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The Purpose Driven Life
by

Rick Warren

Summary and Review:

Title of book was very attractive to me. As I constantly reflect on my  purpose in life, I had a feeling that this book will help me in review of my attitude to life. Every time I saw the book on the shelf in stores, I was tempted to buy it, but resisted the temptation. Quickly browsed through the book. The book was mainly about God and it was written with lot of references to Jesus and Bible. Being a Hindu, I was tempted to ignore this book, but reasoning that I should not have such bias and should be open to God's word from any religion, I decided to buy and read the book. I am glad that I did. The book is written in short 40 chapters and comes with a recommendation to read one chapter day and reflect upon the questions posted end of chapter each day. There are various ideas that appealed to me.

A few passages from the book that made a good impression on me:

Chapter 25: Transformed by Trouble

God has a purpose behind every problem.

He uses circumstances to develop our character. In fact, he depends more on circumstances to make us like Jesus than he depends on our reading the Bible. The reason is obvious: you face circumstances twenty-four hours a day.

Jesus warned us that we would have problems in the world. No one is immune to pain or insulated from suffering, and no one gets to skate through life problem-free. Life is a series of problems. Every time you solve one, another is waiting to take its place. Not all of them are big, but all are significant in God's growth process for you.

We are like jewels, shaped with the hammer and chisel of adversity. If a jeweler's hammer isn't strong enough to chip off our rough edges, god will use a sledgehammer. If we're really stubborn, he uses a jackhammer. He will use whatever it takes.

Every problem is a character building opportunity, and the more difficult it is, the greater the potential for building spiritual muscle and moral fiber. Paul said, "We know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character." What happens outwardly in your life is not as important as what happens inside you. Your circumstances are temporary, but character will last forever.

Refuse to give up: Be patient and persistent. The Bible says, "Let the process go on until your endurance is fully developed, and you will find that you have become men of mature character ... with no weak spots."

Character building is a slow process. Whenever we try to avoid or escape the difficulties in life, we short-circuit the process, delay our growth, and actually end up with a worse kind of pain - the worthless type that accompanies denial and avoidance. When you grasp the eternal consequences of your character development, you'll pray fewer "comfort me" prayers ("Help me feel good") and more "Conform me" prayers ("Use this to make me more lie you").

You know you are maturing when you begin to see the hand of God in the random, baffling and seemingly pointless circumstances in life.

If you are facing trouble right now, don't ask, "Why me?" Instead ask, "What do you want me to learn?" Then trust God and keep on doing what's right. "You need to stick it out, staying with God's plan so you'll be there for the promised completion." Don't give you - grow up.

Chapter 39: Balance your life

If you want to keep growing, the best way to learn more is to pass on what you have already learned. Proverbs tell us, "The one who bless others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped." Those who pass along insights get more from God.

The more you know, the more God expects you to use that knowledge to help others. James said, "Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, is sinning." Knowledge increases responsibility. But passing along the purpose of life is more than an obligation; it's one of life's greatest privileges. Imagine how different the world would be if everyone know their purpose.

This is what purpose-driven living is all about. Regardless of your age, the rest of your life can be the best of your life, and you can start living on purpose today.

Related links:

Purpose Driven Life website

Table of contents and sample chapters