Rick Warren's Blog, page 661

God's Family Lasts Forever

"Since you are his child, God has made you his heir." (Galatians 4:7b NLT)

Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever. Our families on Earth are wonderful gifts from God, but they are temporary and fragile, often broken by divorce, distance, old age, and, inevitably, by death.

The apostle Paul says, "When I think of the wisdom and scope of his plan, I fall down on my knees and pray to the Father of all the great family of God - some of them already in heaven and some down here on earth" (Ephesians 3:14-15 LB).

On the other hand, our spiritual family - our relationship to other believers - will continue throughout eternity. It is a much stronger union, a more permanent bond, than blood relationships.God's Family Lasts Forever

The Bible teaches, "To all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become children of God. They did not become his children in any human way - by any human parents or human desire. They were born of God" (John 1:12-13 NCV).

The moment you were spiritually born into God's family, you were given some astounding birthday gifts: the family name, the family likeness, family privileges, family intimate access, and the family inheritance!

Talk It Over

In what ways are you developing relationships within your spiritual family as well as your biological family?

What is your inheritance as a child of God?

A Church Family Identifies You as a Believer

"Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." (John 13:35 NLT)

The Bible says a Christian without a church home is like an organ without a body, a sheep without a flock, or a child without a family. It is an unnatural state. Ephesians 2:19 says, "You belong in God's household with every other Christian" (LB).

Today's culture of independent individualism has created many spiritual orphans - "bunny believers" who hop around from one church to another without any identity, accountability, or commitment. Many believe it is possible to be a "good Christian" without joining (or even attending) a local church, but God would strongly disagree.

The church is so significant that Jesus died on the cross for it: "Christ loved the church and gave his life for it" (Ephesians 5:25b GW).

Except for a few important exceptions referring to all believers throughout history, almost every time the word "church" is used in the Bible it refers to a local, visible congregation. The New Testament assumes membership in a local congregation.

A church family identifies you as a genuine believer. You can't claim to follow Christ if you're not committed to any specific group of disciples. Jesus said, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (John 13:35 NLT).

When we come together in love as a church family from different backgrounds, races, and social statuses, it is also a witness to the world (Galatians 3:28).

Talk It Over

Why is it important to belong to a local congregation?

You are identified as a believer not just by your church membership or attendance but also by your involvement. How are you serving your church family and community in ministry?

How would you respond to a believer who does not attend church because of some hurt or disappointment from the past?

Where Can You Find True Freedom?

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36 NIV)

The world defines freedom as a life without any restraint: "I can do anything I want to do and say anything I want to say without anybody telling me what to do." Everybody else may get burned by you, but you get to do it your own way. The world says you can have your freedom, but only by being totally selfish.

Yet, the Bible says the only way to true freedom is through Jesus: "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36 NIV).

Real freedom is freedom from fear, where you're truly free from guilt, worry, bitterness, and death. You're free to quit pretending because you're free to be yourself.

How do you get rid of those kinds of fears? By letting God love you! The apostle John teaches that, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18a).

When you realize how much God loves you, you'll begin to live in true freedom. In fact, you worship God when you recognize that "God is love." It is an act of worship to agree that he is a loving, caring, generous God and that we can "rely on the love God has for us" (1 John 4:16a).�

Talk It Over

If you struggle to believe God loves you, why do you think you have unbelief in this area of faith?

How has God shown his love to you?

How can you express your freedom in Christ?

God Says You're Worth Being Found

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NLT)

Some people believe calling someone spiritually lost is a put-down. But it's not. It's actually a great compliment to be called spiritually lost. There's a difference between losing something and misplacing something. If I misplace something, it means it wasn't important to me. But if I lose it, it's valuable enough for me to try to find it. You misplace a bobby pin; you lose your glasses.

People are only lost if they're worth finding. Think of it this way: The value of a masterpiece doesn't go down when it's lost; it goes up.

