Living Content

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Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:33.920 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:36.720 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 --> 0:01:40.759 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:41.160 --> 0:01:43.800 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:58.120 your life. Well, God bless you. 0:01:58.680 --> 0:02:01.040 It's always a joy to come into your homes and 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:04.000 if you're ever in our area, please stop buying be 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:06.520 a part of one of our services. I promise you 0:02:06.720 --> 0:02:08.919 we'll make you feel right at home. But thanks so 0:02:09.040 --> 0:02:11.560 much for tuning in, and thank you again for coming out. 0:02:12.280 --> 0:02:14.600 I like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:18.200 about this pastor. He decided to skip church one Sunday 0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:18.960 morning and. 0:02:19.040 --> 0:02:19.799 Go play golf. 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:23.239 He told his assistant that he wasn't feeling well, and 0:02:23.600 --> 0:02:25.799 he drove to a golf course in another city so 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:26.840 nobody would know him. 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:28.120 He teed off. 0:02:28.200 --> 0:02:31.480 On the first hole, a huge gust of wind caught 0:02:31.520 --> 0:02:35.000 his ball, carried it an extra one hundred yards, and 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:38.079 dropped it right in the hole for a four hundred 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:39.080 and fifty. 0:02:38.840 --> 0:02:40.000 Yard hole in one. 0:02:40.840 --> 0:02:43.040 An angel looked at God and said, what'd you do 0:02:43.160 --> 0:02:46.359 that for? God smiled and said, who's he going to tell? 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:50.440 Hold up your bible, say it like you mean it. 0:02:51.000 --> 0:02:53.320 This is my Bible. I am what it says. 0:02:53.400 --> 0:02:53.640 I am. 0:02:54.160 --> 0:02:56.359 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:56.520 --> 0:02:58.959 what it says I could do. Today I will be 0:02:59.040 --> 0:02:59.880 taught the word of God. 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:00.120 God. 0:03:00.639 --> 0:03:04.880 I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:08.799 I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:12.440 bless you. I want to talk to you today about 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:17.400 living content. It's good to have dreams and goals. We 0:03:17.480 --> 0:03:20.560 should be stretching our faith, believing for something bigger. 0:03:21.120 --> 0:03:21.919 But here's the key. 0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:26.280 While we're waiting for things to change, waiting for promises 0:03:26.320 --> 0:03:29.960 to come to pass, we shouldn't be discontent where we are. 0:03:31.160 --> 0:03:34.040 Maybe you're believing to have a baby, believing for a 0:03:34.120 --> 0:03:38.520 new house, believing to get married. That's great, but don't 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:43.320 go the next five years discontent being single, discontent with 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:46.320 the house you have, discontent not having a child. 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:49.800 Learn to enjoy the season that you're in. 0:03:50.880 --> 0:03:55.080 Being unhappy, frustrated, wondering if it's ever going to change, 0:03:55.600 --> 0:03:58.600 is not going to make it happen any sooner. When 0:03:58.680 --> 0:04:03.480 we're discontent, we're dishonoring God. We're so focused on what 0:04:03.640 --> 0:04:05.200 we want, we're taking. 0:04:05.040 --> 0:04:06.160 For granted what we have. 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:10.480 The right attitude is, I'm believing for a new house, 0:04:11.040 --> 0:04:13.480 but in the meantime, I'm happy with the house I have. 0:04:14.440 --> 0:04:17.200 I'm believing to get married, but in the meantime, I'm 0:04:17.240 --> 0:04:20.880 content being single. Believing for a better job, but I'm 0:04:20.920 --> 0:04:24.160 happy with the job I have right now. The apostle 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:28.360 Paul said, I have learned how to be content, whether 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:32.080 I'm abased or a bounding, whether I have plenty or 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:35.600 whether I'm in need. Notice, he had to learn to 0:04:35.720 --> 0:04:39.680 be content. Doesn't happen automatically. It's a choice we have 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:40.120 to make. 0:04:41.200 --> 0:04:41.880 Being content. 