God Designed You To Work.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV).

Your work can be an act of worship. No matter what you do, it’s never just a job if you are a believer. This is because God designed you with talents, gifts, and interests that He wants used for his glory.

You are custom-made. There’s nobody like you in the whole world. And the gifts, the abilities, the talents, even the interests you have, they were genetically encoded into you by God. You didn’t have a say in what you were going to be interested in, what you are naturally good at. God made you with a specific mission in mind and He wants you to use the gifts He’s given you in your work.

The Bible says that you are God’s workmanship. The Greek word used for workmanship is poema; that’s where our word for “poem” comes from. You are God’s poem! You are God’s work of art. You are God’s masterpiece.

Your work is part of God’s plan for your life and that is why, as you work, you worship God.

The Powerful Key to Prayer

“And I tell you more: whenever two of you on earth agree about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them”

(Matthew 18:19-20 TEV)

If you look at the Lord’s Prayer, you’ll see that it reflects praying together: “Our Father . . . give us . . . our daily bread . . . forgive us our debts . . . as we also have forgiven our debtors . . . lead us not into temptation . . . deliver us . . . (Matthew 6:9-13 NIV, emphasis mine).

Many of us miss out on so much because we only pray by ourselves. Yet, when Jesus gave us an outline for prayer, He spoke about praying together. There is power in group prayer.

If you’re not praying with other believers, then you’re not getting the support you need. You’re missing out on one of the major benefits of being a Christian. Jesus says “whenever two of you on earth agree about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them (Matthew 18:19-20 TEV). That’s the power of praying with other people.

Ask yourself, “Who am I consistently praying with on a regular basis?” You may be saying you’ve never prayed with anybody before and it scares you to death. It’s okay to start slow. When you get together with five or six other friends, you don’t have to pray if you don’t want to; you can sit there and be quiet. Then, after several weeks, as you become more comfortable, you can begin to participate more in the group’s prayers. You’ll find a new level of stability in your life.

If you’ve never prayed with other people, start by praying aloud when you’re alone. I do most of my praying, more than any other place, on the freeway. I’m driving down the road and talking aloud to the Lord, “Lord, here are some things I want to talk with you about today.”

Another suggestion is to pray at meals. Our family holds hands; sometimes we pray sentence prayers such as thank you prayers to God for what he has done for us.

Praying together is another form of worshipping God.

Rick Warren

When You Pray, Give God Your Worries

“Give us today the food we need”

(Matthew 6:11 TEV)

Once you have given God your love and your life, Jesus teaches you can give Him your worries by asking God to provide for your needs and then trusting that He will provide.

For instance, we can ask God to give us the food we need each day. Some translations say, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

What is “daily bread”? It’s the necessities of life—our physical and material needs that we’re always worrying about. God wants you to ask Him to provide those things so you don’t have to worry about them. He’s promised to provide all your needs: “My God shall supply all of your needs” (Philippians 4:19 NASB).

What do you need today? Energy to make it through the day? Finances? Wisdom? You have two alternatives: panic or pray. Philippians 4:6 says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (NIV).

Do you really believe this verse? God says you can pray about everything. Nothing is too great for God’s power. Nothing is too insignificant for his care. Anything worth worrying about is worth praying about. If we prayed as much as we worried, we’d have a lot less to worry about! Give God your worries.

When you talk to God about your needs, you need to be specific. When you pray generically—“God, bless me”—how are you going to know if He answered it or not? What’s a blessing? Sometimes blessings come in the form of problems. You’d better be careful when you pray, “God, bless me.”

Notice the Philippians verse also says, “By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.” When you pray, be specific and do it with thanksgiving. Psychologists say gratitude is the healthiest emotion you can have. The more you develop an attitude of appreciation for God, your family, and other people, the healthier you are emotionally.

You worship God through prayer when you give him your love (praise), your life (purpose), and your worries (provision).

Rick Warren

When You Pray, Give God Your Life

“May Your kingdom come; may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”

(Matthew 6:10 TEV)

We worship God when we give Him our lives every time we pray. Jesus says when we pray, we should commit ourselves to God’s will. After I give God my love, I give Him my life.

Notice the prayer says, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 NIV). Did you know God has a specific will for your life? The Bible says in Romans 12 that His will is good and perfect and it fits you. Part of connecting with God is saying, “God, what is Your will for me today? I want to do Your will.”

