Give The Gift Of Yourself

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See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:30.080 UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.600 --> 0:01:33.360 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:36.440 Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting 0:01:36.480 --> 0:01:37.160 the ministry. 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:39.640 If you enjoyed today's MESSI, why don't you be a 0:01:39.640 --> 0:01:41.199 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:44.240 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:50.640 your line. Well, God bless you always a joy to 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:53.360 come into your homes, and if you're ever in our area, 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:56.240 please stop buying be a part of one of our services. 0:01:56.480 --> 0:01:58.720 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:01.680 Thanks so much for tuning in, and thank you again 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:04.600 for coming out today. I like to start with something funny, 0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:06.080 and I heard about this minister. 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:07.600 He bought a new horse. 0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:11.760 He trained it to respond to praise the Lord meaning 0:02:11.800 --> 0:02:14.680 giddy up, and Hallelujah meaning woe. 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:17.360 Every time he said praise the Lord. 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:20.600 The horse took off running when he said Hallelujah, quickly stopped. 0:02:20.960 --> 0:02:23.080 One day, he is out riding and the horse got 0:02:23.120 --> 0:02:27.720 spooked took off straight toward the cliff, going full blast. 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:30.720 In the panic, he couldn't remember what he taught the horse. 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:34.120 He said, Bless God, Amen, Glory. 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:38.200 Nothing happened. The last second he shouted Hallelujah. 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:41.919 The horse came to a screeching halt, just inches from 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:44.280 the edge of the cliff. He breathed a sigh of 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:47.000 relief and said, Praise the Lord. 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:51.400 All right, hold up your Bible. Say it like you 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:51.840 mean it. 0:02:52.360 --> 0:02:55.040 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:57.880 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:57.960 --> 0:03:00.560 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:03:00.639 --> 0:03:04.280 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:03:04.360 --> 0:03:07.400 is alert, my heart is receptive, I will never be 0:03:07.520 --> 0:03:12.040 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:12.040 --> 0:03:15.799 to talk to you today about giving the gift of yourself. 0:03:16.639 --> 0:03:20.480 The greatest gift you can give is not necessarily your money. 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:22.480 It's not what you can buy someone. 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:27.160 The greatest gift is your time, your attention, your love, 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:30.760 your concern. When you take time to go see someone, 0:03:31.400 --> 0:03:34.280 you look them in the eyes, they feel your love, 0:03:34.440 --> 0:03:39.040 they enjoy your company. That means more than any material. 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:40.240 Gift that you could ever give. 0:03:41.160 --> 0:03:43.920 The people that are close to you, that really love 0:03:44.040 --> 0:03:48.760 and respect you, they would rather have you than your money. 0:03:48.800 --> 0:03:51.040 You can give them all the money in the world, 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:55.080 but if you're not spending time with them, they're missing out. 0:03:55.040 --> 0:03:56.000 On the best of you. 0:03:56.840 --> 0:04:00.280 When you give the gift of yourself, you're saying you're 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:04.200 extremely important to me. I care about you, I love you, 0:04:04.200 --> 0:04:08.600 You're valuable. You're giving something that money cannot buy. And 0:04:08.720 --> 0:04:12.320 sometimes writing a check is taking the easy way out. 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:15.480 I know I need to go visit my parents, but 0:04:15.560 --> 0:04:18.560 I'm so busy at the office. I'll just pay the 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.880 neighbor to watch after them. My friends in the hospital, 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:24.159 I know I should go see them, but I don't 0:04:24.160 --> 0:04:26.680 want to miss working out this week. I'll just send 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:30.680 them some flowers. Now take time to give your greatest gift. 0:04:31.400 --> 0:04:34.359 I learned this from my father. At least once a year, 0:04:34.640 --> 0:04:37.800 he would have me drive him back to Paris, Texas. 