If you wonder what The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren is about, then this book summary is for you.
It is a 40-Days spiritual guide that answers life’s most important questions, “What on Earth Am I Here For?
The first time I read the book was in my first year at the university.
I had resumed school newly when a recent graduate told me to see him in his room.
It was in our discussion, I got to know about a term called, “Discovering of Purpose.“
He tried explaining as much as he can, but time wouldn’t permit him since he is leaving finally the next day.
So, he gave me a book and said, “I want you to read this book. When you finish reading, call me on the phone, and we will discuss better.”
The summary I am writing today is for the book The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.
The Purpose Driven Life Summary: How to Use
Before then, let’s get to see some benefits of discovering your purpose:
- Purpose gives meaning and simplifies your life.
- Knowing your purpose helps you focus.
- Purpose motivates and prepares you for eternity.
Rick Warren, encourages you to read the book one chapter a day for 40 days, so you understand better.
His reason was that “40 days” is the period God used to prepare men for His purpose.
- Noah’s life – 40 days of rain.
- Moses – 40 days on Mount Sinai.
- The spies – 40 days in the Promised Land.
- David – Goliath’s 40-day challenge.
- Elijah – 40 days strength from a single meal.
- Nineveh – 40 days to repent.
- Jesus – 40 days in the wilderness.
- The disciples were with Jesus 40 days after his resurrection.
Rick also included four features he felt will be of help to you at the end of each day reading.
If you desire to discover God’s purpose and plan for your life, then read the book by Rick Warren – Purpose Driven Life
What on Earth Am I Here For?
Day 1: It All Starts With God
For thousands of years, the search for purpose has rendered man helpless.
And there is no other reason for this than man’s search for purpose with the wrong motive.
Rick tried explaining that the purpose of your life is not about you.
It is far greater than your ambitions and hopeful achievement.
It is God who gives and reveals your purpose to you, not a man, nor your job or things around you.
Day 2: You Are Not an Accident
God arranged every detail about you, from the number of hair on your head to the sole of your feet.
Listen to me, you are not an accident but of the divine made with God’s own very attributes in you.
Always remind yourself that there is a God who made you for a reason and your life is precious to him.
Day 3: What Drives Your Life?
What is the driving force of your life?
Be it you know it or not, something drives you every day.
Being driven is not what matters, but what is it that is driving you?
Rick Warren shares five of the most common drives we have in our everyday life.
Need Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren? Get the book here.
Day 4: Made to Last Forever
Beloved, there is more to your life than you can see right now.
God built you to last. Life is a market; Heaven is the home.
All things equal, a man spends more time in marriage than in singleness. So, you will spend more time in eternity than on earth.
Oluboba Ayodeji
Rick Warren made a striking point here when he said,
“The day your heart stops beating becomes the end of your days on earth, but not the end of you.”
In life, you have many choices; in eternity, you have two: Heaven or Hell.
What determines where you will be in eternity is dependent on your relationship with God.
Day 5: Seeing Life From God’s View
We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
Anais Nin
How you see things influences how you define life. And how you define life determines your destiny.
Your description of how life works and your expectations from it will determine how far you can go.
Rick Warren went on to give two descriptions of life on earth
- Life on earth is a Test: God tests people’s character, faith, obedience, love, integrity, and loyalty.
- Life on earth is a Trust: All intelligence, relationships, and resources are all gifts from God.
Day 6: Life is Temporary Assignment:
We came to earth on a visit, and soon we must return home.
Rick said,”
“To make the best use of your life, you must never forget two truths:
First, compared with eternity, life is extremely brief.
Second, earth is only a temporary residence. You won’t be here long, so don’t get too attached.”
Don’t fall in love with a foreign country (earth) that you forget your home country (Heaven).
Day 7: The Reason for Everything
God wants everything (both earth and the people in it) to reflect His glory.
Rick explained here five ways our lives bring glory to God,
- By worshipping him
- By loving other believers.
- By becoming like Christ.
- By serving others with our gifts.
- By telling others about him.
You will learn from the book, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.
Purpose 1: You Were Planned for God’s Pleasure
For God has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory. Isaiah 61:3 (LB)
Day 8: Planned for God’s Pleasure
God created you for His own pleasure, enjoyment, benefits, and worship.
Worship is nothing more than doing things that bring pleasure to God.
And as such,
- Worship is far more than the tone of voice or lifting of hands.
- Worship is far more than your personal gain or pleasure.
- Worship is far more than any part of your life, as it is your life itself.
Day 9: What Makes God Smiles?
Imagine how great and better your life will be if the Lord should smile at you.
How do you figure out what pleases the Lord, so he can smile on you?
- Love with all your body, soul, and spirit.
- Trust and depends on Him in total.
- Be in total obedience to His word.
- Always rejoice and sing praises unto His holy name.
Maximize your full potential and gift to the glory of God, for He seeks men who will live for his pleasure.
Day 10: The Heart of Worship
Every time you surrender all of you to God, you worship His holy name.
