Be An Example

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See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:30.080 UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:33.959 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:36.759 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:39.240 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:40.800 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:51.720 Reappreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:58.840 God bless you always enjoy to come into your homes. 0:01:59.200 --> 0:02:02.000 We love you, we know God has great things in store, 0:02:02.000 --> 0:02:04.200 and if you're ever in our area, I hope you'll 0:02:04.200 --> 0:02:06.600 stop by and be a part of one of our services. 0:02:06.720 --> 0:02:08.720 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:11.320 But thanks for tuning in to day. I like to 0:02:11.360 --> 0:02:13.480 get started each week with something kind of funny. And 0:02:13.880 --> 0:02:16.400 I heard about this man that lived in the country. 0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:19.919 One night, he heard some noise and he saw some 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:23.280 burglars stealing things from his barn. He ran to the 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:26.120 phone and dialed nine to one one, but the dispatcher said, 0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:29.600 I'm sorry, sir, there are no patrol cars available. You 0:02:29.720 --> 0:02:31.560 just need to lock your doors and we'll get somebody 0:02:31.600 --> 0:02:34.640 there as soon as possible. He hung up so frustrated. 0:02:35.000 --> 0:02:37.639 About thirty seconds, he called back and said, ma'am, don't 0:02:37.680 --> 0:02:40.080 worry about it. You don't need to send anybody. I 0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:44.720 shot all the burglars. Ninety seconds later, three patrol cars, 0:02:44.880 --> 0:02:48.119 one share and two ambulances showed up, and they caught 0:02:48.160 --> 0:02:51.280 the burglars red handed. The sheriff went over afterwards and said, 0:02:51.480 --> 0:02:54.080 I thought you said you shot the burglars. The man said, 0:02:54.320 --> 0:02:59.000 I thought you said nobody was available. All right, hold 0:02:59.040 --> 0:03:02.560 up your bibles like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:05.520 I am what it says, I am. I have what 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:08.160 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:11.000 I can do today. I will be taught the word 0:03:11.040 --> 0:03:15.440 of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert, my 0:03:15.560 --> 0:03:19.000 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In 0:03:19.160 --> 0:03:23.080 Jesus's name, God bless you. I want to talk to 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:26.920 you today about being a good example. Every one of 0:03:27.000 --> 0:03:29.880 us has a ministry. It may not be to be 0:03:29.960 --> 0:03:33.240 in a pulpit like this, but really your pulpit is 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:37.720 your life. People are watching how you live, how you 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:41.680 respond to adversity, is how consistent you are, and how 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:45.640 you treat people around you. Our actions speak louder than 0:03:45.640 --> 0:03:48.760 our words. We are called to be the light of 0:03:48.800 --> 0:03:51.960 the world. We're supposed to be the salt of the earth. 0:03:52.560 --> 0:03:55.880 That means the way we live should make other people 0:03:55.960 --> 0:03:59.080 want what we have. We should have so much joy, 0:03:59.480 --> 0:04:03.400 so much peace. We should be so kind, so generous, 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:06.600 so good natured that it draws people to us. And 0:04:06.680 --> 0:04:09.000 one of the best ways to let your light shine 0:04:09.400 --> 0:04:12.720 is to just go out and be happy, be friendly, 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:17.039 be good to people, have a positive attitude. I heard 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:22.760 somebody say, preach at all times, use words only if necessary. 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:26.679 In other words, your life is speaking to people. Maybe 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:30.240 you work at an office where everybody's complaining, they're talking 0:04:30.320 --> 0:04:33.880 about the boss, criticizing the company. But you go in 0:04:34.000 --> 0:04:37.120 with a good attitude. You have a smile on your face. 0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:40.320 You're grateful that at least you have a job. You're 0:04:40.360 --> 0:04:43.280 focused on what's right, not what's wrong. You know what, 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:46.640 you just minister to those people. You just spoke into 0:04:46.680 --> 0:04:49.560 their lives. The fact is you didn't have to say 0:04:49.600 --> 0:04:52.120 a word. You didn't have to condemn them and say 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:55.720 you old, ungrateful things. No, you just let your light shine. 