Joel Osteen Podcast - Having the Attitude of a Servant | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: November 17, 2023

The key to living a fulfilled life is to look for opportunities to make a difference. When you make it a priority to meet the needs of others, God will always take care of meeting your needs.Your best days are still ahead, and together we can make a difference in this world with the message of God's hope and love. To give visit JoelOsteen.com/GiveHope.From challenge to victory, from heartache to hope, from frustration to favor—it’s only a prayer away. Kick-start your prayer life this November with Praying With Confidence: Guided Prayers for Life's Moments.  Request your copy now and carry inspiration wherever you go https://bit.ly/40sQglR. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of the Joel Osteen Podcast ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks so much for listening to the podcast. Did you know you can watch our weekend services live online each week? Of course, we'd love to have you in person if you're ever in the Houston area, but the next best thing is our online services. Thanks for downloading the podcast today, and we hope you enjoy the message. God bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes. We love you. We come with good news. We believe today that you're going to be encouraged and inspired just to be all God's created you to be.

But thanks for tuning in. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and see us. We'll make you feel right at home. But again, it's good to have you today. You know, I like to start with something funny each week and see what you think of this one. A small child had a bad cough, so her parents took her to the emergency room.

A nurse, while examining the child's lung with a stethoscope, told the child, I have to see if Barney's in there. The little girl replied, I have Jesus in my heart, but Barney's on my underwear. All right, hold up your Bibles. Let's say it like we mean it. Ready? 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. I am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, ever-living seed of the Word of God. I'll never be the same. Never, never, never. I'll never be the same. in Jesus name. God bless you. I want to talk to you today about having an attitude of a servant and how we should be willing to get involved. Every day we should look for opportunities to do good. We should look for ways that we can make a difference. Who can I bless? Or where is there a need that I can meet? How can I serve you today? A lot of times we think, I don't want to serve anybody. I want somebody to serve me. I want somebody to meet my need, somebody to bless me. But really, that's the wrong attitude. Jesus said, I didn't come to be served. I came to serve. And here he was the greatest

leader of all time. Yet he humbled himself as a servant. And serving takes humility. It takes laying aside our plans sometimes. We've got to be willing to be inconvenience. It means we've got to be willing to go out of our way. Too many people today don't want to get involved. Their attitude is, don't bother me with your problems. Man, I got enough problems of my own. I can't give you a ride in the morning and I get up early enough already. No, it's that kind of selfish, self-centered attitude. That's why so many people are not happy today. And if you're only living for yourself and you don't have time for others, you're going to live a very unfulfilled life. You are not made to be ingross. own, you were made to be a giver. You were made to make a difference in somebody else's life.

And really, one of the main ways we serve God is by serving one another. One time the disciples were arguing about who was the greatest, who was the most important, who was going to have the top position? Jesus overheard them. And he said, listen, here's the key. If you want to be the greatest, you've got to learn to become the servant of all. In other words, you've got to have an attitude to help people. You've got to take time to listen to that friend that's down. You've got to go out of your way and get involved with that coworker that's struggling. Everywhere we go, we should be making a difference, even if it's just giving a smile, giving an encouraging word, somebody's car broke down, you give them 20 bucks to help them get on their way. But we need to look for opportunities to meet

needs around us. And the scripture says here in 1. John 317, if anyone sees his, brother in need and yet closes his heart of compassion, how can the love of God be in him? Notice, we all have a heart of compassion, but what's interesting is it can either be opened or it can be closed. And the sad thing today is many people have theirs closed. They're too busy to get involved. They don't take time to sow into other people's life. They see that friend that's struggling. He's down and discouraged, but they think, man, I don't want to go find out what's wrong. he may need to borrow some money. He may want to go to dinner and have to work.

I don't want to do that. What they've really just done is they've closed their heart of compassion. And then they wonder why they're not happy, why they're not fulfilled, why their problems aren't being solved. It's all because they become ingrown. And a selfish life is always going to be a miserable life.

If you have a problem today, one of the best things you can do is go out and help solve somebody else's problem. If you're lonely, don't sit around feeling sorry for yourself, go out and encourage somebody else this lonely. You've got to get your mind off of yourself. So that seed, then God can begin to change your situation. But I'm talking about a lifestyle of giving, a lifestyle of serving, being involved with one another. Some of you have more time than you do extra money. Well, give your time. Why don't you mentor a young man? Or go visit

the nursing homes. Or how about adopting a widow? You can call her, during the week. Send her notes. Or go pick her up and bring her to church with you. So into her life. You're not just doing a good deed. You are serving God by serving one another. I remember when Victoria and I first started dating,

Victoria would go pick up this older lady and bring her to church. She'd done this for a long time. They'd become good friends. Well, that was just a way that she could serve. And there are so many different areas we can get involved in. You can serve in our children's ministry, teaching our kids.

