We’re All Different. Praise God!

By Tom Holladay

Today’s devotional is by Tom Holladay, teaching pastor at Saddleback Church.

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7 NIV).

It’s easy to talk about relationships when everything is going great, but what do you do when things are headed in the wrong direction? How do you turn around a relationship?

God created love in relationships and made us to live in relationship with each other. His advice and direction for relationships can make a real difference. Over the next few days we will talk about five specific things from God’s Word that you can do to begin to turn things around in your relationships.

One of our greatest frustrations is when we don’t see things the way someone else sees them. Differences can be a cause of great delight at times, but they can also cause a lot of agony.

You need to realize that God has made you different and then thank him for your differences.

From the very beginning, God created us differently: “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27 NIV). Men and women are different physically but also in the way we work, think, shop, even watch TV—we do everything differently. And we should rejoice in those differences.

If two people agree on everything, one of them isn’t necessary in that relationship. The fact is that God has put you in a relationship—be it marriage or a good friendship—where you probably look at life differently from each other or have different backgrounds. Because of that, you each bring things to the relationship that could not be there otherwise.

God made you different so you can complement each other, complete each other, and strengthen each other.

As today’s verse says, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7). When you accept each other for your differences, it not only helps your relationship, it brings praise to God. Why? Because you’re accepting the fact that God made you different so you can learn from each other and grow in relationship to each other.

That’s the starting point for turning your relationships around: thank God for your differences.

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Awesome Relationships Study Kit

God wants you to have awesome relationships!

When people see a healthy, love-filled, life-giving relationship, they take notice. Because they’re so different from the relationships that are all around us.

But meaningful relationships are not automatic or easy—which is why we want to send you Pastor Rick Warren’s Awesome Relationships study kit as thanks for your gift below.

In this study kit you’ll receive Pastor Rick’s Awesome Relationships teaching series on DVD plus a study guide. Together, they create an interactive resource that will help you take your relationships beyond fair, average, and even great—all the way to awesome!

You’ll get the tools to:

• Experience a more rewarding marriage
• Grow closer with your family
• Build friendships that stand the test of time
• Become best friends with God

So request your copy of the Awesome Relationships study kit when you give a gift below to help lead others closer to Jesus through Daily Hope.

Thank you for your support!

*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.