0:04:56.000 --> 0:04:58.560 You let your actions do the talking. That's one of 0:04:58.600 --> 0:05:02.080 the most powerful ways to influence people. We have to 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:06.600 realize every one of us have a ministry. You may 0:05:06.640 --> 0:05:08.760 not know how to preach, but you do know how 0:05:08.760 --> 0:05:12.160 to smile. That's a great sermon. I've got that one down. 0:05:13.720 --> 0:05:15.720 You may not be able to get up here, but 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:18.840 you can be kind to someone. You can give an 0:05:18.920 --> 0:05:22.720 encouraging word, you can be stable in the midst of adversity. 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:26.520 All these things send a message to people. And we're 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:31.159 supposed to be living epistles read by all men. That 0:05:31.320 --> 0:05:34.400 means people are not reading a book these days. They're 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:38.279 reading our lives. They're watching the way we live now. 0:05:38.320 --> 0:05:40.840 I wonder what would happen. If every one of us 0:05:40.839 --> 0:05:43.920 would go out each day with a smile on our face, 0:05:44.480 --> 0:05:49.159 being good to people, kind, courteous, respectful, friendly, that would 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:52.240 probably have a greater impact than all the sermons they 0:05:52.279 --> 0:05:55.280 could hear us speak. The scripture says here in Second 0:05:55.360 --> 0:06:00.679 Corinthians five, verse twenty, we are ambassadors of Christ, God's 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:05.560 personal representatives on the earth. We have to understand people 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:09.880 don't see God, they see us. We need to ask ourselves, 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:13.280 am I representing God in the way I should? Am 0:06:13.279 --> 0:06:16.919 I kind? Am I friendly? Do I draw people to me? 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:20.240 Or do I push people away? I remember in high 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:22.960 school there was this one young man that was so 0:06:23.200 --> 0:06:27.440 fun to be around. He was always happy, so good natured. 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:30.000 We couldn't wait for him to get to school. That's 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:32.760 the way we should be a joy to be around, 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:38.479 consistently happy, consistently friendly. For some people, it's sad to 0:06:38.520 --> 0:06:41.479 say you can't wait for them to leave. They've always 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:45.120 got a problem, always discouraged, always have a sad story. 0:06:45.360 --> 0:06:50.159 They're always draining your energy. And of course that's fine sometimes, 0:06:50.279 --> 0:06:53.080 but not all the time. If we mope around with 0:06:53.120 --> 0:06:57.120 no joy, no enthusiasm, nobody's gonna want what we have. 0:06:58.040 --> 0:07:00.159 And the reason some people don't come to church to 0:07:00.200 --> 0:07:03.320 die and they don't want to serve God is because 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:06.359 they've seen so many believers that look like they've lost 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:10.040 their last friend. The Bible tells us to be sober minded, 0:07:10.480 --> 0:07:13.240 not sober faced. We got to get the joy from 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:16.600 down here up to here. I that bumper sticker I saw. 0:07:16.720 --> 0:07:22.320 If you're born again, notify your face. But people today 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:25.520 see too many mixed signals. They think they go to 0:07:25.600 --> 0:07:28.560 church every week, they honor God with their life, but 0:07:28.600 --> 0:07:31.000 there is down and depressed as I am. Or when 0:07:31.040 --> 0:07:33.160 they have adversities, they get just as stressed out and 0:07:33.240 --> 0:07:36.560 upset as I do. Why would I want what they have? No, 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:39.440 people should be envious of us. They should see so 0:07:39.560 --> 0:07:44.480 much stability, so much peace, so much victory. Like a magnet, 0:07:44.520 --> 0:07:47.520 it just draws them in. And after all God's done 0:07:47.560 --> 0:07:50.040 for us, the least we can do is go out 0:07:50.080 --> 0:07:53.320 each day and put a smile on our face. We're 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:56.560 supposed to be the light of the world. I believe 0:07:56.800 --> 0:07:59.640 the smile is the switch that turns the bulb on. 0:07:59.800 --> 0:08:03.280 It starts right here. But it's a poor representation of 0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:05.960 our God to go around negative and defeated. And the 0:08:06.040 --> 0:08:09.280 fact is we all have challenges. We can all find 0:08:09.320 --> 0:08:11.800 a reason to be unhappy, but we don't have a 0:08:11.880 --> 0:08:15.760 right to be unhappy. We represent Almighty God. I know 0:08:15.840 --> 0:08:18.320 I have people that represent me and do things on 0:08:18.320 --> 0:08:22.520 my behalf. And if they went out negative, sour, complaining, 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:26.360 if they look sloppy, beat up, run down, I'd say, 0:08:26.360 --> 0:08:28.280 you know what, you need to go do something else. 0:08:28.400 --> 0:08:31.200 I don't want to be represented like that. How much 0:08:31.240 --> 0:08:34.440 more our heavenly Father. And sure there are days that 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:37.120 none of us feel like being friendly. We don't feel 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:39.280 like having a good attitude, we don't feel like smiling. 