Rick Warren's Blog, page 351

Recuerda: No Estás en Casa Todavía

“Así que no nos fijamos en lo visible, sino en lo invisible, ya que lo que se ve es pasajero, mientras que lo que no se ve es eterno”. 2 corintios 4:18 (NVI)

Al esforzarte por alcanzar las metas que Dios te ha dado, es importante recordar que la vida en la tierra es solo un trabajo temporal. Saber esto debería alterar radicalmente tus valores y fijar tu atención en las cosas que son importantes eternamente.

Como dijo C. S. Lewis, “Todo lo que no es eterno, es eternamente inútil”.

Es un error fatal asumir que las metas de Dios son prosperidad material o éxito popular como lo define el mundo. La vida abundante no tiene nada que ver con la abundancia material. La fidelidad a Dios no garantiza el éxito en la carrera, ni siquiera en el ministerio. Nunca te enfoques en coronas temporales.

Pablo era fiel, sin embargo, terminó en la cárcel. Juan el Bautista era fiel, pero fue decapitado. Millones de personas fieles fueron martirizadas, perdieron todo o llegaron al final de sus días sin tener nada para mostrar. Pero el fin de la vida no es el fin.

La Biblia dice en 2 Corintios 4:18, “Así que no nos fijamos en lo visible, sino en lo invisible, ya que lo que se ve es pasajero, mientras que lo que no se ve es eterno” (NVI).

Cuando la vida se ponga difícil, cuando estés agobiado por las deudas, o cuando te cuestiones si vale la pena el esfuerzo de vivir para Cristo, recuerda que no estás en casa todavía. Al morir no dejarás tu hogar —irás a tu hogar.

Reflexiona sobre esto:

Piensa en las metas por las que te esfuerzas cada día. ¿De qué manera tu esfuerzo refleja la perspectiva eterna?
¿De qué forma la perspectiva eterna afecta tus relaciones? ¿tu actitud? ¿tu testimonio?
¿Por qué piensas que Dios te bendice financieramente o bendice tu carrera, si las coronas terrenales no son importantes?

The post Recuerda: No Estás en Casa Todavía appeared first on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.

There’s Only One True Source for Identity and Purpose

“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.”

Ephesians 1:11 (The Message)

The only way to know who you are and what your purpose is in life is to look to Jesus Christ. Why? Because he created you!

“We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created . . . everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him” (Colossians 1:15-16 The Message).

The phrase “in Christ” is one of the most important in the Bible. In the New Testament it is used 89 times, and the phrase “in him” is used 79 times.

If you have trusted Jesus Christ for salvation, you likely call yourself a Christian, but the word “Christian” is used only twice in the whole Bible. In biblical times, the most common description used for a follower of Jesus was “in Christ.”

That directly points to where you should find your identity as a follower of Jesus. Ephesians 1:11 says, “It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for” (The Message).

In Christ, you find out who you are—that’s your identity. And you find what you’re living for—that’s your purpose.

The only way to know your identity and purpose in life is by getting to know your Creator. You may think you know yourself best, but God knows everything about you. He made you to love you, and he gave you a purpose only you can fulfill. If you really want to find out what that purpose is and how to pursue it, you have to get to know Jesus Christ and ask for his wisdom and direction.

When you look for your identity in other people, you’re not going to find it. When you look for your identity in your job or your hobby or your accomplishments or your causes, you’re only going to be disappointed.

When you find your identity in Christ, you’re going to find your purpose and the motivation to get to work on it.

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

What have you tried to find your identity in besides Jesus Christ? What has been the result?
Why do you think getting to know Jesus and having a relationship with him will motivate you to pursue your purpose?

Have you trusted Jesus Christ for your salvation?

The Bible says you can only get to heaven by trusting in God through his Son, Jesus Christ. And you don’t have to earn God’s love or work your way into heaven. The Bible says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).

If you haven’t trusted in Jesus and committed to following him, why wait any longer? If you’re ready to step across that line and make a decision to believe in Jesus Christ and follow him, pray this prayer:

“Dear Jesus, you have promised that if I believe in you, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and one day you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven.

“I confess my sin, and I believe that you are my Savior. You have promised that, if I confess my sin and trust you, I will be saved. I trust you when you say that salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I receive you into my life as my Lord. Today I’m turning over every part of my life to your management. You have the right to call the shots in my life.

“Jesus, I want to use the rest of my life to serve you instead of serving myself. I commit my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In your name I pray. Amen.”

