Book SummaryThe Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Purpose Driven Life

At some point, you’ve likely asked yourself about the meaning of your life and what you were put on earth to do. The answer from a Christian perspective is at once simple and complex: God created you to fulfill the purposes he’s planned for you.

(Shortform note: Pastor Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven Life as a 42-day Bible study journey to help you find your purposes and learn how to fulfill them. In this summary, we’ve grouped the elements of the journey into six weekly themes to add clarity and reduce repetition.)

Six Reasons to Live for God’s Purposes (Week 1)

There are six reasons to accept God’s purposes for your life and work to fulfill them.

Reason 1: It’s not about you. Many people guess at the meaning of their lives and speculate that they’re meant to fulfill their own purposes. However, the Bible reveals that your life’s meaning isn’t actually about you. Everything in your life—your significance, identity, and purpose—traces back to God. Your life isn’t about fulfilling your purposes, but his.

Reason 2: You’re here for a reason. God planned your life and designed you perfectly to fulfill his purposes. Every aspect of your life—including your physical features, personality, parents, and so on—is a gift. You can’t repay God for all he’s given you, but you can express your gratitude by putting God and his purposes at the center of your life.

Reason 3: Being driven by purpose creates peace. Everyone’s driven by different motivations—external factors like problems or pressure, emotional factors like anxiety or fear, or moral factors like values and beliefs. The wrong motivations, such as guilt or materialism, destroy the possibility of peace in your life because you’ll always feel anxious, unsure, or “not enough.” On the other hand, being driven by God’s purposes creates peace, in several ways:

• Your life is simplified—all you must do in life is fulfill your clearly defined purposes.
• Rather than being spread among too many goals or ideas, your energy becomes solely purpose-focused—making you more effective in what you do.
• Clear purposes add motivation and hope to your everyday work because it feels like you’re working for something.

Reason 4: There is life beyond this. The Bible explains that after this life, God’s children who have served him can look forward to a life in eternity. Purpose driven living ensures that you’ll receive the promise of this eternal life.

Reason 5: Life is a test and a responsibility. Accepting God’s purpose allows you to reframe the way you see your life.

• God will give you conflicts, changes, and success to challenge your faith, your character, your love, and so on. Knowing that your struggles are tests gives them meaning.
• Everything you have—including your talents, the natural world, your relationships, and so on—are gifts entrusted to you by God, and you’re expected to take care of them. This knowledge lends a profound sense of duty to your life.

Reason 6: Everything is by and for God. Everything in the universe was made by God to demonstrate his glory—that is, his essence, presence, power, and love. There’s no possible way for us to enhance God’s glory—it’s the most powerful, complete thing in the universe. Instead, we express our gratitude for all that God has given us by showing his glory.

You show his glory each time you fulfill one of the five purposes he assigned you: worship, unselfish fellowship, spiritual maturity, your ministry, and your mission.

Purpose #1: Worship (Week 2)

Your first purpose is worship—bringing pleasure to God. Worship doesn’t only happen when you’re in church. It’s a lifestyle that centers on making God happy.

What Makes True Worship?

Before thinking about ways that you might worship God, ensure that the acts you engage in are true worship. True worship has four elements:

1) Accuracy: Be sure you’re not worshipping an image of God that you came up with yourself—in that case, you’re worshipping your own imagination or opinion. Instead, worship whom you know God to be by the truths outlined in Scripture. For example, “I think of God as someone who’d be understanding about some sins,” is false worship. On the other hand, “I worship God, who is just,” is true worship.

2) Authenticity: Worship that’s emotionless or insincere doesn’t please God. He wants you to express your worship with passion and authenticity. Many people think they should engage in traditional worship, but this leads to many believers just going through the motions. Instead, show your love for God in a way that feels good to you—the Bible suggests varied forms of worship including song, dance, confession, playing instruments, and shouting.

3) Thoughtfulness: Engage your mind meaningfully with your worship by looking for new and interesting ways to praise God such as:

• Reading different translations of the Bible, or finding synonyms for overused words.
• Being specific with your praises, instead of generalizing your thanks. For example, “I thank you for the interesting conversation I had with my neighbor today.”