We're always looking for people. Or you can go visit the prisoners with our prison outreach. We have to go every day. Go once a month. Or how about coaching your child's little league team, making a difference in their lives? But when you see a need, learn to meet it. Maybe your child has a friend

that comes from a single parent family and you can see he's having trouble hitting the ball. Well, take him to the batting cages with your son. Or stay after practice and pitch to him for a half an hour or so. But what I'm saying is you've got an only, purpose get involved. Don't wait for somebody to ask you. Be on the offensive. We should get up every day and not try to figure out how we can get blessed. Let's figure out how we can be a blessing. Where is a need that I can meet? Or how can I make somebody else's life better today? Where can I

serve? See, be on the lookout and learn to keep your heart of compassion open. That's what real living is all about. And really, the closest thing to the heart of God is not how much we pray, how many times we come to church, and all that's great. But the closest thing to God's heart is helping hurting people. And all around us, probably every day, there's somebody that's been through a disappointment, somebody that's discouraged, somebody that's having marital problems, somebody that's struggling with an addiction. They need what only you can give. They need your healing touch. They need your ears to listen. They need your encouraging words. Somebody needs to know that you care. And the scripture talks about how in the last days, the great love of the body

of people will grow cold. And unfortunately, that's what seems to be happening today. We're all so busy. People are so driven for success. We're in such a hurry. We don't want to be inconvenienced. We don't want to have to go out of our way. We have to remember if we're not serving one another, we're really not serving God in the way he wants us to. And Jesus said, when you do it to the of one of these, it's just like you're doing it under me. You give somebody in need as little as a cup of cold water, just like you're giving it under God. Take time to care. Have the heart of a servant and be willing to get involved. Most of us know the story of the Good Samaritan. This man was out walking down the road and all of a sudden he was attacked and beaten by these robbers.

And they stole all of his money and just left him there to die. Well, in a little while, a priest came walking by. And when he saw the man lying there, he just moved over to the other side of the road. He didn't want to be inconvenienced. He didn't want to get his hands dirty. He was too proud. And so he just passed on by. And isn't it interesting? The first example Jesus used, as he told this story, was that of a religious person. And that tells me, just because I come to church, just because I sing the songs, doesn't mean that's my Christian duty and I'm done for the week. No, our real duty starts when we dismiss this service. Our real work should begin at the office, at the mall, at the ball field.

In our everyday lives, look for opportunities that you can make a difference. And when you see somebody that's hurting, don't be like this man. Don't be, quote, too religious to get your hands dirty. In other words, don't be too proud to help that young man that struggling with an addiction. don't be too judgmental to give that young lady that's pregnant and not yet married your time, your attention, your love. In a little while, another man came walking by. He was a Levite, but he did the same thing.

He just scooted over and passed on by. I don't know, maybe he was in a hurry. Maybe he had an important meeting to go to, but he too chose not to be involved. But this third man was different. I like him. He had his heart of compassion open. Bible says when he saw the man lying there, he went to him. Notice, he didn't wait for three people to ask. He didn't wait until they made an announcement at the office. He didn't wait until he read it in

the church bulletin. He was aggressive. He was on the lookout. He thought, here's a need. Here's somebody that's hurting. I'm going to make a difference. I'm going to serve God by serving my brother. And the fact is, if you study it, he didn't know the man. He didn't come from the same racial background. He didn't come from the same social background, but that didn't stop him. He thought this is my brother, and I'm going to do something about it. And we too need to quit qualifying what needs we're going to meet. A need is a need regardless of race, regardless of social background, regardless of if the people fit into our little group. You notice, he went to him. He bandaged him up and put him on his animal, took him up to the local inn, and he stayed with him until he got better.

And when he did have to leave, he paid the innkeeper extra money to keep him until he got well. And he said, by the way, if you got to keep him longer, go ahead and do it and just put it on my tab. And I'll make sure I pay you the next time I come through. That's somebody that has their heart of compassion open. That's somebody that's serving God by serving one another. You notice he was willing to get his hands dirty. He was willing to be inconvenienced. I'm sure he had to adjust his plans.

I don't know, maybe he lost some money. Maybe he missed out on a big sale. But it didn't matter to this man. He was more interested in helping hurting people than he was in keeping his plans. I believe what God is saying to us through this story is when you see somebody that's down, somebody that's hurting, somebody that's lonely, like this man, go to him. Let's not be like the first man, too proud, too religious. Well, I'm not going to help you.

