Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others.
Rick WarrenRead
If not to God, you will surrender to the opinions or expectations of others, to money, to resentment, to fear, or to your own pride, lusts, or ego. You were designed to worship God and if you fail to worship Him, you will create other things (idols) to give your life to. You are free to choose, what you surrender to but you are not free from the consequence of that choice.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the inevitability of worship or surrendering to something greater, whether it be God or other desires.
Rick Warren's quote suggests that every individual is inclined to surrender to something in life, whether it's faith, societal expectations, or personal vices. If one chooses not to surrender to a higher power like God, they will inevitably find themselves submitting to other forms of idolatry, which could be negative influences such as money or pride. Ultimately, the quote underlines the importance of conscious choice in what we give our devotion to and the unavoidable consequences that come from those choices.
Themes
SurrenderWorshipIdolsChoicesConsequencesFaith
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon discussing the importance of choosing faith over materialism.
More from Rick Warren
All quotes →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.
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Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent. While your offender has probably forgotten the offense and gone on with life, you continue to stew in your pain, perpetuating the past. Listen: those who hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on to the pain through resentment. Your past is past! Nothing will change it. You are only hurting yourself with your bitterness. For your own sake, learn from it, and then let it go.
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Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.
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It’s not just what you eat that matters, it’s what eats you. You can have all the right macrobiotics and organic food, but if your body is filled with resentment, worry, fear, lust, guilt, anger, bitterness, or any other emotional disease, it’s going to shorten your life.
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Being successful and fulfilling your lifes purpose are not at all the same thing; You can reach all your personal goals, become a raving success by the worlds standard and still miss your purpose in this life.
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