4) Presence: As long as you’re living on earth, your spirit and body can only be in one place at once. God wants you to plan around and show up physically for worship instead of sticking to your own schedule and using an easy cop-out such as, “I’ll be there in spirit!”

Five Everyday Acts of Worship

There are five acts of worship that—when practiced genuinely—make God happy.

Act #1: Love Him Absolutely

God’s greatest desire is for you to love him in the same way that he loves you. You should think of him as your closest, most loyal friend—you’re in regular contact, know all about one another, and trust him completely.

• To deepen your friendship with God, include him in everything you do by having ongoing conversations with him in...

The Purpose Driven Life Summary Week 1—Introduction: The Meaning of Your Life

At some point in your life, you’ve likely asked yourself the same questions that people have been asking themselves for centuries: “Why am I here?” “What’s the meaning of life?” “What’s my purpose?” From a Christian perspective, the answer is at once simple and complex: God put you here to fulfill the purposes he’s planned for you.

Where to Find Your Purpose

There are two routes you can take toward figuring out your purposes.

Route #1: Guessing

People have taken this route for centuries, musing about the meaning of life, questioning their origins, and wondering what they should do with their time on earth.

You’ve probably taken this route, too. You look inward for answers about your purpose, asking yourself questions like:

• “Why am I here?”
• “What should I do with my life?”
• “Am I going to make an impact on the world?”

You’ve likely come up with a few ideas about what life is all about, such as personal fulfillment, seeking happiness or truth, career ambitions, or family. As a Christian, you assume that God is meant to help you fulfill these personal purposes. This inward-looking route will never provide you with clear answers—all you can do...

Shortform Exercise: Think About What’s Driving Your Life

If your life feels as if it lacks meaning or direction, it could be that you’re being driven by the wrong motivations.

What are some indicators that tell you that your life isn’t being driven by the right motivators? (For example, “I always feel tense, as if there’s something I should be doing, but I don’t know what it is.”)

The Purpose Driven Life Summary Week 2—Purpose #1: Worship

The second week of your journey brings you to your first purpose—worship, or bringing pleasure to God. Like most people, you probably think that worship is going to church, praying, singing, and so on. While these are acts of worship, that’s not all that worship is. Worship is a lifestyle that centers on making God happy. It shouldn’t happen only when you’re in church or praying—the Bible instructs us to worship God continually.

Before discussing how to make worship a continual facet of your life, it’s important to understand what separates true worship from false worship.

The Elements of True Worship

Worship doesn’t depend on who you’re with, what time it is, or where you are—it depends on your engagement with the words you’re saying and your intention to bring pleasure to God. If you’re just going through worship rituals because you feel you “should” or because it’s “tradition,” your worship won’t please God. True, pleasing worship has four elements:

1) Accuracy

Be sure you’re not worshipping an image of God that you came up with in your mind. In that case, you’re worshipping your own imagination or opinion. Instead, worship whom you...

Shortform Exercise: Deepen Your Friendship With God

God’s greatest desire is that you become close to him as you would a trusted friend—make sure you’re dedicating time to deepening that relationship.

What is an everyday event that you could make into an act of worship by including God? (For example, you might discuss the upcoming day with him over your morning coffee, or unpack your day with him on your drive home after work.)

The Purpose Driven Life Summary Week 3—Purpose #2.1: Unselfish Fellowship

In the third week of your journey, we’ll discuss the second purpose of your life—unselfishly loving fellow members of God’s family. God created us to be part of a family that dedicates itself to loving and honoring him. As a believer, you’re not only his child but a sibling to all other past, present, and future believers.

There are wonderful benefits to being part of this spiritual family. First, it’s everlasting—having a family on earth is amazing in its own way, but it only lasts as long as your lifetime. On the other hand, your spiritual family not only lasts through this life but also in eternity where you’ll enjoy God’s blessings and rewards together. Second, your spiritual family will never abandon you or stop loving you—you’ll always feel loved and secure in this family.

Becoming part of God’s family involves taking both a spiritual step and a physical step.

