Rick Warren's Blog, page 576

Why God Wants You to Get in Shape

Have you ever heard the word ���sanctification���? It���s really just a big theological word that means to dedicate something for God���s purpose. You can sanctify anything. You can say, ���God, I sanctify this car. I dedicate it to you for your purposes. God, I sanctify this home. I dedicate it to you for your purposes.���

You Don���t Have to Be Perfect, Just Pure, to Be Used By God

If you want to be used by God, you need to purify your heart.

You don���t have to be a perfect person, but you do have to have a pure heart. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:21, ���If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work��� (NLT, second edition).

Invest in Your Character, Not Your Comfort

God wants you to grow up spiritually and become more like Jesus Christ. How do you do that? By taking some of your money and investing it in yourself and your personal growth.

Use Your Money to Encourage God���s Family

God wants you first to learn to love him and invest in what I call the ���Treasury Fund.��� Then he wants you to learn to love and invest in other people in God���s family. This is what I call the ���Mutual Fund.���

What Kind of Giving Is Worship?

When I was a little kid I used to buy or make all these little cheesy gifts for my parents. When I look back on them, they were really lame. But every time I would give my parents a present, they were overjoyed. It wasn���t like they needed anything from me, because they didn���t. They just enjoyed the fact that I thought of them.

Every Christian Is a Minister

God did not put you on Earth just to live for yourself. He wants you to make the world a better place!

Every time I hear somebody say, ���I live for the weekends,��� I want to say, ���Then why should God keep you alive?��� If you���re not fulfilling your purpose, you���re missing the whole point of life.

God���s Family Helps You Grow As a Disciple

God doesn���t want you to remain a spiritual baby. He says, ���Grow up! I don���t want you to be a spiritual infant all your life. I want you to become like Christ. I want you to grow.���

If You���re a Child of God, You���re Connected to a Family

The church not only helps you center on God. It also helps you connect with other believers.

God did not put you here to live an isolated life. While you���re here on Earth, God wants you to learn to love other people, and he wants you to practice loving others in his family. The Bible says, ���Christ makes us one body and individuals who are connected to each other��� (Romans 12:5b GW). There���s a connection once you become a child of God; you become a brother or sister.

Why You Need a Church Family

You cannot fulfill the five purposes (worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism) on your own. Life is not a solo act. You were created for community. The only way you can fulfill God���s five purposes in your life is with people in your life who are giving you spiritual input. You need a church family!

God Shaped You for Service

God shaped you to serve him.

The Bible says, ���God made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing��� (Ephesians 2:10 NCV).