0:08:39.640 --> 0:08:43.000 But we need to remind ourselves. I'm preaching a sermon 0:08:43.040 --> 0:08:46.240 today with my life. What kind of message am I sending? 0:08:46.800 --> 0:08:50.120 People are being influenced by the way I live. I 0:08:50.200 --> 0:08:52.640 may not speak any words that are wrong, but what 0:08:52.760 --> 0:08:56.120 am I expressing with my body language? Am I pleasant 0:08:56.160 --> 0:08:58.559 to be around? Am I happy? Am I good natured? 0:08:59.080 --> 0:09:02.600 Or do people feel pressured around me? When I walk 0:09:02.640 --> 0:09:04.560 into the room they all get tense and up tight 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:06.920 because they can feel the stress coming off of me. 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:09.959 I was in a department store the other day and 0:09:10.160 --> 0:09:12.320 I went up to the counter to pay. There were 0:09:12.360 --> 0:09:15.000 three registers opened, and I just happened to choose the 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:17.600 one closest to me. And when I handed the man 0:09:17.720 --> 0:09:20.720 my product, he seemed like he was kind of perturbed, 0:09:21.240 --> 0:09:24.160 kind of aggravated that I had chosen him, And you 0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:26.080 know me, I'm just happy, go lucky. I smiled at 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:28.199 him anyway and said, hey, how you doing. He didn't 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:31.480 say a word. He totally ignored me, acted like I 0:09:31.600 --> 0:09:35.400 was bothering him. I could feel the tension, the pressure 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:37.640 coming off of him. And I eventually handed him my 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:39.880 credit card to pay, and he looked down on it 0:09:40.080 --> 0:09:42.880 and read the name, and he looked back up. He said, 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:45.880 are you that minister that's on television? By the way 0:09:45.920 --> 0:09:47.280 he said it, I didn't know if that was going 0:09:47.320 --> 0:09:51.040 to be a good thing or not. I smiled and said, 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:53.680 yes I am. He said, that's funny. My wife and 0:09:53.720 --> 0:09:57.040 I watch you every Sunday. I wanted to say, do 0:09:57.120 --> 0:10:03.120 you ever listen? I bought my product there and was 0:10:03.240 --> 0:10:05.360 leaving out of there and just being friendly. I said, well, 0:10:05.400 --> 0:10:07.560 come see us whenever you can. He said, oh, Joe, 0:10:07.600 --> 0:10:10.319 I can't do that. I'm in charge of the greeting 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:14.800 committee at my church. I thought, dear Lord, I wouldn't 0:10:14.800 --> 0:10:19.040 go to that place without a bulletproof vest. That man 0:10:19.720 --> 0:10:22.200 may not have realized it, but he was preaching a sermon. 0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:25.240 I hate to say it wasn't a very good one. 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:28.640 Sometimes it does more damage than good for people to 0:10:28.640 --> 0:10:30.720 say they love God, to say they're a believer, and 0:10:30.720 --> 0:10:32.960 then they go out and treat people like that. That 0:10:33.080 --> 0:10:36.280 just keeps people from really wanting to know God. After all, 0:10:36.320 --> 0:10:39.160 if we're hard to get along with and unfriendly, who's 0:10:39.160 --> 0:10:41.240 going to want what we have? How's that going to 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:44.920 possibly draw anybody in. Let's pay attention to what kind 0:10:44.960 --> 0:10:47.920 of message that we're sending out. I love what one 0:10:47.960 --> 0:10:50.280 of our members told me a while back. She was 0:10:50.320 --> 0:10:53.120 out shopping and she went up to the counter to pay, 0:10:53.640 --> 0:10:56.880 and the girl at the register saw how happy she was. 0:10:57.320 --> 0:10:59.560 This young girl had a smile on her face and 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:03.320 she was radiating joy and peace. You've seen people that 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:06.040 have a glow about them, That's what this young lady 0:11:06.040 --> 0:11:08.640 look like. And the clerk said to her, just in passing, 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:11.680 how you doing She said, I'm doing great, I'm blessed, 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:13.880 and I believe this year is going to be my 0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:16.640 best year so far. That clerk looked at her and said, 0:11:16.679 --> 0:11:21.040 do you go to Lakewood? She said, I do. She 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:23.320 said I should have known it. Everybody that comes in 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:26.320 here like you goes to Lakewood. I thought, what a 0:11:26.360 --> 0:11:32.200 great testimony. That's the way that it should be. Some 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:34.439 of you didn't think you had much of a ministry, 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:37.400 but you're finding out you have a powerful ministry. You 0:11:37.400 --> 0:11:40.200 can impact people that I never could. You're preaching a 0:11:40.240 --> 0:11:43.280 sermon every day with your life. One of the best 0:11:43.280 --> 0:11:45.520 sermons you could ever preach is to just go out 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:48.760 