0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:40.600 That's where he grew up. And there was this older 0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:43.600 couple that was related to us somehow, and the men 0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:47.560 was American Indian, so nice and his wife and him. 0:04:47.600 --> 0:04:50.360 They lived in this small wood frame house. 0:04:50.040 --> 0:04:52.760 And they were in their late eighties and had some 0:04:52.800 --> 0:04:56.279 health issues and didn't have much money, didn't have anybody 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:59.240 to watch after them. My father would pay their rent, 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:01.640 their medications, have. 0:05:01.720 --> 0:05:03.120 Somebody take care of the house. 0:05:03.680 --> 0:05:07.960 Daddy could have thought that's good enough, I'm doing my part. No, 0:05:08.120 --> 0:05:11.760 he understood this principle that the greatest gift he could 0:05:11.839 --> 0:05:13.000 give was not. 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:14.719 His money, but himself. 0:05:15.560 --> 0:05:19.320 My father was very busy pastor to large church, had 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:20.800 a lot of responsibilities. 0:05:21.240 --> 0:05:22.520 This could have been very. 0:05:22.320 --> 0:05:25.920 Low on his priority list, but every year we would 0:05:25.960 --> 0:05:29.240 take that five hour journey. First time we went, I 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:32.440 told Victoria, next Tuesday, we're going to Paris. 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:35.400 Didn't tell her Paris, Texas until the morning. 0:05:36.600 --> 0:05:38.680 We got to Paris, and she never did find the 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:41.800 Eiffel Tower there, But I'll never forget pulling up in 0:05:41.839 --> 0:05:45.400 their driveway. They were sitting on the front porch waiting 0:05:45.480 --> 0:05:49.000 with such anticipation you would have thought the President of 0:05:49.040 --> 0:05:52.560 the United States showed up. They were so happy. We'd 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:55.080 go in and eat the lunch they had prepared. Then 0:05:55.120 --> 0:05:58.400 we would sit there and visit for hours and hours, 0:05:58.760 --> 0:06:02.680 listening to their story, the same ones I'd heard before. 0:06:03.160 --> 0:06:04.919 A couple of times, I thought, let me finish it 0:06:04.960 --> 0:06:05.400 for you. 0:06:07.240 --> 0:06:10.080 I was in my early twenties, to be honest, I 0:06:10.200 --> 0:06:10.960 was so bored. 0:06:11.640 --> 0:06:14.159 Come on, daddy, let's go. We've had lunch. 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:17.920 We said hello. They know we loved them. My father 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:20.560 sat there just as patient as can be. What was 0:06:20.600 --> 0:06:24.919 he doing, giving his greatest gift, his time, his attention, 0:06:25.240 --> 0:06:29.240 his friendship, the gift of himself. And today people are 0:06:29.279 --> 0:06:33.760 so busy with the technology, it's easy to not interact 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:37.159 one on one. Where we used to go see someone 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:39.479 in person, or we used to at least pick up 0:06:39.520 --> 0:06:42.680 the phone. Now we may go months and months and 0:06:42.760 --> 0:06:46.719 only communicate by text, by email, by Facebook. And there's 0:06:46.760 --> 0:06:49.920 nothing wrong with that, but you have to make sure 0:06:50.400 --> 0:06:53.320 you're not cheating people out of the best of you. 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:57.400 To look someone in the eyes is very powerful. 0:06:58.000 --> 0:07:02.039 To give them your undivided attention and speaks volumes to 0:07:02.160 --> 0:07:06.719 let them hear your voice is extremely important. You will 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:11.240 never regret spending time with the people that you love. Now. 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:15.560 I'm all for using technology, but nothing makes the impact 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:20.200 like seeing someone face to face. There was this older 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:22.679 gentleman that I grew up with, and he was always 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:27.000 very good to me. He bought some television equipment for us, 0:07:27.200 --> 0:07:28.280 just a kind. 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:29.040 Generous man. 0:07:29.600 --> 0:07:32.000 He'd come up to the office and bring lunch and 0:07:32.040 --> 0:07:35.920 we'd all sit around, laugh, talk, have a good time together. 0:07:36.760 --> 0:07:39.960 One day he had a stroke, couldn't get out anymore. 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:42.960 He couldn't drive, and I felt so badly for him. 0:07:43.440 --> 0:07:47.160 I meant to call him. I had good intentions, but. 