Month: July 2024

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“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)

You weren’t put on earth to live for yourself.

You were made for a greater purpose than simply to make money, retire, and die. You were made for a mission, and that mission gives your life meaning.

The Bible says, “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)

In other words, you’re unique. No one else in the whole world—past, present, or future—is like you. God has made you so unique that there are certain things only you can contribute to the world. Those things make up your life mission.

Until you know your life mission, you’re just existing. Life may seem good, but you won’t experience the fulfillment you would if you were living out God’s intentions for you.

Jesus says in Mark 8:35, “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. 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” (TLB).

God is giving you the opportunity to build your life around his mission for you. The only way to do that is by starting with a firm foundation: Jesus Christ. “And no one can ever lay any other real foundation than that one we already have—Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11 TLB).

You can choose to build your life on Jesus, the only foundation that will last. Or you can choose to spend your life chasing things that ultimately will fail you.

What’s certain is that one day you will stand before God and he’ll ask you: “Did you fulfill the mission that I gave you on this earth?” On that day, it will be clear whether you spent your life fulfilling God’s mission for you—or you chose to chase lesser things.

It’s never too late to start living the life God has planned for you. Start building your foundation on Jesus and pursuing God’s mission for your life today.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“God says he will accept and acquit us—declare us ‘not guilty’—if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like.” Romans 3:22 (TLB)

Would you be surprised to know most people do not accept themselves? I’ve been in ministry now for over 40 years. I’ve talked to tens of thousands of people, and I’ve found that most people really don’t like themselves. They wish they were different. They wish they looked different. They wish they acted differently.

If you’re like most people, you don’t accept yourself—so you spend your life trying to find acceptance from other people.

And you don’t just work hard to get other people to accept you. You work to get God’s acceptance too. You know in your heart you have a big problem: God is perfect—but you’re not.

But there’s good news. God recognized the problem too and has a plan.

First, let’s make sure you understand the problem: God lives in a perfect place called heaven. And if he allowed imperfect people into a perfect place, it wouldn’t be perfect anymore.

Next, the plan: God’s plan is what is sometimes called “The Great Exchange.”

The Bible says, “God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us!” (2 Corinthians 5:21 TLB).

You’re not perfect, but Jesus is. So God says, “We’ll do an exchange here. Jesus will take your sins, and you’ll get his goodness in your life.”

Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, you don’t have to work to be good enough. Christ’s goodness makes you acceptable to God. And it will allow you to live with him one day in heaven, his perfect place. That’s quite a deal!

Many people feel trapped by their past. They say, “If you knew what I’ve done, you’d know I’ll never be acceptable to God.”

I don’t know what you’ve done, but God does—and he still accepts you: “God says he will accept and acquit us—declare us ‘not guilty’—if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like” (Romans 3:22 TLB).

It’s time to stop living your life trying to be acceptable to God and to other people. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, you are acceptable.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!” 1Peter 1:3-4 (MSG)

Fear is nothing new. It’s been with us from the very beginning!

Adam’s first recorded words in the Garden of Eden were, “I was afraid, and I hid.” Humans have been living in fear of God and each other ever since.

Fear is based on ignorance. That means truth is the only cure—and truth can only be found in God’s Word.

Jesus’ resurrection on the first Easter gives you five truths that demolish fear in your life. Yesterday, I shared the first two:

• You know Jesus tells you the truth.
• You know death isn’t the end.

Third, you know God loves you extravagantly. God didn’t just send you a postcard with a note saying how much he loves you. He cared enough to send the very best—himself! When Jesus was dying on the cross with his arms outstretched, he was saying: “I love you this much.”

Fear and love cannot exist in the same place. The Bible tells us, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18 NIV). When you invite Christ into the front door of your heart, fear goes out the back door.

Fourth, you know God has a good plan for your life. When you open yourself up to God’s love, he takes care of your past, present, and future. Through the resurrection, your sins are forgiven, you get a purpose for living, and you get a home in heaven.

The Bible describes it like this: “Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!” (1 Peter 1:3-4 MSG). You won’t get that kind of life anywhere else. You only get it through the power of Jesus’ resurrection.

