God Wants You to Grow Up

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

God Wants You to Grow Up By Rick Warren — Sep 10, 2016 “From the very beginning God decided that those who came to him — and all along he knew who would — should become like his Son” (Romans 8:29a TLB). God created you to become like Christ. He wants you to grow up spiritually! The Bible says, “From the very beginning God decided that those who came to him — and all along he knew who would — should become like his Son” (Romans 8:29a TLB). God’s goal has always been to make you like himself — not to become a god but to become godly, with godly character. The number one question I’m asked as a pastor is, “Why is this happening to me?” I’ll tell you why: It’s to help you grow up spiritually. Everything in life is designed to help you grow up spiritually — the good, the bad, the ugly, the stuff you bring on yourself, and the stuff that other people do to you. God is not the author of evil. But God can bring good out of bad things. Instead of saying, “God, why is this happening to me?” say, “God, what do you want me to learn from this?” Every situation in life will either make you bitter or better. It’s your choice how you choose to respond to it. Every problem has a purpose, and the purpose is to help you grow up spiritually to be more like Jesus Christ. So if one of the purposes of your life is to grow up spiritually and to become like Jesus, what is Jesus like? The Bible calls it the fruit of the Spirit. It says, “He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control” (Galatians 5:22b-23a). These are the qualities God wants to build in your life. How does God produce those qualities in your life? How does God grow character and help you grow up spiritually? God teaches you these qualities by putting you in the exact opposite situation. He teaches you love by putting you around unlovely people. He teaches you joy in the middle of grief. God teaches you peace in the middle of chaos. He teaches you patience in the Department of Motor Vehicles! God will teach you all of these qualities throughout your life — and it will take the rest of your life. It’s a process. He will use all kinds of situations in your life to help you develop spiritual depth and become more like Christ. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over In what kinds of situations have you learned the most about how to be more like Christ? Why do you think so many Christians are still spiritually immature? What priority does spiritual growth have in your life? How might your priorities need to change? 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