Month: April 2024

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income. Then your barns will be full, and your vats will overflow with fresh wine.”  Proverbs 3:9-10 (GW)

God’s promises are so good!

Not only does he promise to bless you personally when you give generously, but he also promises to bless your work and your business.

Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income. Then your barns will be full, and your vats will overflow with fresh wine” (GW). The first part of that verse is the premise: You give your tithe. The second part is God’s promise: When you tithe, God will fill your barns to overflowing.

Now, most people don’t have a barn to fill to overflowing or even vats to fill with the finest wine.

In Bible times, almost everyone was a farmer. Whatever their barn contained represented their business and investments and livelihood. If the barn was filled, it was a sign of great success and blessing.

God is saying that if you learn to be generous, he will bless your business and your work. He will bless your career and your investments. As I mentioned yesterday, sometimes those blessings will be material. But many times they’ll be the spiritual blessings that come from a generous heart. The Bible also says in Proverbs 11:25, “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” (NLT).

If you own a business, do you want it to prosper and increase in profits? If you’re an entrepreneur or a venture capitalist, do you want God’s blessing on your new projects? Of course you do. If you want God’s help, not just in your family but also in your business, then you have to fulfill the premise of his promise. You have to be generous with your resources.

“Give freely and spontaneously. Don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers [God’s] blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures” (Deuteronomy 15:10 MSG).

Generosity triggers God’s blessing on your work.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”  Luke 6:38 (NLT)

When you give from a heart for Jesus, your goal isn’t to get a blessing. But the truth is that God will bless you.

You can’t out-give God. When you learn to be generous like God is generous, he promises that you will end up with more. This is God’s economy.

Sometimes it seems like God is saying: “Let’s see who can out-give the other. You give to me and to other people, and I’ll give to you—and we’ll see who wins.”

And God always wins! He says over and over in Scripture that you will end up with more if you learn to be generous. Sometimes those blessings will be material. But sometimes they’ll be the spiritual blessings that come from a generous heart.

Jesus says, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38 NLT).

What is Jesus saying here? Imagine you’re going to a market to buy grain. You bring a burlap sack and pay to have the whole sack filled. As the shop owner is pouring grain, you press it into your sack. Then you gently shake the sack so the grain settles down even more. You want to fit the maximum amount of grain.

Jesus is saying that God’s blessings are the same. When you give generously, he’ll give so generously that you’ll have to make room for more.

He gives in full measure—and then some—when you learn to be generous like him. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you. He wants you to be generous because he wants you to be like him. You can’t become more like Christ without learning to give generously.

This is one of the most important decisions you will make: Is your life going to be about giving away what God has blessed you with? Will it be marked by a joyous desire to grab hold of God’s promises as you let go of the things of this earth?

“The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” You determine how much God blesses your life.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Tell each other the truth, because we all belong to each other in the same body.”  Ephesians 4:25 (NCV)

When you decide you want to make a change, you may be eager to jump in and start the process on your own. But you’re never going to succeed without the support of a few trusted people in your life. God did not make us to go through life alone. We’re better together.

Lasting change requires community. There are some things in your life so big that you need a team to tackle them. In American football, an opposing player may be so big that no one person can bring him down on their own. It takes several players working together to tackle him. In the same way, you need people who will support you and help you tackle some tough areas in your life. You need a small group.

A small group is just that—a small group of people. You can’t be honest and transparent about big changes in your life with 25 people. But you can find a group of five or six people that you can be authentic with. You don’t have to bare your soul with everybody you know. You don’t need to tell everybody what you’re working on—but you do need to tell somebody.

If you’re serious about changing, growing, and resetting your life, then you’re going to have to face your fear about being gut-level honest with just a few people. The moment you tell just one person about the changes you believe God wants you to make, you get instant power you never had in any other way. You have someone to walk with you through it. You have someone to help carry the emotional load.

Ephesians 4:25 says, “Tell each other the truth, because we all belong to each other in the same body” (NCV). What is this “same body” where we all belong to each other? It’s not your neighborhood or your work or your school. It’s God’s family. And, as a Christian, you belong to God’s family.

You will only become what God wants you to be by sharing your life with a small group of people who will love you, hold you up, and encourage you as you reset your life.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.”  Ephesians 4:23 (NLT)

Lasting change requires new thinking. The battle for change is won or lost in your mind! Ephesians 4:23 says, “Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” (NLT). Spiritual renewal takes place in your thoughts and in your attitudes—or, in other words, in your mind.

Here’s how it works: Feelings aren’t feelings in themselves. They are a response to a thought. It’s what you think that determines the way you feel. And what you feel determines the way you act.

If you want to stop a self-defeating behavior by changing the way you act, then you first must change the way you feel. But you can’t just change your feelings and tell yourself, “I’m just not going to feel that way anymore.” That doesn’t work. The only way you can change a feeling is indirectly—by going to the root of it, which is a thought.

