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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Rick Warren
Read between
February 18 - March 10, 2019
life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not your using him for your own purpose.
Self-worth and net worth are not the same. Your value is not determined by your valuables, and God says the most valuable things in life are not things!
I don’t know all the keys to success, but one key to failure is to try to please everyone.
Without a purpose, life is motion without meaning, activity without direction, and events without reason. Without a purpose, life is trivial, petty, and pointless.
Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.
“A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life.”11
You weren’t put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.
Knowing your purpose prepares you for eternity.
“What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?”
“What did you do with what I gave you?”
this world and all it contains will pass away.”9
become more aware of God’s glory?
“So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us…offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.”2
Surrender is not the best way to live; it is the only way to live. Nothing else works.
Start today by practicing constant conversation with God and continual meditation on his Word.
Dear Jesus, more than anything else, I want to get to know you intimately.”
“Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.”
“God, whether I get anything else done today, I want to make sure that I spend time loving you and loving other
people—because that’s what life is all about. I don’t want to waste this day.”
Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it.
You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.
Sympathy meets two fundamental human needs: the need to be understood and the need to have your feelings validated.
Don’t try to talk people out of how they feel at first. Just listen and let them unload emotionally without being defensive. Nod that you understand even when you don’t agree.
Feelings are not always true or logical. In fact, resentment makes us act and think in foolish ways. The psalmist admitted, “When my thoughts were bitter and my feelings were hurt, I was as stupid as an animal.”14 We all act beastly when hurt.
It is a sacrifice to patiently absorb the anger of others, especially if it’s unfounded. But remember, this is what Jesus did for you. He endured unfounded, malicious anger in order to save you: “Christ did not indulge his own feelings…as scripture says: The insults of those who insult you fall on me.”17
Attack the problem, not the person. You cannot fix the problem if you’re consumed with fixing the blame.
In resolving conflict, how you say it is as important as what you say.
In resolving conflict, how you say it is as important as what you say. If you say it offensively, it will be received defensively.
You are never persuasive when you’re abrasive.
Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution. It is unrealistic to expect everyone to agree about everything. Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem. When we focus on reconciliation, the problem loses significance and often becomes irrelevant.
God expects unity, not uniformity, and we can walk arm-in-arm without seeing eye-to-eye on every issue.
Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem.
These seven steps are simple, but they are not easy.
Longing for the ideal while criticizing the real is evidence of
On the other hand, settling for the real without striving for the ideal is complacency.
Maturity is living with t...
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“God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.”13
When you’ve been refined by trials, people can see Jesus’ reflection in you.
Many people become bitter, rather than better,
“Let the process go on until your endurance is fully developed, and you will find that you have become men of mature character…with no weak spots.”30
When you grasp the eternal consequences of your character development, you’ll pray fewer “Comfort me” prayers (“Help me feel good”) and more “Conform me” prayers (“Use this to make me more like you”).
“When people are tempted and still continue strong, they should be happy. After they have proved their faith, God will reward them with life forever.”
“Fix your thoughts on Jesus.”5 “Always think about Jesus Christ.”6
“Fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.”7
“You are better off to have a friend than to be all alone…If you fall, your friend can help you up. But if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble.”10
Some temptations are only overcome with the help of a partner who prays for you, encourages you, and holds you accountable.
God’s plan for your growth and freedom includes other Christians.
it on your own, you would have already done so.
He simply quoted Scripture from memory. We must do the same. There is power in God’s Word, and Satan fears it.
Remember that it is easier to stay out of temptation than to get out of it.
