Quotes from Rick Warren

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening — it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way" (Hebrews 12:11 NLT).

God changes caterpillars into butterflies, sand into pearls and coal into diamonds using time and pressure. He's working on you, too.

God is looking for people to use, and if you can get usable, he will wear you out. The most dangerous prayer you can pray is this: 'Use me.

It is God who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone's life is in his power.

Having the right equipment is often the difference between success and failure. To insert a screw, a carpenter doesn't use a knife. When you're under anesthesia, you don't want your surgeon using a chainsaw. A climber on Mount Everest won't use dollar store equipment. Professionals are picky about using the right equipment as they know it can be dangerous if they aren't. Life can be dangerous, too, so it's essential that you use the right equipment.

You were custom-designed by God with talents, gifts, skills, and abilities in order to serve God by serving others.

Realizing that life on earth is just a temporary assignment should radically alter your values. Eternal values, not temporal ones, should become the deciding factors for your decisions. As C. S. Lewis observed, "All that is not eternal is eternally useless." The Bible says, "We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants. EPHESIANS 5:17 THE MESSAGE

Solomon noted that envy is the reason why most people overwork!

Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified.

The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act. If you want to change how you act, you must begin by changing the way you think. Your thoughts are the autopilot of your life. Romans 12:2 says, "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know

We often confuse our identity with our habits, but the truth is, habits can be changed! Habits are things you do. They are not who you are! You have weaknesses, but you are not your weaknesses. You are a unique creation of God, flawed by your nature and choices, yet deeply loved by God. No man or woman will ever love you as much as God does. His love for you is not dependent on your habits.