The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth am I Here for?

by Rick Warren

“We are product of our past but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.” 

“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. It is not enough to just say relationships are important; we must prove it by investing time in them. Words alone are worthless. "My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action." Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is "T-I-M-E.” 

“Other people are going to find healing in your wounds. Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts.” 

 “Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent. While your offender has probably forgotten the offense and gone on with life, you continue to stew in your pain, perpetuating the past. Listen: those who hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on to the pain through resentment. Your past is past! Nothing will change it. You are only hurting yourself with your bitterness. For your own sake, learn from it, and then let it go.” 

“Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time. Trust requires a track record.” 

 “Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you. Don’t waste your pain; use it to help others.” 

“Trusting God completely means having faith that He knows what is best for your life. You expect Him to keep His promises, help you with problems, and do the impossible when necessary.” 

“God intentionally allows you to go through painful experiences to equip you for ministry to others.” 

“If not to God, you will surrender to the opinions or expectations of others, to money, to resentment, to fear, or to your own pride, lusts, or ego. You were designed to worship God and if you fail to worship Him, you will create other things (idols) to give your life to. You are free to choose, what you surrender to but you are not free from the consequence of that choice.” 

“The only really happy people are those who have learned how to serve.” 

“You weren't put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.” 

“If you want God to bless you and use you greatly, you must be willing to walk with a limp the rest of your life, because God uses weak people.” 

“Why is this happening to me? Why am I having such a difficult time? One answer is that life is supposed to be difficult! It’s what enables us to grow. Remember, earth is not heaven!” 

“If you have felt hopeless, hold on! Wonderful changes are going to happen in your life as you begin to live it on purpose.” 

“We’re not completely happy here because we’re not supposed to be! Earth is not our final home; we were created for something much better.” 

“A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life.” 

“It’s not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters.” 

 “Because God is with you all the time, no place is any closer to God than the place where you are right now.” 

“You cannot fulfill God's purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans. ” 

“Life minus love equals zero.” 

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others. Humble people are so focused on serving others, they don't think of themselves.” 

“Your value is not determined by your valuables, and God says the most valuable things in life are not things!” 

“Life is a gift...Life is a test...Life is temporary assignment...” 

“Frankness is not a license to say anything you want, wherever and whenever you want. It is not rudeness.” 

“Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it.
I don't know all the keys to success, but one key to failure is to try to please everyone.” 

“You also know you’re surrendered when you don’t react to criticism and rush to defend yourself. Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships. You don’t edge others out, you don’t demand your rights, and you aren't self-serving when you’re surrendered.” 

“Measured against eternity, our time on earth is just a blink of an eye, but the consequences of it will last forever.” 

“If you are a member of a small group or class, I urge you to make a group covenant that includes the nine characteristics of biblical fellowship: We will share our true feelings (authenticity), forgive each other (mercy), speak the truth in love (honesty), admit our weaknesses (humility), respect our differences (courtesy), not gossip (confidentiality), and make group a priority (frequency).” 

“The truth is, almost everything we do is done poorly when we first start doing it – that’s how we learn.” 

“Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test... You will be tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossible problems, unanswered prayers, undeserved criticism, and even senseless tragedies.” 

“Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. ” 

“The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we typically begin at the wrong starting point—ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose.” 

“Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.” 

“Then Jesus changed the situation. When he paid for our sins on the cross, the veil in the temple that symbolized our separation from God was split from top to bottom, indicating that direct access to God was once again available.” 

“The more God gives you, the more responsible he expects you to be.” 

“Familiarity breeds complacency.” 

“God is always more interested in why we do something than in what we do. Attitudes count more than achievements.” 

“While it is wise to learn from experience, it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others.” 

“Pretentiousness repels but authenticity attracts, and vulnerability is the pathway to intimacy.” 

“The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears.” 

“Fellowship is a place of grace, where mistakes aren't rubbed in but rubbed out. Fellowship happens when mercy wins over justice.” 

“Maturity is produced through relationships and community.” 

“Unfortunately, we forget the cruel details of the agonizing sacrifice God made on our behalf. Familiarity breeds complacency. Even before his crucifixion, the Son of God was stripped naked, beaten until almost unrecognizable, whipped, scorned and mocked, crowned with thorns, and spit on contemptuously. Abused and ridiculed by heartless men, he was treated worse than an animal. Then, nearly unconscious from blood loss, he was forced to drag a

cumbersome cross up a hill, was nailed to it, and was left to die the slow, excruciating torture of death by crucifixion. While his lifeblood drained out, hecklers stood by and shouted insults, making fun of his pain and challenging his claim to be God.” 

“The key to friendship with God, he said, is not changing what you do, but changing your attitude toward what you do.” 

“It is a fatal mistake to assume that God’s goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success, as the world defines it. The abundant life has nothing to do with material abundance, and faithfulness to God does not guarantee success in a career or even ministry. Never focus on temporary crowns.”