‘Dear Friends, God the Father Chose You Long Ago’
By Rick Warren
“Dear friends, God the Father chose you long ago and knew you would become his children” (1 Peter 1:2a TLB).
Discouragement will come; it always does. Maybe you feel discouraged because of a struggling relationship, stalled career, or failing health.
When discouragement comes, you can rest assured in one thing: God chose you to be a part of his family. Long before you chose God, he picked you!
The Bible says in 1 Peter 1:2a, “Dear friends, God the Father chose you long ago and knew you would become his children” (TLB).
God didn’t choose you because of something you’ve done. It’s all because of who he is. It doesn’t matter how good you are, or how smart you are, or how spiritual you are. God saved you because he loves you.
And that’s good news — really good news! That’s the Good News that your whole life should be built upon.
There’s nothing we can do to earn our place in God’s family, but we can rest in the truth that we will never lose our place in his family. In 1 Peter 1:3b we read, “For it is his boundless mercy that has given us the privilege of being born again so that now we are members of God’s own family” (TLB).
Your place at God’s table is based upon his mercy, not your performance. You didn’t deserve it in the first place; you don’t deserve it now. The Creator of the Universe says: “I want you to be a part of my family.”
Play today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
Talk It Over
- How does knowing you have a secure place in God’s family change your perspective on life?
- What will help you today to rest in the security of God’s love and acceptance?
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This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.