The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?

by Rick Warren

We honor God the same way. When anything in creation fulfills its purpose, it brings glory to God.

God doesn’t expect you to be perfect, but he does insist on complete honesty.

What may appear as audacity God views as authenticity.

Bitterness is the greatest barrier to friendship with God:

What does God care about most? The redemption of his people. He wants all his lost children found!

“My determined purpose is that I may know Him — that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly.” 16 The truth is — you are as close to God as you choose to be.

But there is an easier way to reignite your passion for God: Start asking God to give it to you, and keep on asking until you have it.

The Bible says, “In the end, people appreciate frankness more than flattery.” 7

God wants you to develop the kind of character described in the beatitudes of Jesus, 7 the fruit of the Spirit, 8 Paul’s great chapter on love, 9 and Peter’s list of the characteristics of an effective and productive life. 10

Much confusion in the Christian life comes from ignoring the simple truth that God is far more interested in building your character than he is anything else. We worry when God seems silent on specific issues such as “What career should I choose?” The truth is, there are many different careers that could be in God’s will for your life. What God cares about most is that whatever you do, you do in a Christlike manner. 24

Problems force us to look to God and depend on him instead of ourselves.

“We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son.”

Every problem is a character-building opportunity, and the more difficult it is, the greater the potential for building spiritual muscle and moral fiber. Paul said, “We know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character.”

“Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.”

“Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others.”

Sometimes you serve upward to those in authority, and sometimes you serve downward to those in need. Either way, you develop a servant’s heart when you’re willing to do anything needed.

You may be serving in obscurity in some small place, feeling unknown and unappreciated. Listen: God put you

where you are for a purpose! He has every hair on your head numbered, and he knows your address. You had better stay put until he chooses to move you. He will let you know if he wants you somewhere else.

weak strands

Ministry begins with vulnerability. The more you let down your guard, take off your mask, and share your struggles,

the more God will be able to use you in serving others.

Our strengths create competition, but our weaknesses create community.

At some point in your life you must decide whether you want to impress people or influence people.

Your ministry is your service to believers, 1 and your mission is your service to unbelievers.

You are the only Christian some people will ever know, and your mission is to share Jesus with them.

The consequences of your mission will last forever; the consequences of your job will not. Nothing else you do will ever matter as much as helping people establish an eternal relationship with God.

God wants you to share the Good News where you are.

What fears have kept me from fulfilling the mission God made me to accomplish? What keeps me from telling others the Good News?

Mature people develop the habit of extracting lessons from everyday experiences. I urge you to make a list of your life lessons. You haven’t really thought about them unless you have written them down. Here are a few questions to jog your memory and get you started: 10 • What has God taught me from failure? • What has God taught me from a lack of money? • What has God taught me from pain or sorrow or depression? • What has God taught me through waiting? • What has God taught me through illness? • What has God taught me from disappointment? • What have I learned from my family, my church, my relationships, my small group, and my critics?