If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.

The post There’s Only One True Source for Identity and Purpose appeared first on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.

Cuando Venga un Cambio, ¡No te Rindas!

“Los ojos del Señor recorren toda la tierra para fortalecer a los que tienen el corazón totalmente comprometido con él”. 2 Crónicas 16:9 (NTV)

Cuando Dios te da una misión, puedes estar seguro de que enfrentarás atrasos, dificultades, desvíos y callejones sin salida a lo largo del camino. Son todos parte natural de la vida. Pero puedes estar preparado para ellos.

Por ejemplo, si alguien tuvo razón para estar desalentado, ese fue Noé. ¿Sabes cuánto trabajó en el arca? Le tomó 120 años. ¿Podrías estar 120 años en un proyecto sin una palabra de aliento de parte de nadie?

Noé confió en Dios. Y cuando escuchó las advertencias de Dios sobre el futuro, le creyó, aunque no había la menor señal de una inundación. Estoy seguro de que hubo muchos días en los que Noé no tenía ganas de ir a trabajar, pero por 43.800 días fue al mismo lugar, y trabajó. Nunca renunció.

No renuncies a tus sueños tampoco. No renuncies a tu matrimonio. No renuncies a tu salud. No, no, no renuncies. Dios está en control. No has leído el último capítulo de tu vida. Dios ya lo escribió, pero todavía no lo has leído.

La Biblia dice: “Los ojos del Señor recorren toda la tierra para fortalecer a los que tienen el corazón totalmente comprometido con él” 2 Crónicas 16:9 (NTV). Dios está buscando personas que tengan el corazón totalmente comprometido con Él y su plan para poder bendecirlos.

¿Quieres ser una de esas personas? ¡No renuncies!

Reflexiona sobre esto:

¿Qué sueño del “tamaño de Dios” has estado listo para dejar debido a las dificultades y retrasos?
¿Cómo has crecido espiritualmente a través de los desvíos y demoras en tu vida?
¿De qué forma deseas que Dios te bendiga al comprometerte totalmente con Él?

The post Cuando Venga un Cambio, ¡No te Rindas! appeared first on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.

Choose Faith over Fear

“By faith [Moses] left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.”

Hebrews 11:27 (NIV)

Either we live by faith or we live by fear.

The Bible says of Moses in Hebrews 11:27, “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (NIV).

Moses teaches us that living by faith rather than by fear is a choice.

He went to the most powerful man in the world and said, “You know those slaves that are building all your pyramids? I’m taking them, and we’re all leaving. You’re not going to have slave labor anymore. Let my people go.”

Moses had every reason to be afraid. He was going up against a powerful man who was considered a god, and whatever Pharaoh said, you had to do. What he said was the law. And here came Moses and declared, “We aren’t going to do what you say anymore. I’m not afraid of you because I report to a higher authority.” That took some guts!

Do you want that same kind of faith in your life so you can overcome your fear? The closer you get to God, the more you’re going to be filled with faith. The further away you get from God, the more you’re going to be filled with fear.

I cannot overemphasize the importance of faith for the rest of your life. The Bible says that whatever is not of faith is sin. How many times did you sin this week? A lot. So did I. Because anything I did that wasn’t done in faith but was done in doubt was a sin. The Bible also says that without faith it is impossible to please God. How many times did you please God this week?

Do you want something to change in your life? Instead of complaining, start believing. God is not moved by complaints. God is moved by faith, a truth we see in these words of Jesus: “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV). You get to choose what he does in your life.

Here’s the key: What matters is not the size of your faith but the size of the God you put it in. A little faith in a big God gets big results!

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

What do you need to do to get closer to God so that you can be filled with faith?
How has fear kept you from achieving God’s best for you?
What is the outward evidence that someone is a faith-filled person?

The post Choose Faith over Fear appeared first on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.

Los Atajos Solo Te Sacarán del Camino

“Escucha atentamente mis palabras. No las pierdas de vista. Déjalas llegar hasta lo profundo de tu corazón, pues traen vida a quienes las encuentran y dan salud a todo el cuerpo”. Proverbios 4:20-22 (NTV)

Uno de los engaños al que te puedes enfrentar mientras cumples tu propósito en la vida es la tentación de los atajos.

En verdad, estos atajos solo te sacarán del camino. Los atajos pueden ser morales, éticos, espirituales, financieros o incluso atajos en tus relaciones personales.

Pero ellos te distraerán de lo que Dios quiere que hagas en la vida, eventualmente agotarán tu tiempo, energía, recursos y creatividad.