• Spiritual: The basic part of being part of a family of believers is believing. If you believe and accept Jesus, you already have this part achieved.
• Physical: Being part of the family is more than belonging._ You must demonstrate your pride in your family by publicly identifying...

The Purpose Driven Life Summary Week 3—Purpose #2.2: Build and Maintain Fellowship

It takes a lot of work to build a healthy, loving fellowship, but God reveals how to do so through his Word. Everyone’s fellowship community will look a little different, but they should have the same basic elements.

A Fellowship Community’s Five Essential Elements

The Bible outlines five elements that every healthy fellowship community needs:

Element #1: Honesty

In a healthy fellowship, members speak to one another directly but lovingly, as they would a member of their family, and tell the truth, even if it’s not the easiest thing to hear. Instead of turning away from conflict, they turn toward it—speaking with honesty to address problems, hold one another accountable, or correct one another’s actions.

This type of honesty allows group members to work through issues instead of hiding them or diminishing them—actions that create underlying frustration or hurt in the group, eventually causing it to crumble.

• For example, a group member might leave because she found out that everyone was talking about her behavior instead of confronting her. Or, someone might leave because everyone ignored her issue, making her feel alone and resentful.

...

Shortform Exercise: Check Your Commitment to Your Church

You build meaningful relationships with the members of your spiritual family when you’re a member of your church, not a spectator.

Would you consider yourself a member or spectator at your church? Explain why. (For example, you consider yourself a spectator because you regularly go to church and attend the after-service coffee hour, but you don’t interact with your church during the week,)

Shortform Exercise: Reflect on the Experiences of Your Fellowship

When your fellowship is genuine, you’ll receive the four vital experiences of mutuality, authenticity, sympathy, and forgiveness.

Describe your experience with mutuality in your fellowship. (For example, your group came together to help another member when they were ill. Months later, she made sure your physical needs were covered in the aftermath of a family death.)

The Purpose Driven Life Summary Week 4—Purpose #3: Spiritual Maturity

In this fourth week of your journey, we’ll discuss your third purpose, becoming more like God’s Son Jesus. This might sound like an ambitious goal, but remember that you were made in God’s likeness, just like Jesus was. You can see evidence of this in several ways:

• Your spirit is immortal.
• You have intellect—the ability to think and reason.
• You can love and be loved.
• You have a sense of right and wrong.

You become more like God and Jesus when you take on their same values and character in your own life. This doesn’t mean you’ll give up who you are to be just like Jesus—after all, God gave you a unique personality that he wants you to use. Rather than changing your personality, you’ll be changing your character to become more Christlike through character development.

Your character already exists inside you but isn’t shaped in any particular way. Throughout your life, God will put new challenges in your way that will help you put the pieces of your character together—ultimately, his goal is that you’ll arrive in heaven with a character as close to Jesus’s as possible.

The Choice to Grow Spiritually

It’s not possible to become more like...

Shortform Exercise: Recognize the Holy Spirit’s Power in Your Life

The Holy Spirit’s power doesn’t come to you in grand moments—it appears in small moments where you choose the right thing to do.

Describe a situation in which you felt weak or afraid, and doing the right thing felt impossible. (For example, you struggle with a gambling addiction. When you got your last paycheck, the temptation to spend it on the slots made you feel powerless.)

The Purpose Driven Life Summary Week 5—Purpose #4.1: Your Ministry

In this week of your journey, we’ll discuss how God didn’t put you on earth just to live for yourself. He wants you to serve others—this is called ministry, the fourth purpose for your life. According to the Bible, all Christians are called to ministry—you answer this call by using your God-given gifts to serve others, thereby doing what God made you to do and bringing him glory.

• An important aspect of ministry is that it’s the real-life way you practice Christianity and the lessons of God’s Word—while studying helps you know his Word, practicing allows you to internalize it.

Think About Your Unique SHAPE

The way God planned for you to serve others is uniquely yours. It may not be obvious to you what this unique ministry is yet. This is normal; many people aren’t sure what they’re good at or haven’t yet tried out the type of service that feels right.