and be happy, be good to people. Let the love 0:11:48.800 --> 0:11:52.840 of God shine through you everywhere you go. It's funny 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:56.240 sometimes when you smile a lot, people get suspicious of you. 0:11:57.200 --> 0:11:59.480 They look at you, like, what's wrong with him? Why 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:02.560 is he so I'm happy over there? My attitude is 0:12:02.600 --> 0:12:06.640 make them suspicious. I smile at everybody. Sometimes I see 0:12:06.640 --> 0:12:10.160 people looking. I'm sure they're thinking, you know what, that guy. 0:12:10.200 --> 0:12:13.640 He may be on drugs. He may look like he's 0:12:13.720 --> 0:12:15.520 kind of high. But you know what, I have to admit, 0:12:15.600 --> 0:12:18.839 I'm guilty. I'm on the most high. I'm excited about life. 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:24.960 I'm happy. I know our best days are not behind us, 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:28.040 they're in front of us. If we're going to represent God, 0:12:28.080 --> 0:12:31.680 we should do it with joy, with enthusiasm, with honor, 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:35.240 with excellence, with integrity. It's interesting the studies tell us 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:39.400 that people remember less than ten percent of what we say, 0:12:39.960 --> 0:12:43.800 but what they always remember is what they feel. In 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:46.280 other words, you can say the right thing with a 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:50.040 sour attitude and they'll go away remembering the negative. But 0:12:50.080 --> 0:12:53.600 if you can just be happy, have a smile, be kind, 0:12:53.800 --> 0:12:57.240 take time for people, that's what makes a positive impact 0:12:57.280 --> 0:13:00.520 in people's lives. People write me all the time, say Joel, 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:03.400 I can't remember what your sermon was about, but what 0:13:03.559 --> 0:13:05.760 ministered to me was the joy that I saw on 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:08.720 your face, the love that I felt coming through the screen, 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:12.640 the compassion, the sincerity. That's what the phrase means. Preach 0:13:12.679 --> 0:13:17.600 at all times, use words only if necessary. Pay attention 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:22.280 to your body language, your voice tones, your facial expressions. 0:13:22.480 --> 0:13:26.080 Have a pleasant demeanor. When somebody does something for you 0:13:26.559 --> 0:13:29.600 at the office, the grocery store, at the mall, don't 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:32.320 just take the receipt, take the paper and look down, 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:34.920 kind of mumble all right, thanks, No, look them in 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:37.720 the eye with a smile on your face, in a 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:41.560 pleasant tone. Tell them thank you. I appreciate that. See, 0:13:41.600 --> 0:13:45.520 we can't get so busy and so preoccupied that we're 0:13:45.559 --> 0:13:49.360 not taking time for people. Slow down and show them 0:13:49.480 --> 0:13:52.240 that you care. You're not just saying thank you. That's 0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:55.199 a part of your ministry. How do you know they 0:13:55.200 --> 0:13:58.640 don't need something positive sewn into their lives. They may 0:13:58.679 --> 0:14:01.960 be going through all kinds of difficulty you know nothing about. 0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:06.760 Yet one kind word, one heart felt thank you, one 0:14:06.880 --> 0:14:09.920 genuine look of care and concern can help them make 0:14:09.960 --> 0:14:13.040 it through the day. One time, our son Jonathan and 0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:15.480 I were going to a restaurant to eat. When we 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:18.240 walked in, I saw this man sitting at a table 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:21.800 by himself. He was dressed in a nice suit, hat 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:25.240 on a tie, and I just naturally paused and smiled 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:27.640 at him and said, how are you, and then walked on. 0:14:27.960 --> 0:14:30.720 No big deal. A couple of days later we got 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:33.440 a letter from him. He told how he was at 0:14:33.480 --> 0:14:36.400 one of the lowest points in his life. He wasn't 0:14:36.400 --> 0:14:39.520 a quote religious person, never been to church, never really prayed, 0:14:40.000 --> 0:14:43.520 but that morning he said, God, if you're real and 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:45.960 you still have a plan for my life, give me 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:48.600 some kind of sign. He said, Joel, when you walked 0:14:48.600 --> 0:14:51.120 in and spoke to me. I felt a warmness going 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:55.680 all through me. I realized that was God directed my steps. 