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:48.080 I was so busy. 0:07:48.800 --> 0:07:52.040 We had a new born, little baby daughter. I was 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:55.120 just learning how to minister, had so much going on. 0:07:55.680 --> 0:07:58.640 I kept putting it off and putting it off. Now 0:07:58.680 --> 0:08:00.680 I know friends that would go out to see him, 0:08:00.720 --> 0:08:03.760 and I'd always tell them be sure to tell him 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:06.880 for me that I miss him, I love him, and 0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:10.720 I'm going to come see him. Well, weeks turned into months, 0:08:11.360 --> 0:08:15.360 months turned into years. One morning, I woke up with 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:18.400 him on my mind so strongly that I got in 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:21.559 the car and drove to his house, and the lady 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:23.480 that took care of him answered the door. 0:08:24.080 --> 0:08:25.200 She said, Joel, he is. 0:08:25.160 --> 0:08:28.080 Going to be so happy to see you. He talks 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:31.280 about you all the time. He tells people you're just 0:08:31.480 --> 0:08:34.400 like his own son. I went in and gave him 0:08:34.440 --> 0:08:38.720 a big hoggin. He wept and wept. We're all busy, 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:42.120 We've all got a lot going on. But I'll never 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:45.040 regret the time that I spent with him that day. 0:08:45.800 --> 0:08:51.080 That one hour did more to express my love, my gratitude, 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:54.840 my respect than a thousand people telling him for me. 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:59.959 I could have sent him money, food, medication, encouragement. 0:09:00.200 --> 0:09:01.120 That would have been good. 0:09:01.320 --> 0:09:04.000 He would have been grateful, but it would not have 0:09:04.080 --> 0:09:08.080 had half the impact of that one visit. The fact 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:10.560 that I took time to look him in the eyes, 0:09:11.440 --> 0:09:14.280 to let him feel the warmth of my hug, to 0:09:14.360 --> 0:09:18.360 give him my undivided attention, to laugh and talk about 0:09:18.440 --> 0:09:23.440 old times. That was invaluable that cannot be purchased by money. 0:09:24.000 --> 0:09:28.400 Why is that the greatest gift you can give is yourself. 0:09:29.240 --> 0:09:32.440 You can't do it for everyone, but you can do 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:36.400 it for someone. God has put people in your life 0:09:36.760 --> 0:09:38.120 that need your gift. 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:40.880 Don't put it off and say, oh, yeah, Joel, I'll. 0:09:40.760 --> 0:09:43.839 Do it one day when it slows down at the office, 0:09:44.280 --> 0:09:48.199 maybe when the children get back in school, maybe when 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:50.000 the price of gas comes down. 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:51.199 Don't hold your breath. 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:55.560 If you keep putting it all, you may miss the opportunity. 0:09:56.240 --> 0:10:00.640 Life is short. It's no guarantee of an another day. 0:10:01.160 --> 0:10:03.920 That visit you've been planning to make, why don't you 0:10:03.960 --> 0:10:07.160 make it? That friend you've been meaning to see, Why 0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:09.720 don't you go see them? When I left his house 0:10:09.760 --> 0:10:13.040 that morning, part of me felt very happy and very 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:16.720 fulfilled that I could make his day. Another part of 0:10:16.760 --> 0:10:20.280 me felt sad that I'd held my gift back for 0:10:20.320 --> 0:10:23.840 so long. It had been years I had been planning 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:27.520 to see him, to see the impact that it made. 0:10:28.160 --> 0:10:31.360 To see him come alive, to see his smile made 0:10:31.360 --> 0:10:33.600 me wish I'd done it a whole lot sooner. 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:36.640 I made a vow that day that. 0:10:36.640 --> 0:10:41.560 I wasn't going to withhold my gift anymore. I'm asking 0:10:41.640 --> 0:10:45.160 you to do the same thing. Take time for the 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:49.959 people that invested in you, the people that made sacrifices 0:10:50.600 --> 0:10:53.080 like this man, the people that went out of their. 0:10:52.960 --> 0:10:54.480 Way to be good to you. 0:10:55.080 --> 0:10:58.920 They need more than your money, more than your well wishes, 0:10:59.559 --> 0:11:01.800 more than your friends saying hello for you. 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:06.480 They need the gift of yourself. Here's the key. Only 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:07.360 you can give it. 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:11.800 Your love, your smile, your friendship, your gratitude. 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:12.800 That's one of a kind. 0:11:13.600 --> 0:11:19.440 Can't be transferred, doesn't necessarily translate through another person, through 0:11:19.480 --> 0:11:22.800 a letter, a phone calls good, but don't use that 0:11:23.000 --> 0:11:25.960 as an excuse to never see them face to face. 0:11:26.760 --> 0:11:30.120 Tell you something strange about me. There's more than one thing, 0:11:30.160 --> 0:11:34.240 but this is one. When I read the newspaper every morning, 0:11:34.440 --> 0:11:35.760 I always. 