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:44.840 Does it mean that we don't want change, we give 0:04:44.920 --> 0:04:47.320 up on our dreams, we settle where we are. No, 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:52.479 it means we're not fighting everything. We're not frustrated. We're 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:56.919 trusting God's timing. We know he's working behind the scenes 0:04:57.279 --> 0:04:59.360 and at the right time, he'll get us to where 0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:03.800 we're supposed to be. Now, I found some situations will 0:05:03.880 --> 0:05:08.440 not change until we change as long as we're frustrated, 0:05:08.800 --> 0:05:11.240 stressed out, thinking why is it taking so long? 0:05:11.839 --> 0:05:12.240 Why am I. 0:05:12.320 --> 0:05:15.080 Still dealing with this problem? Why is my husband still 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:18.680 aggravating me? No, if God has us there, we must 0:05:18.800 --> 0:05:21.320 need it. He's going to use it to do a 0:05:21.400 --> 0:05:27.000 work in us. When we're content, we're growing, we're developing character. 0:05:27.520 --> 0:05:31.120 Our faith is being Strengthen. You don't grow in the 0:05:31.200 --> 0:05:35.120 good times when everything's going your way. You grow when 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:39.279 there's pressure. You feel like being sour, but you choose 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:40.040 to be happy. 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:43.760 You could easily complain, but you say Lord, thank you 0:05:43.880 --> 0:05:47.800 for another great day. All your dreams haven't come to pass, 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:51.400 but you choose to enjoy the season that you're in. 0:05:51.960 --> 0:05:53.320 That's passing the test. 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:56.920 That's what allows God to go to work. And instead 0:05:56.920 --> 0:06:00.160 of trying to change the situation, let it change you. 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:04.720 There's something wrong if we're always discontented. I don't like 0:06:04.839 --> 0:06:08.200 my job, tired of this small apartment. These kids get 0:06:08.240 --> 0:06:10.920 on my nerves. When is my business ever going to grow? 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:14.800 That's going to keep you where you are. God's plan 0:06:14.960 --> 0:06:18.080 for our life is not to just make us comfortable, 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:21.280 but to grow us up, to mature us so he 0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:24.800 can release more of his favor. You may not like 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:27.880 where you are, but you wouldn't be there unless God 0:06:27.960 --> 0:06:28.960 had a purpose for it. 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:33.440 Make sure you pass the test. This is what David did. 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:37.600 He spent years in the lonely shepherd's fields, taking care 0:06:37.720 --> 0:06:41.200 of his father's sheep. And what's interesting is he had 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:44.159 already been chosen to be the next king of Israel. 0:06:44.680 --> 0:06:49.400 The prophet Samuel had already anointed him. David could have thought, God, 0:06:49.480 --> 0:06:53.280 this isn't right. I've got big dreams. You promised me 0:06:53.440 --> 0:06:56.280 great things. What am I doing stuck out here with 0:06:56.400 --> 0:07:00.720 a bunch of sheep. No David understood this principle. He 0:07:00.800 --> 0:07:05.440 didn't live stressed, frustrated, he bloomed where he was planted. 0:07:06.120 --> 0:07:08.840 He knew God was in control, so he just kept 0:07:08.920 --> 0:07:11.880 being his best, going to work with a good attitude, 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:16.600 grateful for where he was. Because he was content in 0:07:16.720 --> 0:07:20.320 the shepherd's fields. He made it to the throne, to 0:07:20.440 --> 0:07:23.800 the palace. He passed that test. But if you're not 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:27.600 content in the season you're in, while you're waiting for 0:07:27.760 --> 0:07:31.400 things to change, then even if you do somehow make 0:07:31.480 --> 0:07:33.520 it to your throne, so to speak, your dreams do 0:07:33.680 --> 0:07:36.760 come to pass, you're still not going to be satisfied. 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:39.920 You may be happy for a little while, but here's 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:45.480 the problem. Discontentment will follow you everywhere you go. A 0:07:45.520 --> 0:07:48.200 few years ago, I came home one evening and I 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:51.600 heard this high pitched sound in the house, like a 0:07:51.760 --> 0:07:54.040 tone you hear from a television broadcast. 