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