Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life: Section 5

Seeing Life from
God’s View
Section 5
(Page 41-46)

Sunday 15 August 2010

Life is...a metaphor

The way you see your life shapes
your life.

That image is your life’s metaphor. It’s
the view of life that you hold, consciously
or unconsciously, in your mind. It’s your
description of how life works and what
you expect from it.


To fulﬁll the purposes God made you for,
you will have to challenge conventional
wisdom and replace it with the biblical
metaphors of life.


The Bible says,
“Do not conform yourselves to the
standards of this world, but let God
transform you inwardly by a
complete change of your mind.
Then you will be able to know the
will of God.”
Rom. 12:2 (TEV)


The Bible offers three
metaphors that teach us God’s
view of life:


1. Life on earth is a test

Throughout the Bible God
continually tests people’s
character, faith, obedience, love,
integrity, and loyalty.
Words like trials, temptations,
reﬁning, and testing occur more
than 200 times in the Bible.


Character is both developed and
revealed by tests, and all of life is a
test.
We will be tested by major
changes, delayed promises,
impossible problems, unanswered
prayers, undeserved criticism, and
even senseless tragedies...and more


Character
Questions


Do you keep your word?
Can people trust you?
Do you ﬁnish something you promise
to ﬁnish and do you do it on time?
If you are told some gossip, what do
you do with it?
Matt 12:36


Have you ever found it difﬁcult under
the leadership of another person?

Do you willingly submit to authority?
If not, why not?

Eph 5:18-21


The things that captivate our hearts
will dominate our thoughts, and our
thoughts will dominate our lives.

What is your heart captivated by?

Matt 6:21


Are there any people you have not
forgiven or you feel you cannot
forgive? Why?

Matt 6:14-15


Do you ﬁnd it easy to admit that you
are wrong? (What does this reveal
about yourself?)

Matthew 5:21-26


How do you react when confronted
with an ungodly situations or
something that appeals to the lust of
the ﬂesh, the lust of the eyes or the
pride of life?

2 Timothy 2:22


Twelve Reasons Why
Problems are
Positive Things


-- They expose the depths of our
maturity in God. They show us where
we are at with God and where we need
to improve.

-- They show us the true values of life.
When persecution and difﬁculty comes,
it is not long before we know what is
really important and what is not.


-- They create self-awareness (i.e.
show us who we really are) and
highlight our character strengths and
weaknesses (like metal testing).

-- They develop spiritual
perseverance. If we want to overcome
or solve a problem, we have to press on
and not give up. Too many Christians
give up before they overcome.


-- They build our sensitivity to and
empathy with other people and their
needs, because we learn by experience
what it is like to be in their shoes.

-- They reﬁne and polish our gifts and
capabilities. The pressure of problems
knocks off our rough edges and drives out
the rubbish within our lives, when we
handle problems in God's way and in God's
power.


-- They develop our conﬁdence in God
rather than ourselves. We learn to
trust God who always proves faithful.

-- They enlarge our capacity in God
and enable our faith in Him to grow,
because they stretch us and create the
need for us and our faith to grow.


-- They test our securities. They teach
us that we need to rely on God and that
we can depend on Him (and often on
not much else!), who is the only
unshakeable, permanently stable
entity.

-- They stimulate us and prevent
complacency. Problems are like a red-
hot poker behind us.


-- They enable creativity and help us
to think and develop new ideas. They
often force us to challenge `the way we
have always done it' syndrome and to
come up with new and more effective
ways of doing things.

-- They develop wisdom, because we
learn what God would do in our
situation, if we wait on Him, rather
than immediately reacting to our


Bible Words for Problems
To understand what the Bible says about
problems is not a simple matter. Instead of
using the word `problem', the Bible uses
words like `temptations, trials,
tribulations, hardships, and sufferings'.
These words can be deﬁned in the
following way:


-- Temptations: this is mainly
translated from the Greek word
`peirasmos' in both the AV and NIV,
and may be deﬁned as either `trials
or proofs with a beneﬁcial purpose'
or conversely `trials designed to lead
to wrong doing'.


-- Trials: this is translated from a
variety of Greek words in the AV and
NIV, and may be defined as `testings
or the putting to proof the quality of
things'; à burning, a refining or a
trial by fire'; or `being tried by
suffering or temptation'. These
mainly test our endurance and
patience.


-- Tribulations: this is translated
from the Greek word `thlipsis' in the
AV and can be deﬁned as `great
oppression, pressure, afﬂictions, or
miseries'.


-- Hardships: this is mainly
translated from the Greek word
`kakopatheo' in the NIV, and may be
deﬁned as `suffering evil, hardness,
afﬂiction, or trouble'. These tend to
be more severe sufferings or
privations.


-- Suffering: this is again translated
from a variety of Greek words in
both the AV and NIV, and may be
deﬁned as `undergoing, experiencing
or being subject to pain, loss, grief,
defeat, damage, or punishment'. It
can also mean `to permit to do, put
up with, endure, or tolerate'.


Back to PDL...


A very important test is how you
act when you can’t feel God’s
presence in your life. When you
understand that life is a test, you
realize that nothing is insigniﬁcant
in your life.


Remember, the Bible says,
“God keeps His promise, and He
will not allow you to be tested
beyond your power to remain ﬁrm;
at the time you are put to the test,
He will give you the strength to
endure it, and so provide you with
a way out.”
1Cor. 10:13 (TEV)


Every time you pass a test, God notices
and makes plans to reward you in
eternity.
“Blessed are those who endure
when they are tested. When they
pass the test, they will receive the
crown of life that God has promised
to those who love Him.”
James. 1:12 (GWT)


2. Life on earth is a trust
We are stewards of whatever God gives
us. We need to recognize God is the owner
of everything and everyone on earth:
Time, energy, opportunities, intelligence,
relationships, resources etc.
Everything we enjoy is to be treated as a
trust that God has placed in our hands - a
loan God has given to us.
Just as God made Adam and Eve stewards
so he makes us


“ The world and all that is in it belong to
the Lord; the earth and all who live in it.”
Ps. 24:1 (TEV)


“What do you have that God hasn’t
given you? And if all you have is
from God why boast as though you
have accomplished something on
your own.”
1 Cor. 4:7b (NLT)


“Those who are trusted with
something valuable must show
they are worthy of that trust.”
1Cor. 4:2(NCV)

At the end of your life on earth you will be
evaluated and rewarded according to how
well you handled what God entrusted to
you.


“Well done, good and faithful
servant! You have been faithful
with a few things; I will put you in
charge of many things. Come and
share your Master’s happiness.”
Matt. 25:21(NIV)


In that verse God promises three rewards
1) Afﬁrmation from God
2) A promotion from God
3) a celebration with God!
Does this not speak volumes about the
fact that everything we do on earth has
tremendous implications?!!!!!


Point to Ponder:
Life is a test and a trust.


Verse to remember:
Luke 16:10


Question to Consider:
What has happened to me recently
that I now realize was a test from
God?
What are the greatest matters God
has entrusted to me?


Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life: Section 5

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Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life: Section 5