In heaven, God’s will is done perfectly. The problem on earth is God’s will is not always done. That’s why we’re to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We’re saying, “God, I want to submit to You. I want to do what You want me to do.” True success in life is knowing the will of God and getting right in the center of it.

You can pray “Your will be done” in three different ways. You can say it in resentment: “Your will be done, but I don’t like it.” You can say it in resignation: “Your will be done, because I can’t help it.” Or you can say it in anticipation: “Your will be done, because I know it is the best and that’s what I want for my life today!”

When I was a kid, we watched a popular TV show entitled, Father Knows Best. Your earthly father may not always know what’s best, but your heavenly Father does. That’s what it means to say, “Your will be done.”

Pray this prayer: “God, I know Your will for my life is better than anything I can dream up. I want to give You my life. I want Your will done in my life.”

Rick Warren

When You Pray, Begin With Praise

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven: May Your holy name be honored’”

(Matthew 6:9 TEV)

When Jesus’ friends asked Him how to pray, He gave them a model prayer. Today we call it the Lord’s Prayer, and it gives us a great outline for making contact with God.

The first idea Jesus gives us for making contact with God is captured by the words: “Our Father in heaven: May Your holy name be honored” (Matthew 6:9 TEV). Jesus is talking about praise. You begin making contact with God by praising him, by worshiping him

What is praise? Praise is thanking God for who and what He is. It means to value Him, to esteem Him. It means bragging on him: “God, You are good! There’s no one as good as You!”

Why should I praise God? Because it gets my focus off myself and onto God so I can talk to Him and not at Him. That’s why we start with praise. If you want help learning how to praise God, read through the Psalms. Many of them were written simply to praise God. If you read them aloud, you’ll learn a lot about praising God in prayer.

Notice Jesus talks about God’s name being holy. Did you know God has many names? In the Old Testament there are many different names of God. In the Bible, a name was a clue to a person’s character. The Bible reveals the character of God through the names it uses for Him. Through these names, we learn that:

• God is present with me.
• God is my Shepherd.
• God is my Provider.
• God is my Healer.
• God is my Peace.
• God is my victory in conflict.

Praying the names of God reminds you of who He is and what He has done for you, and that will stir up love in your heart for Him. You begin worshipfully praying by giving God your love.

Rick Warren

Be Yourself with God

“When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long. Do not be like them. Your Father already knows what you need before you ask Him”

(Matthew 6:7-8 TEV)

God created you and so He wants you to be the real you. By being authentic when you speak to God, you worship Him as your Creator.

For years I copied the prayers of other people. I noticed they used certain words and even a special tone of voice. I imitated all the religious clichés: “Lead, guide, and direct us, O Lord.” “Bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies.” “Bless the gift and the giver.”

In New Testament times, prayers were wordy, meaningless rituals. There was no spontaneity, no genuineness. But Jesus says don’t get caught up in ritual prayer. You don’t have to use fancy language. You can’t impress God with fancy language, and you shouldn’t be trying to impress other people, either.

I love to hear new Christians pray; there’s no pious pomposity. They haven’t learned the clichés yet. They just say, “Hi, God. It’s me.” That’s how you make contact with God. You just talk with your heavenly Father about what’s on your mind. Just pray your heart. Reveal yourself.

Imagine I walked in the door one evening and my kids said: “O, almighty procreator of our family. How wonderful thou art, who sovereignly deposits our allowance to us. Oh, the majesty of thy wonderful self! We beseech thee to come eat dinner with us.” I’d check their temperatures to see if they were sick! I don’t want to hear that. I want them to say, “Hey! Dad's home. Good to see you, Pop!”

I’m not saying to be flippant in prayer, but that’s how you make contact with God. You just talk with him in a genuine and heartfelt way.

Jesus gives us a model we can use as we learn to make contact with God. In the next six devotionals, we’ll look at six things we can talk to God about when we pray.

Rick Warren

Fathers: Release Your Children for Service

“In the same way that You gave Me a mission in the world, I give them a mission
in the world” (John 17:18 MSG)

Jesus released His disciples to serve God’s purposes.

As a dad I am responsible to protect my kids as they’re growing up, but that doesn’t mean I protect them from taking risks for the glory of God. You can be so overprotective that you do not release your kids emotionally, or maybe even physically, to do what God wants them to.