In other words, you can change the way you act by changing the way you feel. And you can change the way you feel by changing the way you think.

There’s a biblical word for this process: repentance. The word “repentance” comes from a Greek word, metanoia. Meta means “to change,” and noia means “mind.” Repentance simply means you change your mind. That’s all there is to it!

You tell God that you want to go a different direction, and you ask him to help you choose to think about right and good things. If you change the way you think, it will change the way you feel, and the way you feel will change the way you act. It’s a reversal of your mindset—a mental U-turn.

The Bible says in Philippians 2:5, “Think the same way that Christ Jesus thought” (CEV).

What you think is a choice. And choosing is the beginning of changing. When you put on the mind of Christ and begin to think about the things he loves, then you will start to see your defects in a very different light.

Ask God to help you see him, others, and yourself the way he does, and you will start to see the changes he wants to make in your life.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Without faith it is impossible to please God.”  Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

I would rather attempt to do something great with my life and fail than attempt to do nothing with my life and succeed.

Yet, that’s where most people are! They’re drifting through life. They have no goals. They’re not aiming for the moon because they’re so afraid they’re just going to hit the fencepost. People have forgotten or never understood that failure is not the same as being unable to do something. Failure is being unwilling to try

When Kay and I started Saddleback more than 40 years ago, I told my family many times that I wanted these four words written on my tombstone: “At least he tried.” The jury was still out on whether or not our little church would last.

I had a great goal and vision. And even if I never reached it, I wanted it to be known that I at least tried. I can’t put that on my tombstone today because the plan worked, by God’s grace. But in the early days of a project or business or ministry, it’s okay for you to say, “At least I tried.”

That is faith. You move forward in spite of your fears. The Bible says in Matthew 9:29, “According to your faith let it be done to you” (NIV). When you move forward and show God you’re willing to trust him with the unknown, you are choosing how much God will bless your life.

Life is a marathon. People do not run a marathon to get first place. Only one person out of the thousands running can get first place. They run a marathon to finish and be able to say, “I did it. I tried!”

You’re not going to be number one in most things in life, and neither am I. What really matters is this: Did you finish the race strong, or did you quit too soon or coast for the latter part of your life? Did you run hard and fast for Jesus Christ until the day he took you home?

Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (NIV). Faith means you try. You set a goal, take risks, and work hard. Whether or not you reach your goal or challenge is irrelevant.

When you attempt something for the glory of God, you can’t be considered a failure, no matter what happens. If you’re doing something in faith, then you’re already a success.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear.”  1 John 4:18 (NCV)

A lot of people think the opposite of fear is faith. It’s not! The opposite of fear is love.

Love moves against fear. When love comes in the front door of your heart, fear goes out the back door. You can’t be afraid and loving at the same time—not with real love. When you have real love—God’s love—then you don’t have to fear.

People don’t run into a burning building to rescue children because of faith. They do it because of love. Parents will put their lives at risk to protect their families because they love their children.

If love is the motivation of everything you do, then fear is going to disappear.

“Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18 NCV).

Maybe something you have to do is making you nervous. When you start feeling fear rise up in you, you need to pause at that moment. Then focus on how much God loves you. You may need to remind yourself out loud: “God, you really love me! You’re on my side. You want me to succeed in this. I’m going to do it in your strength and with your love.”

God doesn’t want you to fail. He wants you to succeed at what you’re doing and fulfill your purpose. When you focus on his love, you won’t be afraid. Perfect love casts out all fear!

When I speak in front of thousands of people every weekend, I’m not afraid. Why? Because I do two things: I focus on God’s love for me, and then I focus on my love for my church family. They are not an audience to be feared. They are a family to be loved. My love for them and for Jesus overcomes any fear I might have when I preach.

When you’re fearful, you’re focusing totally on yourself. That’s not love! When you’re loving, you’re focused not on yourself but on what other people need.

The more loving you are, the less fearful you are. So, if you make love your motivation for what you do, you’re not going to be afraid to do it.

Make love your motivation, and move against your fear.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control.”  2 Timothy 1:7 (NCV)

Just three months after Kay and I got married, I had a total physical and mental breakdown and ended up in the hospital. Filled with the fear of failure, I thought my life was over—though I was just 21 years old. The psychiatrist at the hospital told me I needed to take some time off.

So we went to my parents’ home in northern California, where I continued to feel like a total failure. I thought I couldn’t handle anything. Everything made me upset and nervous.

Then one night I had a dream that felt evil. I woke up in a cold sweat. As I was lying there in bed, breathing fast, I heard the phone ring. My mom picked it up. The guy on the phone said, “Is this the house where Rick Warren is? Could I talk to him?”

