Your First Step of Discipleship

Current Teaching Series Life's Healing Choices

Your First Step of Discipleship By Rick Warren — September 4, 2018 "God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love — like Christ in everything" (Ephesians 4:15 The Message). God wants you to grow up: "We are not meant to remain as children" (Ephesians 4:14 Phillips). Your heavenly Father's goal for you is to mature and develop the characteristics of Jesus Christ, living a life of love and humble service. Sadly, countless Christians grow older but never grow up. They're stuck in perpetual spiritual infancy, remaining in diapers and booties. The reason is because they never intended to grow. Spiritual growth is not automatic; it takes an intentional commitment. You must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow, and persist in growing. Discipleship is the process of becoming like Christ, and it always begins with a decision: "'Follow me and be my disciple,' Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him" (Matthew 9:9 NLT). When the first disciples chose to follow Jesus, they didn't understand all the implications of their decision. They simply responded to Jesus' invitation. That's all you need to get started: Decide to become a disciple.PLAY today's audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk About It Think of the moment when you chose to follow Jesus. What did you understand about what it meant to be a believer? What are some of the characteristics of Jesus that God has been developing in you? How do you want God to work in your life? Take some time to pray, and ask God to grow you in these areas — and for trust and patience as he does it in his time.

Our Gift: Putting It Together Again When It's All Fallen Apart Life doesn't always go according to plan. Sometimes, it can go horribly wrong. You can lose your home, your job or your relationship — and everything just seems to fall apart. Tom Holladay, the Senior Teaching Pastor at Saddleback Church, speaks from his own personal experiences about rebuilding your life after a catastrophe in his book, Putting it Together Again When It's All Fallen Apart. This hope-building book will help you . . . • See every problem as an opportunity. • Face obstacles head-on and take your first step. • Know how to expect and reject opposition. • Build on your success. • Dedicate yourself to the One who rebuilds our souls. LEARN MORE

Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes 10 full-length teaching CDs from Pastor Rick's series Life's Healing Choices. LEARN MORE

Series Summary Session 1: The Reality Choice Session 2: The Hope You Need for Change Session 3: Letting Go and Letting God Session 4: The Housecleaning Choice Session 5: The Transformation Choice Session 6: The Relationship Choice Session 7: The Growth Choice Session 8: The Sharing Choice Session 9: Breaking Free from Abuse Session 10: There's No Recovery without Prayer 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, which has been translated into 137 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. 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 around the world. This devotional © 2017 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