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:36.880 Read the obituaries. 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:40.520 I scan through it and read about people to see 0:11:40.559 --> 0:11:43.840 who they are, what their story is, how long they've lived. 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:45.760 My children still make fun of me. 0:11:46.120 --> 0:11:49.040 Dad, he's reading the obituaries again, starting the day off 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:53.520 right thinking about death. But I've done that for years 0:11:53.559 --> 0:11:56.760 and years. I think the main reason is to make 0:11:56.800 --> 0:12:01.320 sure I'm not in it. But the real reason is 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:02.800 it reminds. 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:05.240 Me of how fragile life really is. 0:12:06.200 --> 0:12:09.600 We grow up thinking that we're invincible and we're going 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:12.320 to be here forever with our family and our friends. 0:12:12.360 --> 0:12:15.280 Our world is always going to be perfect. That's not 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:15.839 the case. 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:20.720 James four fourteen says, our life is like a mist. 0:12:20.920 --> 0:12:24.560 We're here for a moment, then we're gone. When you 0:12:24.640 --> 0:12:28.640 read the obituaries, you see people who were old and 0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:32.800 people who were young, people who had big families, and 0:12:32.880 --> 0:12:36.960 people with no families. Some obituaries are very long, with 0:12:37.120 --> 0:12:38.400 great accomplishments. 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:39.840 Some are short. 0:12:40.040 --> 0:12:43.920 They just list the people's name and their dates, their age. 0:12:44.520 --> 0:12:47.800 One thing they all have in common is they're no 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:51.960 longer here. Their time on this earth is over. And 0:12:52.000 --> 0:12:55.960 it's very sobering to look around at who God has 0:12:56.040 --> 0:12:59.480 put in your life, who has made a difference, Who 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:03.760 is in you? Who was there when nobody else was around. 0:13:04.200 --> 0:13:07.920 They took you under their wing, they mentored you. Are 0:13:07.960 --> 0:13:12.240 you giving the gift of yourself back to them. Some 0:13:12.320 --> 0:13:14.600 people come into our lives to get us to a 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:19.199 certain level. They make sacrifices, they pay the price. Then 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:23.360 we take off and pass them by. Now they're in 0:13:23.440 --> 0:13:27.320 the shadows. It's easy to forget about them. It's easy 0:13:27.360 --> 0:13:31.120 to not have any time. Too busy, too important, too successful. 0:13:31.240 --> 0:13:34.280 I've got too much going on. No, if it had 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:36.839 not been for them, you wouldn't be where you are. 0:13:37.440 --> 0:13:40.320 Take time for the people that took time for you. 0:13:41.440 --> 0:13:43.880 When my father was in high school, he had a 0:13:43.920 --> 0:13:47.560 friend named Sam Martin, and Sam was always talking to 0:13:47.640 --> 0:13:48.359 him about. 0:13:48.080 --> 0:13:50.439 The Lord and how he needed to give his life 0:13:50.440 --> 0:13:51.000 to Christ. 0:13:51.760 --> 0:13:56.079 My father always thought Sam was a little odd too religious. 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:58.840 Sam would get to school early in the morning and 0:13:59.160 --> 0:14:03.160 write scriptures on the chopboard. Most of the students agreed 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:06.560 with my father that Sam was just too far out well. 0:14:06.600 --> 0:14:09.640 One night, at two o'clock in the morning, my father 0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:13.600 was walking home from a nightclub seventeen years old. He 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:17.559 began to think about his eternal destiny. He got home 0:14:17.679 --> 0:14:20.320 and opened the family Bible on the coffee table. 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:22.520 It was just there as decoration. 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:25.960 My father had no kind of spiritual upbringing, never been 0:14:26.000 --> 0:14:29.480 to church before. The Bible fell open to a picture 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:34.040 of Jesus knocking at a door. The caption read, I 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:37.880 stand at the door and knock. If any person opens 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:42.920 the door, I will come in. My father couldn't understand religion, 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:47.320 but he could understand opening a door. The next day 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:51.600 he told Sam what had happened. Sam said, John, that's 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:55.920 God drawing you unto himself. He invited my father to church. 