← Joel Osteen Podcast
Joel Osteen Podcast
Make Every Day A Masterpiece | Joel Osteen
00:31:00
Every day is a gift from God. When you take time to appreciate the small blessings of each day, your life will be filled with greater peace and joy.
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Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoyed today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. Well, God bless you always our joy to come into your home. We love you. We know God has great things in store for each one of you and if you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and be a part of one of our services. We give you a personal invitation. I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. But thanks for tuning in today. I'd like to get started with something funny. Each week I heard about this kindergarten teacher. She wanted to teach her students about self esteem. She said to her class, everyone who thinks you are dumb, please stand up. She didn't think anybody would stand. She'd make the point how no one was dumb but about that time little Johnny stood up, she didn't quite know what to do. She said, now, Joni, do you really think that you're dumb? He said, no, ma'am. I just hate to see you standing there all by yourself. All right, hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus name. God bless you. I want to talk to you about making every day a masterpiece. We have to realize each day is a gift from God. Once we live this day, we can never get it back. We shouldn't live it in a hurry, rushing around, stressed out, taking things for granted. If we're not careful, we'll look up and the day has gone by in a blur. We can't say we enjoyed it. We can't say we lived it to the full. It just blew by. We have to slow down and learn to appreciate what God has given us. When you get up in the morning, don't just start out 90 to nothing. Listen to the birds singing. Pause a few minutes to watch the sun coming over the horizon. When you hear the little footsteps of your children coming down the stairs, take that in. Let it bring a smile to your face. We can't get so busy and so preoccupied in our minds that we're missing out on these special moments. It's the little things that make every day a masterpiece. So many people today don't live in the present moment. They either live in the past or they live in the future. They're so focused on their regrets, what didn't work out and who hurt them, they don't really appreciate the gift of today. We have to let each day be a new beginning. You may have had disappointments in your past life, may not have treated you fair, but the good news is yesterday ended last night. This is a new day, and God has new things in store for you. But if our mind is in yesterday, we will never enjoy this day like we should, even with our accomplishments. You may have had some great things happen last week or last year. You had some major victories, and that's great. We celebrate with you. But even then, it's important to not stay focused on our past victories. We have to get our mind off of yesterday and learn to live in the present moment if we're going to enjoy the gift of today I heard this famous basketball coach after his team just won an important victory. They were in the playoffs and they had to play. A couple of days later, they were all celebrating the win. It was around 4 in the afternoon. He told his team, I'm so proud of you. I want you to really enjoy this victory. I want you to take in Every moment until 10:00 tonight. After that, I don't want to hear another word about it. He knew if their mind was in yesterday, even when it's a good thing, going to steal the new victories God has in store. Live in this moment. It says in Ecclesiastes, give yourself to what you're doing. That means don't live in yesterday and don't live in tomorrow. Focus on right now. I know sometimes I can get up in the morning, brush my teeth, take a shower, get dressed, and I can't remember one thing that I've just done because my mind is somewhere else. My mind is in the future. Victoria can come in, my children come by. I might acknowledge them, but my focus is not there. I'm living four hours ahead, thinking about what I've got to do. And of course it's good to plan, it's good to have goals. But if you're going to get the most out of each day, you have to stay in the now. You have to be where you are. That's one thing about little children. They live in the present. When they have a disappointment, most of the time they get over it in five minutes. They don't hold grudges, they don't worry about the future. They're just happy. Life is good. I believe we'd enjoy our lives a lot more if we'd do the same thing. But too often, if we're not in the past, we're in the future. It may not be planning, but worrying, trying to figure everything out. But as long as we worry, it steals the joy for today. Worry does not accomplish anything positive. If you let your mind go constantly thinking about how's this going to turn out? What if this problem doesn't work out? What if this pain is something serious that's doing two things. It's stealing the joy for right now, and it's not allowing God to work in your life. God works where there's faith. Faith is simply trusting. In other words, God. I may not see how it's going to work out, but I know you're in control. I know you've got me in the palm of your hand. So instead of worrying, I'm Going to turn it over to you and believe that it's going to all work out for my good. Most of the things we worry about never come to pass. I wish I could have back all the days and even weeks I spent worrying and wondering. I've learned now God is in control. Do your best and just turn it over to Him. In fact, the scripture says, don't worry about tomorrow. It'll take care of itself. I like what Mark Twain said, I've been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened. Now, how