Rick Warren - What to Remember When Things Don't Go Your Way — Part Three

Was there ever a time in your life where you felt like you were the

wrong person for the job. You just did not feel qualified, you didn't

have experience or the right skill set. Well, I bet you're shaking your

head yes now, because we all have. This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope,

the audio broadcast ministry of Pastor Rick Warren. Well. Today, Rick's

going to bring this series the Manifestation of Your Life Mission, to a powerful

close. During the past few days, Rick has been showing us that no

matter how big the thing is that God is calling us to do, we

don't have to run away from it. In fact, we can embrace every

change and overcome every challenge that life brings, all while discovering God's plan and

purpose for our lives. And now let's join Rick with the final part of

a message called what to remember when things don't go your way. God has

arranged everything from a great wind to a little worm. Now, I want

you to get this in your life. In your life, sometimes God arranges

something really big to swallow you up, like that big fish. He arranges

a big circumstances to swallow you up, and you're head in the wrong direction.

And when it spits you out you're headed in the right direction. At

other times, God arranges something brand new that comes up suddenly in your life,

like that plant that sprung up suddenly and provided shade and comfort when he

was discomforted. And sometimes God provides something new in your life to give you

comfort even when you're not where you ought to be. But God's given you

comfort even in that situation. And then sometimes God arranges something small to eat

away at what's been given you comfort because he doesn't want you to stay there.

He wants to move you. He wants to get you going. He

doesn't want you sitting on the hill under the shade plant for the rest of

your life. So he arranges something a little small, like a worm,

to eat away at your comfortable and all of a sudden, it's not comfortable

anymore, and you're back under the hot sun. In all of those situations,

big, little, small, whatever, God is doing it in every

situation. In every case, God's motive is love. He's doing it because

he loves you, not because he hates you, not to punish you.

He's doing it because he loves you. God is a god of wisdom.

God is a god of grace and He's a god of love, and you

may not see the beginning to the end, but he's doing it. Whether

it's the big or the little, or the new in your life, He's

doing it because he loves you, and he knows what will make you happy

more than you do. You know. The word great is a very prominent

word in this book of Jonah. I haven't called attention to it so far,

but as we're ending this series, I want you to look up here

on the screen. How many times the word great shows up in the story

of Jonah. It says that chapter one, God arranged a great wind,

and then it says that the wind created a great storm, and then it

says that the sailors felt great fear because the boat was breaking up. Then

God arranged a great fish, and then it says Jonah got a great second

chance. And then none of us showed great repentance that city, and as

a result, the city had a great revival. A lot of great things

happen, but also a lot of small things. I want you to write

this down. Write this down somewhere on your outline. God uses both great

and small things to direct me. God uses both great and small things to

direct me great circumstances. Big circumstances have swallow me up. Little circumstances like

a worm that eat away at my discomfort and my comfort. God uses both

great and small things to direct me. But God is a god of details,

and He's in control of every detail of your life. So when things

don't go the way I want them to go, I remember God can see

what I can't see. I remember that God is good to me, even

when I'm a jerk, when I'm cranky, when I'm totally ignoring him,

God's still good to me. And I remember that God is in control of

every detail, the big and the little. He is arranging. It's all

arranged. Disappointments are his appointments. You know, there's a song we sing

called Waymaker, and I like that song because there's a line in there says,

even when I can't see it, you're working. Even when I can't

feel it, you're working. That's that's an affirmation of faith. So God

creates this short lived plant to provide shade for Jonah, and then he allows

it to die the next morning as an object lesson for Jonah. Verse nine.

Then God asked Jonah again, what right do you have to be angry

that the shade plant withered and died. Jonah said, I have every right

to be angry, and I'm angry enough to die. This guy just doesn't

get it. Okay, he just doesn't learn. This is what we're learning

not to do. Okay, Jonah totally misses the point. What's the point?

Write this down? When things don't go my way? The fourth thing

to remember is remembered to focus on what will last when things don't go my

way. I need to remember to focus on that which will last. I

remember that God can see what I can't see. I remember that God is

good even when I'm a jerk. I remember that God is in control of

every detail. And I remember to focus on what will last. You see,

you, guys, We fret and we worry, and we stew and

we spew, and we get upset over the passing of circumstances that aren't going

to last this week, much less next month, next year, ten years,

or for eternity. We spend most of our worries on stuff that is

so short term, like a plant that grows up and dies the next day.