You say, “Sure, I want my kids to serve God, as long as they stay here in the area.” Or “Yeah, I want my kids to do what God wants them to do. They can follow His plan and purpose for their life, as long as they don’t leave this area and live right down the block.” “They can do whatever God says as long as they don’t do something that’s dangerous, where they could be hurt or killed.”

It is natural as parents not to want your kids to be hurt. But let me ask you this very frank question: Are you willing to let God be God in your kids’ lives?

Or are you still trying to be God in their life? You’ve got to let them go. I’ve seen some parents try to control their children’s lives even after they are married; yet, the Bible teaches that for marriage “a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they become one” (Genesis 2:24 TEV).

The point is it is God’s plan for children to leave and, as parents, we must teach them while we have them but then let them go to serve God’s purposes.

Jesus said, “In the same way You gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world” (John 17:18 MSG). The whole goal of parenting is to eventually release your children. From the moment they are born, you are preparing them to be released into the world, not to hold on to them or to control their lives for the rest of your life.

Rick Warren

Fathers: Guard Your Children's Spiritual Growth

“Nurture, guard, and guide the flock of God that is your responsibility . . . Not domineering as arrogant, dictatorial, and overbearing persons . . . but being examples, patterns, and models of Christian living”

(1 Peter 5:2-3 AMP)

Jesus protected the disciples’ spirits.

What does that mean for your children? You protect their dignity, their self-esteem, and their spirit. You realize the power of your words—that your words can heal or hurt. We say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me.” That’s absolutely wrong! Names hurt more than sticks and stones. A child can break a leg or an arm and it’ll heal, but some of you are still under a curse today because when you were growing up your dad or mom said, “You’re never going to amount to anything.” And you’re still trying to prove them wrong. You’re still reacting to life instead of acting.

As fathers we must understand the power of our words to hurt or to heal. A dad can crush his daughter with one sentence; or he can build up his daughter. The same is true with sons. John Eldridge, in his book, Wild at Heart, says “most men go through life reacting to what I often called ‘the father wound.’ Every boy, as he grows up, wants to have his manhood affirmed and the most important person to affirm it is his dad.”

If he doesn’t get it there, he tries to get his manhood affirmed in dozens of other ways. He lives his entire life trying to compensate for something his dad never said. “You’re okay, son. You’re a man. You’re alright. You’re valuable.”

The apostle Peter, though writing to pastors, gives advice that applies to all leaders, including moms and dads: “Nurture, guard, and guide the flock of God [that includes your kids] that is your responsibility . . . Not domineering as arrogant, dictatorial, and overbearing persons . . . but being examples, patterns, and models of Christian living” (1 Peter 5:2-3 AMP).

Those of you who are single women, if you choose to marry, I would encourage you to look for a man like this: one who is not domineering, arrogant, dictatorial, or overbearing; but instead being an example, pattern, and model of Christian living.

Rick Warren

Fathers: Protect Your Children's Minds

“While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power of Your name . . . I protected them”

(John 17:12 TEV)

The mark of a spiritual leader is protection, so fathers should protect the spiritual growth of their children. Jesus says, “While I was with them I kept them safe by the power of Your name . . . I protected them” (John 17:12 TEV).

Jesus guarded the disciples’ spiritual growth by protecting their minds. It is your job, as a father and spiritual leader, to protect their innocence. This is a huge task today in the culture we live in. Children are not mini-adults and we need to protect the innocence of our children as they’re growing up. They cannot handle violence; they cannot handle sex; they cannot handle death. These things are a heavy subject for a little mind.

So when our three kids were growing up, Kay and I were very strict with what movies they could see, what TV programs they could watch, what books and magazines they could read. We got all kinds of grief from our kids for it.

When they were little, and could only see a G-rated movie, they would say, “We want to go see this PG movie!” When they got a little bit older, they would say, “We want to go see this PG-13 movie!” We’d say, “You can when you’re older but right now you’re not going to see it.” And they ruthlessly criticized: “Dad! Mom! You guys are so narrow-minded! You’re the only parents in the entire universe who are not letting their kids see this movie!!”

It is amazing to me how Christian parents let their kids, even teenagers, see all kinds of things they have no business seeing. We should care about their minds. My three kids have grown up and they are happy, well-adjusted kids. Why? Because their minds weren’t filled with garbage growing up; their minds weren’t filled with vulgarities growing up. They’re going to be exposed to that soon enough in life. They don’t need it at a young age. You protect what goes into their minds.

