Pastor Rick Warren is
the author of the #1, mega best-selling
book, The Purpose-Driven Live. Listen for the next
21 minutes as Rick speaks about dharma, without
ever mentioning the word.
The
Purpose-Driven Life
What On Earth Am I Here For?
study
notes
Chapter 1: Bible & Other Quotes
~A Life devoted to
things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing
tree.
Proverbs 11:28
~
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.... They are like trees
planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of
drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing
delicious fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7
~ For
everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and
invisible, everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.
Colossians 1:16
~
Unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is
meaningless.
Bertrand
Russell, atheist
·
Chapter 1 - It All Starts With God
·
* If
you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin
with God. You were born
by
His purpose
and for
His purpose.
* Man's
purpose of life eludes him because we begin at the wrong starting
point - ourselves. What do
I
want to be? What should
I
do with
my
life? What are
my
goals, my ambitions,
my
dreams for my
future? Focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life's
purpose.
*
It is God who
directs the lives of His creatures; everyone's life is in His power.
Job 12:10
*
You didn't create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself
what your were created for. Only the creator (or the owner's
manual) could tell you that.
*
You were made by God and for God ...only when you understand and
accept that will life make sense.
*
Obsession with
self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out
into the open, into spacious, free life.
Romans 8:6
*
Being successful and fulfilling your life's purpose are
not at all
the same issue.
*
It is all about becoming what God created you to be.
*
The meaning and purpose of life can be achieved either by
speculation
(conjecture, guess, theorize). Or, by
revelation,
thru His Word.
*
God has given us 5 purposes for us in His Holy Bible (our Owner's
Manual).
*
God's wisdom
...goes deep into the interior of His purposes. It's not the
latest message, but more like the oldest - what God determined as the
way to bring out His best in us.
1 Corinthians 2:7
*
It's in Christ
that we find out who we are and what wre are libving for. Long
before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up. He had His eyes
on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall
purpose Heis working out in everything and everyone.
Ephesians 1:11
*
Thus, you discover your identity and purpose through a relationship
with Jesus Christ; God was aware of you long before you were aware of
Him. He planned your purpose
without your input;
the purpose of your life fits into a much larger, cosmic purpose that
God has designed for eternity.
*
Everything got
started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.
Colossians 1:16b
Chapter 2: Bible & Other Quotes
~ I am your Creator.
You were in my care even before you were born.
Isaiah 44:2a
~
God doesn't play
dice.
Albert Einstein
·
Chapter 2 - You Are Not An Accident
·
*
You are alive because God wanted to create you.
The Lord will fulfill
His purpose for me.
Psalm 138:8a
*
God prescribe every single detail of your body.
You know me inside and
out, You know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made,
bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Psalm 139:15
*
Nothing in your life is arbitrary. No detail is left to chance. He
planned it all for HIS purpose. Every person was designed with a
purpose in mind.
*
God's motive for creating us is His love.
Long before He laid
down earth's foundations, He has us in mind, had settled on us as the
focus of His love.
Ephesians 1:4
*
This is why He created the material world - this planet - just so we
would have a place to live. We are His most valuable creation.
God decided to
give us life through the word of truth so we might be the most
important of all the tings He made.
James 1:18
*
The material world is custom-made with exact specifications that make
human life possible. In fact, researchers say that all evidence
supports this core proposition.
God formed the earth. He did not create it to be empty but
formed it to be inhabited.
Isaiah 45:18
*
Why did God do all this? Why did He bother to go to all the
trouble of creating a universe for us? Because he is a God of
love. You were created as a special object of God's love.
God mad you so He could Love you.
This is a truth ton
build your life on.
*
The Bible tell us,
God is love.
1John 4:8. Love is the essence of God's character. There
is perfect love in the fellowship of the Trinity, so God didn't need
to create you. He wasn't lonely. But he wanted to make you
in order to express His love. If there were not God we would all
be accidents. There would be no purpose, meaning, significance,
right, wrong, or hope.
*
But there is a God who made you for a reason - your life has profound
reason - and we discover that meaning and purpose when we make God he
reference point of our lives.
The only accurate way
to understand ourselves is by what God is and by What he does for us.
