Quotes from Rick Warren

No, that trauma you faced was not easy. And God wept that it hurt you so; But it was allowed to shape your heart So that into his likeness you'd grow.

Why would God provide heaven on earth when he's planned the real thing for you in eternity?

God expects unity, not uniformity, and we can walk arm-in-arm without seeing eye-to-eye on every issue.

DAY 6 Thinking about My Purpose POINT TO PONDER: This world is not my home. VERSE TO REMEMBER: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 CORINTHIANS 4:18 (NIV) QUESTION TO CONSIDER: How should the fact that life on earth is just a temporary assignment change the way I am living right now?

God has … planted eternity in the human heart. ECCLESIASTES 3:11 (NLT) Surely God would not have created such a being as man to exist only for a day! No, no, man was made for immortality. ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Lasting change requires new ways of thinking. The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act. If you want to change how you act, you must begin by changing the way you think. Your thoughts are the autopilot of your life.

Jesus said our love for each other—not our doctrinal beliefs — is our greatest witness to the world. He said, "Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples."4

They are your family, even when they don't act like it, and you can't just walk out on them. Instead God tells us, "Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love." 7

In our final moments we all realize that relationships are what life is all about. Wisdom is learning that truth sooner rather than later. Don't wait until you're on your deathbed to figure out that nothing matters more.

Christlikeness is not produced by imitation, but by inhabitation.

Another of Brother Lawrence's helpful ideas was to pray shorter conversational prayers continually through the day rather than trying to pray long sessions of complex prayers.

Because we're sinners, we hurt each other, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally. But

The apostle Paul said, "Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Rom. 15:4).

A young man in his twenties wrote, "I feel like a failure because I'm struggling to become something, and I don't even know what it is. All I know how to do is to get by. Someday, if I discover my purpose, I'll feel I'm beginning to live.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it's thinking of yourself less.

Since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life. ROMANS 5:10 NLT

Without God's power in your life, you are just running on your own energy. God never meant for you to do that. It's like having a laptop that's unplugged; the battery will eventually drain and shut down the computer. Why would you live like that when God created you for so much more?

PINEAPPLE SALSA: 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced (if fresh is unavailable, use canned pineapple and drain juice) 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped ¼ large red onion, diced fine ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 fresh lime COMBINE SALSA INGREDIENTS in a bowl, and refrigerate at least 1

God made you for a reason and your life has profound meaning! We discover that meaning and purpose only when we make God the reference point of our lives.

The eternal salvation of a single soul is more important than anything else you will ever achieve in life. Only people are going to last forever.

Your value doesn't come from the clothes you wear, a number on a scale, your career, or your success with a health plan on any given day. You are of immense value because God made you.

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening — it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way" (Hebrews 12:11 NLT).