Lasting Love Extends Grace - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - October 17, 2023
Lasting love requires extending grace to others, accepting their imperfections and forgiving them as God forgives us. By treating others with the same kindness and compassion that God shows us, we can build strong relationships that are based on mutual acceptance and understanding.
“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” Ephesians 4:2 (NLT)
No relationship will survive without grace. You’ve got to cut people some slack! You’ve got to let things go.
The Bible says, “Love patiently accepts all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7 NCV). In the original Greek, this literally means “covered with a roof.” Would you buy a house without a roof? Of course not. You’d have no protection from wind and rain. A roof covers and protects your home.
In the same way, biblical love covers a relationship and lets some things slide. It doesn’t hold people accountable for every little mistake they make. You need a roof on your relationship, because people damage pretty easily, and we need the kind of love that extends grace.
Why is grace essential to relationships?
Because we are all sinners. If you’re married, you married a sinner—and your spouse did too! Two imperfect spouses will never make a perfect marriage. And it’s the same way in friendships. No friendship is perfect—because no friend is perfect! Two imperfect people will never create a perfect relationship.
The Bible says in Romans 3:10, “There is no one who always does what is right, not even one” (NCV). Nobody gets it right 100 percent of the time. It’s never just one person’s fault. We all make mistakes, and there’s always responsibility on both sides. The saying goes, “It takes two to tango.” It also takes two to disagree!
That’s why the Bible says we have to learn to extend grace to each other. Forgiveness is a two-way street. We cannot receive what we’re unwilling to give to other people.
You build strong relationships by treating other people the way God treats you. Romans 15:7 says, “Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you” (NLT).Accepting others may look like listening without judging to a friend or giving space to a tired, grumpy family member.
When you accept others as they are, looking past their faults for the sake of love, that’s extending grace.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Your Gift Brings Hope to the World
Share the Hope of Jesus with a World that Desperately Needs It
Thank you for your gift today to help share the hope of Jesus with people searching for healing, purpose, and truth.
As thanks, we’ll send you Awesome Relationships—Pastor Rick’s 4-session Bible study guide with video access, designed to strengthen your relationships and deepen your walk with God.
We’re grateful for your partnership to help more people experience the life-transforming love of Jesus!
*Video is available in DVD or streaming formats. The workbook will be mailed to you. *The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of “current offer” materials you received from Daily Hope.