You don't come from my same group. You don't live in my neighborhood. You don't believe what I believe. You're not of my same faith. Man, I'm not going there. No, that kind of selfish, arrogant attitude is going to keep us from God's best. Keep your heart of compassion open.

And when you see a need, don't wait, go to it. That's what I love about the people of Lakewood. You guys are such great givers. We get letters all the time from people telling us how much you've helped them, just bragging on all that you've done. And just the other day, I got a report from a single parent mom. She said, Joel, one of your members out of the clear blue just bought me a whole new set of living room furniture.

And she just wrote back to say, thank you. We never asked those people to do it. We didn't put it in the bulletin. They just did it unto God. They just did it because they saw a need and they went to it. They were willing to be involved. And if you hear about some kids that aren't sleeping on good beds or something, somebody that doesn't have air conditioning in this heat,

and you have the means to meet that need, God's bless you with that money, then you've got to step up to the plate. The Bible tells us to stir ourselves up under good works. And if we don't hear a message like this on a regular basis, it is so easy to get self-centered, me and my four and no more. But no, let me ask you today, what are you doing for somebody else?

Where are you making a difference? And I realize, as you give to the ministry here, in effect you are, because we touch people, but really I'm talking more specifically today about you personally. Who are you serving? Who are you impacting? Do you have your heart of compassion open? I had this other men tell me.

He was an older gentleman. How he was up at the pharmacy one night, wanting to pick up his prescription. But he thought the insurance would cover more of the cost, and he didn't have enough money. Well, there was this young man in line behind him that had just been out exercising in his tennis shoes and running clothes,

and he'd just come in there to get something to drink. But when he heard this older man's dilemma, he said, you stay right there. I'll be right back. That young man ran out, went down to his house, got his billfold, came all the way back and bought his prescription for him. And you're talking about making an impression on this man. Now this older gentleman was here at Lakewood in the front lobby. Never been here before, but he came all the way back just to tell that man, thank you. I said, well, what was his name? He said, his name was John. I said, well, we probably have a few hundred John's in our church.

But I promised him I would tell John, thank you. So whoever you are, thank you for keeping your heart of compassion open. Thank you for serving God by serving one another. Thank you for making a difference. Really, there's nothing like the joy in giving. There's nothing like the satisfaction you feel for meeting somebody else's needs. Remember one time I went to India with my father, and it was myself and Victoria and several of our family members. There was this

good Christian leader that we had supported for many, many years. We'd become good friends with he and his family. We really love and respect him. But he was so devoted to his ministry and so devoted to his work, he had never taken the time nor the money to get his own

family a decent place to live. They had always lived in this old, run-down, beat-up place that they had rented. And this really bothered my father. He loved this young man like a son, and he always wanted him to have something better. And so on this particular trip, my father

brought the money personally to buy him a new home. And of course, in India, it's not like it is here, but it was still a whole lot of money. And I'll never forget how Daddy did it. Instead of just having one check to give him, he divided it up so that each of us kids that were there could give the man

a check as well. Daddy wanted us personally to experience the joy in giving. And so one night after dinner, we went back to their little place and Daddy began to tell them how much we love. loved them and what we wanted to do for their family. And he explained how this money was for them personally to buy them a new house. And his wife and his kids were there and daddy handed them the check. And man, they couldn't believe it. They just wept and wept. They'd never seen money like

that, not for their own use. And then each of us kids, one by one, we went up and gave the man our check. And I'll never forget the impression that made on me, seeing the tears in his eyes, seeing his children weeping with joy, weeping with gratitude. All I could think about was scripture that says it is more blessed to give than it is to receive. And that night, I felt just an overwhelming sense of joy on the inside. And listen, I had bought a sports car a couple months earlier, and I was happy about that, but there was no comparison in the joy that I felt that day. You are never more like God than when you give. When you're meeting a need, when you're helping the hurting, when you're ministering to the lonely, there's a joy and a satisfaction like nothing else can

brain. And some of you today, no doubt, you're kind of like my parents. God's blessed you. You've got more than you could probably ever spend. Why don't you start investing it in others? Why don't you step out and do something out of the ordinary and maybe buy that single mom a new car? Why don't you pay the rent for that friend that's really hit some tough times? If you have the means to meet a need and you just close your heart of compassion and you kind of ignore it, really what you're doing is like those first two men, you're just passing by on the other side. of the street. No, do what you can. And I realize there's a balance. I'm not telling you to give everything away. That's not wisdom. But if I have five coats and I see my friend out here that's

