BOOKNOTES: The Purpose Driven Life—Rick Warren

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The Purpose Driven Life—Rick Warren

Final exam of your life: What did you do with my son, Jesus Christ? And What did you do with what I gave you?
What would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life? What do I want it to be?
There are 2 kinds of people: those who say to God, Thy will be done and those to whom God says, All right then, have it your way.
Perspective: We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
God says there is a direct relationship between how I use my money and the quality of my spiritual life?
To make the best use of your life, you must never forget 2 truths: 1st, compared with eternity, life is extremely brief. 2nd, earth is only a temporary residence.
You will not be in heaven 2 seconds before you cry out, Why did I place so much importance on things that were so temporary?
Retirement is not the goal of a surrendered life because it competes with God for primary attention of our lives.
How you treated other people, not your wealth or accomplishments, is the most enduring impact you can leave on earth.
In our final moments we all realize that relationships are what life is all about. Wisdom is learning that truth sooner rather than later.
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
God, whether I get anything else done today, I want to make sure that I spend time loving you and loving other people—because that’s what life is all about.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of your self less.
We must always remember that the church is made up of real sinners—including ourselves.
It’s 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.
Your character is essentially the sum of your habits, it is how you habitually act.
God is far more interested in what you are than what you do.
Sadly, millions of Christians grow older but never grow up. They are stuck in perpetual infancy. The reason is that they never intended to grow.
The Bible must become the authoritative standard for my life, the compass I rely on for direction, the counsel I listen to for making wise decisions, and the benchmark I use for evaluating everything.
It is not enough just to believe the Bible: I must fill my mind with it so that the Holy Spirit can transform me with the truth.
"It is only a little sin" is like saying: You are only a little pregnant, eventually it will show itself.
On temptation…Martin Luther said: you cannot keep birds from flying over your head (you can’t keep the devil from suggesting thoughts) but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair (you can choose not to dwell or act on them).
If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others and I’m only concerned about my needs, I should question whether Christ is really in my life.
Your greatest ministry will likely come from your greatest hurt. God uses painful experiences to prepare you for ministry.
God is always more interested in why we do something than in what we do.
Self denial is the core of servanthood.
More people are sidetracked by serving materialism than by anything else.
God uses money to test your faithfulness as a servant.
Henri Nouwen: In order to be of service to others we have to die to them; that is, we have to give up measuring our meaning and value with the yardstick of others…thus we become free to be compassionate.
Humility is not putting yourself down or denying your strengths, rather; it is being honest about your weaknesses. The more honest you are, the more of God’s grace you get.
At some point in your life you must decide whether you want to impress people or influence people.
Paul said, I am going to boast only about how weak I am and how great God is to use such weakness for his glory.
The best use of your life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.
Is anyone going to be in heaven because of you?
The mature follower of Christ stops asking; Who’s going to meet my needs? And starts asking; Whose needs can I meet?