0:14:56.520 --> 0:15:00.640 They went and sat on the very back road the service. 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:04.120 The minister invited people to the altar to receive Christ. 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:07.280 My father wouldn't go. He was too scared. 0:15:08.000 --> 0:15:12.040 Sam whispered in his ear seventeen years old, John, if 0:15:12.080 --> 0:15:15.600 you'll walk down there, I'll go with you. That day 0:15:15.640 --> 0:15:18.160 they both walked down there. My father gave his life 0:15:18.160 --> 0:15:20.280 to Christ and that he went on to become a 0:15:20.400 --> 0:15:23.840 very well respected, successful minister founded this church. 0:15:25.720 --> 0:15:26.800 But here's my point. 0:15:27.360 --> 0:15:31.240 Sam didn't have that same success. He pastored a church 0:15:31.320 --> 0:15:35.200 here and there, but nothing really caught on. Later in 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:39.640 Sam's life, everything had gone downhill. He was really struggling, 0:15:40.040 --> 0:15:43.880 working as a greeter at a local retail store. He 0:15:43.920 --> 0:15:47.600 and my father had stayed in touch somewhat, but not 0:15:47.760 --> 0:15:50.320 that close. They would call each other every several years. 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:54.280 When my father heard how much Sam was struggling, he 0:15:54.320 --> 0:15:57.440 got in his car and he drove to Dallas to visit. 0:15:58.080 --> 0:16:02.040 Now they were both in their seventies. Sam was so thrilled. 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:05.600 He couldn't believe his old high school friend John had 0:16:05.600 --> 0:16:06.680 taken time to come. 0:16:07.360 --> 0:16:08.600 My dad was very loyal. 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:11.640 He invited Sam to be a part of our staff 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:15.160 as one of our ministers. Sam and his wife moved 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:18.360 to Houston. Sam spent the last eight years of his 0:16:18.480 --> 0:16:22.080 life working with my father day in and day out. 0:16:22.400 --> 0:16:25.840 What was my dad doing giving the gift of himself? 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:27.920 He knew he wouldn't. 0:16:27.600 --> 0:16:31.040 Be here if it weren't for Sam. Sam was there 0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:34.080 for my father in his time of need. Now my 0:16:34.240 --> 0:16:37.040 father was there for Sam in Sam's. 0:16:36.640 --> 0:16:37.280 Time of need. 0:16:39.080 --> 0:16:41.880 Don't forget about the people that help you get to 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:46.240 where you are. Don't be too busy, too important. Take 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:49.600 time to reach back and invest in those that have 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:52.200 helped you. May not be to give them a job 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:54.720 like my dad did, but at least you can stop 0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:57.800 by their house and say thank you. You can invite 0:16:57.840 --> 0:17:01.080 them over, or you can do something kind for their family. 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:03.000 This is what David did. 0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:07.119 In the scripture, his best friend Jonathan was killed in 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:10.800 a battle. Jonathan was the one that really looked after David. 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:14.560 When his father, King Saul, was trying to kill David, 0:17:15.000 --> 0:17:18.360 Jonathan would get inside information and sneak over and give 0:17:18.400 --> 0:17:23.000 it to his friend David. Years after Jonathan's death, now 0:17:23.119 --> 0:17:24.160 David is the king. 0:17:25.000 --> 0:17:26.920 David asked his assistant. 0:17:27.119 --> 0:17:31.399 Is anyone from the house of Jonathan still alive. If so, 0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:34.840 I want to do something good for them, They said, 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:37.040 he has one son that's. 0:17:36.920 --> 0:17:38.439 Crippled, but he's still alive. 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:43.159 This son was living in extreme poverty, no future to 0:17:43.200 --> 0:17:46.360 speak of. David had them go get the young man, 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:49.399 bring him to the palace. He looked him in the 0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:52.520 eyes and said, listen, from now on, you're going to 0:17:52.560 --> 0:17:55.840 eat at my dinner table every night. From now on, 0:17:55.920 --> 0:17:58.680 you're going to live in the palace with me, treated 0:17:58.800 --> 0:18:03.040 like royalty. The young man was amazed. He asked, what 0:18:03.160 --> 0:18:06.960 did I do to deserve all this? David said, your 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:10.320 father was a friend of mine. Your father helped me 0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:11.480 get to where I am. 0:18:12.000 --> 0:18:14.439 Now I'm going to show you honor. I'm going to 0:18:14.480 --> 0:18:14.920 show you. 