“DAY 7 Thinking about My Purpose POINT TO PONDER: It’s all for him. VERSE TO REMEMBER: “For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory.” ROMANS 11:36 (LB) QUESTION TO CONSIDER: Where in my daily routine can I become more aware of God’s glory?”
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Rick Warren
“it’s easy to forget that the pursuit of happiness is not what life is about. Only as we remember that life is a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment will the appeal of these things lose their grip on our lives. We are preparing for something even better. “The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”
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Rick Warren
“يشعر الكثيرون أن الله كامن في مكان سري يتصيد لهم الأخطاء. وأنهم حالما يخطئون فإن سعادته تكتمل وهو يصرخ لهم بزهو: "ها قد أوقعت بك".وأنه منتظر ليسقطوا فيقول لهم:"ألم أقل لك". إنهم ينظرون إلي الله وكأنه الكائن الكوني الذي يتصف بالسادية والنكد. والذي يستمتع بأن يفشل خططنا. ودائماً ما يجد الطرق التي ينتقدنا بها، ويوجه بها الاتهامات لنا.وينتقم منا.
ولكن الله نفسه يقول: "لأني عرفت الأفكار التي أنا مفتكر بها عنكم، يقول الرب، أفكار سلام لا شر، لأعطيكم آخرة ورجاء."
(إرميا 29:11)
لا يوجد من يريد الأفضل والأصلح لك أكثر من الله. لا أحد يعلم ما هو الأفضل لك. وليس هناك من يجعلك تتمتع بالسعادة الحقيقية أكثر منه. الله لا يريدك أن تخاف منه.إنه يريدك أن تسرع إليه، لا أن تهرب منه.
في الواقع يذكر لنا الكتاب المقدس 365 مرة أن الله يقول :"لا تخف". واحدة لكل يوم من أيام السنة. فما الذي تخاف منه؟ لا أحد منا يعرف ما الذي سيواجهه خلال العام. لكن يمكننا أن نعرف أن الله يحبنا، وأن الله معنا، وأن الله لنا (أي في صفنا) . إن الواحد منا مضافاً إلي الله يصبح اغلبية في موقف.
فمن أين إذن ينبع خوفنا من الله؟ هناك مصدران أساسيان ضمير مذنب، وجهل بطبيعة الله. يقول الكتاب المقدس :
" لا خوف في المحبة، بل المحبة الكاملة تطرح الخوف إلى خارج لأن الخوف له عذاب. وأما من خاف فلم يتكمل في المحبة"
(يوحنا الأولي4:18)
الذنب يجعلنا نشعر بعدم الأمان.”
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Rick Warren
“Some of the Scriptures you may want to include in your study are: Matt. 5:13–16; 9:35; 11:28–30; 16:15–19; 18:19–20; 22:36–40; 24:14; 25:34–40; 28:18–20; Mark 10:43–45; Luke 4:18–19; 4:43–45; John 4:23; 10:14–18; 13:34–35; 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2:41–47; 4:32–35; 5:42; 6:1–7; Rom. 12:1–8; 15:1–7; 1 Cor. 12:12–31; 2 Cor. 5:17–6:1; Gal. 5:13–15; 6:1–2; Eph. 1:22–23; 2:19–22; 3:6; 3:14–21; 4:11–16; 5:23–24; Col. 1:24–28; 3:15–16; 1 Thess. 1:3; 5:11; Heb. 10:24–25; 13:7, 17; 1 Peter 2:9–10; 1 John 1:5–7; 4:7–21.”
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Rick Warren
“DAY 2 Thinking about My Purpose POINT TO PONDER: I am not an accident. VERSE TO REMEMBER: “I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.” ISAIAH 44:2 (CEV) QUESTION TO CONSIDER: I know that God uniquely created me. What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”
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Rick Warren
“A second barrier to total surrender is our pride. We don’t want to admit that we’re just creatures and not in charge of everything. It is the oldest temptation: “You’ll be like God!”11 That desire — to have complete control — is the cause of so much stress in our lives. Life is a struggle, but what most people don’t realize is that our struggle, like Jacob’s, is really a struggle with God! We want to be God, and there’s no way we are going to win that struggle.”
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Rick Warren
“Fellowship is a place of grace, where mistakes aren't rubbed in but rubbed out. Fellowship happens when mercy wins over justice.
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Rick Warren
“It is a fatal mistake to assume that God’s goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success, as the world defines it. The abundant life has nothing to do with material abundance, and faithfulness to God does not guarantee success in a career or even ministry. Never focus on temporary crowns.”
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Rick Warren
“Willpower works for a few weeks, or maybe a month or two at best.”
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Rick Warren
“If perfection was a requirement for friendship with God, we would never be able to be his friends. Fortunately, because of God’s grace, Jesus is still the “friend of sinners.”
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Rick Warren
“Pork is the least healthy meat. Excess meat consumption has been associated with cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.”
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Rick Warren
“Gossip is passing on information when you are neither part of the problem nor part of the solution.”
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Rick Warren
“I’m looking for a second reformation. The first reformation of the church 500 years ago was about beliefs. This one is going to be about behavior. The first one was about creeds. This one is going to be about deeds. It is not going to be about what does the church believe, but about what is the church doing.”
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Rick Warren
“You cannot make God stop loving you, because his love is based on who he is, not what you do. It is based on his character, not your conduct.”
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Rick Warren
“Right now, God is inviting you to live for his glory by fulfilling the purposes he made you for. It’s really the only way to live. Everything else is just existing.”
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Rick Warren
