Day 25

I am an unapologetic and unashamed fan and admirer of Rick Warren.  I consider him one of my most important mentors — through his writing, teaching, training, encouragement and prayers.  For what it is worth, I think Rick is at his best when he is challenging, inspiring, training and encouraging young pastors.  I count it as a great privilege that I got to be a part of that over the last few years through conferences, webinars and other venues.

That said, John Rowland (also a big Warren fan) reminded me recently of Day 25.

Day 25 of The Purpose Driven Life is all about how we can be TRANSFORMED BY TROUBLE and that GOD NEVER WASTES A HURT.

At John’s reminder, I went back and re-read Day 25.  One of the key verses is Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Rick’s three main points in the chapter are REMEMBER, REJOICE, and REFUSE TO GIVE UP.

· Remember that God’s plan is good.

God knows everything, He knows what is best for the believer and He has only the believer’s best interests at heart; therefore, the Christian must stay focused on God’s plan for his life and not the difficulties he may experience. Circumstance and pain or temporary; character and its rewards are eternal.

· Rejoice and give thanks.

The Bible teaches that the believer is to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. It also teaches to rejoice in the Lord always, not over every circumstance of pain and suffering. But every believer may know that God will not permit him to endure more than he is capable of enduring “in the Lord,” i.e., with God’s help.

· Refuse to give up.

Character-building is a slow process that can either be accelerated or slowed depending on the type of choices a Christian makes when confronted by difficult circumstances.

Here are some great additional quotations from the chapter… I hope they encourage you they encouraged me!

“God has a purpose behind every problem. He uses circumstances to develop our character.” (pg. 193)

‘Life is a series of problems. Every time you solve one, another is waiting to take its place. Not all of them are big, but all are significant in God’s growth process for you.” (pg. 193)

“God uses problems to draw you closer to Him.” (pg. 194)

“When we’re in pain, we don’t have the energy for superficial prayers.” (pg. 194)

“Problems force us to look to God and depend on Him instead of ourselves.” (pg. 194)

“Because God is sovereign and in control, accidents are just incidents in God’s good plan for you.” (pg. 195)

“Every problem is a character-building opportunity, and the more difficult it is, the greater the potential for building spiritual muscle and moral fiber.” (pg. 197)

“What happens outwardly in your life is not as important as what happens inside you. Your circumstances are temporary, but your character will last forever.” (pg. 197)

“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest! Your focus will determine your feelings.” (pg. 198)

“God wants you to thank Him that He will use your problems to fulfill His purposes.” (pg. 199)

“When you grasp the eternal consequences of your character development, you’ll pray fewer ‘Comfort me’ prayers . . . and more ‘Conform me’ prayers . . . .” (pg. 199)

Any thoughts?