Rick Warren's Blog, page 667

Who Is God's Favorite?

"[The promise] is not only for those who live under the law of Moses but for anyone who lives with faith like that of Abraham." (Romans 4:16 NCV)

God doesn't play favorites - regardless of your background, your status, or your sin. It doesn't matter whether you've been a religious person or a non-religious person or if you have any religious background at all.

Romans 4:16 says, "[The promise] is not only for those who live under the law of Moses but for anyone who lives with faith like that of Abraham" (NCV). Who are these people who live under the Law of Moses? The Jews. The Jewish people were given the ways of God before anyone else.

Have you ever thought about why the Jews were called God's chosen people? Does God love them more than he loves the rest of us? No. They were chosen for a purpose - to spread the message that there is one true God to everybody else. They were kind of like the missionaries to the rest of us.

Now God has taken that task and given it to the Church, which includes Jews, Gentiles, and everybody else who puts their faith in Christ. God says his salvation is available to anybody who opens up his or her heart in faith: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13 NIV). There are no quotas in Heaven. It doesn't say only really good people will be saved if they call on the name of the Lord or really religious people or really smart people. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

The sad thing is that even though many people know that God offers his gift of grace, they still try to work their way into Heaven. They think that something in their lives makes them good enough so they don't need to receive God's gift of salvation through Christ.

You may have done some really nifty things in life, but if you think they're going to get you into Heaven, forget it. The only way any of us are going to get in is by receiving God's gift of grace, which is available to every person.

Talk It Over

What are the efforts you've made or the character traits you've nurtured that you believe will help your salvation?

What do you believe is your part in the Church's task to spread the message of salvation to those who have not heard?

What does it mean to "call on the name of the Lord"?

Is Salvation Really Free?

"All need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ." (Romans 3:24 NCV)

If you were to ask 100 people on the sidewalk, "How do you get to Heaven?" you'd get a lot of different answers that could be summarized by the idea that you have to earn your way to Heaven. You'd hear things like, "Try to be good and do your best" or "Work really hard at being a moral person" or "Do more good things in life than you do bad things." All of these ideas are based on works, not grace.

But salvation is a gift, and you don't work for a gift. It's free! You can't earn it, you can't buy it, and you can't work for it.

This is the fundamental difference between Christianity and every other religion. Christianity is the only religion that's built on grace. Every other religion is based on works, and you can summarize them in one word: "do." There are certain things you have do in order to gain God's approval, to gain bliss, to gain heaven. There are always rules, regulations, and rituals - something you have to do.

On the other hand, if you were to summarize Christianity in one word, it's the word "done." Jesus Christ has already paid the price for you on the cross. It's done!

A guy asked me one time, "Pastor Rick, what can I do to be saved?" I said, "You're too late!" (That kind of shocked him.) "You're about 2,000 years too late! What needed to be done for your salvation has already been done, and you can't do anything about it."

Jesus Christ already did it. He paid for your salvation on the cross, and it's now a free gift to you. That's why when he was hanging on the cross, he said, "It is finished." He didn't say, "I am finished," because he wasn't. He's still alive today. The "it" is your salvation. The plan to provide grace for every person is finished.

Romans 3:24 says, "All need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ" (NCV).

You won't get to Heaven based on what you do. You get to Heaven based on what has already been done for you by Jesus Christ.

When you really understand grace, you will accept it, because it is the greatest gift you're ever going to be offered.

Talk It Over

Why do you think it's so hard for people to accept a free gift? Why would they rather work for it?

What do you think God expects you to do after you've accepted his gift of salvation?

What effect has the freedom of salvation had on your life?

God Brings Out Your Best as You Follow Your Calling

"Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7 NIV)

When Timothy joined Paul on his missionary journey, he was still a very young man. Paul sent him to a city called Ephesus to help start and lead a church. Even though Timothy had a problem with fear, God was still able to use him. There are three lessons we can learn from Timothy about how to fulfill God's calling on our lives.

1. If you're going to fulfill your calling, you must develop the gifts God gave you.

"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for the believers in your speech, your conduct, your love, faith, and purity. Do not neglect the spiritual gift that is in you.... Practice these things and devote yourself to them, in order that your progress may be seen by all" (1 Timothy 4:12, 14-15 TEV).

Paul also told Timothy to "fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:6-7 NIV).

As a believer, you have a responsibility to develop the talent and gifts God has given you to use the rest of your life.

2. If you're going to fulfill your calling, you must refuse to be distracted.

God tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:16, "Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you" (NLT).