many times have we wasted valuable days or weeks wondering about something that never came about? Our attitude should be, this day is a gift. I'm not going to worry about tomorrow. It may not come. I'm not going to focus on yesterday. That ended last night. This is a new day and I'm going to make the most of it. I'm going to stay in the present. There's power in staying in the moment. We are not supposed to rush through part of our day to try to get to the next part. Let me hurry and cook dinner so I can go relax. Let me hurry and put these children to bed so I can go watch television. No, we're supposed to enjoy every part of our day. Now. I know too many people that live for 5 o'clock rush through the day so they can get finished with their work and get home. We're supposed to enjoy our work, enjoy cooking dinner, enjoy raising your children. It's all in how we've trained ourselves. We have these mindsets. These are the things I enjoy. These are the things I dread. I dread paying my bills. I dread going to the grocery store. I dread driving in the traffic. If you will see those things in a new light, you can begin to enjoy them. I know I used to kind of dread Thursdays. That's when I would prepare my sermons. I think, oh, man, Thursday's here. I've got to come up with a new message and it's going to be hard. I got to where I was already planning to not enjoy it. One day it dawned on me. I am not supposed to rush through Thursday to try to get to Friday. And I changed my approach. I started reminding myself, this day is a gift. I'm not always going to be here. So whatever I do today, I'm going to enjoy it. It's a decision we have to make to enjoy every part of our life. Not just the vacations, not just when it's exciting, not just when we don't have any problems. No, I'M going to enjoy the drive to work today. I'm going to enjoy getting my children dressed for school. I'm going to enjoy mowing the lawn. It's all in our attitude. You can complain about it, thinking, man, I don't want to mow this lawn. It's so hot outside. That's all I ever do is work. Or you can turn it around and say, father, thank you that I'm alive. Thank you that I'm healthy. Thank you that my legs work. Thank you that I'm strong. Thank you for the gift of today. It totally changes your perspective. Don't see it as something you have to do, see it as something get to do. After all, this day is a gift. We're not going to be here forever. We have a certain amount of allotted days and then our time's up. You can complain for the next 20 years about having to go to work, or you can turn it around and say, father, thank you for this job, thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for my gifts and talents. It's all in our approach. I know a man that complained year after year driving in the traffic. It took him an hour one way to get to work each day. And he would get so stressed and so frustrated. But one day he had an accident and almost lost his life. He was in the hospital several months, and it's amazing how that changed his attitude. He said, now, Joel, I treasure every moment sitting in the traffic. I wave at total strangers, smile at everyone, practically blow them kisses. What happened? He realized, every day, indeed is a gift from God. We have no guarantee that we're going to be here tomorrow. I hope we are, but life is fragile. It says in James, we're like a vapor. We're here one moment and then we're gone. We should live every day like it could be our last. Don't put off enjoying your life. The sad thing is, if you don't enjoy it today, you may not be here tomorrow to enjoy it. I know too many people that are going to enjoy their life someday. When they get out of college, when they get married, when they pay their house off, when they retire. No. Make a decision that you're going to enjoy your life right where you are. Make this day a masterpiece. Find the good in every situation. It's like that lady heard about. She asked her husband, honey, what is it about me that you love the most? Is it my natural beauty, my incredible figure, or my vivacious personality? He said, what I love about you the most is your unlimited imagination. Find something to Be grateful for. I talked to a man last week. He had a sister that was mentally challenged. She couldn't talk or walk or feed herself. She needed constant care growing up. He and his other family members helped take care of her. And he told how she had certain cries that they could understand. That's how she communicated with them. There was a cry for when she was hungry, a cry for when she wanted to get out of bed, a cry for when she wanted to go back to sleep. But he said the most difficult cry was the cry for when she had an itch. You see, she couldn't tell them where that itch was. So when they heard that particular cry, they'd have to go all over her body, scratching and scratching, trying to alleviate that itch. And he said that taught me to appreciate the simple things in life that so many of us take for granted. Just being able to scratch your own itch, no big deal. But really, it is a big deal. It's a big deal that we tell our arms to work and they work. It's a big deal that we open our eyes and we see without even thinking about it. The next time you're tempted to get up in the morning and think about your problems and how you don't want to go to work and how life's not been fair to you, why don't you turn it around and thank God that you're able to scratch your own itch? Why don't you thank God that when you got up, you didn't have any problem breathing today? Why don't you look out the window and appreciate the simple things? The birds singing, the sun rising, the flowers blooming. Discipline yourself to find something to be grateful for instead of getting stressed out when you hear your child say, mom, I can't find my tennis shoes under your breath. Thank you, Father, for