Rick Warren Quotes

Take a human body, a male and a female, it is obvious that certain parts are meant together. There is a purpose and a design for it and there is a result of that.

Christianity is not a religion or a philosophy, but a relationship and a lifestyle. The core of that lifestyle is thinking of others, as Jesus did, instead of ourselves.

What matters in life is not so much what happens to us, but what happens in us

While we wait for God to work for us, God is waiting to work through us.

Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it. I don't know all the keys to success, but one key to failure is to try to please everyone.

Real security can only be found in that which can never be taken from you - your relationship with God.

One of the ways we reflect God's love and bring him glory is to accept each other just as he accepts us. This means we accept others' quirks and look past their faults in order to see a person created in the image of God.

Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution. It is unrealistic to expect everyone to agree about everything. Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem. When we focus on reconciliation, the problem loses significance and often becomes irrelevant.

Every problem is a character-building opportunity, and the more difficult it is, the greater the potential for building spiritual muscle and moral fiber.

Explanations don't comfort. You won't feel better if you know why. It won't hurt any less.

Hiding your hurt only intensifies it. Problems grow in the dark and only become bigger and bigger, but when exposed to the light of truth, they shrink. You are only as sick as your secrets. So take off your mask, stop pretending you're perfect and walk into freedom.

Significance in life doesn’t come from status, because you can always find somebody who’s got more than you. It doesn’t come from sex. It doesn’t come from salary. It comes from serving.

Most people fail to realize that money is both a test and trust from God.

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

The church must always show compassion, always.

Other people are going to find healing in your wounds. Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts.

The actual number of atheists is quite small outside of Europe and Manhattan.

In 30 years of travel and training leaders -164 nations - I've never met anyone who didn't need massive doses of love.

You must match your music to the kind of people God wants your church to reach.... The music you use 'positions' your church in your community. It defines who you are.... It will determine the kind of people you attract, the kind of people you keep, and the kind of people you lose.

Where the grass is greener, the water bill is bigger.

But dogs, which have no ability to sin nor moral conscience, do not have an ability to reject Jesus.

God wants to use you to make a difference in His world. He wants to work through you. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it. Not how long you lived, but how you lived.

This drive to always want more is based on the misconceptions that having more will make me more happy, more important, and more secure, but all three ideas are untrue. Possessions only provide temporary happiness. Because things do not change, we eventually become bored with them and then want newer, bigger, better versions.

The key to friendship with God, he said, is not changing what you do, but changing your attitude toward what you do.

Having authority implies accountability. If you reject the blame for failures under your watch, people reject your leadership.

Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.

You can learn from anyone if you know the right questions.

America was founded by religious people; devout people who came here because they wanted freedom of religion, It's what made America different from every other country.

You can't grow strong without resistance.

Our efforts to help the poor does not mean we're going to eradicate poverty.

The first purpose of your life is to be loved by God! Yes, it is important to serve him, obey, and trust him, but your first purpose is to love him.

Relationships, not achievements or the acquisition of things, are what matters most in life.

I do not believe God is responsible for my sins, some people may. But I believe that my own weaknesses are father-filtered and just as much as God touched Jacob's hip and he walked with a limb the rest of his life, that I have certain emotional weaknesses that are there to keep me dependent on God.

It is very clear that the heavens declare the glory of God. We learn a lot about the glory of God without even Scriptures. We know God is organized. We know God likes variety. We know God is powerful. All these things.

There is a grand designer behind everything. God's plan for your life, all that happens to you, including your mistakes, your sins, and your hurts.

Life is a school and problems are the curriculum.

God is all powerful, He's in control.

We are only fully alive when we're helping others

The death, and the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus happened over three days. Friday was the day of suffering and pain and agony. Saturday was the day of doubt and confusion and misery. But Easter, that Sunday, was the day of hope and joy and victory. You will face these three days over and over and over in your lifetime. And when you do, you’ll find yourself asking, as I did, three fundamental questions: Number one, what do I do in my days of pain? Two, how do I get through my days of doubt and confusion? Three, how do I get to the days of joy and victory? The answer is Easter.

You may be Catholic or Protestant or Buddhist or Baptist or Muslim or Mormon or Jewish or Jain, or you have no religion at all. I'm not interested in your religious background. Because God did not create the universe for us to have religion. He came for us to have a relationship with him.

When the Christian praises and gives thanks to God, this not only pleases God, but it enriches the Christian's life with joy. It is a reciprocating transaction between God and man.

Get honest with God, and your focus will shift from just seeing your problems - no matter how overwhelming they seem - to the grace of God.

Blessed are the uncool; for they shall be happy without needing the approval of others.

One day it's all going to be clear. It's all going to make sense. You're going to be able to say, "So that's why God allowed that in my life!" Until then, God wants you to trust him.

Not everything in this life has a happy ending, but this life is not the end of the story.

If you always feel comfortable reading God's Word, you're either not reading ALL of it, or you aren't letting it sink in.

HALF of America pays NO taxes. Zero. So they're happy for tax rates to be raised on the other half that DOES pay any taxes.

The greatest gift you can give someone is your time.