It's easy these days to get sidetracked by a desire to build your business, your family, your career, and your savings. But you will never fulfill your purpose when you're wasting your life on the Internet and on your phone. You've got to keep the most important things in focus.

3. If you're going to fulfill your calling, you must give God your very best.

"Run your best in the race of faith, and win eternal life for yourself; for it was to this life that God called you" (1 Timothy 6:12a TEV). God has called you to a specific task, and it can only be accomplished when you give it the best of your time, effort, gifts, and focus.

Paul says about Timothy, "I have no one else like Timothy" (Philippians 2:20a NLT). Can you imagine a greater epitaph? There was no one in the world like Timothy. He was focused. He was committed to the call of God on his life, nobody could distract or discourage him, and he gave God his best.

As you follow God's calling, God will bring out the best in you.

Talk It Over

How are you developing the gifts God has given you?

In what ways can you eliminate the distractions that are keeping you from focusing on your calling?

To what daily tasks do you give your best? Do you give the same effort to your ministry and calling?

How to Be Yourself, not Someone Else

"But who are you, my friend, to talk back to God? A clay pot does not ask the man who made it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" (Romans 9:20 TEV)

Since God knows what's best for us, we should gratefully accept the way he has fashioned us. The Bible says, "But who are you, my friend, to talk back to God? A clay pot does not ask the man who made it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" (Romans 9:20 TEV)

Your shape was sovereignly determined by God for his purpose, so you shouldn't resent it or reject it. Instead of trying to reshape yourself to be like someone else, you should celebrate the shape God has given only to you. "Christ has given each of us special abilities - whatever he wants us to have out of his rich storehouse of gifts" (Ephesians 4:7 LB).

Part of accepting your shape is recognizing your limitations. Nobody is good at everything, and no one is called to be everything. We all have defined roles. Paul understood that his calling was not to accomplish everything or please everyone but to focus only on the particular ministry God had shaped him for (Galatians 2:7-8). He said, "We will boast only about what has happened within the boundaries of the world God has given us, which includes our working with you" (2 Corinthians 10:13 NLT).

The word "boundaries" refers to the fact that God assigns each of us a field or sphere of service. Your shape determines your specialty. When we try to overextend our ministry reach beyond what God shaped us for, we experience stress. Just as each runner in a race is given a different lane to run in, we must individually "run with patience the particular race that God has set before us" (Hebrews 12:1 LB).

Don't be envious of the runner in the lane next to you; just focus on finishing your race. God wants you to enjoy using the shape he has given you. The Bible says, "Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else" (Galatians 6:4 NLT).

Satan will try to steal the joy of service from you in a couple of ways: by tempting you to compare your ministry with others, and by tempting you to conform your ministry to the expectations of others. Both are deadly traps that will distract you from serving in the ways God intended. Whenever you lose your joy in ministry, start by considering if either one of these temptations is the cause.

Talk It Over

Why do you think it's so easy to compare ourselves to others, even in ministry? How does doing so affect our service and the Body of Christ?

How has God shaped you for ministry? What are some of the limitations to your shape?

How do you know what God's expectations are for you in your particular ministry? What do you think they are?

God Says, Don't Wait on Your Dreams

"If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done." (Ecclesiastes 11:4 LB)

The best day to get started on your dreams is today - not when you've solved all your problems or when you have more money in the bank. "Those days" never seem to get here.

The Bible says, "If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done" (Ecclesiastes 11:4 LB).

Our unquenchable search for perfection often fuels our procrastination. And that keeps us from pursuing our purpose.

If you wait for perfect conditions to follow your calling, you'll never get started. Things won't settle down. Wait until you get out of debt before tithing, and you'll never get back on your feet financially.

Your dreams are no different. If you wait until the kids are out of the house or until you have money in the bank to start working on the dream God has given you, you'll likely never get there.

Your life - and your quest to live out your dreams - must be lived in less than perfect circumstances. You'll be able to count the number of perfect situations in your life on one hand.

So get started now. No matter what situation you find yourself in, start living out your dreams today. Tomorrow may not come.

Talk It Over

Why is procrastination so tempting as we're living out our dreams?

What are the excuses you've made to delay pursuing your dreams?

What is one practical action toward your dream(s) you can take tomorrow to fight against procrastination?

God Say, Don't Wait on Your Dreams

"If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done." (Ecclesiastes 11:4 LB)

The best day to get started on your dreams is today - not when you've solved all your problems or when you have more money in the bank. "Those days" never seem to get here.

The Bible says, "If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done" (Ecclesiastes 11:4 LB).

Our unquenchable search for perfection often fuels our procrastination. And that keeps us from pursuing our purpose.

