Category: Tĩnh nguyện

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:35 (NIV)

The sign of a Christian is love. How many people know you’re a Christian because of your loving lifestyle?

We sing about love, talk about love, pray about love, and study love. But do we show it? To develop love as your life principle and make it your greatest aim, you need to take action as soon as you finish reading this devotional—because love acts!

Here’s what you need to do to develop a loving lifestyle.

First, start acting lovingly in your relationships. Have you acted unlovingly toward someone? It’s time to seek reconciliation. Make things right with your kids, your spouse, your boyfriend or girlfriend, your parents, or someone at school or work.

Then, start increasing the number of relationships you have. If the most important aim in life is to love, then we need to build as many relationships as possible. Why? Because the world will know about God’s love by the way Christians love each other—and by how Christians love other people around the world.

You cannot live a loving lifestyle as a hermit. You spell love T-I-M-E. It takes time to love other people. If you love your friends, you’ve got to spend time with them. If you love your kids, you spend time with them. If you love Jesus, you have to spend time with him too.

Love always costs time and energy. But it’s always worth it.

Can you imagine what would happen if everyone in the church loved like this—if we all committed ourselves to acting in love and giving our time unselfishly so that people could get a taste of how much God loves them? It would change the world. It would grow God’s Kingdom. It would make God so happy.

People are attracted to Christ more than they are persuaded to him. They’re attracted by the love of God shown through the people who claim to follow him. And they won’t care what we know until they first know that we care.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”  Colossians 3:13 (NLT)

A lot of people think God carries grudges. They picture God up in heaven, waiting to zap them for anything they do wrong.

Here’s what God is really like: “I am the God who forgives your sins, and I do this because of who I am. I will not hold your sins against you” (Isaiah 43:25 GNT). God wants to forgive, and he has done everything necessary to forgive your sins in Christ.

Even before the world was made, God was already planning in Christ to forgive your sins. He knows every wrong thing you’re going to do. None of it surprises him! Before you were born, God made a plan to offer you forgiveness for all the guilt that’s in your life.

That’s why God can say this: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NIV). Condemnation is gone because of what Jesus Christ did for us. He offers unconditional, complete, consistent, eternal, by-grace forgiveness in all of our lives. What a relief! You don’t have to suffer or pay for your sins now or in eternity. They’re paid for by Jesus Christ. You are forgiven if you accept that gift of salvation from Jesus.

Once you recognize that you’re forgiven, you are then enabled and strengthened to forgive other people.

How do you do that? “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Colossians 3:13 NLT).

Take a good look at yourself, and you may see ugliness, selfishness, and sin. But the important thing is how God sees you. You are his creation, a masterpiece designed to live for him and bless others.

When you take a good look through God’s eyes, you see the forgiveness that only he can give. By accepting his forgiveness in your life, you’ll be able to offer it to others.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8 (NLT)

Everything that Jesus did for you, he did out of love. The Bible says that God made you to love you. The only reason you’re alive is because you were made to be loved by God.

If God didn’t want you alive, your heart would stop instantly; you wouldn’t even be breathing right now. God made you and wants you alive so he can love you and so you can love him back.

God didn’t just say he loved you; he showed it. The Bible says, “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 NLT). Look at that again. It says, “while we were still sinners.” Before you even knew God or knew you needed God in your life, Jesus died for you.

There’s a myth that says we have to clean up our act before we can come to God: “I’ve got to get it all together. There are a few things I’ve got to get right in my life first, and then I’ll come to God.” No, you can come to God with your problems—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

It’s like when we brush our teeth before we go to the dentist for a cleaning or when we wash the dishes before we put them in the dishwasher. Why do we do this?

God says, “No, no! You don’t have to clean up your act. Just bring it all to me. Bring me all your problems. I have all the answers. Come as you are.”

The Bible says, “He will send down help from heaven to save me because of his love” (Psalm 57:3 TLB). That’s what Jesus did with his life, death, and resurrection. He sent himself from heaven to save us because of his love.

If you don’t act on this news, then the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are wasted for you personally. They make no difference in your life when to comes to your salvation. They’re like a gift that you see but refuse to open.

The Bible promises, “You will be saved, if you honestly say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others” (Romans 10:9-10 CEV).

God is not asking you to make a promise you cannot keep. God is asking you to believe a promise that only he can keep.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”  Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)

The most important word to remember for your spiritual journey may be a surprising one: “no.”

Your faith journey is a long one. Too many people start off strong but putter out before the end. God wants you to go the distance.

Your spiritual life is like a marathon—and you can’t run a marathon with a barbell in your hands. In fact, people often quit their faith journey early because everything they’re carrying wears them out.

So, to run your spiritual race well, you need to de-clutter.

Consider these images:

In the middle of the ocean, a cruise liner can get pretty fast. But if you add a hundred lifeboats to it, it’ll slow down.