Human beings lose a lot when they aren't connected to God. We lose our direction, God's protection, our potential, our happiness, and our future home in Heaven - just to name a few. But there's one thing we don't lose: our value.

God loved you enough to send his very best - Jesus. The most famous verse in the Bible says, "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NLT).

You matter so much to God that he underwent a rescue mission to come get you. He came to Earth as a little baby so that one day he could die on a wooden cross for your sin.

Talk It Over

For more on God's love for you and to find out how you can have a relationship with God, watch the video "What Does It Mean to Follow Christ?" at�rickwarren.org/know-god.

How does the way you look at the spiritually lost compare to the way God sees them?

What difference does John 3:16 make in your life?

Who in your life is spiritually lost and needs to understand his or her value to God? How will you reach out to that person this week?

Are You Stuck in Spiritual Neutral?

"Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 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 1:4-5 NLT)

A while back, a man came into my office and said, "I'm a Christian, but I don't feel like I'm going anywhere in my spiritual growth. I'm kind of stuck in neutral."

I said, "What do you think the problem is?"

He said, "I think my problem is I just don't love God enough."

I said, "That's not your problem. Your problem is not that you don't love God enough. Your problem is that you don't understand how much he loves you."

Love is always a response to love. The Bible says, "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19 NIV). When you say, "I don't love God," it's because you don't understand just how much he really loves you.

To understand your life's purpose and calling, you have to begin with God's nature. God is love. Love is the essence of his nature. The only reason there is love in the universe is because of God. Ants and snails do not love, but you were made in God's image, so you can love.

The reason you are alive is because God wanted to love you. The first purpose of your life is to be loved by God! Yes, it is important to serve him, obey, and trust him, but your first purpose is to love him.

Let this sink in: Your first duty is not to do anything but just be loved by God.

Talk It Over

What is your response to the truth that your first calling is to enjoy a relationship with God?

Think about your current relationship with God. Has it become more about rules, regulations, and rituals than about love? If so, why?

Why do you think it's so hard sometimes to not do something but just rest in God's love?

How Could God Forget You?

"[Jesus] looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name! 'Zacchaeus!' he said." (Luke 19:5a LB)

All of Zacchaeus' life he'd been ridiculed and rejected, first for his appearance and then for his sinful life. But Jesus not only looked at him; Jesus also showed that he knew him by calling Zacchaeus by name. Imagine the shock Zacchaeus must have felt! How did Jesus know his name?

God not only knows where you are; he knows who you are. He knows what you're going through, why you're going through it, and how you feel about it. He knows you better than you know yourself. He cares about you personally.

The name Zacchaeus means "pure one." That's the last thing you would think of when you think of a corrupt government official. He was anything but pure. And yet Jesus, by calling Zacchaeus by name, was saying, "Hey, pure one, I'm coming to your house today." Jesus was affirming what he saw in Zacchaeus, not what he was.

You may be afraid to get close to Jesus because you think he's going to scold you for all the things you've done wrong. But Jesus wants to affirm you. He wants to let you know how much he loves you.

"Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands" (Isaiah 49:15-16a NLT).

When Jesus died on the cross, stretched out his arms, and the soldiers put nails through his hands, your name was engraved there. When you get to Heaven, there will be no scars on anyone except Jesus. He's going to have those scars for eternity to remind us how much he loves us, to say, "Do you think I could forget you? Not a chance! This is how much you matter to me."

Talk It Over

Does the idea that God knows you better than you know yourself give you comfort or make you uncomfortable? Why?

What are some traits or gifts that others see in you that you don't notice about yourself?

What about your past or present struggles makes you question God's love and acceptance of you?

When You Reject Yourself, You're Rejecting God's Design

"My friend, I ask, 'Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did?'" (Romans 9:20 CEV)

Spiritual gifts,

Heart,

Abilities,

Personality,

Experiences - these are the five things that make you, you. I call them your SHAPE.