If you wait for perfect conditions to follow your calling, you'll never get started. Things won't settle down. Wait until you get out of debt before tithing, and you'll never get back on your feet financially.

Your dreams are no different. If you wait until the kids are out of the house or until you have money in the bank to start working on the dream God has given you, you'll likely never get there.

Your life - and your quest to live out your dreams - must be lived in less than perfect circumstances. You'll be able to count the number of perfect situations in your life on one hand.

So get started now. No matter what situation you find yourself in, start living out your dreams today. Tomorrow may not come.

Talk It Over

Why is procrastination so tempting as we're living out our dreams?

What are the excuses you've made to delay pursuing your dreams?

What is one practical action toward your dream(s) you can take tomorrow to fight against procrastination?

It's Never Too Late to Start on Your Life Calling

"Now here I am, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out, and I am just as ready to fight now as I was then. So give me the mountain country the LORD promised me that day long ago." (Joshua 14:10b-12a NCV)

If you're going to follow God's calling on your life, you've got to believe it's never, never too late.

After Joshua sent the 12 spies into the Promised Land, they returned and reported that the land was too hard a place for God's people to settle. Because of their unbelief, God had a nation wander around in the desert for another 40 years, and an entire generation died because they did not believe in God's promises. But Caleb and Joshua believed, and they got to live.

When the Israelites returned to the Promised Land 40 years later, Caleb was 85 years old and living his second chance. He said, "Now here I am, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out, and I am just as ready to fight now as I was then. So give me the mountain country the LORD promised me that day long ago" (Joshua 14:10b-12a NCV).

"Give me the mountain country." I love that! The land Caleb wanted was full of giants and cities fortified with great walls. He was saying to God, "Give me the biggest assignment. Give me the hardest city. Give me the place with the biggest giants. Give me the mountain regions. I don't want some easy place. I know I'm 85 years old, but I've still got it in me to do great things for you."

When I went to the store recently to buy a birthday card for my granddaughter, I noticed something I'd never seen before in the greeting card section. They now have an entire section that offers birthday cards for the 80th, 85th, 90th, 95th, and even 100th birthday! Growing up, I didn't see those kinds of cards, because everybody lives longer now. When my dad was born, the average age of an American man was 76. That life expectation has gone up at least 12 years in his lifetime.

Some of you think it's time to hang it up. I'm telling you it's time to get it down and dust it off! Do you think God's going to let you live 30 more years just to play golf?

Here's a word that's not in the Bible: retirement. You may stop working, but you keep serving the Lord. You have more wisdom and experience now, and God is not going to waste that.

At the age of 85, Caleb began the greatest mission of his life. Moses was 80 when God called him to set God's people free. Abraham was 79 when he received God's call.

If you are in the Caleb generation, you have to believe that it's never too late to start on your life calling. The best is yet to come!

Talk It Over

If you are in the Caleb generation, how do you want your "retirement years" to count for God's Kingdom? How will you pursue your calling in the next 10, 20, or 30 years?

How does the way you save for retirement reflect what you want to accomplish for God?

No matter what stage you are at in life, what are you doing to pursue what you believe God has called you to do with your life?

How to Stand Against Popular Opinion

"Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?" (Numbers 14:3 NLT)

In 1979 I was finishing up seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and I felt like God was calling me to Southern California to start Saddleback Church. So I phoned a guy that I respected a lot and told him what I thought God wanted me to do.

You know what he told me? "Rick, that's the dumbest idea I ever heard. You go out to California, and you'll never be heard from again. It's not going to happen." He poured cold water all over my dream!

Any time you get serious about using your life the way God wants you to use it, there are going to be people who oppose it. You're going to have friends and maybe even family members who oppose you, because Satan is going to throw everything he can at you to keep you from fulfilling your calling. One reason why so few people actually fulfill God's calling is because they are unwilling to go against popular opinion.

If you want to follow God's calling on your life, you must be willing to reject negative advice, no matter who it comes from.

The Bible says in Numbers 14:2-3, "Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. 'If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!' they complained. 'Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?'" (NLT) When faced with difficult circumstances, the Israelites decided they actually preferred slavery to freedom because it was safe. Rather than following God and doing what he had called them to do, they wanted to go back to their old way of life.

But one of their leaders, Caleb, had uncommon courage. He decided he was going to face the challenges with God's help, even if he was scared. He was ready to reject negative advice in order to follow God's calling.

In fact, Caleb didn't just receive negative advice. Numbers 14:10 says, "The whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle."

I love the fact that God's presence saved Caleb and Joshua. That will happen in your life, too. Pioneers always get the arrow in the back. You've got to determine now to reject negative advice if you're going to go after God's calling in your life.

