Rick Warren's Blog, page 564

Why Should You Memorize Scripture?

If you���re serious about being spiritually strong and mature, the greatest habit you can develop is memorizing Scripture. In fact, the Bible says in James 1:25 that it���s one of four habits that leads to a blessed life: ���Whoever looks intently into the perfect law . . . and continues in it ��� not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it ��� they will be blessed in what they do��� (James 1:25 NIV).

Prepare Your Heart for God���s Word

Let���s say you���re a gardener. You���ve learned that you can take the exact same seed and plant it in three different locations and get three different results. In one spot, you���ll get giant tomatoes. In another, you���ll get small tomatoes. And in a third, you���ll get nothing. What���s the difference? It���s not the seed; it���s the soil. The soil must be prepared for the seed.

Obedience Is an Act of Worship

God smiles when we obey him wholeheartedly. That means doing whatever God asks without reservation or hesitation. You don���t procrastinate and say, ���I���ll pray about it.��� You do it without delay. Every parent knows that delayed obedience is really disobedience.

Obey God by Using Your Brain

A lot of people think living an obedient life of faith means putting your mind in neutral and letting God direct you wherever he wants as if you are a robot. That���s not it at all.

Obeying God Requires You Take a Risk

As uncomfortable as it was for Joseph to move his family to Egypt, imagine how scary it would be for him to obey God���s command to return to Israel. It was like going back into the jaws of the lion. He was going to take Mary and Jesus back to where his son���s life had been in danger. But because Joseph trusted God and what he was saying, Joseph took the risk and went there because he knew that was the right place to be.

Obedience Is Uncomfortable, But That���s a Good Thing

Joseph and Mary had to let a lot of things go because of their faith journey. They left everything they knew when they headed to Egypt. And in one sense, what they were sacrificing was their comfort at the deepest level.

You Obey God by Trusting God

Some people are good at the immediate. They can jump right into anything, but they are not good at ���keeping on keeping on.��� And other people are good at lasting, but it takes them a long time to get there.

Don���t Wait to Obey God

This week, as we think about obedience and how to live it out, I want to look at five actions Joseph took that showed his obedience to God.

When the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, he told Joseph, ���Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit��� (Matthew 1:20b NIV). So that���s what Joseph did: ���When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife��� (Matthew 1:24 NIV). He didn���t hesitate. He just did it!

Biblical Obedience: Love + Trust + Action

We���re all familiar with the Christmas story. But have you ever stopped to put yourself in Joseph���s shoes? Here was a guy who found out his fianc��e was pregnant, claiming she was visited by an angel and told she���s carrying God���s baby. And she wanted him to believe her!

Repentance: How to Change Your Autopilot

Imagine riding in a speedboat on a lake with an automatic pilot set to go east. If you decide to reverse and head west, you have two possible ways to change the boat���s direction.