0:07:54.320 --> 0:07:55.440 I could just faintly hear it. 0:07:55.800 --> 0:07:58.720 I thought maybe a smoke detector battery was low, where 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:02.239 alarm was going off. Upset, so I started going around 0:08:02.320 --> 0:08:05.280 everywhere trying to figure out where it was. But it 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:09.680 seemed like everywhere I went it sounded exactly the same. 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:12.960 I couldn't get any closer to it. It was very puzzling. 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:18.200 I went upstairs and checked rooms and drawers, checked the pantry. Finally, 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:20.640 I went up in the attic. I thought maybe a 0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:23.240 hot water heater or an air conditioner had a part. 0:08:23.160 --> 0:08:23.960 That was going bad. 0:08:24.640 --> 0:08:26.600 I got way up in the attic and it still 0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:30.680 sounded exactly the same. After about twenty minutes, I went 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:33.640 down to my room to change clothes. I took off 0:08:33.760 --> 0:08:37.160 my cell phone from my belt where it was clip, 0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:37.640 and I. 0:08:37.679 --> 0:08:38.720 Put it on my counter. 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:42.240 When I did, I could tell the tone was coming 0:08:42.320 --> 0:08:43.280 from my cell phone. 0:08:44.440 --> 0:08:47.839 That's why it sounded the same. Everywhere I went. It 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:48.679 was clip to me. 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:51.800 I couldn't get away from it. That's the way it 0:08:52.040 --> 0:08:56.880 is with discontentment. It follows us around. God blesses us 0:08:56.920 --> 0:09:00.280 with the promotion. We're happy for a little while. Then 0:09:00.360 --> 0:09:03.320 the discontentment comes. We don't want to work so hard, 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:06.719 we don't want the responsibility. It's not our circumstances. It's 0:09:06.800 --> 0:09:11.000 the spirit of discontentment, seeing the wrong, complaining. 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:12.920 About what we don't like, never having enough. 0:09:13.840 --> 0:09:17.080 That's why Paul said, I've learned how to be content. 0:09:17.559 --> 0:09:20.120 You've got to train your mind to see the good, 0:09:20.640 --> 0:09:23.640 to be grateful for what you have. Life will go 0:09:23.840 --> 0:09:28.080 so much better if you will be content in each season. 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:31.679 Content when you have a lot, and content when you 0:09:31.800 --> 0:09:35.160 don't have a lot. Content whether your children are in 0:09:35.280 --> 0:09:38.920 diapers or whether they're in college, whether you're in maintenance 0:09:39.280 --> 0:09:43.400 or management. You have the grace you need to enjoy 0:09:43.559 --> 0:09:47.160 each season. If your dreams are not coming to pass, 0:09:47.440 --> 0:09:51.319 that's a test. Will you do like David and bloom 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:55.240 where you're planted? Will you choose to enjoy that season 0:09:55.760 --> 0:09:59.040 and not just endure it? Thinking, God, when is this 0:09:59.200 --> 0:10:03.160 ever going to chat? I've been praying for two years. No, 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:07.360 maybe it's going to change. When you change, You've got 0:10:07.440 --> 0:10:10.559 to be satisfied with where God has you right now. 0:10:11.400 --> 0:10:11.679 Again. 0:10:11.840 --> 0:10:15.200 It doesn't mean you settle there, never expect anything good. 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:16.640 It means you don't. 0:10:16.480 --> 0:10:21.680 Live frustrated, always wanting something more. God, I need more money, 0:10:21.760 --> 0:10:24.880 then I'll be happy. I need a better job, need 0:10:24.960 --> 0:10:28.120 a bigger house, need to lose twenty pounds, I need 0:10:28.240 --> 0:10:29.640 my kids to make better grades. 0:10:29.720 --> 0:10:33.640 Then I enjoy life. Or if you get all that corrected, if. 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:36.960 You accomplish your wish list, something else will come up 0:10:37.400 --> 0:10:38.600 to make you discontented. 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:41.240 You got to put your foot down and say that's it. 0:10:42.160 --> 0:10:45.280 Everything may not be perfect in my life, all my 0:10:45.440 --> 0:10:47.800 dreams may not have come to pass yet, but I'm 0:10:47.840 --> 0:10:51.760 not living frustrated, stressed out. I'm gonna bloom right where 0:10:51.800 --> 0:10:57.240 I'm planning. In other words, I'm content whether I'm driving 0:10:57.320 --> 0:11:00.920 a twenty year old Volkswagen or a brand new Mercedes Bens. 0:11:01.559 --> 0:11:04.480 I'm content whether I'm living in a small apartment or 0:11:04.520 --> 0:11:08.199 a beautiful dream house. I'm content whether my business is 0:11:08.240 --> 0:11:11.960 booming or whether it's a little slow. You cannot let 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:14.839 your contentment be based on what you have or don't have, 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:17.040 on who likes you or who doesn't like you. 