Talk It Over

What slavery are you willing to go back to rather than move forward and take a risk?

When you evaluate the advice you've received lately from people you love and trust, how much of it helps you move in the direction of your calling? How much of it is negative advice?

Why is it so difficult sometimes to go against popular opinion or the advice of our friends?

What to Do When It Makes No Sense

"I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, 'Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?' It is I - and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me.. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance." (Job 42:1-3, 6 NLT)

Instead of asking God "Why?" you need to learn to trust God in things you don't understand.

For 37 chapters in the book of Job, Job asks the "why" questions: "Why is this happening to me? Why are you allowing this? Why so much pain? Why so much discomfort? Why haven't you answered my prayers?"

In chapter 38, Job stops asking "why." And God says, "Now I'd like to ask you a few questions." And for the next two chapters, God barrages Job with questions that only God can answer.

He asks things like, "Where were you when I made the universe? Can you explain the law of gravity?" And, after two chapters, Job realizes that he is just a man, and his knowledge is limited. Who is he to question God?

Job stops questioning, and he starts trusting. He replied to the Lord, "I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, 'Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?' It is I - and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me.. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance" (Job 42:1-3, 6 NLT).

What do you do in a situation where you can't see the whole picture, things aren't clear, and it makes no sense to you what's happening?

You remind yourself of the things about God that you do know. Even in the middle of his doubts, Job affirmed what he knew to be true about God: God is loving (Job 10:12), God is all powerful (Job 36:22), God is in control (Job 34:13), God had a plan for his life (Job 23:14), God would protect him (Job 5:11).

I don't know what you're dealing with in your life, but I will tell you this: God is passionately and intimately aware of every detail that you're going through right now. He's paying attention to your every breath. Nothing misses God's attention.

You may not understand why you're going through what you're going through, but you need to say this to God: "I know you're good; I know you're loving; I know you're powerful; I know you notice the details of my life; I know you're in control; I know you have a plan; I know you will protect me." Then, you need to trust God - no matter what.

Whatever you're going through, tell God exactly how you feel. He can handle it! Accept help from others. Stop asking "why," and start trusting God for the things you don't understand.

Talk It Over

What are the things that you know to be true about God? How do you know they're true?

How do those truths help you trust God more?

Write down a prayer to God that affirms who he is and why you can trust him and that thanks him for his loving attention to you.

God, Why Is This Happening to Me?

"We don't know everything, and our prophecies are not complete.... Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don't know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understand us." (1 Corinthians 13:9, 12 CEV)

In his pain and despair, Job asked a lot of legitimate questions: "Why let people go on living in misery? Why give light to those in grief?" (Job 3:20 TEV)

This "why" question is human nature, and we all ask it. We have this misconception that if we understand the reason behind our pain, then it will make the pain easier.

You don't need an explanation; you need strength. You don't need an explanation; you need a Savior. You don't need an explanation; you need comfort and support.

But we always go looking for an explanation! We ask questions like, "Why did that person walk out of my life? Why did he make a promise to me and then break it? Why did he hurt me? Why did I lose my job? Why did she die? Why did I get sick?"

Friends, I've been studying the "why" question for 37 years, and I'm going to give you my educated answer: I don't know. And I'm never going to know, because I'm not God. And neither are you! Some things we're just never going to understand until we get to the other side of death. Then it's all going to become very, very clear. Only God knows. And if you don't get his answer right off the bat, you might as well stop asking "Why?" because you're simply prolonging the pain.

Proverbs 25:2 says, "It is God's privilege to conceal things" (LB). God is a God of revelation. He reveals himself through nature, circumstances, and Scripture. The only reason you know anything about God is because he has chosen to reveal himself.

But the Bible says God doesn't just reveal; God also conceals. And sometimes God intentionally hides his face from us. Why? So we'll learn to trust him instead of our feelings and to live by faith rather than our feelings.

God doesn't owe you an explanation for anything. God doesn't have to check in with you first before he does something. God doesn't have to get your permission before he allows things to happen in life. God is God, and we're not always going to understand why some things happen.

The Bible says, "We don't know everything, and our prophecies are not complete.... Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don't know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understand us" (1 Corinthians 13:9, 12 CEV).

One day it's all going to be clear. It's all going to make sense. You're going to be able to say, "So that's why God allowed that in my life!" Until then, God wants you to trust him.

Talk It Over

What are some questions you need to let go of and store in the "Ask God When I Get to Heaven" file?

How does letting go of your "why" questions increase your faith?

How can you encourage someone today who has been questioning God and why he allowed something to happen in his or her life?