway - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - February 16, 2022
The Church Isn’t Perfect; Love It Anyway
By Rick Warren
"Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” Ephesians 4:2 (NLT)
Unity in any area of your life—in your small group, church, or family—requires you to be realistic in your expectations.
Many people bring unrealistic expectations to church. To expect any church to always do everything right and to minister perfectly to everyone all the time is just fantasy.
A church can be healthy, but it will never be perfect. A group of imperfect people will never be able to create a perfect community.
Psalm 119:96 says, "Nothing is perfect except your words" (TLB).
Everything on this planet is broken—the weather, the economy, our bodies, our relationships, our minds. Nothing here works perfectly except God's Word. To expect perfection in your church is to set yourself up for massive disappointment.
When people read books about the ideal church, they become cynical. Why? Because they're hoping for something that doesn't exist. When you discover what God intends real fellowship to be, it's easy to get discouraged by the gap between the ideal and reality.
Jesus passionately loves his church, even with all its faults and failures—and he wants you to do the same. If you're going to be Christlike, you must love the church in spite of its imperfections.
Longing for the ideal while criticizing the real is evidence of spiritual immaturity. On the other hand, settling for the real without striving for the ideal is complacency. Maturity is living with the tension of what you know the ideal could be and what reality is.
In parenting, you don't wait for your kids to grow up before you start loving them; you love them at every stage of their maturity. In the same way, you need to learn to love people at every stage of their growth, and you need to learn to love the church as a whole in every stage of its growth.
Other believers will disappoint you, but that's no reason to stop loving and fellowshipping with them. You're going to live with them for eternity—so you should be practicing now how to love them more like Jesus.
"Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love” (Ephesians 4:2 NLT).
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.