Romans 12:3
Chapter 3: Bible & Other Quotes
~
I observed that the basic motive for success is the driving force of
envy and jealousy!
Ecclesiastes 4:4
~
The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder - a waif, a
nothing, a no man.
Thomas Carlyle
·
Chapter 3 - What Drives Your Life?
·
*
Everyone's life is driven by something. What is the driving
force in your life? ...problem, pressure, deadline, painful memory,
haunting fear, unconscious belief?
* 5
most common: GUILT: running from regrets, hiding their shame,
manipulated by memories, their past controls their future. (We
are products of our past but we don't have to be prisoners of it).
God specializes in giving people a fresh start.
What happiness for
those whose guilt has been forgiven! What relief for those who
have confessed their sins and God has cleard their record.
Psalms 32:1
RESENTMENT & ANGER: driven people. FEAR: fear
driven people; result of traumatic experience, unrealistic
expectations, growing up in a high-control home, genetic
predisposition. Afraid to venture out & thus miss great opportunities.
Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keep you from what God
intended you to be. Fear is defeated by the weapons of faith and
love.
Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a
fearful life - fear of death, fear of judgment - is one not yet fully
formed in love.
Acts 17:26
MATERIALISM: Their desire to acquire is what motivates them.
God says that the most valuable things in life are not things.
Real security can only be found in that which can never be taken from
you - your relationship with God. NEED FOR APPROVAL:
Expectations of others control their lives: parents, spouses,
children, teachers, peer pressure, what others might think, trying to
please everyone, the opinions of others.
*
Nothing matters more than knowing God's purpose for your life.
Nothing can compensate or make up for not knowing.
*
Without this knowing, life is motion without meaning, activity without
direction, events without reason. Life becomes trivial, petty,
and pointless.
* There
are 5 great benefits of living a purpose-driven life. GIVES
MEANING TO YOUR LIFE: We were made by God to have meaning.
Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no
meaning. The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without
purpose. Hope is as essential to one's life as air and water.
Hope comes from having a purpose. With hope you can cope. I know what I am
planning for you. I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt
you. I will give you hope and a good future.
Jeremiah 29:11
God is able to
do far more than we would ever dare ask or even dream of - infinitely
beyond our highest prayers, desires thoughts, or hopes.
Ephesians 3:20
SIMPLIFIES YOUR LIFE: you ask yourself, "does this activity help
me fulfill one of God's purposes for me?" Without living a
purpose-drive life according to God's will for you, you will end up
wasting your life due to a lack of clear purpose, foundation on which
to base actions, wasting time and resources, acting on moods,
pressures, and circumstances rather than purpose, helping others
accomplish their purpose (not yours). If you can't get it all
done, it means you're trying to do more than God intended for you to
do. You have just enough time to do God's will.
You, Lord, give perfect
eace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.
Isaiah 26:3
FOCUSES YOU LIFE: concentrates your efforts and energy on
what's important. Effectiveness by selectiveness. Without
clear purpose you will keep changing directions, jobs, relationships,
churches, other externals.
Don't live
carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the
Master wants. Ephesians 5:17 Diffused light has little power or impact.
Focused light can cut through steel. The men and women who have
made the most difference in history have been highly focused.
Saint Paul almost single-handedly spread Christianity throughout the
Roman Empire.
I am focusing
all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking
forward to what lies ahead.
Philippians 3:13
If you want your life to have impact, focus it! Stop trying to
do it all, do less. Prune away even good activities and do only
that which matters the most. Don't confuse activity with
productivity.
Let's keep
focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us.
Philippians 3:15
MOTIVATES
YOUR LIFE: Purpose always produces passion. (note: I have
always said to do things that you find highly interesting).
PREPARES YOU FOR ETERNITY: Instead of worrying about a
lasting legacy here on earth, it is what God thinks of you that
counts. In fact, all that we achieve is eventually, soon lost to
memory after we die. Instead, build an eternal legacy vs. a
short-sighted earthly legacy. You were not put on earth to be
remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.
* One
day we our life will be accounted for. God will ask two
questions:
"What did you do with
my Son, Jesus Christ"? ..."What did you do with what I gave
you?"
Preparing you for these two questions is the purpose of this book.
