Why You Need a Church Family - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - September 12, 2016
Why You Need a Church Family
By Rick Warren
“[Christ’s] love has the first and last word in everything we do. Our firm decision is to work from this focused center” (2 Corinthians 5:14 MSG).
You cannot fulfill the five purposes (worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism) on your own. Life is not a solo act. You were created for community. The only way you can fulfill God’s five purposes in your life is with people in your life who are giving you spiritual input. You need a church family!
Why? Because the church helps you center your life around God.
God didn’t put you on Earth to live a self-centered life. His purpose for you is to build your life with him at the core. You were planned for God’s pleasure. He made you to love you, and he wants you to love him back. God says, “I want to be the hub of your heart. I want to be the focus of your attention. I want to be the center of your life. I want to be the axis of your existence.”
The Bible says, “[Christ’s] love has the first and last word in everything we do. Our firm decision is to work from this focused center” (2 Corinthians 5:14 MSG).
How can you tell when Christ is at the center of your life? You stop worrying. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” There’s a word for this: worship. Whenever you focus your life on God, that’s called worship. And worship is the antidote for worry. If you want to worry less, worship more.
When are we supposed to worship? The Bible says, “You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week is holy because it belongs to me. No matter where you live, you must rest on the Sabbath and come together for worship” (Leviticus 23:3a CEV).God says once a week I want you to come together to re-focus, re-calibrate, and re-center your life on me.
Where are you supposed to do it? Acts 2:46 tells us that “they worshipped together regularly at the Temple” (TLB).
Can you see that God meant for you to be a part of a church family? When you are, it helps you focus and center your life around God so that you can fulfill his purpose for you.
Playtoday’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
Talk It Over
- Worship is the antidote for worry. If you want to worry less, worship more. This week, when you start to worry, worship and praise God instead.
- How do you think your life would change if Christ were truly at the center?
- What can a church family do to help you re-focus your life on God?
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Daily Inspiration for The Purpose Driven Life - Gift Edition
Would you like to help your friends and family live the Purpose Driven Life? One of the best ways to stay focused on God’s plan is to stay in God’s Word, and Pastor Rick Warren has an effective resource that will enable YOU to quickly find Bible verses that are indispensible for living a life of purpose.
We call this resource Daily Inspiration for The Purpose Driven Life. In it, Pastor Rick has taken all the key verses that explain how God created each of us for five purposes and put them into an easy-to-use reference tool that will help anyone study and memorize God’s Word.
When you give a gift to support Daily Hope this month we’ll send you a copy of this beautiful book… and if you choose to make your donation a monthly donation, we’ll send you a special signed copy of Daily Inspiration for The Purpose Driven Life to thank you for joining our Partner in Hope team by giving a scheduled gift each month to support Daily Hope.
Thanks for supporting Daily Hope. Your generosity helps us to teach others about God’s plan for their lives — and, thanks to you, we’re taking that message all across the world.
This devotional © 2016 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can also listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