And he goes, why are you worrying about this? He said,

if you're going to get distressed in life, at least get distressed about something

that really matters. Plants don't last, they're short lived. Some of you

you kill them really quickly at your house. You're really good at killing plants.

Okay, you don't have a green thumb. You got I don't know,

some other kind of thumb. But the bottom line is he's saying,

if you're gonna get distressed about something in life, well at least get distressed

about something that matters that's gonna last. You're all worried about a plant that

grew up one day and then I let it die the next to teach you

the brevity of life, to teach you how most of the stuff you're worried

about isn't even gonna matter a year from today. It's just temporary. In

verse ten and eleven, it says, then the Lord said, Jonah,

you're more concerned about a plant that died, even though you didn't plant it,

you didn't water it, you didn't make it grow. In other words,

I did that. And plants are short lived. They spree up quickly

and they die. But Ninevah, that city over there, the one that

you wanted destroyed has more than one hundred and twenty thousand people who don't know

their right hand from their left. I'll explain that in a minute, not

to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I be concerned about that great city now?

Now, Bible scholars debate what is meant by one hundred and twenty thousand

people that know their left hand from their right hand. Some scholars think it

means children, one hundred and twenty thousand kids. They don't know the right

hand from their left hand, so there'd be one hundred and twenty thousand kids

in that city. Others think it means the people there weren't morally astute,

They were morally ignorant. They didn't know right from wrong, and as a

result, they were living in a wrong way. Either way, God is

saying, Jonah, you care more about your own comfort this shade thing plant

that died, and you got ticked that it died, And to day you

care more about your own comfort than the salvation of a city full of people

who are spiritually dying. Why don't you get concerned about stuff that really matters

rather than simply your own personal comfort. Now, I'm not gonna make a

big point here. But God wants us to care about cities. He says,

should I not care about that great city? If God cares about cities,

we should too. What cities should you care about? Well, obviously

the one you live in. But God says you should care about all cities.

Why because they're filled with people that God created and made and loved.

The future of the world is urbanization. The future of the world is cities.

By the end of this century, the vast majority of people in the

world will live in major cities. That's the migration. The future of this

world is young, urban and south of the equator. That's the future.

Study any demographics, I'll tell you that that's the future. There will be

cities of eighty five million, like Conshasa and Nairobi and others, giant,

giant cities. He's just saying we need to care about cities. Why because

people are there. Let me just phrase it another way. What do you

care about most? The plant that's given you comfort or the salvation of people

that God created and loves and wants them to know him. I mean,

what if this Christmas you cared more about the salvation of the people around you

than you did cared about what you're going to buy them as a gift.

You're going to spend an awful lot of time thinking about what am I going

to buy them for a gift this Christmas. That's temporary. Most of those

Christmas gifts aren't even going to be around next Christmas. It's it's the it's

the plant that's gonna die. What if you spent as much time praying for

that person and their salvation and inviting them to a service as you did spending

time on what to buy them as a gift, you got your priorities in

the wrong. Well, he says, if you're going to get distressed,

get distressed over something matters. People need the Lord. They need the Lord

a whole lot more than they need a Christmas gift. And yet why are

we more worried about the temporary? The greatest this this whole series has been

on your life mission. The greatest use of your life is to invest it

in something that outlasts it. You see, you can waste your life.

There are lots of ways to waste it. You can spend your life.

There's lots of ways to spend it. Or you can invest your life and

the greatest use of your life is to invent it in something that will outlast

it. Focus on what's going to last, what's going to last. There

are only two things on this planet that are going to last forever. This

building isn't going to last. The United States of America isn't going to last.

There are only two things are going to last forever, the Word of

God and people. God's truth is eternal. It'll still be true a millionaires

from today. If it's true a million years ago, it'll be true a

million years in the future. God's word is true, So it's going to

last forever. And there's only one other thing that's going to last forever.

Oh yeah, people one of two places, Heaven or hell. And what

we do with our time now may determine their eternal destiny. So if you

want to invest your life in something that's going to last, invest it in

the Word of God and in people. Get this book into your mind,

into your heart, and get people into God's family, and in having people

come up to you thank you. I'm here because of you. I'm eternally

grateful. I'm here because you cared enough. You cared more about my salvation

than my present. This is the message of Jonah, this is your life

mission. Let me just end with a couple verses. Up here on the

screen Matthew six Jesus says this, don't worry. Don't worry about will we

have enough to eat or drink or where Here's only people who don't know God

are always worrying about those kind of things, the temporary things of life.

