Category: Tĩnh nguyện

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!

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”  Mark 1:35 (NIV)

The key to resisting stress is the very thing that many Christians do the least: spend time alone with God. And yet this spiritual practice is absolutely essential to building a resilient spirit and managing chronic stress.

Prayer is a great stress reliever. It’s a decompression chamber, where you can release the stress of keeping up appearances and living up to others’ expectations. It’s how you unload your burdens and admit you can’t carry them on your own. It’s where you are reminded that God is ready and willing to help you with every stressful thing you experience in life. It’s cathartic.

How do you develop a habit of spending time alone with God? Habits are developed through practice and repetition. It’s not a habit unless you do it over and over again, until it happens regularly and consistently.

Jesus developed spiritual habits. The Bible says in Luke 22:39 that it was Jesus’ habit to leave Jerusalem and go across the valley to the Mount of Olives to pray. And Mark 1:35 says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (NIV).

Jesus was convinced that, no matter how busy he was, he needed time alone with God to pray. Do you have any time like that in your life? Do you ever slow down and get quiet before God so you can reflect and be renewed? If you want to be a resilient person, then you have to develop the habit of spending time with God.

While word spread about Jesus and huge crowds of people were coming to hear him speak, Jesus made time alone with God a habit. The Bible says, “Jesus often slipped away to be alone so he could pray” (Luke 5:15-16 NCV). If Jesus felt the need to frequently leave the crowd and get alone with God, then think about how much more we must need that.

Because noise often causes stress, you need to start your morning with God instead of with your phone, TV, radio, or social media feeds. Be still, be quiet, and be open to the work God wants to do in you make a habit of meditating on his Word and being in his presence.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Then he chose twelve of them to be his apostles, so they could be with him.”  Mark 3:14 (CEV)

If I were to ask you to complete this sentence, “If you want a job done right . . .” you would probably finish it with this: “. . . do it yourself.”

But that’s the motto of a perfectionist headed for burnout—because you can’t do every job by yourself.

Jesus was human, just like us. And just like us, he was never meant to handle the stress of daily life by himself.

Do you know the first thing Jesus did when he started his ministry? He formed a small group. Mark 3:14 says, “Then he chose twelve of them to be his apostles, so they could be with him” (CEV). That was his small group! Jesus gathered a small group before starting his ministry, because he knew God wanted him to do ministry and walk through his hardest days with his friends by his side.

If anybody had a right to say, “If you want a job done right, do it yourself,” it was Jesus. He had the power to do anything, yet even he knew the power of having a small group for support.

When he went to the Garden of Gethsemane, just before the cross, Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 26:38, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (NIV). Even Jesus needed people to pray with him. Even Jesus needed the support of a small group when he was in a crisis.

So much of our stress is self-imposed. We get uptight when we think it all depends on us—but it doesn’t. God hasn’t called you to be the general manager of the universe, let alone expect you to be able to manage your own life by yourself. You need his direction and strength, and you need the support of a small group.

We often don’t accept help from other people because of our insecurity and pride, and so we stay stressed out. But there are people of faith who are willing to help and support you—and people who need your help and support.

Humble yourself and admit that you can’t do it on your own. And you don’t have to! God made the church to help you in stressful times. And he will lead you to the people you need if you’ll just let your guard down and trust him to provide.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Anyone who lets him be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”  Luke 9:62 (TLB)

The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to be selective. There will always be a lot of options and opportunities. But the key to effectiveness is being selective.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “Someone may say, ‘I’m allowed to do anything,’ but not everything is helpful. I’m allowed to do anything, but not everything encourages growth” (GW).

In other words, some things aren’t necessarily wrong—they’re just not necessary. Once you figure this out, you’re going to be able to better withstand the hard times in life. You’re going to be resilient!

When you know where you’re headed and you focus in that direction, then you’re less likely to be distracted by less important things. You’ll set priorities that have an eternal focus. You’ll realize what matters most in life, and you’ll choose not just good things but the most important things.

Jesus was a master of concentration. He lived a selective life, and it allowed him to give his life for God’s kingdom and do what pleased his Father.

Luke 9:51 says, “As the time drew near for his return to heaven, [Jesus] moved steadily onward toward Jerusalem with an iron will” (TLB).

He modeled an iron will and fulfilled his purpose—even though even though he knew it would lead to his death. His focus helped him endure the pain and stress and persecution. Paul was the same way. He said, “This one thing I do,” not “these 40 things I dabble in.” He did one thing with his life—the most important thing.

You have incredible potential to be used by God, but the barrier is often that you haven’t settled what’s most important. If you think you don’t have time to serve God, then you’re not focused. If you spend more time on social media than you do getting to know God, then you’re not focused. If you have to do something else before you follow Jesus, then you are not focused.

The Bible is clear: “Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62 TLB).

One day you’re going to stand before God. How will you answer him when he asks what you did with what you were given?

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

We are living in stressful times. More than ever, we need to learn resilience so that we can do what God has called us to do. That’s why the first step to being resilient is to remember how much God loves you. That’s the antidote to stress!

Part of fulfilling our purpose is becoming more like Jesus. And Jesus had no doubt in his mind that God the Father loved him. He talked about it over and over in verses like John 10:17, which says, “The Father loves me” (NLT).

Knowing and remembering that God has unconditional, extravagant, continuous, and never-ending love for you, just like he did for Jesus, is the foundation of a resilient life. As Paul says, “I am convinced that neither death nor life . . . nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NIV). We can be resilient, knowing that we can never be separated from God’s love.

You may be thinking, “Well, of course God loves Jesus. That’s his Son.” But did you know that Jesus says the same thing about his love for you as God’s daughter or son? In John 15:9-10, Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love” (NIV).

Understanding how much God loves you is the basis of your personal security. If you are not convinced that God loves you at all times—unconditionally and completely—then you’re going to be easy prey for the disapproval of other people. You’re going to be a people pleaser.

But when you are secure in who you are as God’s child—when you understand and accept how God feels about you—then you can face difficult times with confidence and less stress.

When you need to be reminded of how much God loves you, just look to his Word.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 NIV).