We worship him when we give our totality (body, soul, and spirit) to him out of love.
It is difficult to have the heart of worship if you would still hold yourself back from God.
Day 11: Becoming Best Friends to God
Do you know God wants to be your friend?
The initial plan of God was that his creation (man) talk with him as man talk with his friends.
After the resurrection, the bible made us understand in the book of 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
“All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends.”
Day 12: Developing Your Friendship With God
Solomon said in the book of Proverb 3:32 that God offers his friendship to the godly.
We can see God longing for friendship when he called, Abraham his friend.
Beloved, God wants to develop a relationship with you, the same way he wants you to do with him.
Day 13: Worship that Please God
In worship, the externals are not as important as why you worship.
God wants, from you, worship that is accurate and genuine.
And the best to offer this kind of worship is to give all of you, not some.
Day 14: When God Seems Distant
Rick Warren wrote that God will test your friendship most in the days you will separate from him.
These will be the days you lose the passion to read the word and weak to pray.
Know that because you feel this way does not mean you have lost your relationship with God.
One way to come out of this dilemma is to talk to God about how you feel, and he will draw you closer.
Purpose 2: You Were Formed for God’s Family.
Day 15: Formed for God’s Family
The same way you give birth to have a family, so also God created you to be part of his family.
Now, what is the rule to be part of this wonderful family of God?
Nothing but faith in the Lord Jesus, as the son of God.
God is our father, Jesus is the firstborn, and other believers, our brothers and sisters.
Day 16: What Matters Most
When Jesus said, “Love is the greatest”. He meant it.
Every good thing of life, even life itself, dwells under the umbrella of love.
But why is love this important in Christianity?
It is because God wants people to know his family for the love they show to all, especially to those of faith.
Understand that everything else dies and goes away, but love remains forever.
Day 17: A Place to Belong
Every man breathing today wants a place where they would accept him for who he is.
This is why most youth, out of the pleasure of belonging to a tribe end up joining a cult.
God wants you to belong to a family, and there is no other place to belong than the body of Christ.
Rick said that your relationship with God is personal does not mean it should be private.
Day 18: Experiencing Life Together
No man is an island, and no man can do it all alone. You enjoy life more in sharing than in holding back.
God wants us to have a fellowship where we experience life together.
Rick Warren wrote in The Purpose Driven Life that you can worship with a crowd but can’t fellowship with it.
Do not forsake today the fellowship of the believers, for in it, you receive strengths.
Day 19: Cultivating Community
When we show a passion for fellowship, the Holy Spirit makes it happen.
The Christian community takes commitment and God’s leading to build.
So it takes your commitment to meet with believers even when you don’t feel like it.
Day 20: Restoring Broken Relationship
A few issues here and there should not make us forsake our relationship with the church.
Paul asked us to agree with each other, love each other, and become deep-spirited.
You remember the scripture, Blessed are the peacemaker, for they shall be called the sons of God.
To attract God’s blessings upon you, you must learn to be a peacemaker.
Day 21: Protecting Your Church
Unity is so important in keeping fellowship alive.
Even God himself testifies to this in the tower of Babel.
Also, we can learn the art of unity from the trinity – The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The agreement in purpose and vision is key if we are to protect the church from evildoers.
Purpose 3: You were Created to Become Like Christ
Day 22: Created to Become Like Christ
God’s destiny and third purpose for your life is to make you become like his son, Jesus.
This is why He created us in his own image that we may think, reason and solves problem like God,
As Christians, we are:
- An exact likeness of God,”
- The visible image of the unseen God,
- The exact representation of his being.
God wants us not only to grow in our bodies but much more our spirit.
Day 23: How We Grow
Growth is not automatic, but results from an intentional and conscious decision.
God wants us to desire and work towards growth in every area of our life.
“Every man is a product of his commitments. So, the question is not if you are committed, but what you are committed to?”
Oluboba Ayodeji
Day 24: Transformed by the Truth
What can transform a man and replace the lies within him? It is Truth.
And the only proven source of the real truth is spiritual growth.
If you must live in the truth of God, then you must:
- Abide in the word of God.
- Accepts all in it
- Digest every bit of the word,
- Make it a daily lifestyle.
Day 25: Transformed by Trouble
When do you say a Christian is faithful to his calling?
It is in the days of trials, test, temptations and troubles.
God didn’t promise your life will be full of roses every day of your life.
But he assures you, no matter the difficulties, he is there with you.
So, sorrow may come in the night; joy comes in the morning.
To learn more, get the book, The Purpose Driven Life: What Am I Here on Earth For?
Day 26: Growing Through Temptation
Whatever does not kill you only makes you stronger.
The devil may use temptation as a secret weapon to destroy you, but God wants to strengthen you with it.
So, every man who chooses to identify with goodness over sin develops himself in Christ.
It is in the days of temptation that you have the opportunity to test how much of God’s love that’s in you.