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:19.480 Respect because of who your father was. David could have 0:18:19.560 --> 0:18:22.440 taken the easy way out and said, I'm going to build. 0:18:22.240 --> 0:18:24.919 You a house down the road, have somebody. 0:18:24.600 --> 0:18:26.639 Take care of you. You go off and live a 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:31.480 good life. No, David understood this principle that the greatest 0:18:31.560 --> 0:18:35.720 gift he could give was himself. David gave that young 0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:40.520 man his time, his attention, his friendship. The truth is, 0:18:41.200 --> 0:18:43.720 none of us got to where we are on our own. 0:18:44.480 --> 0:18:47.760 It's easy to find fault with the people that raised us. 0:18:48.040 --> 0:18:50.480 I hear it all the time, Joel. My parents didn't 0:18:50.480 --> 0:18:53.439 treat me right. My father worked all the time, he 0:18:53.600 --> 0:18:57.080 was never there. My mother had issues. My teachers, they 0:18:57.080 --> 0:19:00.280 didn't really invest in me. No, they may not have 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:04.000 been perfect, but they made sacrifices so that you could 0:19:04.080 --> 0:19:04.600 go further. 0:19:05.359 --> 0:19:07.240 Most likely, they. 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:10.359 Did the best that they could with what they had. 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:13.680 He's talking to a friend recently. He was the star 0:19:13.840 --> 0:19:17.639 football player in high school. He loved sports, but his 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:21.240 father never came to one game, never saw him play 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:25.560 one time. But this son wasn't bitter, he said, Joel. 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:27.320 My dad was a good man. 0:19:27.920 --> 0:19:31.320 He spent all of his time and energy working to 0:19:31.480 --> 0:19:32.880 provide for the family. 0:19:33.200 --> 0:19:34.560 That's how he showed love. 0:19:35.680 --> 0:19:39.320 Come to find out, his father was raised without a father. 0:19:40.040 --> 0:19:43.280 He'd never seen a father modeled, didn't really know what 0:19:43.359 --> 0:19:47.440 he was supposed to do. Sometimes we judge people by 0:19:47.480 --> 0:19:51.199 what we know instead of by what they know. This 0:19:51.400 --> 0:19:54.720 son was smart enough to realize his father didn't know 0:19:54.760 --> 0:19:55.320 any better. 0:19:55.680 --> 0:19:57.640 He was doing the best that he knew. 0:19:57.720 --> 0:20:01.679 How now, this son takes his father to all of 0:20:01.720 --> 0:20:05.840 his grandson's football games. They sit together in the stands 0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:07.520 and enjoy each other's company. 0:20:08.080 --> 0:20:08.879 What am I saying? 0:20:09.240 --> 0:20:12.840 Don't make excuses for why you don't need to see. 0:20:12.600 --> 0:20:13.399 A loved one. 0:20:14.000 --> 0:20:17.600 Don't live bitter because you didn't get what you needed. Well, Joel, 0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:20.560 they didn't treat me right, They didn't make me feel important. 0:20:20.560 --> 0:20:23.080 They should have spent more time with me. Why don't 0:20:23.119 --> 0:20:26.240 you have a bigger point of view? Maybe they did 0:20:26.280 --> 0:20:30.680 the best that they knew. How after all, that's your family, 0:20:31.240 --> 0:20:34.800 that's your flesh and blood. That's the one God ordained 0:20:34.840 --> 0:20:37.480 to be in your life. You didn't just come from 0:20:37.520 --> 0:20:43.240 any parents. God hand picked your parents. He knew what 0:20:43.280 --> 0:20:46.440 they would have and what they wouldn't have. He knew 0:20:46.480 --> 0:20:49.160 what they could give you and what they couldn't give you. 0:20:49.920 --> 0:20:53.040 It's easy to focus on the negative, but keep the 0:20:53.119 --> 0:20:57.320 right perspective. They're the ones that changed your diapers. They're 0:20:57.320 --> 0:21:00.199 the ones that fed you, clothed you stayed up up 0:21:00.240 --> 0:21:02.959 late at night when you didn't feel well. They're the 0:21:02.960 --> 0:21:05.359 people that when you were a baby you spit up 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:08.280 on them. They shook it off and gave you another bottle. 0:21:08.720 --> 0:21:11.800 Now what have you done for them lately? Have you 0:21:11.880 --> 0:21:14.359 invited them out to dinner. Have you stopped by the 0:21:14.440 --> 0:21:18.800 house to enjoy their company, to talk about old times. 0:21:18.720 --> 0:21:19.640 To laugh together. 0:21:20.640 --> 0:21:24.000 What if they weren't going to be around next year 0:21:24.200 --> 0:21:27.639 at this time, What if the next few months was 0:21:27.680 --> 0:21:30.480 the only chance you had to let them know how 0:21:30.520 --> 0:21:34.000 you feel, what they mean to you. Are you allowing 0:21:34.040 --> 0:21:36.719 your work schedule too busy to keep you from it? 0:21:37.600 --> 0:21:41.679 Or maybe have you not spoken in years because you 0:21:41.760 --> 0:21:45.119 don't get along anymore. You're at odds and you're just 0:21:45.240 --> 0:21:48.639 letting it ride. Maybe one day you'll make things better. 0:21:49.240 --> 0:21:53.400 God is saying today is your one day reach out 0:21:53.480 --> 0:21:55.480 to the people that have sacrificed for you. 0:21:56.080 --> 0:21:57.719 Go visit that family member. 