The Purpose Driven Life Book Summary - The Purpose Driven Life Book explained in key points

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The Purpose Driven Life summary

Name: The Purpose Driven Life
Rating: 3.6 (238 reviews)
Author: Rick Warren

Rick Warren

What on Earth Am I Here For?

3.6 (238 ratings)

11 mins

Brief summary

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren is a spiritual guide that helps readers discover their unique purpose and live a fulfilling, meaningful life.

Topics

Theology Christianity Spirituality Happy

Table of Contents

The Purpose Driven Life
Summary of 5 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 5

What’s in it for me? Find your life’s purpose – it’s already there, waiting to be discovered.

What does it mean to be a Christian? What does God want you to do? Maybe you are one of those people who as a child was baptized, went to Sunday school and believed in a benevolent, fatherly god. But, as you grew older, that god somehow disappeared out of your thoughts and your practices, leaving behind a gaping void.

Maybe you spend a lot of time and energy trying to frantically fill that void, creating some artificial purpose for your life. But actually, from the moment you were born, your life has been rich with purpose. These blinks describe the five purposes of every Christian’s life.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how one young Soviet writer found God on the metro;
why, in many ways, you should live your life like Noah (minus the ark-building part); and
what the wise King Solomon said about workaholics.

Let God into your life to discover your purpose.

Clichéd as it is, just about all of us have stared up at the night sky and pondered the meaning of life. And for good reason – the meaning of life is one of the toughest questions faced by mankind. Why, after all, are we here?

The Christian answer to this question is well-known: we were created by God, to serve him. But what exactly does this mean for you and me?

Well, let’s make one thing clear first: God was not obliged to create you. Instead, he happily chose you! The simple fact of your existence is God’s delight. You were not created by accident. You were created deliberately, purposefully. This applies to every aspect of your life: all your talents and experiences that make you who you are, as well as the people and things that matter to you. You see, God shaped every one of us for our unique ministry to him. And this brings us to one of the five purposes in every Christian’s life: to find out about this ministry in God’s big plan and to embrace it.

This is something to remember the next time you feel insignificant in the world. When you feel as though you’re surrounded by chaos, it often helps to look for God to help make sense of things. This is what Russian novelist Andrei Bitov discovered.

For years, he’d been living in despair. Identifying as an atheist, he saw life as completely meaningless. There was no other way to look at it. Or was there? On an ordinary day when Bitov was riding the metro, a phrase popped into his head: “Without God, life makes no sense.”

Bitov describes how suddenly everything became clear. Walking out of the metro and into the light, he was astonished. His misery melted away and he made the decision to dedicate himself to God.

Bitov is among many who serve God each day by worshipping him and the things he has created. Yet, not everybody worships with integrity. Worshipping God isn’t as simple as following a formula. “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” (Matthew 15:8) In other words, you must be sincere and let your innermost desire to serve God shine through.

Turns out there are more ways to worship than sing hymns: scripture reading, confession, reflecting on a sermon or even admiring a beautiful landscape are all ways of worshipping. Find out in the next blinks how you can get the most meaning out of these experiences.

Even everyday moments provide opportunities to show our love for God.

Another purpose in the life of every Christian is to worship God to please him.

And worshipping doesn’t just happen in church. It should be the thread that binds the hours of your day, and the days of your week. But in this busy world, it might seem like there’s hardly any time to dedicate to God in our fast-paced everyday routines.

Strengthen your faith in the company of fellow believers.

So far, we’ve explored the role of faith in our individual lives. But Christianity is not something we pursue alone – far from it.

When we were born, we entered into our human families. And as Christians, another life purpose we share is to enter the family of God in the same way, by developing our faith in Jesus Christ and building relationships with God’s family. What do you gain from joining God’s family? Well, you’ll have a way to stay with God forever. You’ll have opportunities to learn to live the way Christ did. You’ll find yourself in a meaningful role in the community. Finally, you will become closer to Christ than ever.

Live purposefully by spreading your faith, but stay wary of envy.

Throughout the centuries, Christian missionaries have dedicated themselves to spreading the word of Jesus Christ. That’s no easy task! Nevertheless, God wants you to become a missionary, too. That’s another one of the five purposes he has for you.

This doesn’t mean traveling all around the world! Rather, being a missionary starts with accepting your role as representative of Christ. Peace between all men and women around the world is God’s number one goal – and he can’t achieve this without your help:

The Holy Spirit and your own determination will help you live as Jesus did.

The Bible tells of how God created us in his image. From the outset, we were put on this earth to become like his son, Jesus Christ. This is yet another one of the five central purposes of every Christian's life. Though it isn’t easy, with determination, you can learn to embody the best qualities of Jesus in the way you act and live. And the Holy Spirit is there to help you!

Ever been in a tricky situation and suddenly realized you had the power to make things right just by doing one specific thing? Sometimes it’s hard to know the right thing to do but, once in a while, you intuitively know how to make the best decision.

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What is The Purpose Driven Life about?

The Purpose Driven Life (2002) shares the Christian answer to that age-old question: why am I here? From finding moments of worship in daily routines to seeking out a supportive community and letting the Holy Spirit guide you through tough situations, these blinks are an engaging guide to life as a Christian today.

The Purpose Driven Life Review

The Purpose Driven Life (2002) offers valuable insights into finding one's purpose and living a meaningful life. Here's what sets this book apart:

It presents a comprehensive 40-day plan for readers to embark on a journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth.
The book is grounded in practical, actionable steps that can be easily integrated into daily life.
Its universal appeal allows readers from diverse backgrounds to relate to its teachings and apply them in their lives.

Don't miss the opportunity to explore your purpose with The Purpose Driven Life.

Best quote from The Purpose Driven Life

Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children – this was his pleasure and purpose. Ephesians 1:5

—Rick Warren

Who should read The Purpose Driven Life?

Christians seeking a modern guide to a life of faith
Readers longing to deepen their connection to Christian spirituality
Individuals interested the benefits of the Christian way of life

About the Author

Rick Warren has lectured at Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford. He is the founder of the global P.E.A.C.E. plan, which supports the poor and provides education as well as many other resources in 196 countries.

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