Rick Warren goes on to explain how to overcome temptation:
Day 27: Defeating Temptation:
Understand, no temptation is too much to overcome.
You remember in 1 Corinthian 10:13 (NLT).
- Directing your attention to something better,
- Seeking help from spiritual friends, and
- Saying NO to the devil
These are some ways you can defeat temptations.
Day 28: It Takes Time
All the good things you admire today took time to become what they are.
Show me a shortcut that won’t cut short. And I will show you a breastfeeding mother still a virgin.
Oluboba Ayodeji
This is why a fruit that grows by nature tastes better than one quickened with chemicals.
From the day you surrender yourself to God, He takes charge and work inside you.
But the changes won’t happen overnight because of the following reasons:
- He wants us to appreciate the process of growth.
- It takes time to unlearn what we know already.
- Good habits take a lot of time to develop.
Purpose 4: You were Shaped for Serving God
Day 29: Accepting Your Assignment
Have you ever thoughts of this?
Your reason for creation is to add to life, not to get out of it.
This means God wants us to offer man’s good deeds that they may see His glory in us.
These good deeds become your worship, ministry and service to God most high.
Men who don’t rise above the secret place die in secret.
Oluboba Ayodeji
God himself and the body of Christ need your service.
Day 30: Shaped for Serving God
There is something you know how to do better than anyone else.
When you discover it, it becomes the role of God for you on earth – purpose.
Your abilities, gifts, life experiences, and interest are not for waste but for your use here on earth,
For every assignment you are to take, God has given you the resources to complete.
In passion and love, do well to serve others.
Day 31: Understanding Your Shape
There are no two of you in the world – You are unique.
You are so important that God made it, no one can duplicate your position in the body of Christ.
Yes, men may replace you, but they can never do it as you would have.
Your talents are not only for making a living, but also to edify the body of Christ.
It becomes important you use your natural abilities and gifts to exalt the name of God.
This is a summary of The Purpose Driven Life. I encourage you to get the full book to learn more.
Day 32: Using What God Gave You
God shaped you for His purpose and wants you to make the best of it.
Whenever we go out of God’s shape, we struggle.
It is because He didn’t design us in the way we are acting.
To know your shape, start by assessing your gifts and abilities.
The second way is to follow Paul’s advice in Galatians 6:4-5
“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.”
Day 33: How Real Servants Act
The Lord Jesus measures greatness by service and not status, as the world defines.
The desire to lead overshadows the desire to serve in men
Even with the gifts of service, are you willing to serve?
He listed qualities of an excellent servant.
Day 34: Thinking Like a Servant
It takes a change of heart to be a servant.
In servanthood, attitude values more than achievements.
Rick mentioned, in this part of The Purpose Driven Life, the five attitudes of servants.
Day 35: God’s Power in Your Weakness
The scriptures said, “For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God”
It shows you, and I have flaws and weaknesses.
Weakness is not a curse, sin, or character disorder.
It is the limitation a man has that is beyond his power to change. E.g. Blindness, hereditary disease.
There is nothing glorious running from your weakness when you embrace it.
Purpose 5: You Were Made for a Mission
Day 36: Made for a Mission
God has an assignment. He wants you to join him.
The task he is calling you into is what you call your mission.
What is this mission?
It is redeeming humans back to God from the hands of the evil one.
Why is this mission important to your purpose on earth?
It is a sign you are following Jesus’ legacy of winning souls.
The great commission is a responsibility of every believer living.
Day 37: Sharing Your Life Message
Often, it seems we don’t have any message to share with unbelievers. That’s not true.
Your experience in giving your life to Christ is a full message on its own.
In this chapter, the author mentions that every life has four messages.
- Your testimony
- Your life lessons
- Your godly passion
- The Good News
Day 38: Becoming a World-Class Christian
Here, the author explains two types of Christians:
- The world-class Christians
- The worldly Christians
While the worldly Christians run away from mission; the world-class Christians embrace it.
World-class students find joy in saving others from the destruction.
What type of Christian are you?”
Day 39: Balancing Your Life
Live life with a due sense of responsibility, not as those who do not know the meaning of life, but as those who do. Ephesians 5:15 (Ph)
Rick Warren mentioned that your life contains five areas.
Remember to work towards work-life balance.
Day 40: Living with Purpose
The author mentioned man suffers three things:
- Identity–Who am I?
- Importance – Do I matter?
- Impact–What is my place on earth?
He also explains what Life Purpose Statement means.
About Rick Warren of Purpose Driven Life
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, one of America’s largest and best-known churches.
His previous book, The Purpose-Driven®Church, has sold over a million copies in 20 languages.
Winner of the Gold Medallion, it was selected as one of the 100 Christian Books That Changed the 20th Century.
Conclusion On Purpose Driven Life Summary
The Purpose-Driven Life will help you understand why you are alive.
It also shows God’s amazing plan for you—both here and now and for eternity.
Rick Warren will guide you through a personal 40-day spiritual journey.
It will transform your answer to life’s most important question: What on earth am I here for?