The first question will determine where you spend
eternity. The second question will determine what you do
in eternity.
Chapter 4: Bible & Other Quotes
~
Surely God would not have created such a being as man to exist only
for a day. No, no, man was made for immortality.
Abraham Lincoln
·
Chapter 4 - Made to Last Forever
·
*
Life on earth is just a dress rehearsal before the real production.
Earth is the staging area, the pre-school, the tryout, the practice
before the real game, the warm-up lap before the race begins.
This life is preparation for the next.
*
You were made by
God to last forever. Your time on earth is "but a small parenthesis in
eternity."
God has planted
eternity in the human heart. Ecclesiastes
3:11
*
You have an
inborn instinct that longs for immortality. This is because God
designed you, in His image, to live for eternity. God wired our
brains with this longing.
*
Your earthly
body is just a temporary residence for your spirit. The Bible
calls your earthly body a "tent," but refers to your future body
(spiritual body) as a "house."
When this tent we
live in - our body here on earth - is torn down, God will have a house
in heaven for us to live in, a home He Himself has made, which will
last forever. 2
Corinthians 5:1
*
Your
relationship to God on earth will determine your relationship to Him
in eternity.
*
C. S. Lewis
said, "There are two kinds of people: those who say to God,
Thy will be done
and those to whom God
says, All right
then, have it your way.
*
The closer you
live to God, the smaller everything else appears. Because when
you comprehend that life is a preparation, you will begin to live
differently; activities, goals, problems taking on a new meaning, some
lessening in importance. Your values change when you live in the
light of eternity. Popular values just don't matter as much. Saint
Paul: I once thought all these things were so very important,
but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Philippians
3:7
*
Death is not the
end of you. Death is not your termination, but your transition
into eternity, so there are eternal consequences to everything you do
on earth. Every act of our lives strikes some chord that will
vibrate in eternity.
(my note: Not
sure about this last sentence, but I do know that, right actions
produce right results and wrong actions produce wrong results.
Generally speaking this is true. But this is the material world
and there are exceptions.)
*
To make the most
out of your life you must keep the vision of eternity continually in
your mind and the value of it in your heart. Today is the
visible tip of the iceberg. Eternity is all the rest you don't
see underneath the surface.
*
The Bible says,
No mere man
has ever seen, heard or even imagined what wonderful things God has
ready for those who love the Lord.
1 Corinthians 2:9
(my note: Here I definitely find the Bible lacking.
Shrila Prabhupada has given us this knowledge in his books. As
far as no man even imagining what "Heaven" is like, I have imagined it
like this: an excerpt from Krishna and the Art of Bicycle
Maintenance.)
The Vedic description of the spiritual world
is vastly different from what we know of, here on
earth—inconceivably more wonderful. This is "The Good News of
the Vaishnava Gospel." This is our Lord’s transcendental
abode. This is the home of Lord Jesus Christ, the home of Shrila
Prabhupada, and home to all the great saints who love God with
unflinching faith—a place more marvelous than we can even
imagine.
I want to go there, and I want all of the
people I love to go there. I want you to go there, too. Heaven
is a place completely free from suffering and heartbreak. Also,
the weather is great. El Niño doesn’t exist. How could there
possibly be any smog, acid-rain, droughts,
hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, excessive
temperatures, or ozone holes? Of course there is none of this.
In God’s glorious kingdom you won’t find
vicious dogs that tear little children apart. There are no
germs or viruses that make you sick, or any rats, pesky flies,
biting mosquitoes, bee stings, poisonous snakes, spiders, shark
attacks, or cockroaches. Whatever is there is fabulous and
naturally desirable.It is a place free from pain and terror. You
won’t ever find animals being slaughtered, or death, or any
killing, whatsoever. Buildings aren’t rotting away. The evening
serenity isn’t shattered by loud sirens. The sweet fragrance of
the air doesn’t suddenly become obnoxious. The lovely path isn’t
spoiled by a huge pile of dog stool.
