God Never Plays Favorites - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - October 3, 2018
God Never Plays Favorites
By Rick Warren
“[The promise] is not only for those who live under the law of Moses but for anyone who lives with faith like that of Abraham” (Romans 4:16 NCV).
God doesn’t play favorites—regardless of your background, your status, or your sin. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a religious person or a formerly religious person or if you have any religious background at all.
Romans 4:16 says, “[The promise] is not only for those who live under the law of Moses but for anyone who lives with faith like that of Abraham” (NCV). Who are these people who live under the Law of Moses? The Jews. The Jewish people were given the ways of God before anyone else.
Have you ever thought about why the Jews were called God’s chosen people? Does God love them more than he loves the rest of us? No. They were chosen for a purpose: to spread the message to everybody else that there is one true God. They were kind of like the missionaries to the rest of us.
Now God has taken that task and given it to the church, which includes everybody who puts their faith in Christ, regardless of their background. God says his salvation is available to anybody who opens up his or her heart in faith: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13 NIV). There are no quotas in heaven. It doesn’t say only really good people will be saved if they call on the name of the Lord or really religious people or really smart people. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
The sad thing is that even though many people know that God offers his gift of grace, they still try to work their way into heaven. They think that something in their lives makes them good enough so they don’t need to receive God’s gift of salvation through Christ.
You may have done some really nifty things in life, but if you think they’re going to get you into heaven, forget it. The only way any of us gets in is by receiving God’s gift of grace, which is available to every person.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Choose Joy Devotional Book
You can live with joy even when life is hard!
Joy is a daily choice. But when you go through difficult times, joy becomes hard to sustain. It’s a choice you have to make minute by minute.
In her inspiring Choose Joy devotional book, Kay Warren offers 30 short readings that will empower you to choose joy, no matter what you’re facing.
You’ll be encouraged by powerful Scriptures, a reflection from Kay and a short prayer for each devotional—to help guide you closer to the Lord.
Find out how to live with joy even when . . .
• Your plans are shattered
• Your health fails, or
• You feel like you’re walking through life alone.
The hardcover Choose Joy devotional is our way to say thanks for your donation today to help share the hope of Jesus with more people around the world.
So request your copy as you give today, so no matter what you’re going through, you can learn to choose joy—today, tomorrow, and always!
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
