I wrote this post several weeks ago, but never actually posted it. The blog has been silent for a while, so I figured I’d go ahead and post it. Watch for a more substantial post in the next few days.
I recently finished reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I had previously read The Purpose driven Church, Warren’s book on church structure and purpose. In The Purpose Driven Life, Warren covers an introduction to why we’re here on earth, and then discusses in greater detail five purposes for our lives:
- “Love God with all your heart”: You were planned for God’s pleasure, so your purpose is to love God through worship.
- “Love your neighbor as yourself”: You were shaped for serving, so your purpose is to show love for others through ministry.
- “Go and make disciples”: You were made for a mission, so your purpose is to share God’s message through evangelism.
- “baptize them into . . .”: You were formed for God’s family, so your purpose is to idenify with his church through fellowship.
- “teach them to do all things . . .”: You were created to become like Christ, so your purpose is to grow to maturity through discipleship.
(Warren 306)
The book is designed to be used as a 40 day personal devotional, with reflection questions and verses to remember at the end of each of the 40 mini chapters. I thought the book was well put together, and despite Warren’s Southern Baptist background, I agreed with nearly everything he had to say, and where I disagreed, it was always something trivial. This book would be an excellent choice for a new believer or someone who is interested in understanding what it really means to be a Christian. I thought it was a good summary of how to live a life that pleases God.