God Empowers Us for a Life of Service
By Rick Warren
“God has 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).
There are three things you can do with your life: You can waste it, you can spend it, or you can invest it. The best use of your life is to invest it in something that will last longer than your time on Earth.
The worst thing you can do is live simply for today and live for yourself. God did not put you on Earth to live for yourself. He created you to be like Christ.
We know that Christ came to Earth to do two things: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 NIV).
When we begin to follow Jesus, he empowers us for a life of service. The more we become like Jesus, the more we will serve others.
Today I want you to take time to meditate on the following verses about God’s call to service. Pray over the verses, and ask God to reveal new ways you can give yourself in service to those around you.
“Give yourselves completely to God — every part of you … you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes” (Romans 6:13b TLB).
“My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God” (Acts 20:24 NLT).
“Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35b TLB).
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
Talk It Over
What scares you about giving your life away in service to others?
In what ways do you think God empowers you to live a life of service? How does he equip you to do what he’s called you to do?
Romans 6:13 says to give every part of yourself to God. What parts of your life have you been withholding from God and refusing to surrender?
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Put Jesus at the center of your Christmas!
Many people step into the Christmas season run down and worn out. And by the time January rolls around, they’re so exhausted that they’ve completely missed the real reason for the season.
But there’s really no better time to recalibrate your heart toward Jesus than during the holidays. And Pastor Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose of Christmas, can help you fill your Christmas with more of God’s love and peace by making Christ the center of your life.
This resource shows you . . .
• What Christmas means for your salvation
• How to surrender to God’s will
• Practical steps to overcome discouragement
• Why we celebrate Christmas at all
• How Christmas can be a time to make peace with others
The Purpose of Christmas is our way to thank you for your gift below to help more people learn, love, and live the Word – so request your copy when you give!
From all of us at Daily Hope, may you experience God’s peace and joy this holiday season!
This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