cold, it's not right for me to hold on to everything that I have. And it's not right for me to say, well, brother, I'll pray for you. We'll believe you'll get one by next week. Man, I'm standing in faith. That's the biggest cop out we could ever use. The Bible says faith without actions backing it up is useless. If you want your faith to really work, do something good for somebody else. Me to need, make a difference. This is something that Victoria and I try to do as often as we can. And really, when you do something good, you shouldn't tell people about it. Keep quiet so you'll get your reward. But I'm going to share this example with you, just to make a point. I believe God knows my heart. But the other day, I was praying for this family down front. They just lost their mother. It was a very sad

situation. All these young kids just weeping and weeping. And I could tell they didn't have too much financially. And so when they went back to their seats, I asked Michelle, my assistant, if she would ask them about the funeral. She came back and said, sure enough, Joel, they don't have any money. They don't know what they're going to do. I said, Michelle, don't make a big deal about it, but tell them that it's taken care of. That's something I thought that Victoria and I can do. And sure, we have a big church. And the easy thing is to say, well, let's just let the church do it. But no, I don't want to miss out on the joy in giving. I don't want to be another minister that passes by down the side of the street. I want to keep my heart of compassion open. I want to be on the lookout for opportunities to do

good for people. As I said, you may not have a lot of extra money, but you can give your time. You can give somebody a ride. You can babysit someone's children. You've got to find a need and meet it. Serve God by serving one another. Too many people don't want to get involved. You may have remembered the story several years ago that happened in one of the major cities here in America. This man was going home to his apartment late at night, and he was attacked and robbed by this gang. And while it was happening, he was screaming out to the top of his lungs. Help me, help me, help me. And all these people in the high-rise buildings around him, they begin to open up their windows and come out on the balcony to watch what was going on. I mean, it created a big stir,

and it lasted like five or ten minutes. But do you know, not. one of those people did anything about it. Not one person came downstairs to help him. No one even bothered to call the police. They no doubt thought, man, we don't want to get involved. We've got enough problems. We may have to go give a police report. We may have to go to court and testify. We don't want to be inconvenienced. The amazing thing to me is nobody even bothered to pick up the phone and call an ambulance while the guy was lying down there. And he laid on the street for over one hour and ended up bleeding to death. They did an autopsy later, and the report said they could have easily spared his life.

If somebody would have just brought him to the hospital so they could have stopped the bleeding. Several months later, this report came out. It was in the paper, and 38 people admitted to having watched it take place. But unfortunately, they just chose to pass by the other side of the street. Friends, let's don't let that be you and I. I pray every day, God help me to not be so focused on myself, so focused on my needs that I don't see. the needs of those around me. God help me to stay sensitive. Help me to keep my heart of compassion

open. Thank God not everybody's like that. There's a lot of great people. I heard another story about this older African-American woman. She was stranded beside the side of a road in the middle of a driving rainstorm. She had run over something and blown out one of her tires. This was way back in the early 1960s. It was around 1130 at night. She was in a rural section of Alabama. All she could do was just go out and try to flag somebody over. And about that time, this young white man came driving by. He saw the lady out there soaking wet, so distraught, so upset, he decided to pull over and to help.

And this was almost unheard of, you know, in the conflict-ridden 60s. But this young man was so nice and kind and caring. He put the older woman in his own car, and in the midst of that driving rain, he got out and took her old tire off. They put it in the trunk and had to go into town. It took like three or four hours to get it fixed. The middle of the night, they brought it back to her car, still driving rain. Didn't matter.

He got out and put her new tire on. She was ready to go. She tried and tried to pay him many, many times, but he wouldn't take anything. And finally, just as he was about to leave, she said, at least let me get an address so I can send you a thank you note. And he kind of reluctantly agreed. Well, several days later, there was a knock on this young man's door. And much to his surprise, they were delivering a large color TV set.

had a note on it and it said, thank you so much for your kindness the other night. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. She went on to say, thank you for so generously serving others.

And it was signed Mrs. Nat King Cole. See, you never really know who you're helping. You never know what kind of impact you're going to have. And think about, had that young man not taking the time to care, Maybe she wouldn't have been able to spend the final moments with her husband. But if we can just remember, when I serve you, I'm serving God. When I give you a ride, it's just like I'm giving God a ride.

When I come mow your lawn because you're not feeling well, just like I'm mowing God's lawn. When I give you a gift certificate to buy some new clothes, just like I'm buying God some new clothes. Well, Joe, I don't know if I believe that. No, Jesus said, when I was hungry, you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. when I was in prison, you visited me. They said, Jesus, what are you talking about? We never did that.

