“In all my travels, I've never seen a country's population more determined to forgive, and to build and succeed than in Rwanda.”
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Rick Warren
“This self-absorbed perspective treats God as a genie who simply exists to serve you in your selfish pursuit of personal fulfillment. But God is not your servant, and if you fall for the idea that life is supposed to be easy, either you will become severely disillusioned or you will live in denial of reality. Never forget that life is not about you! You exist for God’s purposes, not vice versa. Why would God provide heaven on earth when he’s planned the real thing for you in eternity? God gives us our time on earth to build and strengthen our character for heaven.
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Rick Warren
“The more you pray, the less you'll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You'll feel more patient and less pressured.”
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Rick Warren
“POINT TO PONDER: God smiles when I trust him. VERSE TO REMEMBER: “The Lord is pleased with those who worship him and trust his love.” PSALM 147:11 (CEV) QUESTION TO CONSIDER: Since God knows what is best, in what areas of my life do I need to trust him most?”
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Rick Warren
“It’s encouraging to know that all of God’s closest friends — Moses, David, Abraham, Job, and others — had bouts with doubt. But instead of masking their misgivings with pious clichés, they candidly voiced them openly and publicly. Expressing doubt is sometimes the first step toward the next level of intimacy with God.”
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Rick Warren
“You are never persuasive when you're abrasive.”
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Rick Warren
“You weren't put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.
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Rick Warren
“When you live in light of eternity, your focus changes from “How much pleasure am I getting out of life?” to “How much pleasure is God getting out of my life?”
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Rick Warren
“The ultimate goal of dynamic Bible study is application, not just interpretation. We do not want to settle for understanding alone; we want to apply the biblical principles to our daily living. Dwight L. Moody, a great evangelist and Christian educator of the late nineteenth century, used to say, “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.” It was given to change our character and bring it more into conformity with Jesus Christ. All of our efforts in Bible study are valueless if in the final analysis we do not change and become more like Jesus. We must “not merely listen to the word,” but we are to “do what it says” (James 1:22).”
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Rick Warren
“The same is true when it comes to getting healthy. You look in the mirror and believe that, with God’s help, you’ll get healthy even though the person staring back at you is exhausted, stressed, out of shape, or overweight.”
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Rick Warren
“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!”
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Rick Warren
“You can guilt yourself into doing anything short-term, but the change will last only as long as the guilt (or fear) does.”
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Rick Warren
“Feelings are not always true or logical. In fact, resentment makes us act and think in foolish ways. The psalmist admitted, “When my thoughts were bitter and my feelings were hurt, I was as stupid as an animal.”14 We all act beastly when hurt.”
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Rick Warren
“The only really happy people are those who have learned how to serve.”
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Rick Warren
“Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. If one of them falls down, the other can help him up…Two people can resist an attack that would defeat one person alone. A rope made of three cords is hard to break.” Ecclesiastes 4:9 (TEV)”
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Rick Warren