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:59.160 But what if I'd been too busy, too preoccupied, too 0:14:59.200 --> 0:15:02.200 focused on myself well to make a deposit into that 0:15:02.280 --> 0:15:05.240 man's life. The fact is it didn't take me five 0:15:05.320 --> 0:15:08.880 extra seconds, didn't take an extra ounce of energy, yet 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:11.920 it made a huge impact. When you go out through 0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:15.320 the day, be more aware of the people that are 0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:18.480 around you. You're not just going to work that's your 0:15:18.520 --> 0:15:21.760 place of ministry. You're not just going to the grocery store, 0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:23.840 going to them all, going to the Little League field. 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:29.080 God is directing your steps. He's constantly bringing people across 0:15:29.120 --> 0:15:33.040 your path that need what you have. Make sure that 0:15:33.080 --> 0:15:36.760 you're sowing good seeds into them. When people see you, 0:15:36.800 --> 0:15:41.240 they should feel love, feel hope, feel encouragement. You may 0:15:41.280 --> 0:15:44.640 not say anything, but with your demeanor, with the smile 0:15:44.760 --> 0:15:47.720 on your face, with the glow that God's put around you, 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:52.000 that can communicate even more than our words. And I 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:54.720 know some of you work at places where everybody's negative, 0:15:54.760 --> 0:15:57.040 everybody has a bad attitude, but you don't have to 0:15:57.120 --> 0:16:00.200 let that pull you down. I heard somebody say you 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:03.800 can either be a thermometer, or you can be a thermostat. 0:16:04.600 --> 0:16:08.080 A thermometer just measures the temperature of the room and 0:16:08.160 --> 0:16:12.560 adjust to that. That means if everybody's negative, sour, complaining, 0:16:12.720 --> 0:16:15.480 you sink down to their level. But a better choice 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:19.440 is to be a thermostat. A thermostat changes the temperature 0:16:19.480 --> 0:16:22.280 in the room. You go in there with a good attitude, 0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:25.920 excited about your future, full of hope. Little by little 0:16:26.200 --> 0:16:29.560 that environment will begin to change. I believe today I'm 0:16:29.600 --> 0:16:32.920 looking at a bunch of thermostats. They are already enough thermometers. 0:16:33.240 --> 0:16:36.400 There are already enough people that just go with the majority. 0:16:37.000 --> 0:16:40.400 But don't let them influence you. You influence them, bring them 0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:42.800 up to your level. You don't have to try to 0:16:42.840 --> 0:16:46.360 straighten everybody out. The Bible says God's given us the 0:16:46.520 --> 0:16:50.800 power to be a witness. Doesn't necessarily mean we have 0:16:50.920 --> 0:16:53.840 two witness although it's good to share our faith. But 0:16:53.920 --> 0:16:56.320 one of the best witnesses you can ever have is 0:16:56.360 --> 0:16:58.760 to just be who you are. Just live your life 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:03.600 consistently happy, consistently friendly, consistently in a good mood. Let 0:17:03.680 --> 0:17:06.879 your actions do the talking. The other day, I was 0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:09.560 in my car and I had six children with me, 0:17:10.240 --> 0:17:12.800 two of my own and four of my nephews and nieces, 0:17:13.040 --> 0:17:15.359 and they all wanted to go to McDonald's, and so 0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:18.399 we pulled through the drive through, but the speaker was 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:21.800 so distorted I could hardly hear, and plus the children 0:17:21.840 --> 0:17:23.760 were kind of loud, and I was trying to place 0:17:23.840 --> 0:17:27.720 my order. My little nephew, Christopher, he likes his hamburgers 0:17:27.760 --> 0:17:31.560 completely dry, with nothing on it. And so I told 0:17:31.640 --> 0:17:34.720 the lady through the speaker, I want a happy meal 0:17:34.840 --> 0:17:37.959 with a hamburger with nothing but a bun and a 0:17:37.960 --> 0:17:40.800 piece of meat. She said, okay, would you like pickles 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:44.159 with that? I said, no, ma'am, I don't want anything 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:46.359 on it, just dry. She said, all right, would you 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:48.959 like mayonnaise with that? I said no, ma'am, I just 0:17:49.000 --> 0:17:51.760 want a bun and a piece of meat. She said, 0:17:51.800 --> 0:17:54.400 all right, would you like mustard with that? I thought 0:17:54.440 --> 0:17:56.560 she was kidding. I kind of laughed, and I said, ma'am, 0:17:56.600 --> 0:17:59.600 I want this hamburger completely dry. She said, all right, 0:17:59.600 --> 0:18:02.520 So you don't what the letters do you? It's like 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:05.000 that sign I saw it says what part of no? 0:18:05.200 --> 0:18:08.919 Do you not understand? This was my first order. I 0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:12.800 had five more to go. It had taken all my energy. 0:18:13.160 --> 0:18:15.359 I looked back and the line behind me was halfway 0:18:15.359 --> 0:18:18.040 to the freeway. I was so embarrassed. I had to 0:18:18.119 --> 0:18:22.439 keep telling myself I am God's personal representative on this earth. 