You’re Free to Be Yourself
By Rick Warren 

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).

Think about your typical week. How many times do you get caught up in feeling pressured by other people—by their lifestyles, their needs, the things they’re doing, or what they expect of you?  

If you’re feeling pressured, then there is great news for you: God can set you free from those expectations.

It’s normal to feel pressure to live up to other people’s expectations. Have you ever asked yourself, “What will other people think if I follow this path?” Of course you have. We all have. But it’s no way to live.

Living to meet other people’s expectations is a sure way to get yourself tied up in a knot. You can’t please everyone. You can’t win every popularity poll.

Jesus came to set us free from other people’s expectations. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (NLT).

Take a close look at that verse. First, it says that you are God’s masterpiece. He made you unique. No one else in the world is like you. And God doesn’t want you to try to be like someone else.

The second part of the verse says that God makes you new in Jesus so you can do what he’s planned for you to do. Living for Christ simplifies your life. When you’re living as God’s masterpiece, you only need to do what he wants. You can let go of all the expectations from other people.

Living to please God might seem really difficult, but it’s not as hard as you think. When God makes you new in Christ, he changes your desires. Things that used to tempt you just lose their appeal. Jesus sets you free to be yourself.

Now you can say, “My one goal is to serve the Lord.” And if you’re doing that, you’ll be a better parent, a better marriage partner, a better friend, and a better colleague.

If you’re pleasing God, you’re always doing the right thing—and that makes life so much simpler.

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Encourage a Graduate in Your Life

Graduation time is here, and chances are there’s a young person in your life who could use some encouragement, along with a little guidance.

Set them up for success with Pastor Rick’s The Purpose Driven Life: Selected Thoughts and Scriptures for the Graduate.

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We’d love to send you a copy of this special resource as thanks for your gift today to help Daily Hope take the transforming power of Jesus into more lives around the world.

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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.