[image: Purpose Driven Connection - Daily Devotional] April 30, 2009
Love Is a Choice <http://links.purposedriven.com/u.d?MYGt5J3NuRSr6kW-aC=73>
by Rick Warren
In our Devotionals series, Pastor Rick Warren discusses the Bible passages
that inspire him the most. Today's Devotional is based on this
passage: "...That
you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him.
For the Lord is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He
swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" (Deuteronomy 30:20
NIV).
Love is a choice and a commitment. You choose to love or you choose not
to love.
Today we've bought into this myth that love is uncontrollable, that it's
something that just happens to us; it's not something we control. In fact,
even the language we use implies the uncontrollability of love. We say, "I
fell in love," as if love is some kind of a ditch. It's like I'm walking
along one day and bam!—I fell in love. I couldn't help myself.
But I have to tell you the truth: that's not love. Love doesn't just happen
to you. Love is a choice and it represents a commitment.
There's no doubt about it, attraction is uncontrollable and arousal is
uncontrollable. But attraction and arousal are not love. They can lead to
love, but they are not love. Love is a choice.
You must choose to love God; he won't force you to love Him (Deuteronomy
30:20). You can thumb your nose at God and go a totally different way. You
can destroy your life if you choose to do that. God still won't force you to
love Him. Because He knows love can't be forced.
And this same principle is true about your relationships: you can choose to
love others, but God won't force you to love anyone.
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest,
Calif., one of America’s largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick
is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The
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'Unless you change what you do, you will always have what you've got.'
- Jim Rohn
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