Accepting your SHAPE - the unique way that God made you that brings glory to him - means to believe that God knows best. It all comes down to the matter of trust. Do you believe that God made a mistake when he made you? Or do you trust him, knowing that he has a plan for your life? Do you believe it?

When you say, "God, there are things I don't like about myself. I wish I had different hair or a different color of skin. I wish I were taller, shorter, skinnier. I wish I had more talent. I wish I could do 'that.' I wish I looked like him. I wish I had her smarts" and on and on. This kind of thinking is basically telling God, "You blew it! Everybody else is OK. But you goofed up big when you made me."

When you reject yourself, you are in essence rejecting God, because he's your Creator. When you don't accept yourself, it's rebellion against God. You're saying, "God, I know better than you. You should have made me different, with a different set of strengths and a different set of weaknesses."

But God says, "No, I made you exactly to be you because I want you to be you - with your strengths and your weaknesses. Both of them can give me glory - if you'll just start doing what I made you to do instead of trying to be like everybody else."

It's actually quite arrogant to reject yourself. The Bible says in Romans 9:20, "My friend, I ask, 'Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did?'" (CEV)

Whenever we doubt God's love and wisdom, we always get into trouble. The root behind all of your problems is that you don't trust God. You don't believe God really loves you. You don't believe that he really has your best interest at heart. You wish he had made you something different. As a result, there's a spirit of bitterness in you that keeps you frustrated and keeps you from being the person God wants you to be.

Job 10:10 says, "You guided my conception and formed me in the womb" (NLT). God wanted you, and he loves you. Believe it, and then trust it!

Talk It Over

How would believing that God really loves you change the way you view yourself?

What is it about yourself that you've always wanted to change? How do you think God may have intended to use that very trait to bring glory to him?

How has God used your weaknesses to bring glory to God?

Why Did God Make You Unique?

"Bring to me all the people who are mine, whom I made for my glory, whom I formed and made." (Isaiah 43:7 NCV)

About 20 years ago I came up with a little acrostic called SHAPE to talk about the five things that make you, you. SHAPE is the way God wired you for your life. Every area of your life is influenced by the way you're shaped.

Spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, experiences - these are the five things that make you, you. In that combination of spiritual gifts, you have heart, passion, and interests. Why do you think you have those interests? Because God gave them to you. If you're interested in golf or hunting or sewing or art or music, where do you think you got that interest? You got it from God. He wired it into your system. If we all liked to do the same things, there would be a lot less accomplished in the world.

So God made you unique, and there's nobody else like you. Why should you even care?

1. Because your SHAPE reveals God's purpose for you.

The way you find out what God wants you to do with your life is to discover how he shaped you. But here's the thing: God won't force you to do his plan. You can waste your life. You can use it on all kinds of personal, self-centered things and totally miss God's plan and purpose for your life. In fact, most people do. That's the tragedy.

And that's why they're so frustrated! They're trying to be something somebody else wants them to be rather than what God wants them to be.

2. Because your SHAPE equips you to serve God.

There is a life mission that God has for you that nobody else on this planet can do. Maybe you've missed that mission. Maybe you've missed serving God. I'm saying, "Let's start today. Let's make the rest of your life the best of your life." God will never ask you to do anything in life that he hasn't already given you the ability to do. So you look at your abilities and realize, "I'm good at that. That's what God wants me to do."

3. Because life is a test.

This life is preparation for the next life in Heaven. God says, "This is a test. I'm testing you to see what you will do with what you've been given on Earth. Based on that, I will determine what I give you to do in Heaven for eternity."

4. Because it shows God's glory.

When you use your SHAPE and you do what God made you to do, it not only feels good to you, but it also makes God smile. Iranaeus was a great Christian leader in the first century who said, "The glory of God is a human being fully alive." You know what makes God smile? When he looks down and sees someone using the talents that God gave him for God's glory.

Isaiah 43:7 says, "Bring to me all the people who are mine, whom I made for my glory, whom I formed and made" (NCV). If you didn't bring glory to God, you wouldn't be alive. God made you to enjoy you!