Rick Warren

Fathers: Pray Fervently for Your Children

“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those You have given Me, for they are Yours”

(John 17:9 NIV)

Jesus reflected the father heart of God when He prayed for the disciples. As a father, or mother, you can pray that your children will focus on the five purposes of God.

God’s five purposes for your children are the same as God’s five purposes for your life, and the same as the five purposes for the church. Jesus prayed for all five purposes in the lives of those He was leading.

Jesus said, “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those You have given me, for they are Yours” (John 17:9 NIV).

We can pray that our children will live for Christ joyfully: “I say these things while I’m still in the world so that they will have the same joy that I have” (John 17:13 GWT).

We can pray that our children will grow strong spiritually: “I’m not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one” (John 17:15 NLT).

We can pray that our children will serve Christ effectively: “Make them ready for Your service through Your truth; Your teaching is truth” (John 17:17 NCV).

We can pray that our children will experience fellowship personally: “My prayer . . . is that they will be of one heart and mind, just as you and I are one, Father . . . and the world will believe You sent me” (John 17:21 LB).

We can pray that our children will bring others to Christ regularly: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in Me because of their message” (John 17:20 TEV).

Even if you are not a father, or a mother, you will help others move toward the heart of God by praying for them and the purposes God has planned for their lives.

Rick Warren

Fathers: Teach Your Children God's Word

“I have given them Your word”

(John 17:14 NIV)

You can become a spiritual leader to your children by developing the characteristics that were evident in Jesus as He taught His disciples for three years.

He taught them that the Word of God is our foundation. It’s what we build our lives on and it’s what our children should build their lives on. God’s Word is the truth, and Jesus said, “You will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free” (John 8:32 TEV).

I want my kids to be free; I don’t want them bound up by guilt. I don’t want them bound up by worry. I don’t want my kids messed up by resentment. I don’t want them to be pressured by the expectations of others.

There’s only one way to help your kids be free: teach them the Truth that will set them free. Teach them that, when you build your life on God’s Word, then you live a life of genuine freedom. A life built on God’s Truth is filled with happiness, joy, passion, and purpose. You will spare your kids an awful lot of headaches and heartaches and heartbreaks if you teach them to rely on God’s Word as the sole authority for their lives.

God expects you to be the primary teacher of His word and that means you have to know God’s Word yourself! Like many people, you may need to catch up by getting into a Bible study. Then, teach your children to study the Bible for themselves.

Jesus said, “I gave them the message that You gave Me, and they received it; they know that it is true that I came from You, and they believe that You sent Me” (John 17:8 TEV).

Rick Warren

Fathers: Help Your Children Know God

“I showed what You are like to those You gave Me from the world.
They belonged to You, and You gave them to Me”

(John 17:6 NCV)

The world is full of sons and daughters who desperately need a father who is a spiritual leader. Is it possible your kids are among them? You can become a spiritual leader to your children by developing the characteristics that we see in Jesus as he taught his disciples for three years.

Even if you are not a father, or a mother, you will be able to lead others into the heart of God by following the example of Jesus.

First, Jesus helped the disciples to know God.

Dads, this is your number one responsibility as a father. You need to help your children get to know God because eternity hangs in the balance: life or death, heaven or hell. It is your job to help make sure your kids are introduced to God.

Look at what Jesus says: “They belonged to you.” He’s acknowledging that the disciples belonged to God; and reminding us that we don’t own our kids. They belong to God. He loans them to us for a period of time in which he wants you to parent them. Parenting, like all forms of leadership, is really about stewardship. You learn to say, “God, I am the steward of these children, whom You put into my care, and I will do what You need me to do to help them achieve their purpose.”

Notice Jesus then says, “I showed what You were like to those You gave Me.” Jesus doesn’t say, “I preached. I sermonized. I pontificated. I lectured so the disciples would know you.” He says, “I showed.” He led by example. This is one of the most sobering truths about being a parent. For right or wrong, for good or bad, whether you like it or not, your children’s idea of God is going to be largely determined by the kind of father you are. You may not like that. I may not like that, but it’s the truth.

If you are an impatient and demanding father, they’re going to think God is impatient and demanding. If you are distant and detached and never have time for your kids, they’re going to think God is distant and detached from them. If you are inconsistent and unreliable, if you break your promises, they’re going to think their heavenly Father is inconsistent and unreliable and breaks His promises.

What is God really like?