Plug a battery into one lightbulb, and it’ll last a long time. Plug it into 15, and it drains quickly. Plug it into 100, and it’ll drain even more quickly.

That’s what happens to you when you try to do too much. You need to learn to say “no” to some things that are good because they keep you from doing your best.

Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down” (NLT).

These weights aren’t bad or sinful. They’re just unnecessary. A weight in your life could be a job, a relationship, or a hobby. It’s something that slows you down from what God wants to do in your life. And it’s not worth it.

Consider what weights are slowing you down—and start stripping them off today!

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”  Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)

Home-field advantage can mean everything in sports. Teams who play at “home” often have a far better record than those on the road. When a team has fans cheering them on, they can often outplay their ability.

The Bible says that you too have an audience cheering you on. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us” (NLT).

Nothing you do is private. You have an audience. Heaven is watching. But that’s not meant to freak you out. It should encourage you—because it means you have a cheering section. The Bible says that everyone in heaven is cheering you on.

You probably realize that God knows everything. The Bible says, “The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth” (2 Chronicles 16:9 KJV). The Lord doesn’t miss a thing. He knows your ups and your downs, every thought you have, every concern, every victory—everything. 

But you’re also surrounded by “a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith.” Moses is watching you. Abraham is watching you. Every believer who has ever lived is in the stands watching you live out your faith.

And they’re cheering you on. When you’re scared, they’re rooting for you to be courageous. When you want to give up, they’re urging you to keep going. When you feel insignificant and forgotten, they’re in your corner.

Everyone at some point feels like no one believes in them, like they can’t seem to get a break or do anything right. When you feel like that, remember you’re never alone. Your heavenly cheering squad believes you can do hard things with God’s help.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.”   Hebrews 11:39-40 (NLT)

It’s not easy to live by faith. We live in a broken world. The weather doesn’t work right. Our bodies don’t work right. Our relationships don’t work right.

As Adam was leaving the Garden of Eden, God told him that life would be hard—and it is. There’s a cosmic battle for your life going on inside of you and outside of you. You battle with your own sinful nature. You also battle against Satan himself, who wants nothing more than to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10 NLT).

And, sometimes, it just gets to you. You want to give up.

But in Hebrews 11, God urges you to hang on in faith because he hasn’t forgotten you, and he will fulfill his promises to you. He promises to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). He promises to take away your tears (Revelation 7:17). And he gives you many other promises throughout his Word.

Hebrews 11 mentions a long list of biblical heroes who demonstrated faith in God’s promises: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Rahab, Gideon, Samson, and others. Though they endured difficulties, they kept going in their spiritual journeys.

Hebrews 11:39-40 says, “All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us” (NLT).

When you feel like giving up, do more than just hang on. Believe and trust in God’s faithfulness to keep his promises. And remember that God isn’t limited by your time on Earth to fulfill his promises. He has all of eternity to keep his Word.

Let those promises give you hope for all that God is doing in you and for you—even when it’s tough.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others . . . Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer.”  2 Corinthians 1:4, 6 (NLT)

Your pain often reveals God’s purpose for you. God never wastes a hurt!

If you’ve gone through a hurt, God wants you to help other people going through that same hurt. He can use the problems in your life to give you a ministry to others. In fact, the very thing that you’re most ashamed of or that you resent the most could become your greatest ministry.

Who can better help somebody going through a bankruptcy than somebody who went through a bankruptcy? Who can better help somebody struggling with an addiction than somebody who’s struggled with an addiction? Who can better help somebody who’s lost a child than somebody who lost a child?

The very thing you hate the most in your life is what God wants to use for good in your life and in the lives of other people.

The Bible says, “[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others . . . Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer” (2 Corinthians 1:4, 6 NLT).

This is called redemptive suffering—when God eventually uses the pain you’ve gone through for the benefit of others.

This is what Jesus did. When Jesus died on the cross, he didn’t deserve to die. He went through that pain for your benefit so that you could be saved and go to heaven.

The problems, pain, and suffering in your life have many causes.

Sometimes you bring them on yourself through poor decisions. For example, you presume on the future by buying things you can’t afford; then you go deeply in debt and eventually lose your house. In that situation, you can’t say, “God, why did you let me lose my house?” You can’t blame God for your bad choices.

But in some of your problems, you’re innocent. You’ve been hurt by the pain, stupidity, and sins of other people.

But no matter the source of your pain, God can redeem it. He can bring you through a time of suffering and let you help other people on the other side.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“The Lord’s kindness never fails! If he had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed. The Lord can always be trusted to show mercy each morning. Deep in my heart I say, ‘The Lord is all I need; I can depend on him!’”  Lamentations 3:22-24 (CEV)

Emotional exhaustion isn’t new. It’s also not something foreign to the Bible. Just read the book of Lamentations.

When Jeremiah wrote the book, Jerusalem had been captured. The Israelites were in exile. Everything Jeremiah held sacred had been destroyed.

