Invest in Your Character, Not Your Comfort

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

Invest in Your Character, Not Your Comfort By Rick Warren — Sep 18, 2016 “Grow in spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18 TLB). God wants you to grow up spiritually and become more like Jesus Christ. How do you do that? By taking some of your money and investing it in yourself and your personal growth. The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:18, “Grow in spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (TLB). You grow in spiritual strength by using your money to develop skills and educate yourself, to become a better leader, a better speaker, a better prayer, or just a better person. I hate to tell you this, but you’re not taking your car to Heaven with you. You’re not taking your condo or your couch or your clothes or your china to Heaven. But you are going to take your character. It may be tempting to use your money to invest in comfort, but God wants you to use your money to invest in something that’s going to Heaven — your character. That means any time you use your money to buy a Christian book that helps you grow, you’ve invested in what I call God’s “Growth Fund.” Any time you use some of your money to pay for a retreat or a conference that helps you improve your life, you’ve invested in the Growth Fund. Any time you spend money on a class that helps makes you more of what God wants you to be, God smiles and says that’s a good use of money. I’ll never forget when I bought my first Bible. I was a teenager and I thought, “This is the most important book to me, so I’m going to get the best one I can find.” I did a little research and found one that I like called the Thompson Chain Reference Bible. Then I said, “I want a binding that lasts, so I’m going to get it in the nicest leather I can find.” It costs me 60 bucks to buy that Bible — two months of my allowance. I gave up two months worth of snacks and movies and stuff like that, but I got a really cool Bible that I knew I could use for the rest of my life. I still have that Bible. It’s my most treasured possession because I’ve been through it so many times and underlined and marked it all up. The Bible says, “Why spend your money on something that is not real food? .... Listen closely to me, and you will eat what is good; your soul will enjoy the rich food that satisfies” (Isaiah 55:2 NCV). You can spend your money on junk food or soul food. Choose to spend your money on food for your soul that helps you grow spiritually. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over How does society try to convince you that your comfort is more important than your character? Why does “soul food” satisfy more than “junk food”? What is a comfort item that you can give up so that you have more money to invest in your character? 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