The Life You've Always Wanted

by john Ortberg
Publisher Thorndike Press (large print) 2006
ISBN-13: 978-1-59415-083-8 / Christian Growth

The author asks, are you missing the life that you were appointed by God to live ? Are you having the life you always wanted or are you in need of a life that is worth living ? By giving God the best time of your life, you could have the life you have always wanted.

What is keeping you from growing closer to Christ and having a joyful life ? john Ortberg reveals the Christian life is about more than being forgiven and more than getting to heaven. The goal of this book is to help you grow spiritually and become much closer to God.

Ortberg shares many gems of wisdom mined from scripture, other Christian writings, stories his friends relate to him, and his own personal experiences. This author sometimes bends a few words or a phrase as a liberty of a writer to maintain the readers attention.

God’s purpose in guidance is not to get us to perform the right actions. His purpose is to help us become the right kind of people. Guidance only comes to those who have made the decision to be guided. Each of your thoughts will take you further from God or closer towards God. You have the choice of who will lead your thoughts and which direction you will travel. Knowing scripture is very good, however the knowing of the spirit frees us from the desire to sin.

You must arrange your life so that sin no longer looks good to you.

Ortberg likens the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly to the transformation by renewal of your mind. Understanding the difference between training and merely trying is the key to the transformation in every aspect of life. Spiritual growth is not a matter of trying harder, but of training wisely. This author uses the example of a marathon runner training consistently to strengthen his endurance for the long run. As we need to practice our spiritual disciplines consistently as exercises to strengthen our endurance for our life long run.

Ortberg refers to the story of Snow White; Each of us have tasted the forbidden fruit, We all have fallen under the curse. But the Prince comes to free us from the curse and when that happens; “Sleeper, awake rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” If you do not have God in the central role of your life, then you have refused to "let God be God"

The kind of servant hood Jesus calls us to; is helping others for our own sake. The true indicator of spiritual well-being is growth in the ability to love God and people. A act of service to another demonstrates that you value them. The Life you’ve always wanted is a life of humility.