• God is caring.
• God is close and aware of the details.
• God is consistent.
• God is competent.

If my kids are going to grow up knowing God is caring, close, consistent, and competent, then I must be caring, close, consistent, and competent. I must care about my kids enough to show them what God is like and show how they can become like Christ.

Over the next few days, we’ll look at six more ways that Jesus exhibited spiritual leadership. First, by helping them get to know God; then by (2) teaching them God’s Word; (3) praying for them; (4) guarding their mental growth and (5) spiritual growth; (6) releasing them to serve God’s purposes; and (7) teaching them the importance of commitment by showing his own commitment.

Rick Warren

The Depth of God's Love for You

“The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me; He pulled me out of the deep waters”

(Psalm 18:16 TEV)

There are times when we all think, “I’m going under for the last time! I’m about to sink!” No matter how deep you are, God’s love is there; He can pull you out of the deepest waters.

No matter what problem you have, God’s love is deeper than your problem. You may be in deep despair, deep trouble, under deep stress. You may have deep problems—emotional problems, physical problems, financial problems.

Yet, God’s love is deeper still.

Corrie ten Boom and Betsy ten Boom were Christians who lived in the Netherlands during World War II. They hid Jews in their home to protect them from the Nazis. When they were discovered, not only were the Jews taken to the concentration camp but Corrie and Betsy were taken as well, and they spent the rest of the war there.

After watching one atrocity after another, Corrie told Betsy, “This place is the pit of hell!” Betsy replied, “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper.”

In the last few months, you may have hit bottom. Perhaps you’re at the bottom financially and you think, “I am going broke!” Or you’ve hit bottom emotionally, or your marriage has hit bottom, or you’re having health problems. You’re frustrated and you think, “I’m going under.”

Where is God when you hit bottom? He’s right there underneath you. He is “your refuge, and His everlasting arms are under you” (Deuteronomy 33:27 NLT).

Drop into His arms of love. Let Him catch you and support you when you have nowhere else to go.

Rick Warren

The Height of God's Love for You

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”

(Romans 8:38-39 NIV)

There is no place that you can go where God’s love isn’t. You’ll never be separated from God’s love. Nothing—no circumstance, no situation—can separate you because God’s love is everywhere: “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39 NIV).

If you want an antidote for loneliness, that’s it. You will never be separated from God’s love. The fact is we do lose loved ones. If you’re married, one of you is going to die first. And you will grieve over that.

But if you’re a Christian, you’ll never be lonely because you can tune into God’s love. I’m not talking about religion; I’m talking about a relationship with Jesus Christ. His love lasts forever and His love is everywhere.

“Where could I go to escape from You? Where could I get away from Your presence? If I went up to heaven, You would be there; if I lay down in the world of the dead, You would be there. If I flew away beyond the east or lived in the farthest place in the west, You would be there to lead me, You would be there to help me. I could ask the darkness to hide me or the light around me to turn into night, but even darkness is not dark for You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to You” (Psalm 139:7-12 TEV).

Rick Warren

The Length of God's Love for You

“I know that Your love will last for all time, that Your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky”

(Psalm 89:2 TEV).

Human love wears out; that’s why we have so many divorces. Love wears out. I know a lot of people who are not divorced but they don’t love each other anymore. There’s a limit to human love; it dries up.

That’s why you have to have God’s love in your marriage—in all your relationships—if they are going to last. God’s love never wears out. God’s love is patient, persistent, and persevering.

Isn’t it good news to know that God never gives up on you? No matter what you do, His love never gives up. It’s wide enough to include everybody and it’s long enough to last forever.

God will never love you any more than He does right now. But He also will never love you any less than He does right now.

He loves you on your good days; He loves you on your bad days. His love is not conditioned by your response. God is love and His love is given freely. It cannot be earned and it is not undeserved. Accept His love and worship Him, knowing that His love is long enough to last for all time: “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully” (Ephesians 3:18-19 NLT).

Rick Warren

The Width of God's Love for You

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God”

(Ephesians 3:18-19 NLT)

We worship God when we realize just how much He loves us; by seeking to understand “how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is” (Ephesians 3:18 NLT).

The width of God’s love extends across the entire world and includes all people, everyone He has created: “The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made” (Psalm 145:17 NIV, emphasis mine). God loves the whole world (John 3:16).

God never made a person that He didn’t love. He made you; He loves you; and God doesn’t make junk! He loves you unconditionally. He loves you very, very, very, very, very much.