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:20.160 Learn to be content in every season. 0:11:20.760 --> 0:11:23.800 Content when God blesses you with a lot, and content 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:26.600 when you have a little, content when the dreams are 0:11:26.640 --> 0:11:27.360 coming to pass. 0:11:27.800 --> 0:11:29.000 And content while you're waiting. 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:32.480 Content in the shepherd's fields, and content. 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:32.880 In the palace. 0:11:33.520 --> 0:11:39.360 The Scripture says godliness with contentment is great gain. Life 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:43.559 is very freeing when you can say I'm content with 0:11:43.679 --> 0:11:47.280 who God made me to be. I'm content with my personality, 0:11:47.480 --> 0:11:47.960 content with. 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:49.640 My looks, content with my gifts. 0:11:50.360 --> 0:11:53.679 I'm content with where I am in life, my position, 0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:57.760 my career, my relationships, my house. This is the reason 0:11:58.160 --> 0:12:02.760 many people are unhappy. They're always wishing for something different. 0:12:03.760 --> 0:12:06.680 Some single people are not going to be content until 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:10.440 they get married. No, you need to enjoy being single, 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:17.040 because when you get married, you'll enjoy it more. I'm 0:12:17.080 --> 0:12:21.839 smarter than I look. There are married people that wish 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:26.600 they weren't married, they were married to somebody else. White 0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:30.560 people sit in tanning booths trying to get darker. Dark 0:12:30.600 --> 0:12:33.040 people put cream on their skin trying to get lighter. 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:37.160 Ladies with curly hair go to the salon to get 0:12:37.160 --> 0:12:40.240 it straightened. People with straight hair go to the salon 0:12:40.320 --> 0:12:42.959 to get it purmed. People with no hair go to 0:12:43.040 --> 0:12:48.400 the salon to buy some hair. But really, there's nothing 0:12:48.440 --> 0:12:51.079 wrong with improving, being your best, showing your style. 0:12:51.800 --> 0:12:54.000 But you shouldn't always. 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:58.160 Be wishing you were something different. Be content with who 0:12:58.280 --> 0:13:02.800 God made you to be. It's a tragedy to go 0:13:03.000 --> 0:13:09.000 through life always dissatisfied, wishing you had more, wanting to 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:12.360 look like somebody else, waiting to be happy. I'm asking 0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:16.480 you to be content right where you are. Think about Mary, 0:13:16.559 --> 0:13:19.800 the Mother of Christ. When she was pregnant with Jesus, 0:13:20.240 --> 0:13:24.120 she had to ride a donkey to Bethlehem. Now, I've 0:13:24.240 --> 0:13:29.760 lived with a pregnant woman twice, the same one. If 0:13:29.800 --> 0:13:32.800 I would have suggested Victoria getting on a donkey at 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:37.880 nine months pregnant, I probably wouldn't be here today. Mary 0:13:38.080 --> 0:13:41.680 could have complained, Joseph, why don't you get me something smoother? 0:13:41.840 --> 0:13:45.520 This is hard when she got to Bethlahem, Joseph, why 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:48.640 didn't you make us a hotel reservation? Why didn't you 0:13:48.720 --> 0:13:51.400 get me a hospital room? You knew I was gonna 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:54.839 have this baby. Been all over the news when the 0:13:54.920 --> 0:13:57.559 baby was born, Joseph, why didn't you buy the baby 0:13:57.679 --> 0:13:58.400 a new outfit? 0:13:58.679 --> 0:14:02.880 I've got to wraputy beautiful baby in swaddling clothes that 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:04.040 was strips of cloth. 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:09.559 Mary didn't have designer jeans, fancy purse, a latte from Starbucks. 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:13.800 But she never complained. She never found fault with Joseph. 0:14:14.280 --> 0:14:15.440 She didn't say, God. 0:14:15.880 --> 0:14:19.120 If I'm going to have this baby for you, at 0:14:19.200 --> 0:14:21.840 least you could make it more comfortable on me. 0:14:22.720 --> 0:14:22.760 No. 0:14:22.960 --> 0:14:25.320 She was content in the season. 