Rick Warren quotes:

What gives me the most hope every day is God's grace; knowing that his grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face, knowing that nothing is a surprise to God.

Transformation is a process, and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It's a journey of discovery - there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair.

During my days of deepest grief, in all of my shock, sorrow and struggle, I sat at the feet of God. I literally spent hours each day reading God's word, meditating on scripture and praying. I intentionally spent a significant amount of time being still before God.

I believe in the separation of church and state, but I do not believe in the separation of politics from religion.

Well, in the first place, military service, they don't call it service for nothing. You are actually serving your country. And it is a worthy and valid vocation.

God gave us the gift of life in heaven. Many people are given this gift, but they never open it. They never do anything with it.

And you know, when you've experienced grace and you feel like you've been forgiven, you're a lot more forgiving of other people. You're a lot more gracious to others.

In Psalm 72, Solomon prays for power and fame but he says the purpose of influence is to speak up for others and one is the immigrant. He doesn't delineate between legal and illegal.

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.'

Being reminded about the incredible power of God's love, and living as He intended, is the most powerful motivation to change.

Living in the light of eternity changes your priorities.

What surprises me most about God is that the creator of the universe should want a relationship with me.

I serve a higher power, Jesus Christ. I make no apologies in saying that.

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ came to do three things. He came to have my past forgiven, you get a purpose for living and a home in Heaven.

It is mind-boggling to me that the Almighty power created everything I see; the Bible says that God created the entire universe just so he could create this galaxy just so he could create Earth so he could create human beings so he could create a family.

We're a nation of laws, but the good thing about America, is that laws reside in the people and people can change the laws.

Now the only way you can serve God on earth is by serving others.

The role of the church and the government are fundamentally different. The church must always show compassion - always.

I happen to agree with many of the liberal emphasis on compassion, justice and equality. I just disagree that it's the government's role to provide everything.

So I would say God hates war, but God loves every soldier.

Most of us want to have enough... good works to get into heaven, but enough bad works to be fun.

If you're alive, there's a purpose for your life.

There are illegitimate parents, but I don't believe there are any illegitimate children.

The Bible is very clear that God has a purpose. But even if I know that purpose, I can't fulfill it if I'm out of shape.

The Scriptures are the truth from God.

You drift through life and let things happen to you, or go by design and say, 'This is what I'm intended to do.'

Now God has never shouted out to me. I've never heard God speak audibly. He doesn't have to.

The first thing that we need to say is that God is grieving, too. Uh, a lot of people try to make it sound like 'well everything that happens is God's will.' That's nonsense. God allows everything, but God does not choose everything.

Most people don't realize, I really have no faith in politics. I'm not a politician. If I thought you could change human hearts by laws, I would, but I don't.

History shows that when the church accommodates culture, it weakens it.

My ultimate goal... is for you to live the life you're intended to live.

That's the big difference between Christianity and other religions. The difference between Works and Grace or Do and Done.

Churches know more about poverty than any government will ever know, because we're dealing with the poor every day.

Faithful servants never retire. You can retire from your career, but you will never retire from serving God.

You never know God is all you need until God is all you have.

God is love. He didn't need us. But he wanted us.

The only way you can serve God is by serving other people.

During the next 90 days, people are going to be more open to the Gospel than in years. It is God's responsibility to make people receptive; it is our responsibility to sow the seed.

Well actually I don't think it's a bunch of bad things that send us to hell. I think it is rejection of God's grace.

The Constitution is man-made, so it is not perfect. It's not the basis of my beliefs. My belief system is based on the Scriptures which come from God.

If God only used perfect people, nothing would get done. God will use anybody if you're available.

The death of my own son has made me more sensitive. It's made me more compassionate.

It's easy to demonize from a distance.

Spiritual emptiness is a universal disease.

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

The greatest gift God gave us is also our greatest curse, which is the free will. We are made in God's image, the Bible says, which means we have the ability to love him or not love him, to reject him or not reject him.

Having authority implies accountability. If you reject the blame for failures under your watch, people reject your leadership.

Great opportunities are often disguised as small acts of service.

What is your assurance of salvation? The promise of God's Word. If God says it, that settles it, because God cannot lie. You can trust the promise of God's Word.

Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be.

Little people belittle people. Great people make people feel great.

You are loved by the One who knows you best. God's love will never disappoint you and never give up on you.

Jesus said, "I am the way [to heaven]." I'm betting that he's not a liar. I'm betting that he told the truth.

Mother Teresa once said, "Holy living consists in doing God's work with a smile." ... The last thing many believers need is to go to another Bible study.

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

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

The mission of Tom Peterson and Catholics Come Home to bring souls home to Jesus and the church is critically important during this challenging time in our history. I fully support this New Evangelization project.

Every problem is a character-building opportunity, and the more difficult it is, the greater the potential for building spiritual muscle and moral fiber.

God's ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ.

Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time. Trust requires a track record. If someone hurts you repeatedly, you are commanded by God to forgive them instantly, but you are not expected to trust them immediately, and you are not expected to continue allowing them to hurt you.

The first purpose of your life is to be loved by God! Yes, it is important to serve him, obey, and trust him, but your first purpose is to love him.

Never procrastinate in showing love. Don't delay. Don't put it off. Do it now.

Love pays attention. Love listens to the fears and the doubts of others and treats them with respect. Love accepts others the way Jesus accepts you.

There is nothing you can do that will make God stop loving you. You could try, but you simply can't do it - because his love for you is based upon his character and not on anything you do or say or feel.

Christlikeness is your eventual destination, but your journey will last a lifetime.

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).

Start today by practicing constant conversation with God and continual mediation on his Word. Prayer lets you speak to God; mediation lets God speak to you.

The ultimate test of faith is not how loudly you praise God in happy times but how deeply you trust him in dark times.

It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end.

Your commitments can develop you or destroy you, but either way, they will define you.

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.

If you are facing trouble right now, don't ask, "Why me?" Instead ask, "What do you want me to learn?" Then trust God and keep on doing what's right.

What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it.

Life is a series of problem-solving opportunities. The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you depending on how you respond to them.

Even through such simple acts as telling the truth, being kind, and encouraging others, we bring a smile to God's face.

The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now.

Faith is facing reality without being discouraged by it.

Fear is a self imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be. You must move against it with the weapons of faith and love.

Wearing a mask wears you out. Faking it is fatiguing. The most exhausting activity is pretending to be what you know you aren't.

Nothing works perfectly. The weather doesn't work perfectly. Because of sin in the world, nothing works perfectly. But in spite of that we can find comfort. We can find strength.

The most desired gift of love is not diamonds or roses or chocolate. It's focused attention.

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

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

God specializes in giving people a fresh start.

The next sentence is one of the most important spiritual truths you will ever learn: God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you're tempted to express the exact opposite quality. Character development always involves a choice, and temptation provides that opportunity.

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

Christmas is the time for celebration, so I'm not against decorating, putting on lights, buying gifts. In fact, the whole reason we give gifts is the wise men gave gifts to Jesus at the first Christmas, and that started the gift-giving process.

Let me tell you how worthwhile you are. You are infinitely valuable to God. First, God created you. Second, Jesus died for you. Third, he puts his Spirit within you. Fourth, he wants you to be with him forever in eternity. That's how valuable you are to God. You are infinitely valuable to God.

Because God is love, the most important lesson he wants you to learn on earth is how to love.

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

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

A godly man is never threatened by the gifts of a godly woman.

Delays are as much a part of God plan as answered prayers. God wants you to trust him.

Gods plan isn't a map for your life that you see all at once, but a scroll unrolled a little at a time.

Where the grass is greener, the water bill is bigger.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will grow a great church.

It is an incredibly difficult task to lead people from self-centered consumerism to being servant-hearted Christians. It is not a task for fainthearted ministers or those who don't like to get their religious robes wrinkled. But it is what the Great Commission is all about

Great leaders genuinely care for and love the people they lead more than they love leading itself.

Great opportunities may come once in a lifetime, but small opportunities surround us every day.

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.

Not everything in this life has a happy ending, but this life is not the end of the story.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD Difficult moments, SEEK GOD Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD Painful moments, TRUST GOD Every moment, THANK GOD

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

Doing the easy thing makes you popular. Doing the hard thing makes you a leader.

We often miss hearing God's voice simply because we aren't paying attention.

Everybody wants confidence but you don't find it in self help books. You find confidence in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus specialized in menial tasks that everyone else tried to avoid: washing feet, helping children, fixing breakfast, and serving lepers. Nothing was beneath him, because he came to serve.

Nothing else you do will ever matter as much as helping people establish an eternal relationship with God.

There's a difference between freedom of worship and freedom of religion. Worship is an event that happens inside the house of worship. Religion is a lifestyle. It is a way of living.

The more you care about the powerless, the more power you have. The more you serve those with no influence, the more influence God gives you. The more you humble yourself, the more you're honored by others.

I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity: Jesus I believe in you and I receive you.

Longing for the ideal while criticizing the real is evidence of immaturity. On the other hand, settling for the real without striving for the ideal is complacency. Maturity is living with the tension.

You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense.

Never let an impossible situation intimidate you. Let it motivate you - to pray more, trust more, expect more.

Irrelevance happens when the speed of change outside an organization is greater than speed of change inside an organization.

A person without conviction is a weak, jellyfish type of individual who mindlessly follows the crowd.

Since God intends to make you like Jesus, he will take you through the same experiences Jesus went through. That includes loneliness, temptation, stress, criticism, rejection, and many other problems.

Unkind people need your kindness the most. They advertise their pain.

All leaders are learners. The moment you stop learning, you stop leading. I learn as much as I can, from as many as I can, as often as I can.

After learning to love God (worship), learning to love others is the second purpose of your life.