When I picked up the phone, the man said, “Rick, you don’t know me. We’ve never met. How I got this number doesn’t really matter. But I live in San Diego, and God told me to call you and give you this verse: ‘God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control’ [2 Timothy 1:7 NCV]. And, Rick, you have a right in Jesus Christ to a sound mind.” And then he hung up.

You don’t think God uses people like that? Well, he does. It could have been an angel, but it didn’t have to be. Maybe God just said to a man: “Call that guy.” And, in obedience, he did.

I held on to that verse during my year of depression when I felt like such a failure, even though my life had barely even started. But God wasn’t done with me, and he’s done countless things in my life since then.

God is not done with you either. It doesn’t matter what you’ve been through. I’m sorry for all the pain you may have experienced, but you cannot let fear hold you back. Push yourself to trust God in everything you do. Then live in faith and love.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

If you want to be a righteous woman or man of God, then you have to learn how to be resilient. That means when you stumble, you get back up.

A lot of factors beyond your control can cause you to fail. But if you get back up, who knows what positive things might happen?

History books are filled with stories of people who failed again and again, but they did not give up until they succeeded.

General George Washington lost two-thirds of all the battles he fought against the British in the American Revolution. He kept retreating because he didn’t have the manpower to take on the British army. But he didn’t give up! He eventually won the war, became the first president of the United States, and is considered the father of the country.

Napoleon dominated continental Europe as Emperor of France. But earlier in his life he graduated 42nd in a class of 43. He wasn’t the smartest student, but he is regarded as a military genius, and his methods are still studied in many schools.

Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientists of all time, didn’t say a single word until he was almost five years old. He did so poorly in school that, at age 16, he failed to pass the entrance exam for the Swiss Polytechnic School. Still, he went on to reinvent science and math.

Babe Ruth, one of the best baseball players ever, hit 714 home runs in his career, a record that stood for almost 40 years. But he also struck out 1,330 times. For years, Ruth held the records both for most home runs and for the most strikeouts.

I don’t hold up any of these men as examples of godly living. But they accomplished much in the eyes of the world because they didn’t give up. Imagine what God can do with righteous women and men who keep moving forward and working for whatever God has called them to.

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9 NLT).

Keep going, and don’t let your failure be final. You never know what God can do through you!

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 21:3-4 (ESV)

God’s plan for the universe and for you isn’t finished yet. One day, Jesus will return to complete God’s plan and take his followers to heaven.

On the night before Jesus was crucified, he gathered his followers together. Knowing they were going to watch him be tortured and crucified, he wanted to give some words of comfort.

He told them: “‘Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also’ . . . Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (John 14:1-6 NKJV).

The Apostle John was eventually imprisoned by the Roman empire on Patmos, an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Before he died, God gave John a glimpse of what heaven is like, and that vision is recorded in Revelation 21:3-4: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (ESV).

If you believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, then you will go to be with him forever in heaven when you die. In heaven, there is no sorrow, suffering, sickness, or sin. There will be no more death.

Because of sin, everything on this earth is broken—but God says he is going to make it all new in heaven. You won’t have to worry about your trials or troubles, your health or relationships. But when you see things from God’s point of view—looking through the lens of eternity—you’ll realize how much attention we give to things on earth that don’t last and will not matter in eternity.

But you don’t have to wait until heaven to start living with that eternal perspective. You can start right now. Don’t focus on your problems; don’t let your heart be troubled. Instead, behold how much God loves you and focus on how much he has promised to those who trust in his Son, Jesus Christ.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways.” Psalm 37:7 (NIV)

You may not hear the word “fret” much anymore. It’s an older word that just means “worry.” When you fret, you get stressed out, anxious, and impatient. You worry because things are either happening too fast and you can’t handle the change or because things are going too slow and you want God to speed things up.

We don’t usually mind waiting if we can gripe about it. But when you choose to wait patiently on God instead of fretting, it is a statement of faith. You’re making a declaration about God’s character. When you wait patiently, you’re saying that you trust God and have faith in him. You’re humbly admitting your dependence on him.

The Bible says in Psalm 37:7, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways” (NIV)

One of the biggest reasons we get stressed out is because we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others. Instead of focusing on God’s love and what he’s done for us, we look at other people, focusing on what they have that we don’t.

Comparing yourself to others is never wise. Why? Because you’re one of a kind! God has a plan for your life that’s different from his plan for anyone else. If you’re wishing that God gave you another person’s plan, then you’re going to miss the plan for your life! Comparing leads to fretting. When you compare, you start worrying.

But worry is worthless. Any second you spend worrying is wasted, because worry can’t accomplish anything. Worry can’t change the past. It can’t control the future. It’s only going to make you miserable today. It’s like sitting in a rocking chair, going back and forth, back and forth. You don’t make any progress, and you use a lot of energy.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers” (MSG).

Worry will never change anything, but prayer will. So don’t fret. Just pray!