Finally, you know God will take care of your needs. One of the reasons you struggle with fear is that you worry about tomorrow—and worry can’t change anything! It won’t add a single moment to your life, and it won’t solve a single problem.

But the resurrection guarantees that God will meet all of your needs—starting with your salvation—by providing you with the power of his resurrection. Paul writes, “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT).

This year, as you celebrate Easter, remind yourself that because Jesus was raised from the dead, you are no longer a prisoner to fear. That’s news so good that you have to share it!

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“[Jesus] included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.”  2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (MSG)

The Bible is full of commands. But do you know what the most common one is?

Don’t be afraid. You’ll find it 365 times in Scripture—including several times in the Easter story. “Don’t be afraid” were the first words the angel told those who showed up at the tomb on Easter morning. They were also the first words Jesus spoke after the resurrection.

It’s no wonder why it’s a common theme of the Bible and in the Easter story: Fear is humanity’s most common problem.

You might not think you’re a fearful person. But if you think about it, you may realize that many of your decisions are based on fear, such as the fear of what people think of you and the fear of failure.

But Easter brings good news! Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you can now live without fear. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “[Jesus] included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own” (MSG).

When you live according to the resurrection of Christ, the Bible says you’re living a better life, a life where you’re free from fear.

In fact, there are five truths about the resurrection that will set you free from fear if you understand them. I’ll share these truths over the next two days.

First, you know Jesus tells you the truth. Throughout history many people have claimed to be God or the Messiah—but only one proved it. The Bible says, “[Jesus] was declared to be God’s Son with great power by rising from the dead” (Romans 1:4 NCV).

Without the resurrection, you couldn’t trust anything Jesus said. But you can trust what Jesus says about God, heaven, and everything else he taught because he rose from the dead like he said he would.

Second, you know death isn’t the end. Until Jesus rose from the dead, people didn’t know if there was life after death because there was no proof. Jesus changed that. The Bible tells us, “God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, and we know that God will also raise us with Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4:14 NCV). You don’t need to fear death, because Jesus’ resurrection shows us that death isn’t the end of the story. It’s really the beginning of your best life—your eternal life in God’s presence.

Learning to live without fear will transform your life now! Tomorrow I’ll share with you three more Easter truths that will help you live in freedom from fear.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”  Psalm 23:6 (NIV)

Of all the benefits of God’s goodness, only one lasts beyond your life on earth. The final verse of Psalm 23 expresses the ultimate example of God’s goodness: “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6 NIV).

That means you don’t have to fear death—because death is not the end. God saves the best for last. Even if you have a tough life here on earth, if you have asked Jesus Christ to save you, you will dwell forever in the house of the Lord, where there’s no more sorrow, no more suffering, no more sin, no more sickness, no more sadness, no more problems, no more pain, and no more pressure. Heaven is unbelievable. God’s glory is waiting there for you.

The Bible teaches, “It is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-7).

Everything you’ve seen in movies about heaven is probably wrong. First, heaven is not nirvana, a dream, or a metaphorical attitude. Heaven is a physical place, not a state of being. It’s a permanent place that will last forever. And it is reserved only for God’s family.

Heaven is also not boring! We see a glimpse of heaven in Revelation 21, where we learn that we won’t just kick back and do nothing for eternity. A lot of the stuff you do here on earth is what you’ll be able to do in heaven. You’ll be able to eat in heaven, you’ll be able to sleep in heaven, you’ll party in heaven, talk, fellowship, pray, and sing—just to name a few. Heaven was created for you. 

There are only two things that you do on earth that you won’t do in heaven. First, in heaven you can’t sin; second, you can’t witness to a nonbeliever about Christ’s love and forgiveness because only God’s children are there. That’s why, once you become a believer, God does not take you instantly to heaven. He wants you to pass on the Good News of salvation and grace. The only reason you’re going to heaven is because somebody told you about the Gospel. Now it’s your turn to tell others.

