The Key to Lasting Love
By Rick Warren
“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT)
Lasting love is persistent. It is determined. It is diligent. It is resolute. It endures the worst and doesn’t give up on a relationship. It’s stubborn!
The purpose of a relationship is not just to make you happy but also to make you holy. Relationships—whether with a spouse or child or even a close friend—teach you to think of others more than you think of yourself. As you persevere with them through difficult times, you will learn certain things that you would never learn any other way.
When my wife and I got married, we discovered that we were complete opposites. We started arguing on our wedding night, and from there, it just got worse. We loved each other, but we did not get along.
But we had made a vow, and we decided divorce was not an option. We said, “We’re going to make this thing work if it kills us”—and it nearly did! We got counseling, even though we were broke. We sacrificed so that we could honor our commitment to each other. We grew up. We struggled for the first two years of our marriage, but we became better through it.
Maybe you need to hear this today: Don’t give up. Keep on. Persevere. Be stubborn. Don’t let go of God’s gift of lasting love because you have to work for it. It will always be worth the fight.
Learning to love is the single greatest lesson in life. It is why God put you on this planet. But it’s not always easy—and it’s just plain hard to love some people.
There really isn’t a “secret” to lasting love. The key, however, is to let God’s love flow through you.
Philippians 2:5 says, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (NLT). Human love wears out. But having Jesus’ love in you lets you offer lasting love to others.
Open your life to him—and then let him love others through you.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Get Equipped to Face Life’s Challenges with Faith!
Life throws a lot at us these days. And it’s clearer than ever that we need to equip ourselves with biblical wisdom—because only God’s Word gives us the power we need to handle whatever comes our way.
That’s why Pastor Rick created the Unshakable Bible study.
The Unshakable Bible study is our thanks for your support to help take Daily Hope to more people around the world.
So request your copy below when you give—and get equipped to face any challenge with faith!
*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.