Everybody matters to God; in fact, we see in the life of Jesus that He even loves the unlovely, and those who may feel unlovable. Do you want to know the secret of self-esteem? Here it is: If you want confidence, then understand how much you matter to God. If God loves you, who cares what anybody else thinks.

Because God loves you, there’s no need to prove your self-worth. We don’t need props anymore to make us feel good about ourselves. We don’t have to wear certain kinds of clothes to make us feel like we’re okay, or drive a certain kind of car to prop up our faltering egos. We don’t need status symbols anymore.

It is an act of worship when you accept that God’s love is wide enough to include everyone, including you!

Rick Warren

God Wants to Give You Freedom

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”

(John 8:36 NIV)

The world defines freedom as a life without any restraint—“Do anything I want to do; say anything I want to say, without anybody telling me ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’” Like the song “My Way”: “Everybody got burned by me, but I did it my way!” “I left five marriages behind but I did it my way!” Total selfishness! “I had my freedom!”

Yet, the Bible says the only way to true freedom is through Jesus: “If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free” (John 8:36 TEV).

Real freedom is freedom from fear, where you’re truly free from guilt, from worry, from bitterness, and from death. You’re free to quit pretending because you’re free to be yourself.

How do you get rid of those kinds of fears? By letting God love you! The apostle John teaches that, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18 NIV).

When you realize how much God loves you, you’ll begin to live in true freedom. In fact, you worship God when you recognize that “God is love.” It is an act of worship to agree that he is a loving, caring, generous God and that we can “rely on the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16 NIV).

Rick Warren

Tell God You Love Him by Giving to Him

“But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others”

(2 Corinthians 8:7-8 NIV)

At the core of giving is the essence of love. When you love someone you want to give to them. You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving. If you say you love God, then it’s going to show up in your generous lifestyle.

I can claim to be a Christian, a follower of Christ. I can claim to love God. But the Bible says there is one way to really test the sincerity of your love: “Just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love” (2 Corinthians 8:7-8 NIV).

God tests the sincerity of your love by looking at your giving.

Why does He do that? God doesn’t need your time. He doesn’t need your money. What does He need? He wants what your giving represents—your heart—and He wants you to become like Him. “For God loved the world so much that He gave” (John 3:16 NLT, emphasis mine). You can either become like God and be a generous giver or you can become like Satan and be a stingy hoarder.

I have discovered that there are basically two kinds of people—cheerful givers and fearful givers.

Cheerful givers say, “I'm going to give. It all belongs to God anyway. He gave it all to me. I wouldn’t have anything without God so I'm going to give it all to Him and He can take care of all my needs.”

Fearful givers say, “I can’t afford to do this. I can’t afford to give. I’ve got to hoard. I’ve got to watch what’s for me. I’ve got to protect my selfish interests.”

Cheerful or fearful—you make the decision. But remember God tests the sincerity of your love by how generous you are in life. Everything we have comes from God.

Giving is as much an act of worship as singing, praying, thanking, and listening. It’s saying, “God, I love You so much I want to give back to You. You saved my life and I want to give back to You.”

Rick Warren

Tell God You Love Him by Committing to Him

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him”

(Romans 12:1 MSG).

One way you can express your love for God is by being committed to Him. This is what love is really all about: commitment. You don’t really love somebody unless you’re committed to their best.

Nothing significant ever happens in life without commitment. Your commitments determine your future. You are becoming whatever you are committed to, so choose your commitments carefully. If you’re committed to the wrong thing, you’re going to become the wrong thing.

You can’t lose by being committed to God. The Bible tells us in 2 Chronicles 16:9 that God is looking for people whose hearts are fully committed to Him so that He can bless and use them.

What does it mean to be fully committed to God?

• Giving my life to Jesus Christ.
• Committing my life to His family—the body of Christ, which is the church—and joining a church family.
• Choosing to grow spiritually and become more and more like Jesus Christ everyday in my character.
• Using my talents and gifts to help others.
• Sharing the good news with other people and fulfilling the mission and purpose God put me on this earth to do.

These commitments show that worship is not just something that happens in the four walls of a church building. Worship can happen anywhere as you “take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering” (Romans 12:1b MSG).

