God Shaped You for Service

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES God's Vision For the Rest of Your Life

God Shaped You for Service By Rick Warren — Sep 11, 2016 “God made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing” (Ephesians 2:10 NCV). God shaped you to serve him. The Bible says, “God made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing” (Ephesians 2:10 NCV). Before you were born, God decided in advance what contribution he wanted you to make with your life. God didn’t put you on this planet just to take up space, to use resources, and to die. No! He put you here to serve him by serving others. And nobody else can be you. If you don’t serve God the way he intended for you to serve him, then the world misses that part of the jigsaw puzzle. Another name for “good works” is “ministry.” Any time you use your talents and abilities to help somebody else, you are actually ministering to them. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10, “God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings” (TLB). You know the talents that you’ve got? They’re not for your benefit. God gave you your talents for the benefit of other people. That’s why nobody’s got it all together. God wired the universe so that we would need each other. When you get to Heaven, you’re going to love God, so he wants you to practice now. You’re going to love other people in Heaven, so he wants you to practice now. You’re going to grow spiritually in Heaven, so he wants you to practice now. And you’re going to serve God in Heaven, so he wants you to practice now. You serve God by serving others. On Earth it’s impossible to serve God directly. The only way you can serve God on Earth is by serving other people. So any time you help somebody else, God says it’s like you’re doing it for him. You’re practicing on Earth what you’re going to do in eternity. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over In what unique ways has God shaped you so that you can serve others well? How are you using your talents and abilities to serve others? What should be your motivation when you serve? Our Gift: Daily Inspiration for The Purpose Driven Life Book In Daily Inspiration for The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick has taken all the key verses that explain how God created each of us for five purposes and put them into an easy-to-use reference tool that will help anyone study and memorize God’s Word. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes six full length teaching CD's from Pastor Rick's series God's Vision For the Rest of Your Life. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: ​​Choosing Your Future Message 2: ​​​​​​​​​​Learning to Live Wisely Message 3: ​​​Embracing the Vision Message 4: ​​Why You Need a Church Family Message 5: Enabling the Vision Message 6: ​​How to Get Ready to Be Used By God 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 pastorrick.com. 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 © 2016 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