Seeing Life From God's View

The way and the attitude in which we view things really do shape how are lives play out! Actually, Rick Warren says in PDL that the best way to get to understand a person is by asking them how they see their life. The Bible offers 3 metaphors that teach us God's view of life: Life is a test, life is a trust, and life is a temporary assignment. Warren writes about how those ideas are the foundation for purpose driven living. In the Bible, there are many tests, or trials. For example, when Abraham is asked to offer his son to Isaac. Adam and Eve were also tested on different occasions. There are times when we feel God's presence more than others and the most important test is how we act when we do not feel God's presence as strongly as other...an example from the Bible is with a king named Hezekiah. He enjoyed a close fellowship with God--but at a certain point God left him alone to test his character, reveal a weakness, and to prepare him for more responsibility. I think it's SO true that once we realize this, we see life differently in that any obstacle can be an opportunity for growth, or a test from God to see if you are ready for something BIGGER in your life!! What an amazing way to shift our thinking....seeing obstacles as blessings!
The second metaphor, life on earth is a trust is basically saying that our time, our energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, and resources are all from God. So basically, everything we have here on earth are really just a small loan to enjoy for the time we are here. It all belongs to God, and it will be loaned to someone else after we are gone. That is why we should take pride and care for all of our/His belongings for the tiem we are here. Many people only care for things when they own them. For example, a person may take better care of their home when they own it, as opposed to when they rent. That is not the standard that God wants us to live by! Which brings me to finances, In PDL, Rick Warren writes that most people fail to realize that money is both a test and a trust from God. God uses finances to teach us to trust Him, and for many, it is the greatest test of all. I believe He wants us to have an abundant, yet responsible mindset, and to come from possibility, rather than scarcity!

Questions to Comment on:

What has happened to me recently that I now realize was a test from God? What are the greatest matters
God has entrusted to me?

· Did I think about God while I was in this situation, if yes, how so? If not, why do I think that is?

· Do I treat my material possessions as if they are mine, or as if they are a gift given to me from God? How would a shift in this thinking change the way you live?

· Does God test us daily while we are here on Earth. If so, why do you think he does?

· Does the way I manage/use my money affect the quality of my spiritual life

Made to Last Forever

Rick Warren writes about how life here on earth is just a dress rehearsal before the real thing: Eternity. He compares our time here on earth to a vacation; you visit for a short time, then you go "home" where you spend your life. I've heard many people refer to life as a "try out" for our life in eternity, after all, 100 years on earth is nothing in comparison to FOREVER....

If life here on earth is just a preparation for eternity, does our relationship with God here and now determine our eternity? Just like Rick Warren says: "When you fully comprehend that there is more to life than just here and now, and you realize that life is just a preparation for eternity, you will begin to live differently....that will color how you handle every relationship, task, and circumstance..."

I agree with Warren, when I realized this, all of the things that troubled me, things that seemed so important seemed like the most trivial things because I now had a bigger purpose...

I didn't think about eternity often enough. I think many people don't. Many people tend to think about it during tragedies, or very difficult times, but imagine how differently we may live our lives if we thought about it daily?

QUESTIONS TO COMMENT ON:

SINCE I WAS MADE TO LAST FOREVER, WHAT IS 1 THING I SHOULD STOP DOING AND 1 THING I SHOULD START DOING TODAY?


HOW WILL THAT SHIFT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN MY LIFE,
NOW AND ETERNALLY?


WE'VE ALL MADE MISTAKES, LUCKILY WE HAVE A PRECIOUS & FORGIVING GOD WHO SACRIFICED HIS SON TO WASH US OF OUR SINS...HOW CAN I MAKE GOD PROUD OF WHO I AM TODAY?

Please respond with whatever is on your heart, it will help others open their hearts...

Clarity on our purpose....

Thinking about your purpose, or God's purpose for creating you is sometimes a struggle for some, and for others, it's as clear as day!!! These are some questions that have helped me get more clear on my purpose...