my children. Thank you for those gifts in my life. Driving down the freeway, instead of focusing on the traffic, why don't you look out at the beauty of God's creation? Look at the trees, the sky, the mountains. If you're in Houston, you've got to do it by faith. Think about the fact that you have a car, you're able to drive. You're going to work. Slow down and enjoy what God's put in your life. Our attitude should be, I recognize this day is a gift. The fact that I'm alive and breathing is not an ordinary thing. The Creator of the universe has allowed me to be here, and I'm not going to live this day. Negative, offended, angry, upset, I'm going to live it like it could be my last. I'm going to go out and be my best. I'm going to enjoy the people around me. I'm going to see the good in every situation. I read about this man that was diagnosed with a terminal illness. The doctors gave him a year to live and this totally changed his priorities. He hadn't seen some of his family in years. He took time off and went and visited them. He started getting up in the morning and going out and looking at the sunrise. In the evening. He'd take long walks with his wife. He began getting home from work earlier to spend more time with his children. He didn't get upset as easily. Things didn't bother him like they used to. He lived one day at a time, not regretting the past and not dreading the future. He. He lived in the present moment, appreciating each day. Six months later, he went back for a checkup and the doctors were pleasantly surprised. They told him he had been misdiagnosed. He didn't have a terminal illness after all. He had some kind of infection that was easily treatable. He was going to be just fine. He said later that misdiagnosis was the best thing that ever happened to him. It made him appreciate what he had. It changed his perspective. Too often we don't realize what we have until it's almost taken away. We don't realize what a gift each day is until we come face to face with the fact that we may not have many more of them left. And that misdiagnosis was a wake up call. A lot of times we think we're invincible. We're going to be here forever. But that's just not true. Life is fleeting. Don't take things for granted. Make the most of this day. I heard a song by a country artist. It was called live like you were dying. What a powerful thought. I wonder what kind of changes we would make if we knew we only had a year to live. No doubt we would be more loving, more kind, more generous, more compassionate. We probably wouldn't get upset as easily. We would take time for what's really important. Our family, our friends, our loved ones. We would go on that special date that we promised our little daughter. We wouldn't be too busy to be at our little boys little league games. We would take five minutes and write that heartfelt letter that we'd been meaning to. Why don't we make these changes today? The psalmist said in Psalm 90, verse 12, Teach me to number my Days, he was saying, God, I recognize I'm not going to be here forever. Help me to not waste a day of my life complaining, discouraged, worrying, regretting. God, teach me to number my days. See, life has a way of pushing us down. It's easy to get up in the morning and think, I don't want to go to work. I can't stand the traffic, and my spouse aggravates me. And how come I haven't gotten any good breaks? No, life's too short to live it that way. We need to say with the psalmist, God, teach me to number my days. Help me to really recognize this day is a gift. I have no guarantee of tomorrow. Help me to live like I was dying every day. You should tell the people in your life how much you love them every day. Hug your children, look them in the eyes, and tell them how glad you are to have them in your life. Don't ever rush out of the house without kissing your spouse goodbye. Tell that man, that woman, how much they mean to you. Oh, you say, joel, my wife knows how much I love her. I told her when we got married 25 years ago. No, she needs to hear it again and again and again. If you don't tell her, I love you, somebody else probably will. Like this guy I heard about. He hadn't kissed his wife in 50 years, but he shot another man because he did. Don't take the people in your life for granted. Let's learn to give flowers while people are still living. Give compliments while they can still hear you. It's interesting. When we go to a funeral, we see all the beautiful flowers, and people say all kinds of good things about that person. And that's great, that's kind and respectful. But do me a big favor. Give me my flowers while I'm still here. When I get to heaven, I'm probably not going to enjoy them. And another thing, if you have something good to say about me, don't wait till I'm gone. I want to hear it now. Your family, your friends are the exact same way. They want your love now. They want those compliments now. Take time for the people in your life. It's easy to get so busy and so caught up in our hectic society that we get our priorities out of order. We have to realize we're not always going to be here. And sometimes we let the smallest things come between us. We get offended and upset, and now we're not talking to each other. What we're really doing is wasting valuable days. Well, Joel, my Husband, he just aggravates me. He gets on my nerves. Or she knows just the right buttons to push. Why don't you be the bigger person and turn those buttons off? Don't let petty things come between you. I know too many people. They won't speak to their parents. They're at odds with another family member. They got this big feud going on. They're not going to give in. It was their fault. They started it. Maybe that's true, but why don't you swallow your pride and make things right? After all, you don't know how long you're going to be here. Do you know how many people live in regrets? I hear