The Bible Study that meets at my house will gather here tomorrow to wind up our study of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Most, if not all, of us had previously read the PDL when it first came out but Brenda had the DVD that goes with and we decided to do it as a group. And the video is good; short 15 minute talks that add to the chapters read each week.I really love this book. It pretty much says everything I believe about the Christian Life after 38 years of reading the Bible, listening to sermons, going to conferences, being in Bible Studies, and listening to Christian radio. So if you haven't read it I highly recommend it. AND if you haven't read it in a while, how about revisit it? (I plan to keep it on my shelf and come back to it every year or so.)
For those of you who read this but are NEVER going to read it, I will give you a synopsis of the Five Main Points. (Donnamo Notes if you will)
1. Love God With All your heart. God so loves each one of us. We are each his totally unique creation and He delights in us. Think about how gaga we get about a baby; that is the way God feels about YOU. You are his "baby" whether you know it or not.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself. We are to love others through serving them. (A neighbor is anyone you know.)
3. Go and Make Disciples. As a Christian we are made for a mission. This was Jesus commandment (not suggestion) to his disciples before he left them on earth. It is not optional.
4. Be baptized into the family of God (aka the church). You can't go it alone successfully...why try? Paul said, "forsake not the assembling of yourselves together" I know its icky and prickly to be in a church fellowship. People get on your nerves, the pastor steps on your toes, "they" don't do things the way they did at your last church or your first church....get over it...God calls us to be in fellowship with other believers. Its called a sandpaper ministry....we become more Christlike as we rub up against other believers who annoy us and challenge us to become like Jesus.
5. Teach them to do all things.....we are to grow to maturity...no 80, or 40 year old "baby Christians" allowed. In the world, we call people who don't grow to maturity...RETARDED.
If you are not going forward in the Christian life....guess what? You ARE going backward.
Selah (Biblical word that means, Pause and think about what has been written.)
My prayer is we will all be about fulfilling God's purpose for our lives. Amen.
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4 comments:
one of my favorite books.
This was a great summation. Number Four on your list really resonated with me---some people get on my nerves so bad. It is one of my biggest struggles.
What book is your group doing next?
What an eye-opener this book was for me. And as I read the part about God not meaning for us to walk the walk alone a little voice somewhere said, "But I LIKE my privacy...". However since then our large church has started C-groups (community groups) and it is amazing...I know the people in my 12 person c-group better than most of the people I went to church with for 20 years at my last church, and I'm more real with my c-group. And that all comes from being intentional and deciding to share our lives with each other. The group provides the framework and the automation for us to try to live the Life as the early Christians did: sharing everything. Not communist mind you, as communists don't have a choice about whether or not they'd like to share :)
Loved the book, it had a such a huge impact on my brother, who has been to Rick's church a couple of times. I love that he paid back his salary to the church for every year he worked with the proceeds from the book.
That is living it out.
Anyway, I think I have purpose. I try to have purpose. Then some days I wonder if I am totally off base and God is disappointed with where I am and what I do with the 24 hours I am given.
I struggle with doing the task at hand, and wanting to have a BIGGER task that seems more important.
So, yes and no. I have purpose, is it all I could BE??????
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