What events or experiences in my life
have “hinted” that I was created for a special purpose?

Have I ever felt God’s deep
love for me personally?

How would my life change if I
began to live each day confident that
God loves me deeply and has a purpose
for my life?

I know my purpose is to help people because God has continuously put me into situations that my sole purpose is to help and teach. Sometimes it's so close to us, that it's hard to see, though! I have most recently felt God's love for me as I make it a daily habit to pray and thank Him for EVERYTHING, even problems, because those can be blessings from Him, too! I feel my life changing every day as I grow more and more confident and surrender to the fact that God loves me so deeply and is guiding me in my purpose and life!!!

Please share your experiences with the above questions :) Your sharing leads to others' learning and growth!

What if you don't know or are unsure of your purpose??

How can we find our purpose?...I think that yielding and listening for God's guidance is a way. But, some aren't there just yet. Any thoughts, or shares on how your purpose became clear to you?? I feel like this would help many people who are still searching for there purpose while visiting here on Earth :-)

What Drives Your Life?

"Living on Purpose is a Perfect Path to Peace."
Rick Warren

What Drives you? Personally, there are several things that drive me in my life...My family, my livelihood, God....Before, the first 2 things were way more powerful to me. But after experiencing what it really feels like to surrender, i have been able to leave it in God's hands and just do what I know I am supposed to do, which is love openly and freely and help people attain a better quality of life....
I think it's OK to compete with ourselves and continue to better ourselves, because that just makes us better stewards...but I don't want to be confused about WHY i am becoming a better me...it's to better serve God and others...

In PDL, Rick Warren talks about the different things that many people allow their lives to be driven by:
*Guilt
*Resentment and Anger
*Fear
*Materialism
*Need for Approval

He says that knowing your purpose will give meaning to your life and simplify it. In my experience, this is true. If I continue to follow the path that is aligned with my purpose, then what others think or say about me is really none of my business....Knowing our purpose motivates us, focuses us, and prepares us for eternity!

Question to Ponder:
What would my family and friends say is the driving force in my life?
What do I want it to be?

We are not an accident

We were planned by God...we may not have been planned by our parents-and we may or may not have the best parents in the world, but Rick Warren writes how God chose those 2 people to make us because they had the perfect and exact genetic make up to make us the way God planned for us to be.

"Long before you were even conceived by your parents,
you were conceived in the mind of God." Rick Warren

God knows our talents before we do-I think the most difficult part for me was to sit back and listen to what God wanted me to do~to listen to his direction. But the more I pray and dedicate my personal time with Him, I feel his presence and guidance, and He has most definitely led me to EXACTLY where I know I should be. I also know that He will continue to lead me, and with faith and surrender He will be my biggest cheerleader as I accomplish His purpose for me!

Question #2 :
I know that God uniquely created me.
What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance
am I struggling to accept?

Its not about me....

I picked up this book several years ago and got through the first 4 words of Day 1, and decided i wasn't ready for this. I was in another place...i thought that it was all about me, becasue I had to get to where I needed to be in life so that I could be successful and make myself and my family proud and be able to live independently through any kind of circumstance. I was oblivious to the fact that my purpose was already decided long, long ago--before I was even born :) ! How silly do I feel now. I picked up this book again in June with a better sense of my purpose...thanks to a series of personal growth and leadership seminars I have completed. I have read the book completely and am now on a 2nd read, getting even more out of it!
Most people look to themselves in pursuing their purpose-but, i have learned that we must look to God for the answer. He created us, and only he knows why...he will lead us in the direction we must go. But, we have to yield...listen, which is something that was very challenging for me...
In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren says, "You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense."

Colossians 1:16b (Msg) "Everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him."

Question for you, please share thoughts:

In spite of all of the advertising around me, how can
I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?

I know that I must include God in everything I do, whether running an errand, going for a run, or spending my daily time especially with Him~He is always with me, so I need to keep that in mind throughout my day. I must think about what He would do in my place...