How Could God Forget You?

How Could God Forget You? by Rick Warren

“[Jesus] looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name! ‘Zacchaeus!’ he said.” (Luke 19:5a LB) All of Zacchaeus’ life he’d been ridiculed and rejected, first for his appearance and then for his sinful life. But Jesus not only looked at him; Jesus also showed that he knew him by calling Zacchaeus by name. Imagine the shock Zacchaeus must have felt! How did Jesus know his name? God not only knows where you are; he knows who you are. He knows what you’re going through, why you’re going through it, and how you feel about it. He knows you better than you know yourself. He cares about you personally. The name Zacchaeus means “pure one.” That’s the last thing you would think of when you think of a corrupt government official. He was anything but pure. And yet Jesus, by calling Zacchaeus by name, was saying, “Hey, pure one, I’m coming to your house today.” Jesus was affirming what he saw in Zacchaeus, not what he was. You may be afraid to get close to Jesus because you think he’s going to scold you for all the things you’ve done wrong. But Jesus wants to affirm you. He wants to let you know how much he loves you. “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:15-16a NLT). When Jesus died on the cross, stretched out his arms, and the soldiers put nails through his hands, your name was engraved there. When you get to Heaven, there will be no scars on anyone except Jesus. He’s going to have those scars for eternity to remind us how much he loves us, to say, “Do you think I could forget you? Not a chance! This is how much you matter to me.” Talk It Over Does the idea that God knows you better than you know yourself give you comfort or make you uncomfortable? Why? What are some traits or gifts that others see in you that you don’t notice about yourself? What about your past or present struggles makes you question God’s love and acceptance of you? *** *** ***

Where Can You Find True Freedom?

Where Can You Find True Freedom? by Rick Warren

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36 NIV) The world defines freedom as a life without any restraint: "I can do anything I want to do and say anything I want to say without anybody telling me what to do." Everybody else may get burned by you, but you get to do it your own way. The world says you can have your freedom, but only by being totally selfish. Yet, the Bible says the only way to true freedom is through Jesus: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 NIV). Real freedom is freedom from fear, where you’re truly free from guilt, worry, bitterness, and death. You’re free to quit pretending because you’re free to be yourself. How do you get rid of those kinds of fears? By letting God love you! The apostle John teaches that, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18a). When you realize how much God loves you, you’ll begin to live in true freedom. In fact, you worship God when you recognize that “God is love.” It is an act of worship to agree that he is a loving, caring, generous God and that we can “rely on the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16a).  Talk It Over If you struggle to believe God loves you, why do you think you have unbelief in this area of faith? How has God shown his love to you? How can you express your freedom in Christ? *** *** ***

God Says You're Worth Being Found

God Says You're Worth Being Found by Rick Warren

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NLT) Some people believe calling someone spiritually lost is a put-down. But it’s not. It’s actually a great compliment to be called spiritually lost. There’s a difference between losing something and misplacing something. If I misplace something, it means it wasn’t important to me. But if I lose it, it’s valuable enough for me to try to find it. You misplace a bobby pin; you lose your glasses. People are only lost if they’re worth finding. Think of it this way: The value of a masterpiece doesn’t go down when it’s lost; it goes up. Human beings lose a lot when they aren’t connected to God. We lose our direction, God’s protection, our potential, our happiness, and our future home in Heaven — just to name a few. But there’s one thing we don’t lose: our value. God loved you enough to send his very best — Jesus. The most famous verse in the Bible says, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT). You matter so much to God that he underwent a rescue mission to come get you. He came to Earth as a little baby so that one day he could die on a wooden cross for your sin. Talk It Over For more on God’s love for you and to find out how you can have a relationship with God, watch the video “What Does It Mean to Follow Christ?” at rickwarren.org/know-god. How does the way you look at the spiritually lost compare to the way God sees them? What difference does John 3:16 make in your life? Who in your life is spiritually lost and needs to understand his or her value to God? How will you reach out to that person this week? *** *** ***

Why Did God Make You Unique?

Why Did God Make You Unique? by Rick Warren

“Bring to me all the people who are mine, whom I made for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (Isaiah 43:7 NCV) About 20 years ago I came up with a little acrostic called SHAPE to talk about the five things that make you, you. SHAPE is the way God wired you for your life. Every area of your life is influenced by the way you’re shaped. Spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, experiences — these are the five things that make you, you. In that combination of spiritual gifts, you have heart, passion, and interests. Why do you think you have those interests? Because God gave them to you. If you’re interested in golf or hunting or sewing or art or music, where do you think you got that interest? You got it from God. He wired it into your system. If we all liked to do the same things, there would be a lot less accomplished in the world. So God made you unique, and there’s nobody else like you. Why should you even care? 1. Because your SHAPE reveals God’s purpose for you. The way you find out what God wants you to do with your life is to discover how he shaped you. But here’s the thing: God won’t force you to do his plan. You can waste your life. You can use it on all kinds of personal, self-centered things and totally miss God’s plan and purpose for your life. In fact, most people do. That’s the tragedy. And that’s why they’re so frustrated! They’re trying to be something somebody else wants them to be rather than what God wants them to be. 2. Because your SHAPE equips you to serve God. There is a life mission that God has for you that nobody else on this planet can do. Maybe you’ve missed that mission. Maybe you’ve missed serving God. I’m saying, “Let’s start today. Let’s make the rest of your life the best of your life.” God will never ask you to do anything in life that he hasn’t already given you the ability to do. So you look at your abilities and realize, “I’m good at that. That’s what God wants me to do.” 3. Because life is a test. This life is preparation for the next life in Heaven. God says, “This is a test. I’m testing you to see what you will do with what you’ve been given on Earth. Based on that, I will determine what I give you to do in Heaven for eternity.” 4. Because it shows God’s glory. When you use your SHAPE and you do what God made you to do, it not only feels good to you, but it also makes God smile. Iranaeus was a great Christian leader in the first century who said, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.” You know what makes God smile? When he looks down and sees someone using the talents that God gave him for God’s glory. Isaiah 43:7 says, “Bring to me all the people who are mine, whom I made for my glory, whom I formed and made” (NCV). If you didn’t bring glory to God, you wouldn’t be alive. God made you to enjoy you! Talk It Over What are your spiritual gifts? How are you using them to serve others? What are the unique personality traits and abilities with which God has equipped you to serve? Is there something God is asking you to do that you didn’t think you were capable of doing? How do you think God equipped you to do that very thing? *** *** ***