“IT IS YOUR JOB TO PROTECT THE UNITY OF YOUR CHURCH. Unity in the church is so important that the New Testament gives more attention to it than to either heaven or hell. God deeply desires that we experience oneness and harmony with each other. Unity is the soul of fellowship. Destroy it, and you rip the heart out of Christ’s Body. It is the essence, the core, of how God intends for us to experience life together in his church. Our supreme model for unity is the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are completely unified as one. God himself is the highest example of sacrificial love, humble other-centeredness, and perfect harmony.”
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Rick Warren
“CHOOSE TO TRUST GOD IN EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE You cannot control everything that happens to you. In fact, most of what happens around you is completely out of your control. But you do have control over two important factors: You control your response, and you control how much you choose to trust God, regardless of your circumstances.”
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Rick Warren
“Love others as you love yourself.’”1 Learning to love unselfishly is not an easy task. It runs counter to our self-centered nature. That’s why we’re given a lifetime to learn it. Of course, God wants us to love everyone, but he is particularly concerned that we learn to love others in his family. As we have already seen, this is the second purpose for your life. Peter tells us, “Show special love for God’s people.”2 Paul echoes this sentiment: “When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers.”
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Rick Warren
“In our final moments we all realize that relationships are what life is all about. Wisdom is learning that truth sooner rather than later.”
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Rick Warren
“Death is not your termination but your transition into eternity, so there are eternal consequences to everything you do on earth. Every act of our lives strikes some chord that will vibrate in eternity.”
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Rick Warren
“Busyness is a great enemy of relationships. We become preoccupied with making a living, doing our work, paying bills, and accomplishing goals as if these tasks are the point of life. They are not. The point of life is learning to love — God and people. Life minus love equals zero.”
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Rick Warren
“Work becomes worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of his presence.”
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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
“Worldly Christians look to God primarily for personal fulfillment. They are saved, but self-centered. They love to attend concerts and enrichment seminars, but you would never find them at a missions conference because they aren’t interested. Their prayers focus on their own needs, blessings, and happiness. It’s a “me-first” faith: How can God make my life more comfortable? They want to use God for their purposes instead of being used for his purposes.”
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Rick Warren
“Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it.”
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Rick Warren
“If you would like to increase the amount of happiness you experience in life, here is one of the secrets: learn to enjoy the successes and joys of others.”
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Rick Warren
“«Toda la evidencia disponible en las ciencias biológicas apoya una propuesta principal … que el cosmos es un todo especialmente diseñado con formas de vida y que el ser humano es su razón y meta fundamental, un todo en el cual todas las facetas de la realidad tienen su sentido y explicación en este hecho central».”
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Rick Warren
“Use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God.”
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Rick Warren
“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).”
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Rick Warren
“You must make a counter-culture decision to focus on becoming more like Jesus. Otherwise, other forces like peers, parents, coworkers, and culture will try to mold you into their image.”
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Rick Warren