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
Call, a Journey through Jonah to say thank you for your gift to Daily
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