He was emotionally exhausted, and for an entire book of the Bible, Jeremiah releases his frustrations and expresses his emotions to God.

In the midst of these complaints, he refocuses on God. He writes, “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this” (Lamentations 3:21 NLT).

What brought Jeremiah hope during this very difficult time? He answers immediately:

“The Lord’s kindness never fails! If he had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed. The Lord can always be trusted to show mercy each morning. Deep in my heart I say, ‘The Lord is all I need; I can depend on him!’” (Lamentations 3:22-24 CEV).

Jeremiah refocuses on five truths about God that help to refuel him in the midst of his exhaustion. He remembers:

God’s Steadfast love

God’s Unfailing mercy

God’s Great faithfulness

God is Always kind

God is my Real hope

When life overwhelms you, don’t focus on your problems. Don’t give in to despair. Instead, focus your attention on God himself.

Many people reach for chocolate or other sweet treats when they’re emotionally exhausted. But those can’t truly comfort you.

But notice the acronym above: SUGAR. It will help you remember the truth about God, even when you’re exhausted. It’s the only kind of SUGAR that will actually refuel you. It won’t give you a sugar high, make you gain weight, or make you more depressed.

Build your life around those character traits of God, and you’ll be ready for whatever setback comes your way.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

FROM HOW GOD TURNS SETBACKS INTO COMEBACKS

“He makes me lie down in green pastures.”  Psalm 23:2 (NIV)

What should you do when you’re emotionally exhausted?

When the Prophet Elijah faced emotional exhaustion, God led him to do three things that helped him recover—and they’re things that can help you recover, too, when you’re at the end of your rope.

1. Rest your body. In the world’s most famous psalm, the Bible says of God, “He makes me lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:2 NIV). Sometimes God has to make you lie down because you’re unwilling to do it on your own. You can’t be spiritually and emotionally strong while you’re physically depleted.

That’s what happened to Elijah. God did not scold Elijah. God didn’t say, “Come on, man. You’re just having a pity party.” He simply let Elijah sleep. The Bible says about Elijah: “Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep” (1 Kings 19:5 NIV).

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do when you’re emotionally exhausted is to take a nap.

2. Release your frustrations. Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. In 1 Kings 19:10, Elijah says this to God: “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too” (NIV).

Elijah didn’t hold anything back. He didn’t filter his feelings. Instead, he told God his frustrations.

Here’s the point you can’t miss about this verse: God isn’t shocked when you complain to him; he’ll listen to you until you run out of words. Let them all out. God can handle anything you throw at him.

3. Remember and refocus on God. When you’re emotionally exhausted and approaching burnout, you need to remember what God says and who he is. When you do that, you shift your eyes away from your problem and toward Jesus. You get a fresh awareness of God’s power, God’s presence, and God’s personality. You need to see God far more than you need to see your problems.

 If you read 1 Kings 19:11-13, you’ll see how God demonstrated his power firsthand to Elijah. The Lord showed him who was in control. When you’re struggling through burnout, it’s often because you’re trying to play God and control everything. When you refocus on God, you realize he is in control—and you stop trying to exert your own control.

If you’re feeling burned out and emotionally exhausted, God hasn’t forgotten you. Just like God did with Elijah, God stands ready and willing to help you.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

FROM HOW GOD TURNS SETBACKS INTO COMEBACKS

“Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.”  Joshua 21:45 (NLT)

When we experience a setback, we tend to focus on things that can easily fall apart. We look at our bank accounts. We keep our eyes on the people around us. We put our attention on what we can hold on to.

But God says that when everything in life is falling apart, we need to remember that his promises can be trusted.

The Bible tells us, “Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true” (Joshua 21:45 NLT).

When you can’t count on anything else, you can count on the promises of God.

That’s what Paul told his shipmates when they were being battered by a storm in Acts 27. They gave up hope and thought all was lost. But God had told Paul that they all would be safe. Paul trusted God and told the others: “So take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me” (Acts 27:25 CSB).

Paul didn’t place his faith in the ship or the captain. Paul trusted God.

That boat wasn’t going to last forever. Paul understood that. But he knew the promises of God would last.

Are you trying to put your trust in a puny lifeboat?

Maybe your lifeboat is your sparkling personality. You’re sure that you can get through anything because your charm or persuasiveness will shine through.

Maybe it’s your looks. They’ve always been the key to your success. You figure you can lean on your apparance when troubles hit.

Maybe it’s your money. You plan to buy yourself out of whatever problem you face.

But all of those puny lifeboats will someday perish. The only safe place to be in the middle of a storm is directly in the center of God’s will.

Just ask Paul.

Acts 27 ends with an incredible comeback: “Everyone escaped safely to shore” (Acts 27:44 NLT).

God’s promises came true for Paul and his shipmates—everyone was safe. God’s promises will come true for you too.

When you lean on God’s promises during a storm, you can trust that every single one of them will come true. And you won’t be the only one who is helped.

God just might save your whole ship.