We continue our discussion of Rick Warren’s famous book the Purpose Driven Life. Rick Warren is an author, founder, and senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. The book is subdivided into five main purposes that we all share as people. So far, we have laid the groundwork for what on earth we are here for. Over the next several weeks we will tackle the five main purposes that we all share as people. Since this subject is a very weighty topic, we want to do our best to delve deep into the subject so that we all get the most out of it. Our first purpose is that we were planned for God’s pleasure. This is covered over Day 8 thru Day 14 in the book. In this episode, we will be tackling Day 8 through Day 10.
You created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created. Revelation 4:11 (NLT)
The Lord takes pleasure in his people. Psalms 149:4a (TEV)
God planned us for His pleasure. God wanted to create us for His pleasure. God did not need to create us; He chose to for His own enjoyment. We exist for God’s benefit, glory, purpose, and His delight. Therefore, pleasing God, living for what brings Him pleasure is the first purpose of your life. Imagine, if you worked hard as a parent, you bought a house and built a wonderful home with your spouse. You bought furniture, decorations, and made the home beautiful. You have everything you could ever want. You have your spouse, the love of your life. You have food to eat. You have a great career. You have a car to go to and fro wherever you please. You have enough financial resources to travel and to do whatever it is you want to do. You don’t in a sense need to “create” a child. You don’t need to have children. You have children because you “choose” to.
When you have that child, one of your main purposes for that child would be to give it everything it wants that pertains to life, but also that the child will please you and make you happy. If the child just grows up and cares nothing for what you have done for the child, there will begin to be serious problems.
In the same way, God wants us to enjoy life. He has set up everything for our enjoyment. However, if we care nothing about pleasing Him, or doing what He wants us to do, then we will begin to have serious problems. God has given us life, has given us a brain to think. Has given us virtually everything that pertains to life. To live and completely disregard Him, to care nothing at all for what He wants, leads us into a seriously bad relationship with Him. God has emotions and therefore pleasing God is called “worship”
Psalms 147:11 teaches us that “The Lord is pleased only with those who worship him and trust his love”
When we think of worship, we often think of songs, and images of being in church. However, worship goes beyond that. Anything that we do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship. Worship is as natural as eating or breathing. In everything that we do, we can do it as an act of worship to God. Whether eating, learning, studying, raising children. It is all an act of worship if it is dedicated and done to make God happy.
This then brings us to the next subject. What makes God smile? We can think of it in terms of what makes us smile. When we are in a romantic relationship, what is it that makes us smile? We want someone who loves us and puts us before others. We want someone who trusts us and not someone who constantly suspects us. We want someone who obeys us and does what it is we ask them to do. It is the same with God. What makes God smile is when we love him supremely, when we trust him completely, when we obey him wholeheartedly, and when we use our abilities.
What is the heart of worship? Is it how beautiful we sing? Is it how skillfully we play an instrument? Is it expressed by something we do? The heart of worship is surrendering to God. It is when we give ourselves to God, not out of fear or duty, but in love. Offering ourselves to God is what worship is all about. There are three barriers that block our total surrender to God – fear, pride, and confusion.
Trust is essential to surrender. Fear keeps us from surrendering and trusting God. We are afraid that if we trust God completely, we will not get the life we really want. However, the more we realize how much He loves us, the more it dispels the lies that God doesn’t want us to have a good life. Another thing that prevents us from surrendering to God is our pride. We want complete control. We don’t want to admit that we are finite and we have limitations. We believe we are supermen and superwomen, always trying to change everything about our lives by our own strength, intellect, and wisdom. Life is a struggle, but a lot of times, that struggle is a struggle with God over control. Lastly, people are confused about what it means to surrender. We feel surrendering makes us weak. We see surrender as being passive. However, surrendering takes bravery. The more we let God take over our lives, the more truly ourselves we become.
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