“One day God will review your answers to these life questions. Did you put Jesus at the center of your life? Did you develop his character? Did you devote your life to serving others? Did you communicate his message and fulfill his mission? Did you love and participate in his family? These are the only issues that will count. As Paul said, “Our goal is to measure up to God’s plan for us.”
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Rick Warren
“Surrender . . .sacrificing my life or suffering in order to change what needs to be changed”
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Rick Warren
“Character is both developed and revealed by test and all of life is a test.”
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Rick Warren
“If you are in a period of discouragement because you are going through a trial and you are asking yourself, “Why is this happening to me?” consider this: Never make a major decision when you are depressed. Often, when we get discouraged, we are tempted to say, “I’m just going to quit” or “I’m going to move” or “I’m going to change jobs” or “I’m going to file for divorce.” Never make a major decision when you are depressed, because at that time your feelings are unreliable and you cannot exercise accurate judgment. Your focus is blurry, and your perspective is distorted. Instead, face the storm head-on and don’t get involved in self-pity.”
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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».
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Rick Warren
“A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life.”
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Rick Warren
“Until we mature enough to understand that God uses everything for good in our lives, we harbor resentment toward God over our appearance, background, unanswered prayers, past hurts, and other things we would change if we were God. People often blame God for hurts caused by others. This creates what William Backus calls “your hidden rift with God.”
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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
“Your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts.”
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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
“Christlikeness is not produced by imitation, but by inhabitation.”
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Rick Warren
“When God wants to make a mushroom, he does it overnight, but when He wants to make a giant oak, He takes a hundred years. Great souls are grown through struggles and storms and seasons of suffering. Be patient with the process.”
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Rick Warren
“Jesus taught that spiritual maturity is never an end in itself. Maturity is for ministry! We grow up in order to give out. It is not enough to keep learning more and more. We must act on what we know and practice what we claim to believe.”
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Rick Warren
“You discover your identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ.”
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Rick Warren
“The Bible says, “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance”
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Rick Warren