it all the time. If I only had one more chance. If I could only tell them how much they really meant to me. Don't let that be you. I heard about this daughter. She got at odds with her father. It had to do over the young men she was dating. The father didn't think it was the best. This young lady just gave the dad the cold shoulder for several years. She wouldn't have anything to do with him. The dad tried to reach out and be loving and kind, but this young lady was just set in her ways. She was bitter and angry over it, and she just totally ignored him. One day she got a call that her father had a heart attack and was on the way to the hospital. Man, that changed everything. All the barriers came down. She rushed up there as fast as she could. And this dad was a young man. He was in his early 50s. There in the emergency room, he asked for a piece of paper and a pen. In between, when they were working on them, he was able to write a note. Two hours later, before the young lady could get there, he went to be with the Lord. He died. And when she came in, the doctors had to give her the bad news. And of course she was devastated. It's hard enough to lose a loved one. But she was just overcome with guilt. She thought, how am I going to be able to live with myself knowing that I never made peace with my father? The nurse came in and said, this note was in your dad's hand. It was addressed to her. She opened it up, it said, dear so and so. I love you. I forgive you. Please forgive me. Today she carries that note with her everywhere she goes. Let me ask you, are you at odds with someone? How are you going to feel if they're taken away? Without you being able to make things, we may not have a chance like this. Young lady, don't let things keep you Apart, you may not be able to be best friends, but certainly you can be at peace with each other. You can be kind and respectful. And it may be hard, it may be unfair, but sometimes we have to be the bigger person just for the sake of peace. I don't want you to live with the regrets. I don't want you to have to carry around that heavy load of guilt. We have to number our days. I know when my father went to be with the Lord, one thing that made it easier was I knew how much my dad loved me. And he knew how much I loved him. We were at peace. We gave flowers while we were still living. Daddy was on dialysis toward the end of his life. He called me early one morning around 4:00, and he told me he couldn't sleep well. And he asked me if I'd take him up to the clinic so he could have dialysis. And so I swung by and took him to the clinic. And normally after he gets hooked up, I would come back home, take a shower and get ready for the day, because he'd be there for three or four hours. But this day I felt like I should stay there with him. Just something down in here. And so I ran to the little grocery store and got some breakfast for us, came back and sat with him. And hour after hour we ate and laughed and just enjoyed each other's company. And as I was taking him home later that morning, just as I was about to leave his house, he called me back in the kitchen and he gave me a big hug. He said, joel, you're the best son a father could ever hope to have. And I left that day feeling satisfied. Just felt right down in here. Those were the last words I would ever hear my father speak to me. He went to be with the Lord later that evening. And although it was difficult, I just felt an incredible peace on the inside. I had no regrets. Nothing I wished I'd said, nothing I wished I'd done. Now I hope you can say the same thing about the people in your life. If one of them were taken away, do they know how much you appreciate them? Have you called them lately? Have you gone out of your way? Express your love. Some of you are at odds with people that's taking a huge risk. You don't know how long they're going to be here or how long you're going to be here. It's a heavy load to carry around that guilt. Why don't you make things right? Why don't you live this day like it could Be your last. When we have these opportunities to be offended, to get upset, to live stressed out, we need to ask ourselves, in the big picture, is it really worth it? A year from now, is it even going to matter that somebody was a little rude to me or that I got delayed in traffic or that I can't find my car keys? In the big scope of things, that's not worth losing our joy over. Keep it in the right perspective. Each day is a gift. When we allow ourselves to be offended and we go around upset, we are wasting our emotional energy. We only have a certain amount for each day. It takes a lot of energy to hold a grudge. Takes a lot of energy to live negative and bitter. You spend just 15 minutes in the morning being angry and upset, and that's emotional energy you won't have later on in the day for your family and friends. It's not an unlimited supply, and it's sad. But some people go year after year being offended, getting upset, holding a grudge. They don't realize that's taken something out of them. That emotional energy they're using to be bitter is the same emotional energy they need to be happy, to be loving, to be kind. It's not enough for both. When you say Joel, they were wrong. They hurt me. That may be true, but you need to forgive. Not just for their sake. Do it for your sake. Do it so it doesn't keep you from living your life to the full. It is impossible to get the most out of each day. If we're holding grudges, being easily offended, allowing ourselves to get upset, that's just not worth it in the big picture. Keep it in the right perspective. I heard about this college student. She wrote her appearance. A letter said, dear mom and dad, there was a riot at the school and from the smoke I inhaled, I developed a serious lung disease. At the hospital, I met a parking attendant and we fell in love. Our baby is on its way after he