0:18:24.760 --> 0:18:27.919 How would God act? Would he get upset? Would he 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:29.720 lose his cool and give this young lady up? He 0:18:29.800 --> 0:18:33.680 says mine. I was attempted to, but I just stayed calm. 0:18:33.920 --> 0:18:36.080 Finally I got my order in. I pulled up to 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:38.320 where she was to pay. When she saw me, the 0:18:38.320 --> 0:18:40.359 first thing she said it was old Pastor Joy. I 0:18:40.359 --> 0:18:44.000 can't believe that you. I thought, thank you Jesus that 0:18:44.080 --> 0:18:50.360 I say calm. She pulled my book out and said, 0:18:50.359 --> 0:18:54.879 would you sign your book for me? I thought to myself, 0:18:54.880 --> 0:18:56.560 I could have written another book by the time I've 0:18:56.600 --> 0:19:00.360 brought to diferent order. We got to talk and I said, 0:19:00.359 --> 0:19:02.399 how long you been working here? She said, today is 0:19:02.440 --> 0:19:06.520 my first day. She said, you know what I'm catching 0:19:06.520 --> 0:19:11.640 on pretty good. I thought to myself, you just keep 0:19:11.640 --> 0:19:16.119 calling it by face, sister, But you never really know 0:19:16.640 --> 0:19:20.159 who's watching you. You said, Joe, you're on television. I 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:22.680 don't have to worry about that. No, don't kid yourself. 0:19:22.920 --> 0:19:26.520 Your children are watching you, your coworkers, your neighbors, the 0:19:26.520 --> 0:19:30.080 person at the grocery store. You're preaching a sermon to 0:19:30.200 --> 0:19:33.520 everyone you interact with. They may not remember what you say, 0:19:33.960 --> 0:19:36.639 but they're going to remember what they felt. Do they 0:19:36.680 --> 0:19:39.680 feel love? Do they feel joy? Do they feel approval? 0:19:40.240 --> 0:19:43.480 Make sure you're sending out the right things. We're representing 0:19:43.480 --> 0:19:46.679 Almighty God. And I was in my early twenties. I 0:19:46.760 --> 0:19:48.960 was in India in a small town with my father 0:19:49.080 --> 0:19:51.320 and every morning we would go down to the little 0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:54.240 restaurant in the place we were staying to have breakfast. 0:19:54.800 --> 0:19:58.600 We couldn't communicate verbally with them, since nobody spoke English. 0:19:58.800 --> 0:20:00.879 We just point to what we want on it. My 0:20:00.920 --> 0:20:03.199 father would always go out of his way to be 0:20:03.359 --> 0:20:06.840 kind and respectful and warm. He really loved the people 0:20:06.880 --> 0:20:10.000 of India and even though they didn't understand him, he 0:20:10.119 --> 0:20:13.080 was always smiling and patting him on the back. And 0:20:13.160 --> 0:20:14.719 by the end of the week he has given everybody 0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:17.480 a hug. And just as we were about to leave 0:20:17.560 --> 0:20:19.960 and move on to the next town, the men that 0:20:20.040 --> 0:20:23.960 owned the restaurant motion to our driver, our interpreter. He 0:20:24.040 --> 0:20:26.680 pointed at my father and he said, who is that man, 0:20:27.080 --> 0:20:30.360 we can see God in his eyes. You think about it. 0:20:30.640 --> 0:20:33.800 My father had never spoken a word that they could understand, 0:20:34.080 --> 0:20:37.320 yet they felt the love, they felt the compassion. What 0:20:37.560 --> 0:20:40.960 was it that had just let his light shine? Words 0:20:41.040 --> 0:20:44.240 are not always necessary, Like the old poet that says, 0:20:44.680 --> 0:20:47.520 I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day, 0:20:48.119 --> 0:20:51.200 I'd rather men walk with me than merely show the way. 0:20:51.920 --> 0:20:55.000 What kind of sermon are we sharing with people every day? 0:20:56.320 --> 0:21:00.439 Just little things like being kind to the life at 0:21:00.440 --> 0:21:04.159 the grocery store you just ministered to her, being friendly 0:21:04.200 --> 0:21:06.680 to the security guard at the office you just made 0:21:06.720 --> 0:21:10.120 a deposit into his life, or even taking that neighbor 0:21:10.160 --> 0:21:13.359 some food that hasn't been feeling well. That's a ministry. 0:21:13.920 --> 0:21:17.960 The Scripture tells us we are temples of Almighty God. 0:21:18.080 --> 0:21:20.600 Another way you could say it is we are containers 0:21:20.880 --> 0:21:24.800 filled with God. Everywhere we go. We should be dispensing 0:21:24.840 --> 0:21:31.239 good on somebody, dispensing hope, dispensing encouragement, dispensing joy. You 0:21:31.280 --> 0:21:33.679 may have some difficulties in your own life, but one 0:21:33.720 --> 0:21:35.680 of the best things you could do is get your 0:21:35.680 --> 0:21:40.360 mind off yourself. Don't live ingrown be a giver, make 0:21:40.440 --> 0:21:42.560 up your mind I'm gonna make a difference in the 0:21:42.560 --> 0:21:46.120 world today. I'm gonna smile at people, I'm gonna be friendly, 0:21:46.240 --> 0:21:49.399 I'm gonna encourage someone. Well, you say, man, Joel, I 0:21:49.480 --> 0:21:53.160 got problems. I need somebody to encourage me. Now, you've 0:21:53.160 --> 0:21:55.760 got to sew a seed. If you will make somebody 0:21:55.760 --> 0:21:59.000 else's day, God will always make your own day. And 0:21:59.000 --> 0:22:01.240 in our times of difficult culty, one of the most 0:22:01.280 --> 0:22:04.199 powerful things we can do is go out and be 0:22:04.320 --> 0:22:07.879 a blessing to somebody else. Don't sit around waiting for 0:22:07.920 --> 0:22:09.920 your ship to come in. Some of you hadn't sent 0:22:09.960 --> 0:22:12.720 a ship out yet. You need to start being an encourager. 