Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For ? (p. 248). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) And we all have them and God wants to use them. The Bible says in Psalm 34: 18 (NLT), “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those who are crushed in spirit.”   Are you hurting today?   God is close to the broken hearted Rick says, “Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days — when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you’re out of options, when the pain is great — and you turn to God alone. It is during suffering that we learn to pray our most authentic, heartfelt, honest-to-God prayers. When we’re in pain, we don’t have the energy for superficial prayers.” The Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1: 9 (LB), “We felt we were doomed to die and saw how powerless we were to help ourselves; bu

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For ? (p. 237). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) James 1: 18 (NCV) in the New Testament in the Bible says,   “God decided to give us life through the word of truth so we might be the most important of all the things he made.” God decided to give us the opportunity for physical life, He spoke the word and we were created and He also gives us the opportunity for spiritual life, He gave us His Word, the Bible to feed on so that we might grow and mature.   Such a tremendous opportunity that so many of us never use. Rick says, “The Bible is far more than a doctrinal guidebook. God’s Word generates life, creates faith, produces change, frightens the Devil, causes miracles , heals hurts, builds character, transforms circumstances, imparts joy, overcomes adversity, defeats temptation, infuses hope, releases power, cleanses ou

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For ? (p. 221). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Now that could be a statement that turns you totally off or it causes you to stop.  What does it mean?  Here is the total context of the thought.   Many Christians go through some very difficult circumstances in life.   Rick says, “You’ll wonder, ‘Why is this happening to me? Why am I having such a difficult time?’ One answer is that life is supposed to be difficult! It’s what enables us to grow. Remember, earth is not heaven! Many Christians misinterpret Jesus’ promise of the ‘abundant life’ (John 10:10) to mean perfect health, a comfortable lifestyle, constant happiness, full realization of your dreams, and instant relief from problems through faith and prayer. In a word, they expect the Christian life to be easy. They expect heaven on earth. This self-absorbed perspecti

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For ? (Kindle Location 2335). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) It is so amazing what we focus on in our first impressions.   I mean some people don’t want to get to know someone because of the color of their skin or their physical shape or their appearance or their age or so many other things.   And they miss out on so many very special people who would add so much to their lives. That even happens in the church, God’s supposed family.   I mean do you look down on people in your family who are different than you?   Now here is a thought, none of us are totally alike even if we are twins.   God made us different and He wants us to focus on what we have in common not on our differences. Rick says, “Conflict is usually a sign that the focus has shifted to less important issues, things the Bible calls ‘disputable matters.’

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For ? (p. 210). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) In this chapter, Rick is dealing with people in the church.   And it is also a good thought to be carried over to other relationships in our lives. In dealing with the church though Rick says, “It is always easier to stand on the sidelines and take shots at those who are serving than it is to get involved and make a contribution.”   And then the Apostle Paul in Romans 14:10 (PH) said, “Why, then, criticize your brother’s actions, why try to make him look small? We shall all be judged one day, not by each other’s standards or even our own, but by the standard of Christ.” Rick then says, “Whenever I judge another believer, four things instantly happen: I lose fellowship with God, I expose my own pride and insecurity, I set myself up to be judged by God, and I harm the fell

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For ? (p. 72). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) What is it that you are giving your life to achieve?   We all wake up and set out to achieve something every day.   In dealing with achievement, Rick says, “ None of us have given God the full glory He deserves from our lives. This is the worst sin and the biggest mistake we can make. On the other hand, living for God’s glory is the greatest achievement we can accomplish with our lives.”   There it is. The Bible says in Isaiah 43: 7 (TEV), “They are my own people, and I created them to bring me glory,” That is why we are here.   We are here to make God look good.   We are here to make Him look good in our relationships, in our work, in our health, in what we say, in what we do.    And I think that is a very good thing to desire to achieve every day.   Now the enem

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (p. 49). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) That is so true.   My writing this and sending it out on a holiday for you to read is done in light of my believing that this life you and I are living is not the end.   My belief is that this life I am living now is only a very small part of the life that I will live.   My 90 or so years is only a drop in the bucket of my life. Rick says, “You use your time and money more wisely. You place a higher premium on relationships and character instead of fame or wealth or achievements or even fun. Your priorities are reordered. Keeping up with trends, fashions, and popular values just doesn’t matter as much anymore.” I know some would say that I don’t want anyone to tell me about eternity.   That is your belief and I don’t want you to try to push your beliefs on me.   But here