Rick Warren's Blog, page 577

God Wants You to Grow Up

God created you to become like Christ. He wants you to grow up spiritually!

The Bible says, ���From the very beginning God decided that those who came to him ��� and all along he knew who would ��� should become like his Son��� (Romans 8:29a TLB). God���s goal has always been to make you like himself ��� not to become a god but to become godly, with godly character.

You Need the Support of Your Spiritual Family

The Bible says, ���God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure��� (Ephesians 1:5 NLT, second edition).

This Is How God Feels About You

When my three children were small, I used to sneak into their room at night and sit down by the side of their bed and just watch them sleep. I got so much joy from it! I���d watch their chests rise and fall. I got so much pleasure out of watching them sleep peacefully because I was their father. They were created simply out of my love.

Don���t Just Learn from the Bible. Remember It!

The Bible says this about wisdom in Proverbs 22:17-18: ���Listen, and I will teach you what the wise have said. Study their teachings, and you will be glad if you remember them and can quote them��� (TEV). Notice the four verbs in that sentence: listen, study, remember, quote. Those are marks of wisdom.

Wise People Ask Questions and Then Listen

If you want to be wise, you���re going to have to learn how to ask wise questions.

Proverbs 20:5 says, ���People���s thoughts can be like a deep well, but someone with understanding can find the wisdom there��� (NCV). In other words, everybody���s got something to teach you. It���s like deep water in a well, and you���ve got to draw it out of them.

To Become Wise, Spend Time with Wise People

Have you ever heard the old phrase, ���If you want to soar with the eagles, you can���t run with the turkeys���?

If you���re going to be wise, you���ve got to get some wise people in your life.

Fill Your Mind with Truth, Not Poison

If you want to become wise, the first thing you have to do is listen to God���s Word every day.

Proverbs 2:6 says, ���It is the LORD who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding��� (TEV).

Why Should You Be Generous?

As followers of Christ, we need to remember to be generous.

Why is it so important to remember to be generous? Here are three ways it makes an impact on our lives.

The Forgiven Should Forgive

Do you show people grace? It���s what God wants us to do, but it���s not always easy to remember to do because we are so often focused on ourselves.

Choose Faith over Fear

The first resolution: Choose to be who God wants you to be. The second resolution: Choose short-term pain for long-term gain. The third resolution: Choose God���s values, not the world���s.