What Does It Mean to Throw Away Your Life? - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - May 9, 2025
What Does It Mean to Throw Away Your Life?
By Rick Warren
“Give yourselves to God . . . and surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.” Romans 6:13 (GNT)
Surrendering to Jesus means laying down every area of your life. God wants you to learn to be a giver in life, not a taker.
Jesus said, “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35 TLB).
What does it mean to “throw away” your life? It means you submit yourself to God for his purposes. Romans 6:13 says, “Give yourselves to God . . . and surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes” (GNT).
What happens when you do this? What happens when you say, “Okay, God, I’m not going to live for me. I’m going to live for you and for other people. I’m going to learn to lay down my life. I’m going to learn to lay down my plans”?
Here’s what the Bible promises: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33 NLT).
How do you “seek the Kingdom of God above all else”? You care about the things God cares about. What does he care about most? People. God doesn’t care about money. God doesn’t care about fame. God doesn’t care about a lot of things we care about.
When you surrender your life to God and prioritize the things he prioritizes, he will take care of all your needs.
So live a life of purpose. Be driven by God’s priorities—his kingdom! You’ll get the adventure of a lifetime!
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!

Your Gift Brings Hope to the World
Have Your Gift DOUBLED—and Request This Special Resource!
Thank you for your gift below, which will be doubled by a $50,000 Matching Grant to reach more people with the truth of the gospel.
As thanks for your gift, we’ll send you Pastor Rick’s "Transformed" Bible Study, which shows you how to make the rest of your life the best of your life.
Request yours below when you have your gift doubled—and thank you for your partnership!
*Video is available in DVD or streaming formats. The workbook will be mailed to you.
*All gifts will be doubled up to the full amount of the grant. Thank you for your generous support!
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.