Your joy is never shattered by bad news—a war, a fire, a
horrible accident, old age, cancer, AIDS, boredom, confusion,
dreadful feelings, envy, disappointment, apathy, terror,
starvation, rumors, betrayals, nonsense, child molesting, rape,
robbery, children being hurt, murders, ethnic cleansing,
deformities, ugly discoveries, guilt, neuroses, bad habits,
serial killers, cigarette smoke, bad breath, heartbreak,
divorce, rejection, bad odors, infections, rudeness,
dissatisfaction, discouragement, filth, prostitution, defeat,
failure, dirt, riots, hunger, intoxication, hurt feelings,
frustration, loneliness, harassment, prejudice, hatred, not
being able to fit in, animosity, rejection, fear, perverseness,
disobedience, mental illness—or people who are weird, scary,
vicious, bitchy, moody, ugly, or who let you down.
No, the spiritual world is a much different
place. It is the land of eternity, bliss, and knowledge. You
live forever in complete happiness and full of knowledge.
The more you look, the more beauty you find.
You aren’t always searching for pleasure and satisfaction.
Arriving in this spiritual domain, by the side of God, you never
feel unfulfilled. The Lord is the fountainhead of unfathomable
joy, mercy, and peace. You live within His abode full of vibrant
spiritual health.
You never discover ugly things or nasty
secrets. You are never disappointed by what you experience in
the spiritual world. It is more wonderful than you ever thought.
And this wonder never dries up. Instead, you experience it
forever, in an ever-increasing degree. Everything is delightful,
beautiful, and fresh.
In this transcendental world your body is
spiritual, always youthful, and your knowledge is complete. You
are eternally innocent, never losing your "childhood."
Your spiritual body is never deformed,
inadequate, or incapable of performing. Everything about it is
perfect—your sight, hearing, smell, etc. Vision isn’t limited to
certain colors. Hearing isn’t confined to certain frequencies or
taste restricted to our earthly standard. You don’t get sick.
Teeth don’t need to be pulled.
Here, on earth, we might go to the mountains,
perhaps to visit Redwood National Park, which again, is "but a
spark of our Lord’s splendor." But the birds who live there have
better eyesight than we do. Count all of our senses—which would
be fully absorbed on such a vacation—yet they all have their
limitations. Colors are only so bright, and then we don’t even
see the complete spectrum. In the spiritual word, spiritual
bodies are a million times more sensitive and in every way
perfect.
But wait, there is more to come because the
most wonderful thing are the saints that you meet there. They
are all so kind and gentle and you get along with everyone. You
don’t meet people that you just can’t relate to. Everyone’s
heart is simple, never caustic or judgmental. They don’t turn
into horrible adults, sniffing one another with their eyes, like
the dogs here on earth sniff one another with their noses. You
have eternal friends, all sharing the same thing—love and
service to God. The ones you love never grow old and die, or
have other bad things happen to them.
*
You need to
think more about eternity, not less.
*
Measured against
eternity, our time on earth is just a blink of an eye, but the
consequences of it will last forever.
(my note: I also disagree with this. The Christian view is that
we only live one lifetime on earth, then either go to Heaven or Hell.
In someway that almost seems cruel. I think life is a preparation.
And I think the promise of Lord Chaitanya, manifest in the Holy Names,
is an instant "get out of jail" card. But for those still
trying, God in His Mercy grants us birth after birth on earth, or in
the material world, until we get it right.)
*
It ought to be
the business of every day to prepare for our final day.
Matthew Henry
Chapter 5: Bible & Other Quotes
~
We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.
Anais Nin
·
Chapter 5 - Seeing Life From God's View
·
*
The way you
see
your life
shapes your
life (determines your destiny) - will influence how you invest your
time, spend your money, use your talents, value your relationships.
*
Ask,
How do you see life?,
and you will get a million different answers.
Ask,
How do you picture life
- What image
comes to mind?,
this life metaphor is your description of how life works
and what you
expect from it. Our life metaphor attracts us to buy
certain clothes, cars, lifestyles, activities.
*
Do not conform
yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you
inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be
able to know the will of God.
Romans 12:2
*
God's view of life:
Life is a test
(of people's
character, faith, obedience, love, integrity, loyalty),
life is a trust
(our care and
management of all our gifts from God),
life is a
temporary assignment
(addressed chapter 6).