He said, sure, you did. When you did it to the least of one of these, just like you're doing it under me. And the Bible talks about specific groups of people that we need to make sure that we watch after, make sure we take care of. Those groups are the widows, the orphans, and the fatherless. There are so many children today growing up in a single parent home.

I read where never before in our history have there been so many fatherless children. In other words, more children are being raised without a father figure than any other time. And we men who are healthy. We men who are good fathers. We have a responsibility to God to impart into these young people, to mentor a young man, to mentor a young woman. As I said earlier, look around at the church, at the school, at the ball field. Maybe your child has a friend that comes from a fatherless family. Why don't you take him under your wing?

Take him to do things that only fathers do. I know this family in our church the other day, they were taking these two single parent sons on a camping trip with their children. These boys were so excited they had never done anything like that before. We have to pay special attention to these groups. I'm sure all of you know a single parent mom. We have plenty of them here at the church.

we've got to make sure we encourage them. Most of them, they're working night and day. They come home and cook and clean. They're struggling to make it. They're half worn out. Why don't you take the time to take them out to dinner every once in a while? Why don't you babysit her children to give her a break? If you have the money, why don't you pay a rent for a few months? Do something to lighten the load. When you do it for her, it's just like you're doing it unto God. The scripture says in James 127, true worship that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God is to take care of the fatherless, the orphans, and the widows. I don't know, maybe you know a widow. There's somebody you can take care of. You can help mow her lawn, keep her house up, run some errands for her. Do you know how many people today are lonely? Nobody comes by to check on. Nobody comes by to visit. Had this lady tell me the other day, she was older and she said, I have no relatives alive, no aunts and uncles, no sons or daughters. we've got to do our part. I was thinking about when William went to be with the Lord.

He used to be the head of our prayer partners. Good man, a good friend. He did so much for this church. I told Victoria, we're going to take care of his wife, Barbara. We have a responsibility. We're not going to pass by the other side of the street. And every one of you has people in your own life, a single parent mom, a single parent child, a widow,

maybe in the neighborhood, maybe at work. Well, what are you doing to make a difference? True worship. True religion, God says, is not just to come to church and sing and shout and have a good time. And I'm all for that. But true worship is taking care of the lonely, helping the hurting, seeing a need and meeting that need. And I wonder what our society would be like today if every person took time to care. If each one of us would be more concerned about serving others than just wanting to be served.

Why don't you make a decision with me today that you're going to be a giver and not a take in life. After all, when you meet other people's needs, God will always meet your own needs. And if you're not happy today, there's a very good chance. You've gotten so focused on your problems. You're so caught up in yourself that you become ingrown. And that is a sure formula for misery. You have to get your mind off yourself. When you get up in the morning, look for opportunities to be a blessing. When you see a need, don't wait, go to it. Get involved with your time, your energy, your effort. If you have to, your money. Remember, when you serve others, you are serving God. If you'll be sensitive to the

needs around you and keep your heart of compassion open, there's no limit to what God will do in your own life. He'll pour out his blessings and favor, and you'll experience the victories that he has in store. Amen. How many of you receive it today? 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 repeat. pen 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 your places that you've never dreamed of. Sometimes life can make you feel like

you were just living in the dark. Even your prayers don't feel like they're making it to heaven. But God is listening and His light is about to shine. We know God is all powerful, that he can answer any prayer, but sometimes we don't know what to pray. We don't think we deserve God's goodness. Maybe we're inconveniencing him, or he has more important things to deal with. But God is concerned about every detail of your life. He's waiting to hear your prayers. I have a new resource called praying with confidence, guided prayers for life's moments.

When you face challenges or obstacles that seem too big, you'll find prayer. prayers that will build your faith, prayers that will move the hands of God. There are prayers you can pray for peace and comfort, prayers for your family and health, prayers for your dreams and goals. As you make these prayers your own, pray with confidence, that's when you'll see the creator of the universe go to work. I hope you'll request your copy today. With a gift of any amount this month,

we would like to immediately send you a copy of praying with confidence, guided prayers for life's moments. In this new resource, Joel shares how to pray when you need a breakthrough, when you need strength. Yes, when life's moments happen and you're not sure how to pray, praying confident prayers will put you on the right path. You'll enter new seasons in your prayer life that will turn challenges to victories, heartache to hope, frustration, to newfound favor. Be sure to request your copy of Praying with Confidence, guided prayers for life's moments, Today, visit Joel Osteen.com or call 888567 Joel.