0:22:13.160 --> 0:22:16.879 Start giving people hope, Start sharing your love, your joy 0:22:16.920 --> 0:22:20.359 with others. The fact is every one of us are 0:22:20.400 --> 0:22:28.760 dispensing something. Too many go around dispensing negative things, defeat, sarcasm, self, pity, pride. 0:22:28.800 --> 0:22:30.600 They don't have to say a word, but you can 0:22:30.640 --> 0:22:33.439 feel these things coming off of them. Please don't let 0:22:33.520 --> 0:22:38.760 that be you. Go out each day dispensing joy, dispensing enthusiasm, 0:22:39.080 --> 0:22:42.639 be friendly, Let your light shine. While back Victoria and 0:22:42.640 --> 0:22:45.080 I were in Galveston. We were walking up and down 0:22:45.080 --> 0:22:47.879 the street, going into the little shops and Victoria had 0:22:47.920 --> 0:22:50.600 gone into this one place, and I just decided to 0:22:50.640 --> 0:22:53.439 wait outside and watch the people. Now, I saw this 0:22:53.560 --> 0:22:56.440 lady two or three blocks away, and she started waving 0:22:56.600 --> 0:23:00.119 and waving, so I smile real big and wave back 0:23:00.160 --> 0:23:02.199 at her like she was my best friend. Had no 0:23:02.320 --> 0:23:04.600 idea who she was, but I was just determined to 0:23:04.640 --> 0:23:07.679 be friendly. A few minutes later, she had come a 0:23:07.680 --> 0:23:10.880 little closer as she was shopping, and I noticed once 0:23:10.920 --> 0:23:14.000 again she started waving and waving. I thought, all right, lady, 0:23:14.040 --> 0:23:15.639 we did this once, but we can do it again. 0:23:16.560 --> 0:23:18.800 So I smiled and waved like I hadn't seen her 0:23:18.840 --> 0:23:22.479 in years. A few minutes later, she is, now, you know, 0:23:22.520 --> 0:23:24.639 shopping just a few feet from me, or you know, 0:23:24.760 --> 0:23:27.520 twenty thirty yards, and I couldn't believe it. She started 0:23:27.560 --> 0:23:30.600 waving more enthusiastically than ever, and so I thought I'd 0:23:30.680 --> 0:23:33.000 joining the fund. I waved and I said, hey, how 0:23:33.080 --> 0:23:36.159 you doing? And she came over and got closer to me, 0:23:36.200 --> 0:23:37.960 and she looked at me kind of strange. She said, 0:23:38.000 --> 0:23:40.840 do I know you? I said, I don't know. I'm 0:23:40.840 --> 0:23:43.280 waving at you because you're waving at me. She said, 0:23:43.280 --> 0:23:45.080 I'm not waving at you. I'm waving at my sister 0:23:45.160 --> 0:23:51.000 behind you. I was as red as that flag. I'll 0:23:51.000 --> 0:23:52.840 never forget. She patted me on the back. She said, 0:23:52.840 --> 0:23:56.600 but you sure are a friendly young man. But I thought, 0:23:56.640 --> 0:23:58.359 if I air, I'm on air on the side of 0:23:58.359 --> 0:24:00.680 being friendly, I'm on air on this sid of being 0:24:00.760 --> 0:24:05.440 full of joy. They're already enough sour people in our society. 0:24:07.480 --> 0:24:11.800 Our lives should overflow with the victory God's given us. 0:24:12.040 --> 0:24:13.840 If we're gonna let our lights shine, we got to 0:24:13.880 --> 0:24:16.280 turn the bullb on. We have to have a smile. 0:24:16.600 --> 0:24:19.000 We have to be friends. Let's be full of joy 0:24:19.240 --> 0:24:22.200 wherever we go. Too often we think we can only 0:24:22.240 --> 0:24:24.840 preach with our words, and we're supposed to go around 0:24:24.880 --> 0:24:28.080 straighten everybody out. Let me tell you what you're doing wrong. Now, 0:24:28.119 --> 0:24:30.919 Most of the time that just makes people defensive. My 0:24:31.000 --> 0:24:34.240 father used to say, don't be a fire hose, try 0:24:34.280 --> 0:24:37.880 to knock people down, point out their faults, their shortcomings. Instead, 0:24:38.000 --> 0:24:41.720 just be a sprinkler, share hope, share a kind word, 0:24:41.800 --> 0:24:46.000 share encouragement. Let your life be the example. Years ago, 0:24:46.280 --> 0:24:49.080 before I became a minister, I used to play basketball 0:24:49.119 --> 0:24:51.560 at this one gem and there were a lot of 0:24:51.600 --> 0:24:54.360 young men there that were very rough. They would use 0:24:54.400 --> 0:24:58.240 bad language and argue, and sometimes some scuffles would break out. 0:24:58.760 --> 0:25:01.240 I played there for several we but I didn't go 0:25:01.280 --> 0:25:03.520 in there and try to preach to them and tell 0:25:03.600 --> 0:25:05.879 them what they were doing wrong. I did just what 0:25:05.960 --> 0:25:08.320 I'm asking you to do. I just lived my life 0:25:08.359 --> 0:25:12.720 consistently happy, consistently friendly, consistently in a good mood. I 0:25:12.760 --> 0:25:16.119 wouldn't argue with them. I always played fair. There was 0:25:16.160 --> 0:25:18.560 a questionable call, I'd let the other team have the ball. 0:25:19.119 --> 0:25:21.520 In fact, it got to be a joke. If I 0:25:21.560 --> 0:25:24.119 were on the sidelines waiting to play next watching a 0:25:24.200 --> 0:25:26.680 game and there was a close call, they'd always say, 0:25:26.920 --> 0:25:30.439 go ask Joel. We know he won't lie. See, we 0:25:30.560 --> 0:25:34.879 all have our pulpit. You're ministering to people all around you. 0:25:34.880 --> 0:25:37.720 Your life is sending a message. And really that was 0:25:37.760 --> 0:25:39.920 a better witness than me trying to cram something down 0:25:39.960 --> 0:25:43.199 their throat. Talk is cheap. I could have told them 0:25:43.200 --> 0:25:45.159 all day long, guys, y'all got a quit cursing, you 0:25:45.240 --> 0:25:48.280 need to quit fighting. But a greater impact was to 0:25:48.359 --> 0:25:51.520 let my actions do the talking. Being a good example 0:25:51.840 --> 0:25:54.880 is what opens the door to a person's heart. This 0:25:54.920 --> 0:25:57.959 one young man was really struggling. He