Los atajos siempre tienen la vista limitada. Dios quiere que “…Piensen en las cosas del cielo, donde Cristo gobierna a la derecha de Dios. No piensen en las cosas de este mundo”. Colosenses 3:2 (TLA).

Dios te dice, “Escucha atentamente mis palabras. No las pierdas de vista. Déjalas llegar hasta lo profundo de tu corazón, pues traen vida a quienes las encuentran y dan salud a todo el cuerpo” Proverbios 4:21-22 (NTV).

Reflexiona sobre esto:

¿Cómo reconoces un atajo en tu vida?
¿Qué atajos has intentado tomar en el pasado cuando buscabas tus metas?
¿Cómo pueden los atajos causarnos ser desobedientes a Dios?

The post Los Atajos Solo Te Sacarán del Camino appeared first on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.

Commit to Living by Your Values

“[Moses] regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”

Hebrews 11:26 (NIV)

To be all God wants you to be, follow the pattern set by Moses: Choose to be who God wants you to be. Choose short-term pain for long-term gain. And choose God’s values, not the world’s.

That’s why God used him!

Hebrews 11:26 says, “He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward” (NIV).

Moses clarified what mattered most to him.

What matters most in your life? What are the top three or four values in your life? Can you name them easily?

If you ask me, I’ll tell you quite simply what they are for me: integrity, humility, and generosity.

Can you name the three most important values in your life right now? If you can’t, then you certainly can’t live by them. You won’t be able to live your values until you are able to name them. you go one more day, sit down and ask, “What’s most important to me? What are the top values in my life?” And then write them out, because until you clarify your values, you can’t live by them.

Moses chose God’s values over the world’s values. Why is this so important? Because if you don’t decide what’s most important in your life, other people are going to decide for you. They’re going to push you into their mold. And you’re going to live your life by their values, not yours.

You’ve got to decide what’s most important to you and then live by those values.

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

What are the three most important values in your life?
How did you determine that those are your most important values?
How are these three values shaping the way you live your life? Be as specific as possible.

The post Commit to Living by Your Values appeared first on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.

Para Escuchar a Dios, Tienes que Acercarte a Dios

“¡Pues el Señor concede sabiduría! De su boca provienen el saber y el entendimiento”. Proverbios 2:6 (NTV)

Tú dices, “Quiero confiar en Dios, pero no lo escucho”.

No escuchas a Dios cuando tu mente está llena con miles de otras distracciones. Para escuchar a Dios, tienes que estar cerca de Dios. Tienes que estar a solas con Dios y estar tranquilo.

La Biblia dice, “Quédense quietos, reconozcan que yo soy Dios”  Salmos 46:10 (NVI). Eso significa sentarte y estar tranquilo. Así es como escuchas y te acercas a Dios. Tienes que sentarte solo y estar en completa calma con tu Biblia y decir, “Dios, ¿Hay algo que quieres decirme?” Lee la Palabra de Dios, y habla con Él sobre lo que está en tu corazón.

Dios dice que Él te dará la sabiduría que necesitas para reconocer Su voz y entender lo que te dice: “¡Pues el Señor concede sabiduría! De su boca provienen el saber y el entendimiento” Proverbios 2:6 (NTV).

Haz esta oración hoy: “Dios, quiero escucharte a Ti, no a las voces de la duda. Quiero estar más cerca de Ti y conocerte mejor. Quiero escucharte y prometo obedecerte. Quiero ser una de las personas que puedas usar y bendecir”.

Reflexiona sobre esto:

¿Qué necesitas cambiar sobre la forma en la que te encuentras con el Señor para que puedas estar tranquilo y acercarte a Él?
¿Cómo reaccionas normalmente a las instrucciones de Dios para tu vida?
¿Cómo puedes demostrar que estás listo para obedecer lo que Dios te manda a hacer?

The post Para Escuchar a Dios, Tienes que Acercarte a Dios appeared first on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.

Choose Short-Term Pain for Long-Term Gain

“[Moses] chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”

Hebrews 11:25 (NIV)

To be all God wants you to be, you need to choose short-term pain for long-term gain.

Anybody who’s ever played sports knows this one. You’ve got to practice and work hard in order to play in a championship game. You don’t just walk out and compete for the title. If you’re going to be good at anything, you’ve got to accept short-term pain for long-term gain.

