God’s Purpose Is Greater Than Your Problems or Pain

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES God's Dream For Your Life

God's Purpose Is Greater Than Your Problems or Pain By Rick Warren — May 7, 2015 “This small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble.” (2 Corinthians 4:17 GNT) When we go through difficulties in life, the first thing we try to do is blame somebody else. But it doesn’t matter where your problem came from — God still has a purpose for it in your life. Even when you do stupid things, God can use it. Even when other people hurt you intentionally, he can use it. Even when the devil plans bad things for your life, God can bring good out of it. God’s purpose is greater than your problems and your pain. God has a plan! You need to look past the temporary pain and look instead at the long-term benefit in your life. Romans 5:3-4 says, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that … they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady” (TLB). What’s the purpose of your problems and difficulty? God wants you to learn something. Every storm is a school. Every trial is a teacher. Every experience is an education. Every difficulty is for your development. Most of us are slow learners. If you don’t learn something, God will bring it up again in your life. It will come back, because God is more interested in your character than he is in your comfort. He is more interested in seeing you become more like Christ than he is in making things easy for you. Some of you are facing a major difficulty right now. It may be an illness or guilt or a financial problem or strain in a relationship. Does God have a word for you while you’re going through your difficulty? Absolutely. God is saying to you, “Don’t give up. Grow up.” Fulfill the purpose of your difficulty — becoming more and more like the person he created you to be. “This small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble” (2 Corinthians 4:17 GNT). PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick. Talk It Over How does placing blame affect you spiritually and emotionally? What steps do you need to take to grow spiritually so that you can fulfill the purpose of your difficulty? How would you respond to someone who asks, “Why is this ‘good person’ experiencing such a hard time? Our Gift: Everything Is Possible With God Study Kit with Bonus Worship CD: The Sound of Hope Just like exercise builds your physical muscles, God has a workout program for you to strengthen your faith. And in the Everything Is Possible with God Study Kit, Rick Warren shows you God’s divine training routine to help you strengthen your faith and develop your character. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren God's Dream For Your Life teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: How God Builds Your Faith Message 2: God's Dream For Your Life Message 3: How To Make Wise Decisions Message 4: Delayed By Design Message 5: How To Deal With Difficulty Message 6: Dead End To Deliverance PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe