88 Quotes & Sayings By Rick Warren

Rick Warren is a prolific author and founder of Saddleback Church, which has more than 25,000 members in Orange County, California. He was the founding pastor of Oak Hills Church in Orange County, where he led the congregation to a membership of over 10,000. In 1992, he founded Saddleback Church, which now has over 35,000 members in 30 countries. Rick is the author of several best-selling books including The Purpose Driven Life and The New Rules for Marriage Read more

In 2006, Newsweek magazine named him one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

The best use of life is love. The best expression...
1
The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now. Rick Warren
You were made by God and for God and until...
2
You were made by God and for God and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Rick Warren
We are products of our past, but we don't have...
3
We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it. Rick Warren
Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life...
4
Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope. Rick Warren
As long as you do things for God, you are...
5
As long as you do things for God, you are a Hall of Famer in heaven's list. Rick Warren
In all my travels, I've never seen a country's population...
6
In all my travels, I've never seen a country's population more determined to forgive, and to build and succeed than in Rwanda. Rick Warren
You cannot exalt God and yourself at the same time.
7
You cannot exalt God and yourself at the same time. Rick Warren
Knowledge increases responsibility.
8
Knowledge increases responsibility. Rick Warren
The purpose of influence is to
9
The purpose of influence is to "speak up for those who have no influence." (Pr.31:8) It's not about you. Rick Warren
10
He gave us taste buds, then filled the world with incredible flavors like chocolate and cinnamon and all the other spices. He gave us eyes to perceive color and then filled the world with a rainbow of shades. He gave us sensitive ears and then filled the world with rhythms and music. Your capacity for enjoyment is evidence of God's love for you. He could have made the world tasteless, colorless, and silent. The Bible says that God "richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." He didn't have to do it, but he did, because He loves us. Rick Warren
Stop trying, & start trusting.
11
Stop trying, & start trusting. Rick Warren
12
It’s not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose. Rick Warren
13
Fellowship is a place of grace, where mistakes aren't rubbed in but rubbed out. Fellowship happens when mercy wins over justice. Rick Warren
14
You cannot arrive at your life’s purpose by starting with a focus on yourself. You must begin with God, your Creator. You exist only because God wills that you exist. You were made by God and for God — and until you understand that, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end. Rick Warren
15
The way you SEE your life SHAPES your life. How you define life determines your destiny. Your perspective will influence how you invest your time, spend your money, use your talents, and value your relationships. Rick Warren
16
Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be. Rick Warren
17
The more you pray, the less you'll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You'll feel more patient and less pressured. Rick Warren
18
God is looking for people to use, and if you can get usable, he will wear you out. The most dangerous prayer you can pray is this: 'Use me. Rick Warren
19
You're only as sick as your secrets. Rick Warren
20
Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time. Trust requires a track record. Rick Warren
21
Your wisest moments will be those when you say yes to God. Rick Warren
22
Grief is a good thing. It's the way we get through the transitions of life. Rick Warren
23
We are healed to help others. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are saved to serve, not to sit around and wait for heaven. Rick Warren
24
Every time you try to block a thought out of your mind, you drive it deeper into your memory. By resisting it, you actually reinforce it. Rick Warren
25
The fact is, it is selfish for a church to not want to grow. A church that says, “We’ve got enough people, we’ve got a nice fellowship. Our church is just the right size. We just need to focus on the members we already have.” That church is, in reality, actually saying, “The rest of the world can go to hell. We don’t care. Rick Warren
26
God made you for a reason and your life has profound meaning! We discover that meaning and purpose only when we make God the reference point of our lives. Rick Warren
27
Those who have hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on to the pain through resentment. Rick Warren
28
You must make a counter-culture decision to focus on becoming more like Jesus. Otherwise, other forces like peers, parents, coworkers, and culture will try to mold you into their image. Rick Warren
29
Repetition is the mother of character and skill. Rick Warren
30
Only secure people can serve. Insecure people are always worrying about how they appear to others. They fear exposure of their weaknesses and hide beneath layers of protective pride and pretensions. The more insecure you are, the more you will want people to serve you, and the more you will need their approval. Rick Warren
31
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. Rick Warren
32
God is always more interested in why we do something than in what we do. Attitudes count more than achievements. Rick Warren
33
The key to friendship with God, he said, is not changing what you do, but changing your attitude toward what you do. Rick Warren
34
In Eden, worship was not an event to attend, but a perpetual attitude. Rick Warren
35
Great opportunities may come once in a lifetime, but small opportunities surround us every day. Rick Warren
36
Measured against eternity, our time on earth is just a blink of an eye... Rick Warren
37
God is never in a hurry, but he is always on time. Rick Warren
38
The only group large enough to handle, " the world's biggest, "problems is the network of millions of local churches around the world. We have the widest distribution, largest group of volunteers, local credibility, the promises of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the inevitability of history. Rick Warren
39
Work becomes worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of his presence. Rick Warren
40
We can worship God imperfectly, but we cannot worship him insincerely. Rick Warren
41
Real worship costs. Rick Warren
42
It is not always convenient or comfortable, and sometimes worship is a sheer act of the will--a willing sacrifice. Rick Warren
43
When you committed your life to Christ, he moved into the center; but you must keep him there through worship. Rick Warren
44
Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Rick Warren
45
Impression without expression causes depression. Study without service leads to spiritual stagnation. Rick Warren
46
I expect God to use me, not because of who I am but because of who Jesus is. Not because of what I've done, but because of what Jesus has done. Rick Warren
47
You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn’t know it’s purpose, and the invention itself wouldn’t be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner’s manual could reveal it’s purpose. Rick Warren
48
You discover your identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Rick Warren
49
Many of your relationship problems are not really relationship problems. They're personal problems that spill over into relationships. Rick Warren
50
You also know you’re surrendered when you don’t react to criticism and rush to defend yourself. Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships. You don’t edge others out, you don’t demand your rights, and you aren’t self-serving when you’re surrendered. Rick Warren
51
The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we typically begin at the wrong starting point–ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose. Rick Warren
52
You exist only because God wills that you exist. Rick Warren
53
How Does What We Eat Affect the Planet? The things you put on your fork have the power to affect not only your health, but also agricultural practices, climate change, and even our economy. One church member told us about Nigerian farmers he met who were given seed by a large agricultural company at a cheaper price than their regular seed, but then the seeds from that crop couldn’t be replanted. (They are designed that way.) The farmers then were forced to buy the seed from the same company at a higher price the next year and eventually couldn’t afford to farm. This pattern of industrial agricultural practices not only has impacted the quality of the food you eat, but also creates hunger in little children in Africa. When you stop buying industrial food, it has an enormous ripple effect. The power of your fork can change the world. When it comes to our health and the health of the planet, we have a lot more to learn and study, but we don’t need all the answers in order to take action. We can each make choices to buy more whole foods, sustainably raised animals, locally grown produce, and more. Just as we’ve learned that certain fats are good for us and others are destructive, we can learn what agricultural and food practices are best for us too. Rick Warren
54
Death is not your termination but your transition into eternity, so there are eternal consequences to everything you do on earth. Every act of our lives strikes some chord that will vibrate in eternity. Rick Warren
55
Why would God provide heaven on earth when he's planned the real thing for you in eternity? Rick Warren
56
While we worry about how fast we grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow. God views our lives from and for eternity, so he is never in a hurry. Rick Warren
57
To make the most of your life, you must keep the vision of eternity continually in your mind and the value of it in your heart. Rick Warren
58
The New testament commanded to love each other, pray for each other, encourage each other, admonish each other, greet each other, serve each other, teach each other, accept each other, honor each other, bear each other's burdens, forgive each other, submit to each other, be devoted each other, and many other mutual tasks. This is biblical membership! Rick Warren
59
The cliché is true: People don't care what we know until they know we care. Rick Warren
60
Longing for the ideal while criticizing the real is evidence of immaturity. On the other hand, settling for the real without striving for the ideal is complacency. Maturity is living with the tension. Rick Warren
61
What may appear as audacity God views as authenticity. Rick Warren
62
Pretentiousness repels but authenticity attracts, and vulnerability is the pathway to intimacy. Rick Warren
63
Real security can only be found in that which can never be taken from you--your relationship with God. Rick Warren
64
Self-worth and net worth are not the same. Rick Warren
65
Living to create an earthly legacy is a short-sighted goal. Rick Warren
66
Because God is love the most important lesson He wants you to learn on earth is how to love. Rick Warren
67
You cannot fulfil God's purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans. Rick Warren
68
Surrendering to God is not passive resignation, fatalism, or an excuse for laziness. Rick Warren
69
Gossip is passing on information when you are neither part of the problem nor part of the solution. Rick Warren
70
What gives me the most hope every day is God's grace; knowing that his grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face, knowing that nothing is a surprise to God. Rick Warren
71
So I would say God hates war, but God loves every soldier. Rick Warren
72
I happen to agree with many of the liberal emphasis on compassion, justice and equality. I just disagree that it's the government's role to provide everything. Rick Warren
73
History shows that when the church accommodates culture, it weakens it. Rick Warren
74
The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ came to do three things. He came to have my past forgiven, you get a purpose for living and a home in Heaven. Rick Warren
75
God is looking for people to use, and if you can get usable, he will wear you out. The most dangerous prayer you can pray is this: 'Use me.' Rick Warren
76
You never know God is all you need until God is all you have. Rick Warren
77
If God only used perfect people, nothing would get done. God will use anybody if you're available. Rick Warren
78
Now the only way you can serve God on earth is by serving others. Rick Warren
79
I can't imagine God not allowing my dog into heaven. Rick Warren
80
You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Rick Warren
81
Most people don't realize, I really have no faith in politics. I'm not a politician. If I thought you could change human hearts by laws, I would, but I don't. Rick Warren
82
You drift through life and let things happen to you, or go by design and say, 'This is what I'm intended to do.' Rick Warren
83
And you know, when you've experienced grace and you feel like you've been forgiven, you're a lot more forgiving of other people. You're a lot more gracious to others. Rick Warren
84
I never have been involved in politics. Rick Warren
85
When life doesn't make sense, we can still have peace. Rick Warren
86
Transformation is a process, and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It's a journey of discovery - there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair. Rick Warren
87
In Psalm 72, Solomon prays for power and fame but he says the purpose of influence is to speak up for others and one is the immigrant. He doesn't delineate between legal and illegal. Rick Warren