That’s not just true in sports. It’s true in finances and relationships, too. I have a good marriage, but Kay and I have worked hard at it for years. It didn’t come easily. You’ve got to work to make your marriage thrive, just like anything else in life.

Why is this resolution important in your life? Because most problems in life come from the inability to delay gratification. Society teaches us to say, “I want everything and I want it now and I want it free and I want it easy.” Life doesn’t work like that!

Moses made a choice: “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25 NIV).

This verse says he chose to be mistreated—to endure the short-term pain for the long-term gain of doing the right thing.

You’re going to experience pain in life. But if you choose to do the hard thing right now and put in the effort and discipline to learn, grow, become strong, and mature, then later in life you get to benefit from all of that.

When you choose the short-term pain like Moses did, you’re going to see God deliver you so that you can enjoy the long-term reward.

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

What short-term pain are you facing that calls for an eternal perspective?
How have you seen your tough decisions or hard work benefit you in the long run?
How do you become more like Jesus when you choose the hard thing right now, even if it means you have to suffer or endure hardship?

The post Choose Short-Term Pain for Long-Term Gain appeared first on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.

¿La Voz de Quién Estás Escuchando?

“Todo el que quiera ser sabio debe empezar por obedecer a Dios. Pero la gente ignorante no quiere ser corregida ni llegar a ser sabia”. Proverbios 1:7 (TLA)

¿Has notado que en el momento en que estableces un objetivo en tu vida, la gente comienza a decir: “¿Quién crees que eres?”, “No se puede hacer”, “Olvídalo”.

El antídoto para las voces de la duda es escuchar en su lugar la voz de Dios. Piensa en todas las críticas que Noé enfrentó en su vida. “Ese tipo, Noé, cree que Dios le habla, pero está desvalorizando nuestras propiedades al construir esa arca en su jardín”.

La Biblia nos dice que Noé escuchó a Dios. ¿Y qué escuchó? Escuchó la advertencia de Dios, que el mundo iba a ser destruido. Noé creyó lo que aún no había visto. Esto es fe: estar seguros de algo que no vemos.

Noé no se apartó de la visión que Dios le había dado. En cambio, construyó el arca.

Dios te va a dar una meta en la vida, y algunas personas pueden pensar que es muy difícil. Pero tienes que mantenerte enfocado en lo que sabes que Dios ha dicho a través de su Palabra, la Biblia. ¡Entonces, tienes que construir tu arca!

Reflexiona sobre esto:

¿En qué formas has permitido que el miedo o la crítica te impidan alcanzar tus objetivos?
¿Qué sueño alcanzarías si no te asustara la crítica?
¿Cómo puedes practicar el escuchar la voz de Dios?

The post ¿La Voz de Quién Estás Escuchando? appeared first on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.

God’s Plan for Your Pain

“If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.”

1 Peter 4:19 (NLT)

Remember what photography was like before everything went digital? When you took a picture, the first thing you’d get was a negative. Then you’d develop the negative into a positive by going into a darkroom and shining a light through it onto photographic paper. This turned the negative into a positive, full-color photograph.

That’s what God wants to do with the injustices in our lives. We all have them. People have mistreated us. They’ve passed over us. They’ve taken advantage of us. God wants to take all the negatives, shine the light of Jesus through them, and turn them into positives—a full-color picture of the life we were made to live.

The Bible says, “If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you” (1 Peter 4:19 NLT). The most important thing you can remember when you’ve been treated unfairly is that Jesus is on your side.

Throughout Scripture, God shows special care for people who are treated unfairly. He is a God of justice. He hears your cry, sees your pain, and knows your hurt. You didn’t get what you thought you deserved. But God has a plan for your pain.

When you shine the light of God’s love through your circumstances, he can turn your pain into a beautiful picture. He develops your character through it. He makes you stronger. Most importantly, he uses your pain.

You’ll never get an explanation for much of the pain you endure in this life. When you get to heaven, you may understand more about why bad things happened to you. But God does not owe you an explanation for it.

But here’s the good news: You don’t need an explanation. You just need to know that God loves you. He has a plan for you. God will settle the score with whoever hurt you.

God never wastes a hurt. Welcome the light of the Gospel into it and God will use your hurt—the very real injustice that has happened to you—to create a beautiful picture through your life.

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

How can God use the pain from your past to help other people?
In what ways have you seen God grow your character through an injustice you’ve experienced?
Instead of retaliating, how do you think God wants you to treat the person who treated you unfairly? How does responding in love affect you?

The post God’s Plan for Your Pain appeared first on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.