"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6 NIV)

We humans are great starters but often bad finishers. We leave unfinished symphonies, unfinished buildings, unfinished books, unfinished projects. We may not always finish what we start, but God always finishes what he starts.

God doesn't create a bird and give him half a wing. He didn't create an unfinished flower or an unfinished star. He puts the finishing touches on everything he does, and then he says, "It is good."

The Bible says when Jesus Christ starts working in your life, he will complete what he started, in spite of the hang-ups, faults, bad decisions, sins, and circumstances that we face. One day, when we get to Heaven, we're going to become just like Jesus, because we will see him as he is. And that's the goal.

In the meantime, if we want to enjoy the people in our lives, we need to be patient with their progress. We must allow for their growth and development. Paul could say, "I'm not the man I used to be, thank God. But also, thank God, I'm not the man I'm going to be. I'm growing and changing."

If you want to enjoy your marriage, you've got to learn to enjoy your husband or your wife right now while allowing for growth and development. Otherwise, by the time they meet your conditions, you will have still another condition for them to meet.

Parents, if you're going to learn to enjoy your kids, you've got to learn to enjoy them in the process while they're growing, because there is no such thing as a perfect kid.

And there's no such thing as a perfect adult. If you demand perfection of the people in your life in order to enjoy them, you're going to be miserable for the rest of your life. Nobody's perfect.

Talk About It

- To whom do you need to show grace today, understanding that God is still working in his or her life, in his own time and his own way?

- Knowing Christ will finish what he started in you, what role do you think he wants you to play in your progress? What steps do you need to take toward spiritual growth?

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller "The Purpose Driven Life." His book, "The Purpose Driven Church," was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.

This devotional © 2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

"Strengthen yourselves so that you will live here on earth doing what God wants, not the evil things people want." (1 Peter 4:2 NCV)

What are you doing to fortify your faith? Here are just a few things you could be doing:

Study the Bible. We need to make his Word a part of our lives. God's Word is inspired, and it will help you to be fully equipped to do everything he wants you to do.

Maintain a quiet time. How are you doing with your quiet time? For some of you, that's a guilt-inducing statement. I think that may be because you're trying to have a quiet time like someone taught you long ago, but the method you were taught doesn't fit the way God shaped you. What do you need to do to spend some daily time in God's Word?

Read Christian books. Do yourself a favor, and learn all you can. Keep feeding your soul with what other believers have to say. If all I do is study the Bible for myself and don't listen to what other believers have to say about it, I'm not gaining from the wisdom and experience of other believers. 

Keep your testimony fresh. What is God doing in your life? When was the last time you wrote out your testimony? If you write it out, God will give you the chance to share it. When you share your testimony with others, it fortifies your faith. 

Be faithful to a small group of believers. The Bible says we should "encourage one another and build each other up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11a NIV). We are in a marathon of faith, and we need to run together. We need the support and encouragement of other believers.

Talk About It

- What is your plan for regular Bible study?

- Talk with your small group, and make a list of great Christian books to read.

- Take time this week to write out your testimony. It doesn't have to be long. Share it with some Christian friends so they can help you focus what you're trying to say.

- Talk about ways to encourage each other in your small group.

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller "The Purpose Driven Life." His book, "The Purpose Driven Church," was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.

This devotional © 2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The LORD protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid." (Psalm 27:1 TEV)

The fear of rejection is based on two things. First, we all need to be loved. That's a fact. We all desperately need massive doses of love in our life to be healthy individuals. God says, "I want to love you." God is love, and he knows you need to be loved.

But, second, we develop the false idea that our need to be loved is solely dependent upon one person or a group of people. When you expect someone else to meet 100 percent of your need for love, you're asking for trouble. You're setting yourself up for hurt and opening the door for the fear of rejection. When you look to any other person besides God to meet all your love needs, he or she can't. There is no human being alive that can love you as completely and as fully as you need to be loved, and there never will be. Only God can do that.

So, the first step in overcoming the fear of rejection is to put God in first place, because he's the only one who can ultimately meet all your needs.

Does God ever love us through other people? Of course. Does God want us to love others? Yes. Does he want to use us as channels of love? Absolutely.

But, you will never have all your needs met by any person or group of people. God never meant it to be that way. They just don't have enough love. Human love is limited. God's love is unlimited and unconditional. No matter how deep your need is, he can fill it.

The first step in overcoming the fear of rejection is realizing the Lord, not anyone else, is your light and salvation: "The LORD is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The LORD protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid" (Psalm 27:1 TEV). This means I look to the Lord to brighten my day, so I am not dependent on others to make or break my day. I look to the Lord to save my life, so I am not dependent on others to accept or reject me.

And this means I need no longer be afraid.

The key to assertiveness is not to psych yourself up, not to be aggressive and live in a selfish way, but to understand how deeply God loves you. When that really sinks in, you'll be able to say, "God loves me, and if you don't like me, that's your problem!"

The secret of simplifying life is saying, "I'm going to do what pleases God. If I do that, it sure simplifies life. And, if I please God, it's always the right thing to do. It doesn't matter what anybody else thinks." 

Talk About It

- Whom have you been trying to please? What has been the result?

- What practical changes can you make to ensure you are doing what pleases God?

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller "The Purpose Driven Life." His book, "The Purpose Driven Church," was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.

This devotional © 2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.