had addictions and 0:25:58.240 --> 0:26:01.640 anger problems. He was the least likely one you'd ever 0:26:01.720 --> 0:26:04.359 think would have anything to do with the things of God. 0:26:04.760 --> 0:26:07.119 But one day he asked me if i'd start praying 0:26:07.160 --> 0:26:09.520 for him, if I'd just start helping him, A lot 0:26:09.560 --> 0:26:10.919 of people would have gone in there and said, YEA, 0:26:10.880 --> 0:26:12.879 all right, here's what you're doing wrong. You got to 0:26:12.920 --> 0:26:15.960 straighten up, live right, do this, do that. But I 0:26:16.000 --> 0:26:18.919 found most people already know what they're doing wrong. They 0:26:18.960 --> 0:26:22.280 don't need our condemnation. They need our love. They need 0:26:22.359 --> 0:26:25.760 us to be understanding. Some people, they see you do 0:26:25.840 --> 0:26:28.360 one thing wrong, they come at you like a bulldog. 0:26:28.680 --> 0:26:30.280 I'm gonna straighten you out. Let me tell you, brother, 0:26:30.320 --> 0:26:33.439 you're going straight to hell. It's funny. Sometimes it seems 0:26:33.440 --> 0:26:37.240 like they're glad that we're going. But we're supposed to 0:26:37.280 --> 0:26:40.520 share good news. We have the power to be a witness. 0:26:40.800 --> 0:26:43.600 Don't have to straighten everybody out. Let your light shine. 0:26:44.280 --> 0:26:47.320 In fact, the scripture talks about wives that have husbands 0:26:47.400 --> 0:26:49.879 that are not serving God. It says, don't try to 0:26:49.880 --> 0:26:52.359 win them over with your words, don't try to convince 0:26:52.400 --> 0:26:56.440 them with your speech. Let your life of excellence and integrity. 0:26:56.600 --> 0:26:59.439 Speak to them now. I know too many ladies that 0:26:59.600 --> 0:27:02.440 have not coming to church. They harp on that man 0:27:02.600 --> 0:27:06.240 night and day, constantly preaching to him, quoting the scriptures, 0:27:06.240 --> 0:27:08.600 telling him what he's doing wrong. Most of the time, 0:27:08.680 --> 0:27:11.800 that drives people further away. A better approach is to 0:27:11.840 --> 0:27:14.359 just let your light shine. Be fun to be around, 0:27:14.359 --> 0:27:18.239 be good natured, make him want what you have. I 0:27:18.280 --> 0:27:20.639 started praying with this young man after the ball games. 0:27:21.160 --> 0:27:23.560 He didn't even come from our same faith, but I 0:27:23.560 --> 0:27:26.240 would encourage him, give him hope. One day he showed 0:27:26.320 --> 0:27:29.320 up at Lakewood. He told me, Joel, I've never felt 0:27:29.320 --> 0:27:32.000 anything like that before. It was the love of God. 0:27:32.359 --> 0:27:35.440 Today he's here all the time. His life's totally changed, 0:27:35.480 --> 0:27:38.119 He's free from his addictions. He's one of the most kind, 0:27:38.400 --> 0:27:42.800 caring people that you could ever meet. How did this happen? 0:27:43.640 --> 0:27:46.960 Not by me forcing it, not by me condemning him. No, 0:27:47.280 --> 0:27:50.679 I simply let my light shine. I'm asking you to 0:27:50.680 --> 0:27:53.920 do the same thing. You have a ministry, you represent 0:27:54.040 --> 0:27:57.440 Almighty God. When you go out in the morning, make 0:27:57.520 --> 0:28:00.320 sure you have a smile on your face, make sure 0:28:00.400 --> 0:28:05.160 you're friendly, have a pleasant demeanor. Remember people don't see God. 0:28:05.359 --> 0:28:07.879 They see us. And I wonder what would happen if 0:28:07.960 --> 0:28:11.119 every one of us would go out of here dispensing 0:28:11.200 --> 0:28:15.320 good on somebody, joy, hope, encouragement. Friends, you are a 0:28:15.359 --> 0:28:19.080 container that is filled with God. Don't keep it to yourself, 0:28:19.520 --> 0:28:23.080 share it with others. Let your light shine. If you'll 0:28:23.119 --> 0:28:26.600 go out each day being a good example, you'll not 0:28:26.680 --> 0:28:29.760 only make a positive impact in other people's lives. But 0:28:29.800 --> 0:28:33.280 here's the beauty. God will use that seed to impact 0:28:33.280 --> 0:28:35.680 your own life. He'll cause you to come up pier. 0:28:36.160 --> 0:28:38.200 He'll show you more of His blessings in favor, and 0:28:38.480 --> 0:28:41.360 you'll live the life of victory that he has in store. Amen, 0:28:41.640 --> 0:28:46.080 do you receive it today? We never like the clergy 0:28:46.120 --> 0:28:49.800 our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus 0:28:49.840 --> 0:28:52.080 the lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:28:52.640 --> 0:28:57.800 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I'll repent of my sins. Come 0:28:57.840 --> 0:29:02.720 into my hearty. Thank you, my Lord and Savior. Friends, 0:29:02.720 --> 0:29:05.040 if you've prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:29:05.080 --> 0:29:08.200 born again. Get in a good Bible based church. Keep 0:29:08.240 --> 0:29:10.880 God first place. He's going to take your places that 0:29:10.960 --> 0:29:11.840 you've never dreamed of. 0:29:12.640 --> 0:29:16.080 Thank you for listening to the joel Oustine podcast. Help 0:29:16.160 --> 0:29:18.880 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:19.000 --> 0:29:22.880 all over the world. Visit joeloustein dot com slash give 0:29:22.960 --> 0:29:24.640 Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:25.920 --> 0:29:28.840 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:28.840 --> 0:29:32.240 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:32.320 --> 0:29:35.520 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:35.680 --> 0:29:38.120 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:38.200 --> 0:29:38.720 next time.