Your First Purpose Is to Be Loved by God
By Rick Warren
“We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV).
A man once came into my office and said, “I’m a Christian, but I don’t feel like I’m going anywhere in my spiritual growth. I’m kind of stuck in neutral.”
I said, “What do you think the problem is?”
He said, “I think my problem is I just don’t love God enough.”
I said, “That’s not your problem. Your problem is not that you don’t love God enough. Your problem is that you don’t understand how much God loves you.”
Love is always a response to love. The Bible says, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV). When you say, “I don’t love God,” it’s because you don’t understand just how much he really loves you.
To understand your life’s purpose and calling, you have to begin with God’s nature. God is love. Love is the essence of his nature. The only reason there is love in the universe is because of God. Ants and snails do not love, but you were made in God’s image, so you can love.
The reason you are alive is because God wanted to love you. The first purpose of your life is to be loved by God! Yes, it is important to serve, obey, and trust him, but your greatest purpose is to love him.
“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT).
Let this sink in: Your first purpose is not to do anything but to just be loved by God.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
Talk It Over
How can you just be loved by God? What does that mean to you?
When have you struggled to understand or appreciate just how much God loves you?
Why is being loved by God the first purpose of your life? Why would God create us that way?
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
God's Big Plans for Me Storybook Bible by Rick Warren
Limited time offer ends April 3
Share God’s Word with a child – and give them the keys to a good life!
“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” -Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)
One of the greatest ways to fulfill the Great Commission is to share Jesus and God’s Word with the children in your life.
And there’s now a great tool to help do that—Pastor Rick Warren’s brand-new book, God’s Big Plans for Me Storybook Bible.
This 223-page, full-color hardcover children’s version of God’s Word shares key Bible stories along with the 40 foundational principles of the #1 New York Times bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life. And it’s written in a way that’s easy for even the youngest readers to understand.
The God’s Big Plans for Me Storybook Bible will help the children in your life…
• Experience Bible stories coming to life with child-friendly language
• Connect deeply with Scripture through engaging illustrations
• Grow to love Jesus through lessons targeted specifically for them
• Discover God’s plans and purposes for their life
God’s Big Plans for Me Storybook Bible is available as our thanks for your gift below—but only for a limited time. This offer ends April 3.
So when you give today, be sure to request your copy of God’s Big Plans for Me Storybook Bible to bless a child in your life, or to give to a neighbor, coworker or friend.
And thank you for giving today to help more people learn, love, and live the Word through Daily Hope!
This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.