He goes, your father in Heaven knows what you need. He knows you

need, what needs something to eat, something to drink, something where he

goes your Father and Heaven knows what you need. So instead, focus on

putting God's work first and doing what He made you to do. That's called

your life mission. Focus on putting God's work first and doing what He made

you to do your life mission. And here's the promise. God will make

sure that you have all these other things that you need as well. I'm

gonna take care of your needs. You don't have to worry about that.

If you're gonna worry about some worry about your life mission, worry about putting

God's work, worry about doing what God wants you to do. Last,

first on the screen tewod Corinthians chapter four, We fix our eyes. That

means we focus our attention. We fix our eyes not on what we see,

but on what we cannot see, because what we see will last only

a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever. You can

see this cup, but it's not gonna last forever. It'll eventually deteriorate,

rust it'll fall apart. You can see this table that it will eventually fall

apart. This building will eventually crumble. Everything you see on the earth is

temporary. It's not gonna last. What's gonna last or the souls of pear

people, the word of God, the eternal is invisible. He says,

that's the stuff that matters. Let's bow our heads. Father, you made

each of us for a mission. You didn't put us here to live for

ourselves. We don't want to waste our lives. We want to make our

lives count. Thank you for all these lessons from Jonah on what not to

do. Now you pray in your mind, say something like this to God,

say God, help me to remember that when things don't go my way,

help me to remember that you can see what I can't see. Help

me to trust your wisdom. You know how it's all going to work,

and I don't. I want to trust your wisdom in my life and God,

when things don't go my way, Help me to remember that You're good

to me even when I'm cranky. That there have been many times in my

life that You've taken care of my discomfort and I didn't even realize it.

You were being good to me when I was totally ignoring you. Sorry.

Help me to remember that you are always a good God, and that everything

you do in my life you do out of love. God, Help me

to remember that You're in control of every detail, the big and the small.

Help me to remember that the disappointments are His appointments. Ointments and Lord,

help me not to worry about stuff that's not going to last and that's

going to matter. Help me not to worry get stressed out over temporary stuff,

but help me to focus on what's really going to last, Your word

and your people. Today, I'm committing the rest of my life to discovering

and developing and fulfilling the purpose the mission that you made me for. Jesus

Christ, Come into my life, into every room in my heart. Fill

me with love and confidence. I need your forgiveness. Help me to forgive

those that have hurt me, helped me to be as grace with them as

you are with me. And Lord, today, that person that's hurt me,

I am letting them go. I know I'm going to probably have to

do it over and over and over till it finally feels right, but I'm

letting them go. I'm letting them off the hook because You've let me off

the hook. Thank you for your grace and forgiveness to me. In Jesus

Christ, I want to follow you from here on out. In your name,

I pray Amen. Hi everybody, this is Rick and I hope you

enjoyed today's broadcast. You know, if you just prayed that prayer for the

very first time, or you just recommitted your life to Jesus again today,

would you let me know about it. There's something real about sharing your commitment.

So write me Rick at pastor Rick dot com. Rick, I prayed

that prayer of commitment. I gave my life to Christ and I'll send you

some material that'll help you on your journey with Jesus. And I'll also pray

for you. God bless you. Thank you for listening to Pastor Rick's Daily

Hope you know. I know that you would love to live a life of

significance. But have you ever wondered if you could make a contribution so unique

that no one else in all the world could do what you've accomplished. Well,

you need to stop wondering, because God created you to make a difference

in the world. He created you to fulfill a mission that only you can

accomplish. I know you may be thinking that God couldn't use you like that,

but you know what he can. And not only can he, but

he will. It really doesn't matter what you've done or what you've failed to

do. It doesn't matter how young or how old you are. It is

never too early or too late to start on the mission that God has planned

for you. And that's why I'm so excited to let you know about a

brand new Bible study from Pastor Rick called Rising to God's Call a Journey through

Jonah. In this study, Rick is going to show you how God had

an incredible mission for Jonah and it went well beyond being swallowed by a big

fish. Jonah's story is really about second chances and redemption and the rescue of

an entire nation. And more importantly, it's the story of God, the

one who shows grace to everyone he created. You know, the story of

Jonah is really like a blueprint from God. It shows all of us how

He can use you to do significant things no matter where you are in life

right now. And just like Jonah, you're going to find that pursuing God's

mission for your life is the greatest adventure that you will ever go on.

And we're going to send you Pastor Rick's brand new Bible study Rising to God's

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