*
All of life is a test. God constantly watches our response to
people, problems, success, conflict, illness, disappointment, good
actions and bad actions. You will be tested by major changes,
delayed promises, impossible problems, unanswered prayers, undeserved
criticism, senseless tragedies, (my
note: and inconceivable stories in the Scriptures).
Also how you act when you can't feel God's presence in your life.
God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was
really in his heart.
2 Chronicles 32:31
Life is a test and nothing is insignificant in your life.
*
God wants us to pass
the test of life, always giving us enough grace to handle them.God keeps
His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power
to remain firm; at the time your are put to the test, He will give you
the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.
1 Corinthians 10:13
my note:
Srila Prabhupada said that the purpose of life is to awaken our love
for God. If life is a test, this is it.
*The world
and all that is in it belong to the LORD, the earth and all who live
on it are His.
Psalm 24:1
God loans us the
earth while we are here. Our energy, opportunities,
relationships, resources are all gifts from God that He has entrusted
to our care and management. God blessed them and said, "Have
many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth
and bring under their control. I am putting you in charge."
Genesis 1:28
Taking care of God's
stuff has always been a job given to mankind.
*
Because God owns it, I
must take the best care of it as I can.
Those who are trusted
with something valuable must show they are worthy of that trust.
1
Corinthians 4:2 Jesus
often referred to life as a trust. God is trusting us to do
everything we do, to please Him. God promises 3 rewards to those
who do:
affirmation ("...job
well done");
promotion
(greater responsibility in eternity);
celebration
."(Come and
share your Master's Happiness.)
*
Money is both a test
and a trust - money is the greatest test of all.
If you are
untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true
riches of heaven?
Luke 16:11 God
says that there is a direct relationship between how we use money and
the quality of our eternal, spiritual life.
Is the way you manage
your money preventing God from doing more in your life?
*
From everyone who has
been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been
entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Luke 12:48
Chapter 6: Bible & Other Quotes
~
Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me
that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.
Psalm 39:4
~
All that is not eternal is eternally useless.
C.S. Lewis
·
Chapter 5 - Life is a Temporary Assignment
·
*
The Holy Bible is full
of words reminding the reader that life is but a fleeting moment's
worth of existance: a mist, a breath, a fast runner, a wisp of
smoke, For we
were born but yesterday... Our days on earth are as transient as a
shawdow. Job
8:9
*
You won't be here
long so don't get too attached. Life here on earth is not our
final destination, rather a temporary home. We are just passing
through. If
you call God, your Father, live your time as temporary residents on
earth.
1 Peter 1:17
*
Christians should carry
a spiritual green cards to remind us that our citizenship is in
heaven. Your identity is in eternity, your homeland is in
Heaven. When we flirt with the temptations of this world, God call is
spiritual adultery.
You're cheating on
God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world
every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way.
James 4:4 (Gives
the example of an ambassador who represents another country but who
grows to love a different country than where he is truly from, thus
becoming a rogue element, an enemy of his Homeland - a traitor.
* Don't
foolishly conclude that because you live on earth, this is your home.
The Holy Bible is clear:
Friends, this world is
not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it.
1 Peter 2:11
Those in frequent contact with the things of the world should make
good use of them without becoming attached to them, for his world and
all it contains will pass away.
1 Corinthians 7:31
*
This time on earth is
not the end of our
life's story.
We're not completely happy here on earth because we are not suppose to
be. We were created for something much better. Fleeting
happiness here is nothing compared to the eternal happiness waiting
for us in our real home.
*
Thus take up
eternal values
vs. temporary values.
All that is not
eternal is eternally useless.
C.S. Lewis. Never
focus on temporary crowns. The end of life is not the end.
In God's eye, the
greatest heroes of faith are not those who achieve prosperity,
success, and power in this life, but those how treat this life as a
temporary assignment and serve faithfully, expecting their promised
reward in eternity.
*
Reaching heaven, "Why
did I place so much importance on things that ere so temporary?
What was I thinking? Why did I waste so much time, energy, and
concern on whata wasn't going to last?" Don't let this happen to
you.
*
HOW SHOULD THE FACT
THAT LIFE ON EARTH IS JUST A TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT CHANGE THE WAY I AM
LIVING RIGHT NOW?
