Joel Osteen Podcast - The Path To Greatness

Episode Date: March 20, 2020

We all want to be successful in life, but are we overlooking the true path to greatness? Greatness isn’t found in fame or accomplishments. It’s found when we live for something greater than ourselves. When we give and serve others, God will always give us more in return.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 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.

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Purdue's online university for working adults Start your comeback at PurdueGlobal.edu He'll forget about the video game you gave him on his birthday. Wow, thanks, Grandpa. But he'll never forget how you invested in his future with the UNEST app. Wow, thanks, Grandpa. The UNEST app makes it easy for grandparents and family friends

to give funds to a child's investment account for limited time. Download the UNEST app and use the code IHeart50 at sign up to receive a $50 bonus when you fund your account. That's code IHeart50 when you sign up at UNEST.co for a $50 bonus. See terms and conditions at UNES. See you. Hi, this is Joel. Today, our son Jonathan is going to be sharing with you. I hope you enjoy the podcast. Tonight I want to talk about the path to greatness. Each one of us has a desire to do something meaningful, to live a life worth remembering. We all want to reach our dreams and become

the best version of ourselves. It's the way God designed us. No one wakes up in the morning and says, I hope I'm just mediocre today. God, please help me to be more insignificant. That's not in our nature. We're meant to advance. We're wired for greatness. We admire people who have done great things and wonder how we could achieve something great ourselves.

God put that desire in each one of our hearts. But many times, the true path to greatness is completely overlooked. I had a friend that had a dream to work in politics. He got a job in Washington, D.C., and joined a group of talented, up-and-coming people in the same field. They worked on all sorts of projects together, but it wasn't long before he began to realize these friends were only his friends as long as he wasn't in the way of them moving up. They were so determined to succeed, they would do whatever they had to.

They would talk to. would talk down about someone in front of their superiors to make themselves look good. They wouldn't share about opportunities. They were only concerned with their own elevation. It was all a means to an end. After a few years, my friend decided that just wasn't the way he wanted to live his life. He sought greatness, but he knew there had to be a better path. Society says, you have to do whatever it takes to get to the top.

win at all costs. It's now or never. Doesn't matter who you have to step on or what stands in the way. That's what it takes to succeed. Most of the time, it's not that we're trying to put people down, but all that we've been told is you have to grind, work your way to the top, fight for position. That's what's required to be great.

It can feel like if we're not giving all of our energy to our own goals, and ambitions, and we're falling behind. But what if there was a better approach? What if there was a path to greatness society doesn't talk about? Who could show us the way? The disciples were arguing about this very thing. Two of them had asked Jesus if they could be the ones to sit beside him in his kingdom. When the others heard about this, they were so furious.

They couldn't believe they had the audacity to ask that, to ask for this position of greatness, a place of honor. It finally got so heated among them. Jesus himself spoke up to put an end to the debate. He said, whoever wants to be great, I'll tell you how. I can imagine the room fell silent. Peter might have pushed his way to the front. Everyone leaned forward in anticipation.

And Jesus said, whoever wants to be great, I mean truly great, must become a servant. No one said a word, but I can almost hear them asking, is that it? Then Jesus said again, the greatest of all is the one who serves. The disciples could have thought, Jesus, I don't know how to tell you this, but if that's the new book you're writing, I don't think it's going to sell. They probably expected him to say, if you perform miracles, if you have influence, when everyone knows your name, then you'll be great. But so many things in the kingdom of God seem backwards on the surface. greatness isn't found in notoriety, acknowledgement, or accomplishments.

It's found when we live for something greater than ourselves. Society says, we have to work our way to the top. But the truth is, we serve our way up. Jesus laid out the true path to greatness, and it's paved with helping others. when we lift people, when we lend them a hand, when we offer what we have, then we rise higher, God lifts us, he gives us more in return. That's not why we serve.

That's just how good our God is. My friend that worked in politics can attest to this. He decided to take the right approach. When he began to serve, God brought him to levels he would have never imagined. When he decided to change his focus from how can I outdo someone to what can I do for someone? Greatness started looking for him. Opportunities began to chase him down. Now many years later, he's an executive at a worldwide organization that's making a difference in people's lives across the globe.

He has a happy family. He's helping others. But he said he would have never been a different. he would have never had this kind of fulfillment if he had taken another route. So many people want what God offers, but they go about it the wrong way. They're set on a dead end road when the true path to greatness is right before them. The principles heaven values most are often the most underrated in the modern day. Society says you have to fight your way to the top.

