"What Drives Your Life?", is the title of Chapter 3. Before reading on, jot down the down 5 things that realistically drives your life......
My answer was God's approval and peace, children, debt (good and bad), anger (righteous and unrighteous) and sonship attitudes. I'll explain these later.
My immediate question afterwards was, "What stalls my life or makes me veer off into the weeds?". The biggy would be unrighteous anger whose root for me is mainly fostered out of unforgiveness and selfishness. Another would be hireling attitudes, the antithesis of "sonship" attitudes.
Rick Warren focuses on five general areas that drive us that actually hinder us from embracing God's purpose for you and me individually and corporately. I'll review these quickly and the talk about the "attitudes" behind these hinderances that relate back to the first two chapters answering the question of our origin and the implications there of.
The first hinderance is guilt. If often paralyzes one rendering us ineffective. We tend to have a retreat mind set instead of attacking hell's gates and the enemy's strongholds in our own lives and others. Moses was a good example of this leaving Eygpt of awhile. God's sovereignty allowed this for some mentoring to take place until his calling to return to free God's people, but even then Moses was still guilt ridden with his past actions and upbringing. Rick states it best; "We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it". Phil 3:13f.....forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. Paul had some history too, but he didn't let guilt paralyze his purpose and calling.
Second is resentment and anger. As mentioned before, my paradigm of viewing this comes out of the inability to know how or be able to forgive and pure selfishness. The process of knowing God's forgiveness from my mind to my heart has been long and slow admittedly. Obviously, it has hinered me more than the ones who have trepassed against me.
Fear is the third area. This also stalls, paralyzes or stifles one's potential.
Fourth, Rick talks about materialism. It's the lie that self worth, happiness and security is equated with net worth. Self worth is derived from your creator, not his creation. Chapter 1 & 2 touched on all these. Security and happiness comes from that which can not be taken away but is everlasting; God's love and a relationship with Him.
Last is the need for approval. To me, this is not a hinderance at all depending on who's approval you should be seeking. Letting the expections & opinions of others mainly sway your decisions is a guaranteed way to wander out into the weeds away from God's purposes for your life. "No one can serve two masters". God and man's approval will nurture the soul, but the former will satisfy it and bring true happiness and security that is strong thirst quenching.
Rick points out obvious benefits of a purpose driven life regardless of what is driving it. It provides hope or something to look forward to. Having a purpose simplifies and focuses your life. Knowing it helps you know what to devote your time and energies to. He talks of having motivation as a result of having a purpose. I would add that this also brings passion that others are attracted to. The last benefit leads us into the subject of chapter 4, eternity. We will live for eternity either with God the Father or with out. God tells us two questions He will ask when you come face to face with Him. What did you do with My Son, Jesus Christ & what did your do with what I gave you? The first will answer where you spend eternity. The 2nd question will answer what you do in eternity.
At this point, I wish to bring a different perspective about what drives our lives. What Rick talks about in this chapter comes directly from the attitudes we habor. These attitudes we exhibit come from our answer to our origin (chapter 1) being either God the Father or evolution (or variation there of). Earlier, I referred to sonship (gender inclusive term) and hireling attitudes. The following is one of many paradigms I use in life. This one was taught to me by a gentleman named David Long. For the sake of time, I will not delve deeply in to it's biblical origin but hopefully, it will be self evident.
A son is one preoccupied with making his father successful. (i.e. Jesus) Jesus is God, but He will always be a Son. A hireling is one preoccupied with making himself successful. (i.e. Satan) Look at the contrasting attitudes between the son and hireling and how they view life based on it's origin.
SON
God is distinct from and over his creation telling him who is in control (Gen. 1:1, Matt 6:9)
ATTITUDE OF SUBMISSION - I choose to walk under my Father's authority
VS.
HIRELING
Evolution or a force is my creed not having to answer to a personal God.
ATTITUDE OF INDEPENDENCE - I am answerable only to myself.
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SON
God desires to communicate His ways or lifestyle through ambassadors(Matt 28:18,19 Jn 14:6)
AMBASSADORSHIP - I desire to honorably represent my father to others and his agenda
VS.
HIRELING
INDIVIDUALISM - I desire to represent myself, not his father's. My ways are higher than others.
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SON
God is the arbritor of truth who has already made up the rules ( Matt 28:20, Heb 8:10)
OBEDIENCE - I seek out and embrace my father's rules. They are there to protect me from harm
VS.
HIRELING
REBELLION - I make up my own. My thoughts are higher than anyone elses. I only obey as a means of getting something I want.
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SON
Because God is just, there are consequences in obeying and not obeying his law or rules.(Matt 6:14,15)
HUMILITY - I humbly accept my father's discipline and / or praise.
VS.
HIRELING
ARROGANCE, PRIDE(form of unforgiveness) - I easily take offense when confronted or corrected. I accept the praise and credit for something I said or did and not acknowledge the one who taught me.
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SON
God has purpose and vision for us thus the reason for creating us and our progeny to continue that purpose.
STEWARDSHIP - I am willing and able to steward my father's resources(people and things) to bring about his purposes for me and generations to come. (Jn 17:20, II Tim 2:2)
VS.
HIRELING
CONSUMERISM - I will do what I want with what I have to promote my kingdom. I will spend it on myself for this will make me secure and happy.
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SON VS HIRELING
SUBMISSION VS INDEPENDENCE
AMBASSADORSHIP VS INDIVIDUALISM
OBEDIENCE VS REBELLION
HUMILITY VS ARROGANCE, PRIDE
STEWARDSHIP VS CONSUMERISM
Obviously, one does not always demonstrate just sonship attitudes or just hireling attitudes. We tend to bounce back and forth depending on the issue and situation. We are weak in some areas and stronger in others. Getting these sonship attitudes right with God, our families, the church, in the workplace and civil government will bring healing to all these areas. Romans 8:19..." For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God." The sons (gender inclusive) of God are those that carry forth these attitudes in to all spheres of life that the creation is waiting for. Ultimately, I believe it is sonship and hireling attitudes that drive an individual to do what they do.