Warren is often referred to as “America’s most influential spiritual leader”. He founded Saddleback Church in Orange County, California, one of the largest and most recognized churches in the world. He has been called a “spiritual entrepreneur” by Forbes Magazine for his advocacy of building a purpose-driven life and for launching a purpose-driven movement that has trained more than 350,000 pastors from more than 160 countries. Rick Warren and his wife donate 90% of the profits from the sale of this book to charitable ministries, one of which is Mercy Ministries, which helps people living with AIDS. 2009 at the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States, the author of this book offered his prayers and blessings for the new President and the people of the United States.

PROLOGUE

A Sincere Invitation (Preface)

A Purposeful Journey of Life (Preface)

My Pledge

Why do I live?

Day 1 Everything begins with God

Day 2Your existence is not an accident

Day 3What is your life about?

Day 4Created for Eternitya

Day 5Life from God’s Point of View

Day 6Life is a Temporary Task

Day 7 The Reason for Everything

Life’s Purpose #1 God Has Planned for You to Live to Please Him

Day 8 Created to please God

Day 9 What Pleases God?

Day 10 The Center of Worship

Day 11Becoming God’s Best Friend

Day 12Forging a Deep Friendship with God

Day 13Worship That Pleases God

Day 14 When God Seems Far Away

Life Purpose #2 God Molded You to Live for His Family

Day 15 I Was Made for God’s Household

Day 16The Most Important Thing

Day 17 Belonging

Day 18 Experiencing Life Together

Day 19Cultivating Community Life

Day 20Rebuilding a Broken Fellowship Life

Day 21 Maintain Your Church

Life Purpose #3 You Were Created to Be Like Christ

Day 22 Created to Be Like Christ

Day 23 How to Grow

Day 24Truth Transforms Us

Day 25 Suffering Transforms Us

Day 26Growing Through Temptation

Day 27Overcoming Temptation

Day 28 Growing Takes Time

Life Purpose #4 You Were Molded to Serve God

Day 29Receive Your Appointment

Day 30 Being Molded to Serve God

Day 31 Know Your Character

Day 32 Use what God has given you

Day 33 The Behavior of an Innocent Servant

Day 34 Servant’s Thinking

Day 35 God’s Power Shows Up in Your Weaknesses

Life Purpose #5 You Were Created for a Mission

Day 36 Created for a Mission

Day 37Sharing Your Life’s Message

Day 38 Be a World Class Christian

Day 39Balance Your Life

Day 40 Purpose Driven Life

Appendix 1 Discussion Questions

Appendix 2 Supporting Resources

Appendix 3 Why Use Many Bible Translations?

Annotations

Preface

Before the foundations of the world were laid, God had chosen us to be the focus of His love.
(Ephesians 1:4 on Msg)
You, like many others, may have long been indoctrinated with the idea that life is aimless; and you may have begun to acquiesce to the idea that your existence is really meaningless.
Yet the Bible says that everything in the world is a unique creation of the Creator: “Everything in heaven and on earth and under the earth; everything that can be seen and everything that cannot be seen, began with God and finds its final purpose in Him.” (Colossians 1:16, Msg)
In fact, God created you with His special heart and purpose in mind. Long before you were even formed and born, He was like a master artist, molding you into a masterpiece in His hands. This Creator knows you so well that He knows every bone in your body. Little by little, He has sculpted you from nothing to something of eternal value. (Psalm 139:15)
Your existence is not an accident. The Creator purposely chose your skin color, hair texture, eye color, and endowed you with your unique temperament and talents. You can be fully assured that there is nothing in your life, regardless of nationality or race, that is not carefully designed by God. He created you with a special heart and purpose.
There is nothing more important than knowing God’s heart for your life, and there is no substitute for success, wealth, fame, or pleasure. My home is only an hour’s drive from Hollywood Studios, where I don’t know how many famous movies have been produced. If success, wealth, fame, or pleasure brought meaning to life, these studio stars would be the happiest people in the world. But that’s not the case.
If money or materialism could bring meaning to life, then the people of Hollywood would be living the most meaningful lives in the world. However, their lives are broken and empty. Because they have ignored God’s purpose for their lives.
I pray with all my heart that you understand God’s heart for your life. You are precious to Him, and He has even laid it on my heart to love you. That’s why I’m especially excited about the Chinese edition of The Standard Life.
In this book, I will go into detail about how God created you to be His family forever. Once you realize this wonderful truth, you will never feel that life is meaningless again. Your place in God’s heart is so important that He skillfully designed the entire universe so that you could be a part of His family. You were created for eternity.
The Bible tells us that God gave us the opportunity to be born again as part of His family in heaven. On earth, God’s family is the church. All who accept Jesus Christ as Savior are members of this family. The idea of the Church is an ingenious creation of God that stands to this day in spite of continued persecution, horrific suppression and general neglect. Despite the church’s shortcomings due to man’s sin, God has used it as a channel of blessing to the world for two thousand years.
The Bible calls the church a kingdom that will never be shaken. In Matthew 16, Jesus said, “I will build my church, and all the powers of Hades shall not prevail against it.” No combination of netherworldly powers, not even hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, famines, or pestilences, can destroy the church that Jesus Christ has built.
The Chinese translation of The Standard Life is designed to help you understand God’s deep love for you and the importance of your place in God’s family (the church). It is out of love for God and love for you that this book exists. No matter how many difficulties are present, nothing can separate God’s love for us. His love makes the impossible possible; His love never ends.
God has given you a great purpose in life when He created you. The Bible tells us that God will give you the strength to help you fulfill the Great Commission He has given you. This is what God has always done when He works wonders-helping ordinary people accomplish their mission by His Spirit. In God, all things are possible.
I am certain that God knew what you were about to do long before you were born. It is no accident that you are reading this book now. We have been praying for this moment for a long time. May you follow God’s merciful voice and discover step by step the blueprint of life He crafted for you when He first created you, and may He guide you to live out His heart.
Grace and peace be with you!
Warrick.

<translation
A Sincere Invitation

A few years ago, I saw a movie called Contact, which tells the story of Ellie, a gifted female scientist who interprets signals from outer space and realizes her lifelong dream of making contact with outer space cultures on behalf of the Earth. In the movie, when the scientist’s friend asks her why she is so determined to go on this journey to space, which she may not be able to return from, she replies, “I’ve always been determined to go to space. She replies, “I’ve been searching for answers to the questions of why I’m here, what I am, and who we are, and the answers are worth it!