There is so much to look forward to in heaven. We will worship God forever. We will be reunited with those who love Jesus. We will be rewarded for our faith, hope, and love. We will be assigned work that we enjoy doing.

What an awesome promise. What a good God!

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.”  Colossians 3:23 (GNT)

The Bible identifies five characteristics of people who excel at what they do.

They work with enthusiasm. Regardless of whether the job is big or small, give it your best. Great performers give their best effort, no matter what the size of the audience: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people” (Colossians 3:23 GNT).

They sharpen their skills. They never stop developing, growing, learning, and improving: “If your ax is dull and you don’t sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it. It is smarter to plan ahead” (Ecclesiastes 10:10 GNT). It takes more than desire to excel; it takes skill! Remember: You’re never wasting time when you’re “sharpening your ax.

They keep their word. They are reliable. They can be counted on to do what they say they’ll do. They excel because people of integrity are rare in our society: “Everyone talks about how loyal and faithful he is, but just try to find someone who really is!” (Proverbs 20:6 GNT).

They maintain a positive attitude. Even under the worst circumstances, they don’t become negative: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-16 NIV). And remember: “If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes” (Ecclesiastes 10:4 NLT).

People who excel do more than is expected. This is a secret that every successful person has discovered. You’ll never excel by only doing what is required. Jesus said, “If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously” (Matthew 5:40-42 MSG).

The Broadway lyricist Oscar Hammerstein once told the story of seeing the top of the Statue of Liberty from a helicopter. He was impressed because of the incredible detail the artist sculpted on an area that no one was expected to see. In fact, the Statue of Liberty was completed with no idea that man would someday be able to fly over the statue!

When you’re tempted to cut corners, thinking, “No one will ever know,” remember that God sees everything you do. Give him your best this week!

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!” Genesis 39:6 (NLT)

The greatest compliment a boss can pay you is, “I’m not worried,” because it says that you are reliable, trustworthy, and steady. They can count on you.

Genesis 39:6 says, “So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!” (NLT).

How would you like to have the kind of job where all you had to worry about was what to eat? Potiphar trusted Joseph and gave the former slave complete decision-making power because he knew he could rely on him.

That’s why Joseph kept getting promoted—because all of his bosses could say, “I trust this guy with my life.” When he was in prison, Joseph had favor with the warden, who put the entire prison under Joseph’s care. That’s how much the warden trusted Joseph. Joseph was reliable—so the warden didn’t have to worry about anything with Joseph in charge.

Reliability is earning the trust of others by always keeping your promises and fulfilling your responsibilities, even if it requires sacrifice.

Joseph knew how to be reliable. He got promoted because he fulfilled his responsibilities. He kept his word even if it meant personal hurt, loss, and sacrifice. Can the same be said of you?

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. ‘Come and sleep with me,’ she demanded. But Joseph refused. ‘Look,’ he told her, ‘my master trusts me with everything in his entire household . . . He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing?’” Genesis 39:6-9 (NLT)

Loyalty is a quality that is in short supply in our society today. It seems like nobody is loyal to anything anymore. There’s no such thing as brand loyalty. And most people aren’t loyal to companies or bosses or leaders. They’re loyal to themselves.

Loyalty is an old-fashioned quality. But when a person exhibits a rare quality like loyalty, that person gets promoted. It makes you stand out!

Loyalty is being faithful—whether it’s to your boss or to God or to someone else—when difficulty tests your commitment.

It’s easy to be loyal when everything is going great, but when the ship goes into the storm, that’s when real loyalty comes out. And because God is more interested in your character than your career, your loyalty will be tested in your work. In the middle of those storms, he’s seeing if he can trust you with greater responsibility in heaven.

Joseph had a tough test. The Bible says, “Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. ‘Come and sleep with me,’ she demanded. But Joseph refused. ‘Look,’ he told her, ‘my master trusts me with everything in his entire household . . . He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing?’” (Genesis 39:6-9 NLT).

