Serve God by Serving Others - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - September 8, 2026

God wants you to serve him on earth. He didn’t put you here just to take up space, use resources, and die. He put you here to make the world a better place, to make a unique contribution, and to serve him with the shape that he gave you.

Nobody else can be you. If you don’t serve God the way he planned for you, then the world misses that part of the puzzle.

Another name for good works is “ministry.” Anytime you use your talents and abilities to help someone, you are ministering to them. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10 in The Living Bible paraphrase, “God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings.”

You know those talents that you may have been trying to use for your benefit? They’re actually not just for you. God gave you your talents and skills and abilities for the benefit of other people.

God wired the universe so that we would need each other. Nobody’s got it all together—but we don’t have to! We were created to depend on each other and benefit from each other’s gifts.

When you get to heaven, you’re going to serve God forever, so he wants you to practice now.

On earth it’s impossible to serve God directly. The only way you can serve God now is by serving other people. That means anytime you help someone, it’s like you’re doing it for him. You’re practicing on earth what you’re going to do in heaven.

Do you want to serve God well? Start practicing now by serving others.

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick

Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.

For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!

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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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