“Can I trust God? Trust is an essential ingredient to surrender. You won’t surrender to God unless you trust him, but you can’t trust him until you know him better. Fear keeps us from surrendering, but love casts out all fear. The more you realize how much God loves you, the easier surrender becomes.”
―
Rick Warren
“Recuerda que el plan de Dios es bueno. Dios sabe lo que es mejor para ti y en su corazón tiene presente tus mejores intereses. Dios le dijo a Jeremías: «Los planes que tengo para ustedes [son] planes de bienestar y no de calamidad, a fin de darles un futuro y una esperanza».20 José entendió esta verdad cuando les dijo a sus hermanos que lo habían vendido como esclavo: «Ustedes pensaron hacerme mal, pero Dios trasformó ese mal en bien».21 Ezequías se hizo eco del mismo sentimiento al referirse a su enfermedad mortal: «Fue por mi propio bien que yo pasé ese tiempo tan difícil».22 Siempre que Dios te diga no a tu pedido de alivio, recuerda: «Dios está haciendo lo mejor para nosotros, entrenándonos para vivir para él de la mejor y más santa manera».23 Es vital que te concentres en el plan de Dios, no en tu dolor o tu problema. Así es como Jesús soportó el dolor de la cruz, y así se nos insta a seguir su ejemplo: «Mantengamos fijos los ojos en Jesús que, sin importarle lo oprobioso de tal muerte, estuvo dispuesto a morir en la cruz porque sabía el gozo que tendría después».
―
Rick Warren
“You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn’t know it’s purpose, and the invention itself wouldn’t be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner’s manual could reveal it’s purpose.”
―
Rick Warren
“Cuando entiendes que la vida es una prueba, te das cuenta de que nada es insignificante para ti. Aun los percances más pequeños tienen significado para el desarrollo de tu carácter. Cada día es importante y cada segundo es una oportunidad para hacer crecer y profundizar tu carácter, para demostrar amor y depender de Dios. Algunas pruebas parecen abrumadoras y otras ni siquiera las sientes. Pero todas ellas tienen implicaciones eternas. Lo bueno es que Dios desea que sobrepases las pruebas de la vida, y él nunca permite que las que enfrentas sean mayores que la gracia que él te otorga para sobrellevarlas. La Escritura dice: «Pero Dios es fiel, y no permitirá que ustedes sean tentados más allá de lo que puedan aguantar. Más bien, cuando llegue la tentación, él les dará también una salida a fin de que puedan resistir».3 Cada vez que superas una prueba, Dios toma nota y hace planes para recompensarte en la eternidad. Santiago dice: «Dichoso el que resiste la tentación porque, al salir aprobado, recibirá la corona de la vida que Dios ha prometido a quienes lo aman».
―
Rick Warren
“Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be.”
―
Rick Warren
“Benefits of Being in God’s Family The moment you were spiritually born into God’s family, you were given some astounding birthday gifts: the family name, the family likeness, family privileges, family intimate access, and the family inheritance!7 The Bible says, “Since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you.”8 The New Testament gives great emphasis to our rich “inheritance.” It tells us, “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”9 As children of God we get to share in the family fortune. Here on earth we are given “the riches … of his grace … kindness … patience … glory … wisdom … power … and mercy.”10 But in eternity we will inherit even more. Paul said, “I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people.”
―
Rick Warren
“I don’t know all the keys to success, but one key to failure is to try to please everyone. Being controlled by the opinions of others is a guaranteed way to miss God’s purposes for your life.”
―
Rick Warren
“Everybody eventually surrenders to something or someone. If not to God, you will surrender to the opinions or expectations of others, to money, to resentment, to fear, or to your own pride, lusts, or ego. You were designed to worship God — and if you fail to worship him, you will create other things (idols) to give your life to. You are free to choose what you surrender to, but you are not free from the consequences of that choice. E. Stanley Jones said, “If you don’t surrender to Christ, you surrender to chaos.”
―
Rick Warren
“Circumstances cannot change the character of God.”
―
Rick Warren
“Choose organic, grass-fed, free-range, and hormone-, antibiotic-, and pesticide-free poultry whenever you can.”
―
Rick Warren
“Fellowship is a place of grace, where mistakes aren't rubbed in but rubbed out.”
―
Rick Warren
“Anytime you use your God-given abilities to help others, you are fulfilling your purpose of life.
What matters is not the Duration of your life, but the Donation of it.”
―
Rick Warren
“Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test... You will be tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossible problems, unanswered prayers, undeserved criticism, and even senseless tragedies.”
―
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.”
―
Rick Warren
“The fact that earth is not our ultimate home explains why, as followers of Jesus, we experience difficulty, sorrow, and rejection in this world.11 It also explains why some of God’s promises seem unfulfilled, some prayers seem unanswered, and some circumstances seem unfair. This is not the end of the story. In order to keep us from becoming too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life — longings that will never be fulfilled on this side of eternity. We’re not completely happy here because we’re not supposed to be! Earth is not our final home; we were created for something much better.”
―
Rick Warren