You discover the ministry you were made to perform through self-examination—thinking about what service you’re cut out for—and trial and error—trying out different types of service until you find the right fit.

• In thinking about your particular ministry, you want to be sure that you’re examining...

Shortform Exercise: Think About Your SHAPE

The best ministry uses your abilities and spiritual gifts in a way that aligns with your heart and personality and is supported by your experiences.

List your abilities and gifts, remembering that no ability is insignificant. (For example, you might be good at cooking, public speaking, letter-writing, and sewing.)

The Purpose Driven Life Summary Week 5—Purpose #4.2: Develop Your Servant’s Heart

Knowing your unique ministry is the first vital part of serving others—the second vital part is developing your servant’s heart. Your ministry must be accompanied by your servant’s heart for two reasons:

1. It prevents you from feeling tempted to use your abilities and gifts for your personal benefit rather than for service.
2. It will urge you to answer God’s call to service even when the call is for something you’re not particularly gifted at. While your main focus is your unique ministry, your second focus is any call to service. Someone without a servant’s heart only responds to calls for their main ministry, and selfishly ignores God’s calls for other types of service.

A servant’s heart is made up of who you are and how you feel—a combination of character and attitude that lend themselves to serving others.

The Five Characteristics of a Servant’s Heart

Anyone can perform acts of service in their church, but not everyone is doing it for the right reason—rather than these acts coming from their heart, they come from a need to be recognized or the desire to be liked. A true servant has a strong, developed character of servitude. There are five...

The Purpose Driven Life Summary Week 6—Purpose #5: Your Mission

Whereas your ministry is your service to other believers, your mission—your responsibility to go out into the world as a witness and messenger of God’s glory—is your service to unbelievers. In this last week of your journey, we’ll discuss how your mission is some of your most important work for a number of reasons:

• It’s a continuation of Jesus’s work. Like Jesus, you’re responsible for reaching out to unbelievers around you and helping them find the path toward God. This work is a great privilege because you’re working alongside God on the project of his kingdom.
• The message you share is an invaluable gift. Recall how meaningless or hopeless you felt before you discovered God and your purposes—many unbelievers are wrestling with these feelings, but you can show them the hope and meaning they’re looking for by telling them about God and the promise of eternal life. And, when someone turns toward God and their purposes, they turn away from Satan’s power and are saved from it.
• You may be the only person who can reach a particular unbeliever. Due to your proximity, your experiences, or your particular knowledge or skills, you may be the only one...

Shortform Exercise: Rethink Your Excuses

God wants you to spread word of his glory as far as you can. Today, this is more possible than ever—as long as you have your mental barriers out of the way.

What is your excuse for not completing your mission of representing Christianity around the world? (For example, you might think you’re too old or are afraid of leaving the country alone.)

The Purpose Driven Life Summary Conclusion: Putting All Your Purposes Together

Your five purposes are lifelong work, and at times it will feel easier than other times. There are three major ways to keep yourself on track as you move forward: looking out for traps, regularly checking in on your balance, and preparing a purpose statement.

Look Out for Traps

Throughout your life, you’ll repeatedly be confronted with two traps that distract you from doing God’s work: envy and approval-seeking. We’ll discuss what each of these traps looks like and how to overcome them so that you can easily move past them and stay on track with your purposes.

The Envy Trap

It’s normal to be interested in what other people are doing, and the different skills, personalities, or gifts they have. God likes it when we celebrate and study the diversity he created.

However, if your interest turns into envy—that is, you begin to resent ways in which you weren’t made like others, or compare your unique work to that of others—you lose sight of the meaning and purpose of your life.

How Envy Hurts You

You’ll want to notice and shut down your envy as soon as possible because it’s destructive and distracting in four ways.

1. **Envy is an insult to...

Shortform Exercise: Reflect on Your Purpose Statement

Create a written purpose statement that you can easily refer to when you feel that your purposes aren’t at the center of your life.

What are your indicators that God isn’t at the center of your life? (For example, you notice that you start to feel anxious about what other people think about you, or feel inexplicably restless.)