gets off of probation. A month from now, I'm planning to drop out of college and we're going to move to Alaska and live together. Signs your loving daughter at the bottom, There was a P.S. it said none of this happened, but I did fail chemistry. She wanted to make sure her parents saw that in the right perspective, that's the way we need to be. We get stuck in traffic, no big deal. I'm alive, I'm healthy. That's a small thing. We go through a disappointment, didn't get the promotion we wanted. Yes, that's true, but I've got beautiful children. I've got a family to love. I've got a roof over my head. I'm not going to let that sit. Too often. We let things that don't matter keep us from enjoying the day. Think about it like this. If you knew you only had a month to live, how upset would you get when you got stuck in traffic? Would you really argue with your spouse if you knew you weren't going to be here a month from now? Would you be stressed because you didn't get everything done at the office? Probably not. Keep it in the right perspective. Friends, life is fragile. Every day is a gift. Slow down and appreciate what God has given you. Be thankful for even the simple things being able to scratch our own itch. Don't take that for granted every day. Hug your children. Take time for the people you love. Don't live in yesterday. Don't live in tomorrow. Enjoy this moment. If you'll live each day like it could be your last, you won't have any ordinary days. Every day will be special. When you go to sleep at night, you will have no regrets. You'll lie down in peace knowing that you made that day a masterpiece. Do you receive it? I believe you do. We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible based church. Keep God first place. He's going to take you places that you've never dreamed of. When we face challenges, it's easy to feel like God has forgotten about us. We don't see anything happening and thoughts tell us it's not going to work out. But God is not called the great I was or the great I will be. He's called the great I Am in my new book. He is I Am. You'll discover that God is with you in every area of your life. I am is always in the present, not at a later time. God is working in your life right now. I am means I am your healer. I am your provider. I am your waymaker. Whether you're facing a challenge or pursuing your dreams, stay in faith. The great I Am is right there with you.
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As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount this month, we would like to send you a copy of Joel's book. He is, I Am. God is for you here and now. Are you in need of protection or provision. Today, Jesus assures us, I am the Good Shepherd. Does the path ahead seem uncertain or dark? Jesus declares I am the light of the world. Do you feel like your career calling or marriage is beyond hope? Jesus promises I am the resurrection and the life. With every I Am statement, you'll discover more about who God is and what he has made available for you not someday, but today. Request your copy today and watch God's promise come alive no matter what you face. He is here and now. Be sure to request your copy of He Is I Am God is for you here and now today. Visit jolostein.com or call 888-567 Joel.
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You're never alone. The great I Am is behind the scenes, making ways, opening doors, turning things in your favor. Victoria and I want you to know we love you and we pray for you every day. Thanks for your prayer and support of the ministry. Your generosity is making a difference in people's lives around the world. Special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for your monthly support. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. Remember, you can watch the services online every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, listen on SiriusXM, watch our YouTube channel and the new Joel Osteen Network streaming on television 24 hours a day. But until we see you next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you.
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Be sure to request your copy of He Is I Am God Is for you here and now today. Visit jolostein.com or call 888-567-JOEL for an additional donation. This month we are offering the I Am Collection. It includes a beautiful two piece Scripture wall art plus the He Is I I Am book Bundle. The stretched canvas elegantly features I Am and scripture reference John 14:6. You can request these unique resources by calling 888-567 Joel or logging on to jolostein.com today. Call or click anytime 24 hours a day. Yes, Be reminded that the power of I Am is for you each and every day. Foreign we're interrupting this podcast to ask you a very important question. Have you had your Hershey's? When you need to brighten up your day, put a smile on your face with the classic creamy texture and pure milk chocolate flavor of Hershey's Milk Chocolate. Whether you're eating it on the go, breaking off a few pieces for s'mores night, or just treating yourself to something sweet, Hershey's Milk Chocolate checks all the boxes. Shop for Hershey's Milk Chocolate now at a store near you found wherever candy is sold. Imagine what's possible in your business career when learning doesn't get in the way of life. At Capella University. Our game changing Flexpath learning format is available in select business programs and lets you learn at a time and pace that works for you. That means you don't have to put your life on hold while earning your business degree. Instead, enjoy learning your way and earn your degree without missing a beat. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more@capella.edu.
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Adidas, New Balance and more.
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Head to your DSW store or visit dsw. Com today.