Rick Warren's Blog, page 634

Life Is About Relationship, Not Acquisition

Life is not about things. You’ve got to maintain the right perspective about possessions, or you’ll be possessed by your possessions. You’ve got to realize none of it is going to last.

Jesus says in Luke 12:15, “Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be” (GNT).

God’s Gifts for Now

The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:17 that God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (NIV). That’s the kind of God we serve. He gave us the world for our enjoyment! But here’s the problem: We’re so busy getting more that we don’t enjoy what we’ve got.

The Best Financial Investment You Can Make

God’s Word tells us to store up our treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:20-21).

How can we do this? In one of his most misunderstood statements, Jesus said, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9 NIV).

Don’t Worry. Trust God!

We can be a hero one day and a zero the next day, a millionaire one day and bankrupt the next. No matter how much we make, no matter how much we save, finances are uncertain.

So we worry. What does the Bible say about worrying over money?

Comparing Always Leads to Coveting

The first step in becoming a contented person is to stop comparing yourself to others. The problem is that comparing is America’s favorite indoor sport! We naturally do it all the time.

You walk into somebody’s house, and the first thing you do is make comparisons: “I like that floor! Look at that drapery! Wow, what a television!” You walk up to somebody and think, “I like the way she did her hair; mine looks terrible today.” You are constantly comparing, and it keeps you frustrated. You’ve got to stop it! If you’re going to learn contentment, you’ve got to stop comparing your life to everyone else’s.

Fear Keeps You from God’s Financial Blessing

What keeps us from investing our lives? What keeps us from moving to financial freedom? I’ll tell you what it is: fear.

In the Bible there are financial principles that God guarantees. God promises that if you do them, you will be blessed. But they require faith, and that scares a lot of people. They are afraid of doing it God’s way.

You’re Only the Manager of Your Money

In those days there weren’t any banks, so when this rich man left for his long trip, he entrusted his property to his servants. When he returned, he asked for an account from his servants; he wanted to know what they had done with his money.

This is called stewardship — the old English word for “manager.” The first law of financial freedom is the law of possession: Everything you have belongs to God. You are only a manager!

God’s Reward for Wise Money Management

Money is the acid test of your faithfulness. God uses it more than any other thing in your life to test your faith. Why? Because it’s the thing we have the hardest time with.

Look at the rewards that God gives for wise money management: “[The] Master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21 NIV)

Use Your Gifts As an Act of Worship

When you use the gifts that God has given you, it is an act of worship.

What is it that makes God smile? Some people think God only smiles when you’re praying or singing or going to church. The truth is, God smiles when you use the gifts that he’s given you. When you’re doing what you were wired to do and shaped to do, God goes, “That’s so cool! I made him to do that!”

Take a Break

The Bible says in Mark 12:30, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (NLT). Another way to say this is, love God with all your talk, all your feelings, all your thinking, and all of your acting. God shaped you to primarily be either a talker, feeler, thinker, or a doer.