Rick Warren

Tell God You Love Him by Telling Others You Belong to Him

“When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means”

(Romans 6:3 MSG)

Baptism makes three powerful, public statements, expressing how we belong to God:

The first reason you need to be baptized is to say, “I believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus.” And you give a picture of that by going under the water and coming up. And when we come up out of the water, we enter into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! (based on Romans 6:3 MSG).

Second, baptism is a picture of what happens to you: “Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as He did Christ” (Colossians 2:12 MSG). When you’re baptized you’re saying, “I'm dying to all my old sins. They’re forgiven, they’re forgotten, and they’re out of my life. I'm beginning a brand new life in Christ.”

Third, it symbolizes your new life in Jesus Christ: “And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes” (Galatians 3:27 NLT).

Rick Warren

Tell God You Love Him by Remembering What Christ Did for You

“And anyone who is ashamed of Me and My message in these days of unbelief and sin, I, the Messiah, will be ashamed of Him when I return in the glory of My Father, with the holy angels”

(Mark 8:38 LB)

You can’t say you love Jesus Christ and be ashamed of Him at the same time. In Mark 8, Jesus’ words could be summarized this way: “If you’re ashamed of Me on earth, I’m going to be ashamed of you in heaven.” We need to publicly identify ourselves with Christ. That’s how we show our love for Him.

Jesus gave us two very powerful symbols that help us publicly declare we belong to God. The first one is Communion, which helps us identify with what Jesus Christ did for us:

• He saved us from the penalty of sin. Everything you’ve ever done wrong was paid for on the cross so you get to go free and forgiven.

• He saves us from the power of sin. He breaks its grip in our lives. He gives us a new power to be able to make changes so we’re not the same anymore. He can do new things in our lives that we always wanted to do but never thought we could do on our own.

• Eventually He saves us from the presence of sin in heaven where there will be no sin, no sorrow, no suffering, no pain, no grief. That’s good news.

What should my attitude be when I take the Lord’s Supper? Should I sit there feeling guilty, remembering all the wrong things I’ve done in my life? No. They’ve already been paid for by Jesus Christ and forgiven. When I take Communion, should I feel grief, thinking about all the torture and suffering that Jesus Christ went through for me? No. Because He didn’t stay dead; He came back to life.

So what should be my attitude when I take the Lord’s Supper? It should be the attitude of gratitude. Gratefulness for all that God has done. That God loves me so much He sent Jesus to save me from my sins. We can be grateful because we are a forgiven people.

As we take Communion we do several things. We publicly identify our faith in Christ. We publicly identify our love for Christ. We publicly state that we want to be closer to Christ.

When you participate in the Lord’s Supper, you worship God because it requires you to “examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe” (1 Corinthians 11:28 MSG).

Rick Warren

Tell God You Love Him by Listening to Him

“I am the Good Shepherd; I know My own sheep, and they know Me . . . They will listen to My voice” (John 10:14, 16 NLT)

One way to worship God is to listen to Him.

Listening is one of the greatest gifts you can give to somebody. When you listen to someone, you’re saying, “You matter to me.” When I listen to my children, when I listen to my wife, when I listen to anyone, I’m saying, “I value what you have to say. I value your opinion. You’re important to me.” When I don’t listen to somebody, I’m basically saying, “You don’t matter to me. You’re not important to me. I don’t value what you have to say.”

The same is true with God. Every time you listen to God, you’re saying, “God, you matter to me. I value what you have to say.” Listening is the most misunderstood and overlooked part of prayer. Most of us think that prayer is just talking to God. That’s only fifty percent of prayer. The other fifty percent of prayer is getting quiet and letting God speak to us.

Usually we’re in too much of a hurry to do this. What we do is say, “Hi, God, it’s me. I’ve got ten things I need from You. Thank you. Over and out. Goodbye.” We don’t wait and listen. We don’t say, “God, do You have a few things to say to me?”

Did you know that the Bible says hearing God’s voice is a test of whether you’re a true believer—whether you’re in God’s family—whether you’re headed for heaven or not? In John 10, Jesus essentially says, “I am the Good Shepherd; I know My own sheep, they know Me, and they listen to My voice.”

How often do you pause to listen to God each day? Do you pause and say, “God, is there anything You want to say about this?” When you’re trying to make a decision, or you’re getting ready to go to an event, or you’re about to talk to somebody about something important, do you pause and say, “God, is there anything You want to say about this?”

Evaluate yourself on that. God wants you to hear Him, and by listening, you worship Him.

Rick Warren