Talk It Over

What are your spiritual gifts? How are you using them to serve others?

What are the unique personality traits and abilities with which God has equipped you to serve?

Is there something God is asking you to do that you didn't think you were capable of doing? How do you think God equipped you to do that very thing?

Who Gets the Gift of You?

"There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person." (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 GW)

When you know what you're shaped to be, then you know what you ought to be, and you can start focusing on that and make better use of your life.

The moment you step across the line spiritually, you say, "I'm going to go God's way, not my own way. I'm going to let him direct my life. I want to follow God's purpose, not my purpose. I'm going to do what I was wired and made to do."

The moment you step across the line and put your faith in Christ, God also gives you four major gifts:

Forgiveness. Romans 5:15 says, "For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ" (NLT). The first thing Jesus did was wipe out everything you've ever done wrong. It's forgiven! There is no condemnation.

Eternal life. God has long-range plans for you. The Bible says in Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (NIV). You're never going to work your way or earn your way into Heaven. The only way you'll ever get into Heaven is by God's free gift that you accept by faith.

The Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5 says, "God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." How do you know when you're letting God live through your life? When you embody the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Special abilities. In the Bible, these special abilities are called spiritual gifts. These are different from material or physical gifts. They are the abilities you need to get the job done that God wants you to do. Most people who are believers don't even know they've got them, much less what they are. But you have them!

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, "There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person" (GW).

What is a spiritual gift? God has a purpose for your life, and your spiritual gifts are the equipment he gives you to do what he asks you to do. God will never ask you to do something he doesn't give you the ability to do. It's given to you the moment you accept Christ. You don't get to choose your gift. You don't earn your gift.

It's also not for your benefit. Your spiritual gifts are given to you to help other people. And other people in the church family are given their gifts to help you.

When I use my spiritual gift of teaching, you get blessed. When you use your spiritual gift, the people in your church get blessed. It's like a puzzle. If you have one jigsaw piece missing, what's the first thing you notice? The one missing piece. If you don't develop and use your spiritual gifts, then we all get cheated.

Talk It Over

What kind of daily challenges do you face when you try to live your life God's way and not your own? What about when you live your life your way and not God's?

Your Abilities are God's Map for Your Life

"May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you,�through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him." (Hebrews 13:21 NLT)

Once upon a time, there were some animals that wanted to start a school for animals. They decided the courses would include running, climbing, swimming, and flying. Then they decided that all of the animals should take all of the courses.

That's where the problem started. The duck was better than his teacher at swimming, but he only made passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. So they made him drop swimming and stay after school to practice running. This caused his webbed feet to be badly worn, and his grade dropped to average in swimming. But everybody felt less threatened and more comfortable with that - except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of his class in running, but because of so much make-up work in swimming, he caught pneumonia and had to drop out of school. The squirrel showed outstanding ability in climbing, but he was extremely frustrated in flying class because the teacher insisted that he start from the ground up rather than the treetop down. He developed Charlie horses from over-extension, so he only got a "C" in climbing and a "D" in running. The eagle was the problem student and was disciplined for being a nonconformist. For instance, in climbing class, he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but he insisted on flying to get there. Finally, because he refused to participate in swimming class, he was expelled.

The point is that God has designed specific animals to excel in specific areas, and he doesn't expect them to do all the other things. When you expect everybody to fit in the same mold, all you're going to get is frustration, discouragement, mediocrity, and failure. A duck is made to be a duck and not something else.

And you were made to be you. God has given you unique abilities, and he wants you to use them the way he intended.

Your abilities are the map to God's will for your life. It points the direction. When you know what you're good at, then you can know what God wants you to do with your life.

The Bible says in Hebrews 13:21, "May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you,�through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him" (NLT).

Talk It Over

What are your spiritual gifts?

Based on your SHAPE - your spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences - what do you think God wants you to do with your life?

How has trying to excel in an area that does not fit your SHAPE kept you from serving at your best?