Now that’s loyalty! Joseph’s got a beautiful woman throwing herself at him, reassuring him, “You think I’m going to tell my husband? Are you kidding me? Nobody’s going to know. You can have your cake and eat it too. You can be the master, and we can have a fling. It’ll be great. No harm, no foul!”

I’m sure Potiphar was an imperfect boss because every boss is imperfect. I’m sure Joseph probably disagreed with his boss a lot of the time because they were both human. Nobody gets it right all of the time.

But Joseph still turned her down because of loyalty to his boss. He honored the trust that had been placed in him by his master.

God looks at that kind of loyalty and goes, “That’s the kind of person I’m going to promote.”

Don’t you want God to say the same about you?

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Potiphar . . . made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the LORD began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake.” Genesis 39:4-5 (NLT)

What is your potential for growth?

Are you going to read any books in the next year? Are you going to take any seminars? Are you going to grow? Are you going to develop any skills? Are you going to learn any relationship skills? Or are you just going to be the same 10 years from today as you are right now?

Capacity is your potential for growth. It’s important because people who increase in competence are given greater responsibility in their work.

All leaders are learners. The moment you stop learning, you stop leading. Growing businesses requires growing people. The moment the people stop growing, the business can’t grow.

I remember having staff members at Saddleback Church whose number-one characteristic was the ability to keep growing and learning. They didn’t insist on doing the same thing they had always done but instead tried new methods and came up with new ideas.

This is what happened with Joseph. He grew in capacity by stretching himself and learning and growing. Genesis 39:4-5 says, “Potiphar . . . made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the LORD began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake” (NLT).

Is God blessing the business you work for? Is that church, that business, that organization prospering because you’re there? Do you have that kind of capacity?

When Joseph was put in charge, the Lord began to bless Potiphar for Joseph’s sake: “All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished” (Genesis 39:5 NLT). Why? Because Joseph had capacity.

When Joseph was first taken to Egypt as a slave, he wasn’t able to handle all that stuff. He had to learn how to manage livestock and a household. He had to learn and grow as he was given more responsibility.

If you stop learning new skills and say, “That’s all I need to know,” you’re limiting your capacity. But if you keep learning, you’ll keep growing, and God will keep blessing.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Joseph lived in the home of Potiphar, his Egyptian owner. Soon Potiphar realized that the LORD was helping Joseph to be successful in whatever he did. Potiphar liked Joseph and made him his personal assistant.”  Genesis 39:2-4 (EVC)

If you want to stand out at work, you need to be likeable. If people don’t like you, they’re not going to trust you, and they certainly won’t promote you.

A lot of people think likeability is just a matter of personality. You’re either a likeable person or you’re not.

But nothing could be further from the truth. Likeability is not personality; it’s character. It’s behavior. It’s how you choose to relate to other people. Likeability is possessing the attractive attitudes—and those are choices—and the relational skills that cause others to want to work with you.

Do you want to be liked by other people? Here’s the big secret: Like them. That’s it. If you like people, guess what? They’re going to like you. If you don’t like people, they’re not going to like you. To be likeable, you just have to like people. You have to genuinely enjoy them. You have to choose to be interested in others and think less about yourself.

Joseph is a good example of likeability in Genesis 39:2-4: “Joseph lived in the home of Potiphar, his Egyptian owner. Soon Potiphar realized that the LORD was helping Joseph to be successful in whatever he did. Potiphar liked Joseph and made him his personal assistant” (CEV). Potiphar took a guy who started as a slave and promoted him to the manager of his household because noticed God was helping him succeed, and he liked him.

What are the attractive attitudes that make someone likeable? How about humility? Would you rather be around someone who is arrogant or someone who is humble?

How about cheerfulness? Would you rather be around somebody cheerful or grouchy?

How about empathy? When you tell others that you’re not feeling well, would you rather they respond, “That’s too bad” or “I’m really sorry. What’s going on?” When you’re empathetic with someone who is hurting, guess what? You’re likeable. Bosses like people who are empathetic to their stress, who understand, and who can look at a situation from somebody else’s point of view.

When you help somebody else succeed, then you’re going to be likeable. And when you’re likeable, you’re going to find success.