But God says, serve your way. They say stay busy. God says, take time for others. They say take all you can get. But God says, give all that you can. Instead of thinking, how can I be blessed, we can ask ourselves, how can I be a blessing? Who can I serve?

How can I be good to someone today? We might think, but what about? What about my dreams? What about my goals? Most of us would never push someone down to rise higher, but we're too busy to serve. We don't have time to show someone else's favor. We have goals.

We have ambitions. How will we accomplish our dreams if we're always stopping to help someone else along the way? What if it slows us down? Or worse, what if we put in a good word for them and they get the position we want. What if they go further than us? And it's our fault.

I imagine one of the reasons the disciples were so upset when they found out two of them had asked to sit beside Jesus was not because those two would be honored. It wasn't because they would be considered great. The other disciples were concerned about what would happen to them. Maybe there wouldn't be anything left. thoughts may say don't help there won't be anything left for you or don't serve you're too busy you don't have time for that but the truth is you don't have time not to jesus said whoever wants to be great must be a servant

it's not an option until we learn to serve we're just treading water we may think it's slowing us down but in reality, not doing it could be the only thing holding us back. That's what allows God to take us higher. That's what causes him to promote us. You're never wasting time serving others. It's not slowing you down. It's building momentum. God will cause the rest of your time to be more valuable and effective

than all of it would have been as a whole. And you don't have to worry about people taking your spot. When you build someone else up, when you help them reach their next level, God will do the same for you. He controls the universe. He can open doors you didn't even know we're an option. How do you know he's not using you to help promote them so that they could recommend you at an even higher level? That's what happened to Joseph. When he was in prison, he helped interpret someone's dream. but soon after that man was released. Joseph could have thought, well, that was a waste of time.

Now, he's free and I'm stuck here. But it was that act of service that actually got Joseph introduced to the Pharaoh. Through it, he wasn't just set free from prison. He was put in charge of the entire nation. All of this happened because he was willing to help one man with his dream. Whose dream can you serve? When I was in school, I heard a lot about networking. It was all about who you know, how to work your way up through connections.

Everyone was asking the same question. How do I make it? In other words, how do I do something great? The professors would tell us, get a job in this field, try to meet this person, get them to see your work. work. Maybe that will get you a door opened. I studied film and I heard the path to Hollywood laid out so many times it became exhausting. It was always, what can they do for me? But not once did I hear,

what can I do for them? How can I help? What if that was the approach we took to greatness? What if that was how we lived our lives? Less grinding, more giving. Less about who we know, more about how much we care. Less comparison and more kindness. Our value for people not being in what they can offer us, but what we can offer then. I'm not talking about laying down your dreams and ambitions.

I'm not saying settle for less or let people, but walk all over you. Jesus is trying to teach us how to be great. He said it best. If you're not after greatness, then this is not for you. If you don't have big goals and aspirations, then you're actually missing the first part. This is for those with vision, people who are motivated.

This is for leaders, doctors, artists, people with passion on the inside. If you want to become great, find someone to serve. If you want to rise higher, lift someone else. If you want to reach your destiny, help somebody reach theirs. When you take care of God's children, he will always take care of you. We had the opportunity to visit one of the major Hollywood film studios with a friend of ours that works in TV. He's one of the most renowned, successful producers in the whole industry.

He was showing us around the lot, given this passionate speech about how he got started with the studio, when all of a sudden, this older woman interrupted him to ask how to get to a particular office. At first, I was kind of nervous. I wasn't sure how he would respond. This lady clearly had no idea who she was talking to. She had just cut off one of the most important people in the business to ask for directions. But he stopped, turned to her,

and in the most genuine way, said, I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't know where that is, but let me help you find it. He told us he'd be right back, and I watched him walk probably 50 yards to another building to help her find what she was looking for. I would have understood if he had said,

I don't know, just go ask someone else. But he cared. He took time to help. He showed this woman the way. Everyone else knew he was the boss, but he wasn't too big to serve. That's the mark of greatness. Those are the signs. It's not just someone's talent or ability or education.