0:21:58.600 --> 0:22:01.920 You have a gift that they need, and it's not 0:22:02.000 --> 0:22:06.680 necessarily just your money, your clothes, your food. The gift 0:22:06.760 --> 0:22:12.000 you have is yourself, your friendship, your time, your love, 0:22:12.160 --> 0:22:14.480 your hug, your smile, your gratitude. 0:22:14.840 --> 0:22:17.480 Don't keep putting it all. Do what you know you 0:22:17.560 --> 0:22:18.040 need to do. 0:22:19.160 --> 0:22:22.880 Last week, I was flipping through the obituaries, my favorite 0:22:22.880 --> 0:22:23.360 thing to do. 0:22:24.080 --> 0:22:25.520 I saw this picture. 0:22:25.720 --> 0:22:29.280 Of a man about my age and he always waited 0:22:29.280 --> 0:22:32.280 on me at the department store. Just saw him a 0:22:32.320 --> 0:22:35.280 couple months ago in the back of the store. I 0:22:35.400 --> 0:22:37.600 was in a hurry, but I took a few moments 0:22:37.600 --> 0:22:38.960 to goldber and shake his hand. 0:22:39.280 --> 0:22:40.359 See how he was doing. 0:22:40.680 --> 0:22:44.600 Just a two minute friendly conversation, No big deal. I 0:22:44.720 --> 0:22:47.880 never dreamed that would be the last time I ever 0:22:47.920 --> 0:22:48.480 saw him. 0:22:48.840 --> 0:22:52.640 He had been there for years. Friends, life is short. 0:22:53.000 --> 0:22:56.879 Don't miss these opportunities to give the gift of yourself. 0:22:57.480 --> 0:23:00.800 I was so glad that at least I took time 0:23:01.040 --> 0:23:05.520 to go say hello when I saw his picture. While 0:23:05.560 --> 0:23:08.800 I was saddened to know that he was gone, I 0:23:08.960 --> 0:23:12.600 was satisfied knowing that I had taken the time to 0:23:12.680 --> 0:23:15.400 let him know that I cared that he was important 0:23:15.400 --> 0:23:19.399 to me. My question is the people God put in 0:23:19.440 --> 0:23:23.320 your life, your family, your friends, those that you interact with. 0:23:24.000 --> 0:23:28.359 If they were gone tomorrow, would you be satisfied that 0:23:28.440 --> 0:23:31.320 they know how much you love them, what you mean 0:23:31.400 --> 0:23:35.560 to them. Have you seen them lately expressed your feelings, 0:23:36.080 --> 0:23:38.920 taking time to enjoy their friendship, laugh together. 0:23:39.880 --> 0:23:43.040 If not, why don't you do it sooner than later. 0:23:43.520 --> 0:23:46.480 I've been to too many funerals where I hear people say, 0:23:46.960 --> 0:23:50.240 if I only had another chance, if I could just 0:23:50.359 --> 0:23:52.240 really tell them what they meant to me. 0:23:52.800 --> 0:23:55.919 This is your other chance. Look around this week. 0:23:56.400 --> 0:23:58.399 Don't take the people God put in your. 0:23:58.240 --> 0:23:59.280 Life for granted. 0:24:00.080 --> 0:24:03.560 When you give the gift of yourself, your time, your attention, 0:24:03.800 --> 0:24:08.920 your love, your keeping the accounts full. When somebody goes 0:24:08.960 --> 0:24:11.800 to be with the Lord, while you'll still be sad, 0:24:12.520 --> 0:24:14.159 you'll have no regrets. 0:24:14.440 --> 0:24:14.919 There'll be a. 0:24:15.000 --> 0:24:19.080 Satisfaction knowing they knew exactly how much you love them, 0:24:19.359 --> 0:24:22.680 how much you value them in your life. What makes 0:24:22.760 --> 0:24:25.960 losing a loved one much more difficult is when we 0:24:26.040 --> 0:24:27.680 have all these things. 0:24:27.320 --> 0:24:30.560 We wish we would have done. I wish I would 0:24:30.560 --> 0:24:31.400 have gone to see them. 0:24:31.680 --> 0:24:34.359 I wish I would have taken my friends, or I 0:24:34.400 --> 0:24:36.320 wish I would have forgiven. 0:24:35.920 --> 0:24:39.359 Them and made things right. Talk to a young lady 0:24:39.480 --> 0:24:40.160 just recently. 0:24:40.600 --> 0:24:44.639 She's dealing with all this guilt, all this remorse because 0:24:44.640 --> 0:24:46.439 she got in odds with her father. 0:24:47.000 --> 0:24:49.440 They had not spoken in a long long time. 0:24:49.920 --> 0:24:53.560 Her father, in his early fifties, was suddenly killed in 0:24:53.600 --> 0:24:57.280 an accident. She said, Joel, I can't handle it. I'm 0:24:57.280 --> 0:24:59.640 dealing with all this guilt. How do I let it go? 0:25:00.440 --> 0:25:02.640 Of course, God will give you the grace to do it. 0:25:02.720 --> 0:25:05.840 But the point I'm making today is it's much better 0:25:06.200 --> 0:25:10.520 to keep the accounts full. You've heard the saying live 0:25:10.600 --> 0:25:14.600 every day like it could be your last. Another good thought. 0:25:15.040 --> 0:25:19.160 Live every day like it could be your loved one's last. 0:25:19.720 --> 0:25:23.200 Because when you die, if you know the Lord, you're 0:25:23.200 --> 0:25:26.000 going to go to heaven. You're not gonna miss us. 0:25:26.240 --> 0:25:28.320 There's no time in heaven. The next thing you know 0:25:28.600 --> 0:25:31.800 is will be there. The difficulty is not when you die, 0:25:32.320 --> 0:25:35.560 but when a loved one dies. That's when people have 0:25:35.680 --> 0:25:39.679 too many regrets. I've heard it said, if you only 0:25:39.720 --> 0:25:43.480 had an hour to live, who would you call, what 0:25:43.480 --> 0:25:44.240 would you say? 0:25:44.880 --> 0:25:46.000 And what are you waiting for? 0:25:46.800 --> 0:25:50.399 It was a Thursday night thirteen years ago. I was home, 0:25:50.520 --> 0:25:53.679 sound asleep in my bed and I heard the phone ringing. 0:25:54.280 --> 0:25:56.120 I woke up in a daze, looked at the clock. 