"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36 NIV)

The world defines freedom as a life without any restraint: "I can do anything I want to do and say anything I want to say without anybody telling me what to do." Everybody else may get burned by you, but you get to do it your own way. The world says you can have your freedom but only by being totally selfish.

Yet, the Bible says the only way to true freedom is through Jesus: "If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free" (John 8:36 TEV).

Real freedom is freedom from fear, where you're truly free from guilt, from worry, from bitterness, and from death. You're free to quit pretending because you're free to be yourself.

How do you get rid of those kinds of fears? By letting God love you! The apostle John teaches that "there is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18a NIV).

When you realize how much God loves you, you'll begin to live in true freedom. In fact, you worship God when you recognize that "God is love." It is an act of worship to agree that he is a loving, caring, and generous God and that we can "rely on the love God has for us" (1 John 4:16b NIV).

Talk About It

Freedom is based on God's love for you. Discuss this verse: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment" (1 John 4:18a NIV).  

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 Best Seller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers. © Copyright 2013 Rick Warren.

"And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians 3:18-19 NLT)

The width of God's love extends across the entire world and includes everyone he has created: "The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made" (Psalm 145:17 NIV).

God never made a person that he didn't love. He made you and he loves you - and God doesn't make junk! He loves you unconditionally. He loves you very, very much.

Everybody matters to God; in fact, we see in the life of Jesus that he even loves the unlovely and those who may feel unlovable. Do you want to know the secret of self-esteem? Here it is: If you want confidence, then understand how much you matter to God. If God loves you, who cares what anybody else thinks?

Because God loves you, there's no need to prove your self-worth. We don't have to wear certain kinds of clothes to make us feel like we're OK or drive a certain kind of car to prop up our faltering egos. We don't need status symbols anymore.

Talk About It

- How wide is God's love? Wide enough to be everywhere! There's no place you can be where God isn't. How does that change the way you love others?

- If God is everywhere, why do so many people struggle with loneliness?

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller "The Purpose Driven Life." His book, "The Purpose Driven Church," was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.

This devotional ©2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

"I know that your love will last for all time, that your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky." (Psalm 89:2 TEV)

There's a limit to human love. It wears out; it dries up.

That's why you have to have God's love in all your relationships if they are going to last. God's love never wears out. God's love is patient, persistent, and persevering.

Isn't it good news to know that God never gives up on you? No matter what you do, his love never gives up. It's wide enough to include everybody, and it's long enough to last forever.

God will never love you any more than he does right now. But he also will never love you any less than he does right now.

He loves you on your good days; he loves you on your bad days. His love is not conditioned by your response. God is love, and his love is given freely. It cannot be earned, and it is not deserved.

Accept his love and worship him, knowing that his love is long enough to last for all time: "And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully" (Ephesians 3:18-19a NLT).

Talk About It

- How long is God's love? Long enough to last forever! Human love wears out, but God will never stop loving you.

- What might keep you from accepting God's love?

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller "The Purpose Driven Life." His book, "The Purpose Driven Church," was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.

This devotional ©2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.