It's the heart of a servant. That's what got him there, and that's what sustains him. Someone as busy as this producer was willing to stop what he was doing for a moment to be good to someone else. He even went the extra mile, and he didn't ask for anything in return. It's not about taking a lowly position. This guy was in charge. He was the boss, but it's about an attitude that says,

wherever I am, I'm here to serve. I'm here to give. How can I help? It's easy to think, well, I'm not a big-time producer like this man. If I was the boss, then I'd help others. If people were watching, then I could be an example. But that's backwards. This is the path to greatness.

These are the actions that lead you there. When you're willing to put someone else first, when you help solve their problem, when you go out of your way to be good to people, then each day is a step in the right direction. The qualities that we see in this man are things he developed long before he ever reached that level. When you make serving your priority,

God will give you promotion, breakthroughs, and opportunities you couldn't have gotten on your own. One week before Jesus went to the cross, he gathered with his disciples for a meal. At this point, he already knew his time was coming to an end. That gives us such insight into what his priorities were. that he didn't have a moment to waste. If we knew we only had one week left on this earth,

we would make a count. We would do something meaningful. So whatever Jesus was planning must have been of the utmost importance. He was probably working on his biggest miracle yet. Maybe this time he was going to feed 10,000 or 20,000 people with one meal. Maybe he was planning to open every blind eye. or calm an even greater storm. But in the final moments of Jesus' life,

when every second counted, he got down on the floor, poured water into a basin, and washed his disciples' feet. He didn't do it because he had to. He did it because he loved them. And then he told us to go and do the same. The importance Jesus placed on serving others,

can't be overstated. With everything he was capable of, that's what he considered the highest priority. What if we made others a priority in our lives? I wonder what would happen if we took five minutes a day to think of ways we could be good to someone else. What would our world begin to look like? We could send someone an encouraging text

and let them know how much we appreciate them. We could help our friend move into their new apartment. We could buy our coworkers' lunch. One of the best ways to say thank you, Jesus, for what you've done for me, is to ask, what can I do for someone else? It's great when God brings us opportunities to serve, but when we start looking for them, blessings start looking for us. Think of something you're good at and use it to be good to someone.

else. Maybe you can cook. Why not deliver a meal? Maybe you're brilliant with finances. You could help someone else balance their budget. Or maybe you love fashion. Buy someone a pair of shoes. When's the last time we stopped to get creative with how we could be a blessing? Taking five minutes a day to really think of what we could do for someone else could not only change their lives, but it could change ours. We could start with the people closest to us, our family. How can we honor them? We could consider who's going to cross our path that day. What's one thing that we could do for that person? That's all it takes. God blesses us to be blessings, not to be hoarders. He gives seed to the sower, not to the seed collector. When we begin to realize every good,

thing comes from him. It starts to shape the purpose of it. We begin to recognize just what we're meant to do with it. Think of it like this. If God gave you that car, who are you going to give a ride? If he gave you that management position, who are you going to mentor? If he gave you that creative idea, who is it going to serve? There's nothing greater than coming to the end of a day and knowing someone else is better off because God blessed us so that we could bless them. When my mom was about 20 years old, she would pick this older lady up from her house every Sunday and bring her to church. It meant so much to this woman that this young girl would take the time to do that. She lived alone and the person that had brought her before

had moved away. My mom had realized she hadn't seen her in a few weeks, so she began to to ask where she had gone. Once she found out, she offered to give her a ride from then on. This woman was so grateful. My mom told me that was one of her favorite memories of how great friends they became over those years. Serving is as simple as asking someone what they need and doing what you can to meet it. I've found when you take the time to ask a person how you can help, just the question itself. shows how much you care and adds value to their life. It shines a light and the people that really need help will tell you how.

It could be a woman looking for a ride to work. It could be a single parent struggling to pay the rent. It could even be a friend that just needs someone to talk to. You don't have to have all the answers, but will you do what you can? We're not meant to be the center of our lives 24 hours a day. The reason some people aren't happy is because all they think about is their wants, their needs, and their problems. I say this respectfully, but if you're feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, maybe you need to take a break from you. We all do. It's not healthy to have us on our minds 24 hours a day.

