Strong Marriages Are Good for Everyone

[Strong Marriages Are Good for Everyone]( Current Teaching Series [Awesome Relationships]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Strong Marriages Are Good for Everyone]( By Rick Warren — 07/26/2022 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd like to share a Daily Devotional from Pastor Rick with you&body= “Love sincerely . . . Hold on to what is good. Be devoted to each other like a loving family. Excel in showing respect for each other.” Romans 12:9-10 (GW) Strong marriages are good for everyone. They benefit the individuals who are part of those relationships and can even help to strengthen whole societies. Throughout history, marriage has been the fundamental building block of every society and culture. When marriages have been strong, nations have been strong. When marriages and families weaken, cultures decline. Strong marriages benefit the individuals in the relationship too. God uses marriage to perfect your character. In relationships you learn to be unselfish and loving. If you get married, no relationship will have a greater impact on your life. If you’re not married, God can and will use other people to build your character. I promise you—single people don’t get off the hook! Godly, others-focused singles play a critical role in flourishing cultures as well. In fact, sometimes, they play roles that married couples and those with children can’t. The truth is, societies also need singles to live in strong, fearless relationships with others. Whether or not you’re married, one of the main purposes of life is to grow up and realize it’s not all about you. In fact, real happiness comes from giving your life away, being unselfish, serving, and loving. This is called maturity. Life is a laboratory of learning how to love. It’s the most important thing in life because God is love, and he wants you to become like him. He wants to make you like Jesus Christ. He wants to build your character. If you’re married, the number one tool that God uses in your life to build Christ-like character is your spouse. Every day you get hundreds of opportunities to think about the other person instead of yourself. The Bible says, “Love sincerely . . . Hold on to what is good. Be devoted to each other like a loving family. Excel in showing respect for each other” (Romans 12:9-10 GW). Do you do that in your marriage? Before I got married so many years ago, I really thought I knew how to love a woman. But I knew nothing about love! Now, after 40 years of marriage, I know that love washes the dishes. I know that love takes out the garbage. I know that love puts the other person first. Excel in showing respect for each other so that you grow to be more like Christ. It will lead to a stronger relationship for you and a stronger society for everyone. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - How have you seen strong marriages contribute to a stronger society—maybe in your neighborhood or even your nation? - Whether or not you’re married, what relationships is God using to build your character? What are you learning about how to love and show respect? - Today, try to outdo your spouse in showing love and respect. Then reflect on the outcome. What were the effects of your loving, respectful approach? (If you’re not married, try adapting this same approach for family members, roommates, or coworkers.) The post [Strong Marriages Are Good for Everyone]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd like to share a Daily Devotional from Pastor Rick with you&body= [Get the Awesome Relationships Study Kit when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( God made us to love one another—so one of the greatest privileges in life is to build awesome relationships that reflect his love. And you can discover how with Pastor Rick’s Awesome Relationships Bible study. This 4-session DVD and workbook study shows you how to transform any relationship with a friend, family member, or spouse into a life-giving connection filled with joy and purpose. Together with Pastor Rick, you’ll explore how to . . . • Enjoy God’s amazing design for your marriage • Build a family dynamic full of grace and love • Cultivate uplifting and meaningful friendships • Develop a friendship with God that sustains you every day [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 6 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series Awesome Relationships. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: Fighting for an Awesome Marriage Message 2: Fighting for an Awesome Family Message 3: Making Friends for Eternity Message 4: What Destroys Relationships and What Builds Them Message 5: Finding the Love of Your Life Message 6: Becoming Best Friends with God [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. You can listen to Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope, his daily 25-minute audio teaching, and sign up for his free daily devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2022 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 23182 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, United States