0:25:56.200 --> 0:25:59.080 It was four o'clock in the morning, entered the phone 0:25:59.119 --> 0:26:01.359 and it was my father. He said, Joel, I'm not 0:26:01.480 --> 0:26:03.840 feeling well. I need to go up to the clinic 0:26:03.920 --> 0:26:05.040 to take dialysis. 0:26:05.240 --> 0:26:06.040 Can you take me? 0:26:06.400 --> 0:26:09.119 Said sure, I'll be there in just a moment. I'd 0:26:09.160 --> 0:26:11.760 gotten in bed that night at two o'clock, just had 0:26:11.760 --> 0:26:14.600 a couple of hours of sleep, picked my father up 0:26:14.680 --> 0:26:17.639 and got him to the dialysis center, and most of 0:26:17.680 --> 0:26:19.920 the time, once he got all hooked up, he would 0:26:19.960 --> 0:26:22.320 go to sleep, and so I would leave and go 0:26:22.359 --> 0:26:25.040 to work, or go back home and come pick him 0:26:25.119 --> 0:26:29.200 up four hours later. This morning, I was particularly tired, 0:26:29.800 --> 0:26:32.800 but something down in here said, Joel, you need to 0:26:32.880 --> 0:26:34.520 stay and visit. 0:26:34.320 --> 0:26:37.400 With your dad today. It just felt right. I knew 0:26:37.480 --> 0:26:38.560 I was supposed to do it. 0:26:38.680 --> 0:26:40.600 So I pulled up a chair and for the next 0:26:40.600 --> 0:26:42.760 three or four hours, my father and I just sat 0:26:42.800 --> 0:26:45.960 there and talked and laughed, had a good time together. 0:26:46.600 --> 0:26:49.080 He got finished about eight in the morning, and I 0:26:49.119 --> 0:26:51.959 took him home. And I was standing in my parents' 0:26:52.119 --> 0:26:55.840 kitchen just about to leave, and my father called me 0:26:55.920 --> 0:26:59.520 back over. He gave me a big hug and said, Joel, 0:27:00.119 --> 0:27:03.080 the best son a father could ever hope to have. 0:27:03.960 --> 0:27:04.040 Now. 0:27:04.040 --> 0:27:08.680 I left that day feeling extremely satisfied. I knew how 0:27:08.760 --> 0:27:12.200 much my father loved me, and he knew how much 0:27:12.240 --> 0:27:16.040 I loved him. What I didn't realize was later that 0:27:16.200 --> 0:27:18.720 day he would have a heart attack and go to 0:27:18.760 --> 0:27:22.560 be with the Lord. The last thing I remember him 0:27:22.600 --> 0:27:24.919 saying to me was what a good son I was. 0:27:25.560 --> 0:27:28.679 The last thing he remembers me doing for him was 0:27:28.680 --> 0:27:29.600 spending that three or. 0:27:29.560 --> 0:27:30.560 Four hours together. 0:27:31.440 --> 0:27:35.400 And while I still miss my dad, I have no regrets. 0:27:35.920 --> 0:27:38.760 There's nothing I wish I would have done differently, Nothing 0:27:38.760 --> 0:27:39.880 I wish I would have said. 0:27:40.160 --> 0:27:40.919 I'm at peace. 0:27:41.200 --> 0:27:43.520 And I don't say that to brag on me, but 0:27:43.640 --> 0:27:47.679 rather to challenge us to make sure we're keeping the 0:27:47.760 --> 0:27:52.200 accounts full. Make sure you're not putting things off thinking, yeah, 0:27:52.359 --> 0:27:55.000 one day I'm going to go see them. One day, 0:27:55.040 --> 0:27:58.160 I'm going to take my grandchildren. One day, I'm going 0:27:58.200 --> 0:28:02.320 to forgive and make things right. Let today be your 0:28:02.359 --> 0:28:05.480 one day. Take time for the people God put in 0:28:05.520 --> 0:28:11.400 your life. Don't cheat them out of the best of you. 0:28:11.400 --> 0:28:15.480 Your friendship, your love, your smile, your hug. That's one 0:28:15.520 --> 0:28:18.440 of a kind nobody else can give it. If you'll 0:28:18.520 --> 0:28:21.440 learn to give the gift of yourself, then your accounts 0:28:21.440 --> 0:28:25.159 will stay full, You'll have no regrets. The people in 0:28:25.200 --> 0:28:27.720 your life will not only be better, but you will 0:28:27.760 --> 0:28:33.040 be better. I believe in declare you will live a blessed, happy, fulfilled, 0:28:33.200 --> 0:28:36.800 victorious life in Jesus' name. If you receive it, can 0:28:36.840 --> 0:28:40.200 you say amen today? Well, we never like to close 0:28:40.200 --> 0:28:43.760 our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus 0:28:43.800 --> 0:28:46.160 the lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:28:46.800 --> 0:28:50.760 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. 0:28:52.240 --> 0:28:58.000 Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. Friends, 0:28:58.000 --> 0:29:00.240 if you pray that simple prayer, we believe. 0:29:00.120 --> 0:29:03.040 You got born again. Get in a good Bible based church, 0:29:03.480 --> 0:29:04.640 Keep God first place. 0:29:05.000 --> 0:29:07.480 He's going to take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:07.640 --> 0:29:10.600 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:10.640 --> 0:29:12.120 you'll subscribe. 0:29:11.640 --> 0:29:14.360 So you can receive the latest podcast to keep you 0:29:14.480 --> 0:29:16.600 encouraged and inspired all through the week. 0:29:16.760 --> 0:29:18.960 Help us to continue to share the message of hope 0:29:19.000 --> 0:29:20.520 with those all around the world. 0:29:20.800 --> 0:29:23.600 Visit Joelosting dot com or click the link in the 0:29:23.640 --> 0:29:25.800 description to partner with us today. 0:29:26.040 --> 0:29:28.480 We hope you'll share this message with a friend and 0:29:28.600 --> 0:29:31.400 be sure to follow us on social media. We're praying 0:29:31.440 --> 0:29:34.560 for you. I know God's best is still ahead. 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