Take a break from the busyness. Take a break from what's bothering you. take a break from the struggle and be good to someone else. Give your thoughts a chance to think about something other than just what's wrong. When you focus your attention on good things like helping others, it releases the rest to God. The Bible says, our father already knows what we need before we even ask. That gives us the freedom to live at peace and spend our time. on other things. Serving people is like saying, God, I trust you so much with my life that I'm willing

to put my time, energy, and focus towards someone else. When you put serving at the center, you're putting Jesus at the center. You're taking care of people and allowing him to take care of you. It's the best way to live. It's the path to a great and fulfilling life. It feels good. It's exciting. That's what God intended. We can look forward to all the ways this is going to add joy, energy, and strength to our lives. There was a boy out in the shepherd's field,

tending to his father's sheep. He had greatness on the inside. In fact, God had chosen him to be the next king of Israel. But his first stop wasn't the throne, or even the palace at all. After he was anointed king, David went right back to the field that he came from and continued to care for the sheep. One day his father came to him and asked him to deliver food to his brothers who were in another city serving in the army. David could have thought, I'm not some errand boy. I'm supposed to be king.

Can't someone else deliver this food? But we don't read one instance where David was too proud to serve. God had given him a big promise, yet he was willing to do a small thing. That's the mark of greatness showing through. The next morning, David set out with food for his brothers. When he arrived at their camp, he began to hear the shouts of a man named Goliath, champion of the Philistine army, taunting to Israelites and their God. We all know where this story goes.

but if David hadn't gone to deliver his brother's lunch, he would have never met Goliath. If he hadn't been willing to do a small thing, we wouldn't be talking about him today. His destiny was disguised in something that looked insignificant. His purpose was hidden in a sandwich. It's not always the impressive giant slaying moments that lead to greatness, but the little acts of obedience along the way that are just as important. I wonder what levels of greatness are waiting for us in something that looks insignificant. You may have a big future ahead of you, but the job you're at right now seems too small. You're tired of serving someone else's vision.

You might not see it yet, but your destiny could be waiting in that very next act of obedience. That could be how you meet your Goliath. Don't miss an opportunity to serve because it looks insignificant. God is searching for people he can trust with the little things before he gives them something even greater. Like David, we have to humble ourselves and serve others even when we know there's much more inside of us. When King Saul heard that a teenage boy was inquiring about facing Goliathes, Eliath. The Bible says he sent for David. Royalty came looking for him. David went to deliver a sandwich and found himself standing in the presence of the king. That's the power of serving. That's the

path to greatness. God will cause you to be sent for. He'll cause people to notice you. You'll be in the right place at the right time. David didn't leave home that morning looking for an opportunity. He wasn't trying to make things happen in his own strength. In the same way, you don't have to manipulate the situation. You don't have to try to force the door open. You don't have to convince people to like you. Promotion doesn't come from people. It comes from God. When you're being faithful in the small things, putting others first. You're on the path to greatness. You don't have to stress or fight for your position. You can live at peace, knowing when it's your time, they'll sin for you. I heard this story about a professional mountain climber. He and his team

were making one of the most challenging climbs in the world. Even some of the most experienced professionals hadn't been able to complete this. It was well below freezing, and oxygen was scarce. About six hours from the summit, they encountered this huge unexpected storm, making the journey even more dangerous as they made their way through the swirling snow and ice. This climber began to faintly make out the figure of a man curled up on the side of the path. He was completely unconscious and barely breathing. It wouldn't be long before he froze to death. So this climber stopped and began to help, but his team urged him to keep going. They said, if you stop here, you could lose your own life, but he couldn't leave him behind. This climber knelt down in the

snow and began massaging circulation back into the man's arms and legs. He did whatever he could to keep him warm, tried his best to wake him. After 15 minutes, this man miraculously opened his eyes, and the two made their way down the mountain together. Later, when they were examined by a doctor, he told the climber that had stopped to help. You didn't realize it, but your arms and legs were actually becoming numb. If you would have kept going, it would have only gotten worse. but by stopping to massage circulation back into his body, you actually increased your own circulation and probably saved your life. We may not even realize how vital serving is to our own lives.

You have greatness on the inside. Do your part to bring it out. Don't let a day go by without being good to someone. else. When you're looking for people you can bless, blessings will come looking for you. Take time for others. Lift those around you. Be quick to lend a hand. As you walk this path to greatness, like with David, God will cause you to be sent for. He'll cause the right people to find you. He'll open doors you didn't even know we're an option. That's not why we serve. That's just how good our God is. Amen.

Thank you for listening to the Joel Osteen podcast. Help us continue to share the message of hope with those all over the world. Visit joelosteen.com slash give hope to give a gift today. Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. I know God's best is still a hand. head. We'll see you next time.

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