0:14:25.440 --> 0:14:29.480 She was in content when the angel said, you've been 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:35.120 highly favored and content riding a donkey, pregnant, content, giving 0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:37.960 birth in a barn with a bunch of animals and 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:41.960 content when the wise men said, your son is the Messiah. 0:14:42.640 --> 0:14:45.440 It takes a mature person to be content on the 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:49.480 mountaintop and content in the valley. A couple of years 0:14:49.520 --> 0:14:52.280 after Victoria and I were married, we found this piece 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:55.280 of property that we really liked. Was close into the 0:14:55.360 --> 0:14:58.440 city in a nice neighborhood. But it had a very 0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:02.920 old rundown house on it that had made your foundation problems. 0:15:03.520 --> 0:15:06.280 Most people would have torn it down, but we decided 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:07.280 to fix it up and. 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:07.880 Live in it. 0:15:08.640 --> 0:15:11.880 The floors in the den were so slanted that I 0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:14.640 had to put little blocks of wood under the front 0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:16.920 legs of the couch so it would match up with 0:15:17.000 --> 0:15:17.760 the back legs. 0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:19.080 Most of the. 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:22.520 Interior doors would not close properly. They didn't bother us. 0:15:22.600 --> 0:15:23.280 We were happy. 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:26.040 My mother would come over, Joel, how do you live 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:29.520 in this house with these crooked floors? God gives you 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:31.400 the grace for each season. 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:34.680 Today we have a nice house with even floors. 0:15:35.240 --> 0:15:37.640 But I don't believe we would be where we are 0:15:38.200 --> 0:15:41.120 if we had not been content in that older home. 0:15:41.680 --> 0:15:44.240 It would have been easy to complain. This is a 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:47.240 piece of jump God. We wanted something new. When is 0:15:47.280 --> 0:15:50.880 it ever going to change no pass the test, whether 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:54.840 you're abased or abounding, whether you're in your dream house 0:15:55.280 --> 0:15:58.720 or a crooked floorhouse, make the decision. I'm going to 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:02.240 be content, going to enjoy my life. I'm going to 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:04.680 be grateful for what God's given me. I'm gonna be 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:07.680 the best I can be right where I am. The 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:11.160 Apostle Paul, who said I've learned how to be content 0:16:11.920 --> 0:16:15.200 wrote much of the New Testament from a prison cell. 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:17.720 When you've made up your mind. 0:16:17.560 --> 0:16:21.600 To be content, prisons can't stop you, Crooked floors can't 0:16:21.600 --> 0:16:25.400 stop you. Donkeys can't stop you. Lonely shepherds, fils can't 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:28.480 stop you. God will get you to where you're supposed 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:32.600 to be. A gentleman recently was telling me about all 0:16:32.640 --> 0:16:35.880 of his problems and everything that was wrong in his life, 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:38.640 and went on and on as long story. He ended 0:16:38.680 --> 0:16:42.280 by saying, Joel, I just don't like my life. Here's 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:45.880 the problem. It's the only life you have. You can't 0:16:45.880 --> 0:16:49.000 trade it in. You can't become someone else. You may 0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:52.520 have a thousand reasons to live unhappy, but you've got 0:16:52.640 --> 0:16:55.480 to make this choice that you're going to be content. 0:16:56.120 --> 0:16:58.680 If you're sour when is it ever going to change, 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:04.240 You'll get stuck. God does not promote discontentment. Shake it 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:07.520 off and focus on what's right in your life. 0:17:07.960 --> 0:17:09.520 Focus on what you do have. 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:13.359 Most of us when we woke up this morning, we 0:17:13.440 --> 0:17:16.960 could see the sunlight, our eyes worked, most of you 0:17:17.119 --> 0:17:20.120 could hear the bird singing. You had a roof over 0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:23.200 your head. You have opportunity people to love. 0:17:23.119 --> 0:17:26.600 In your life. There's a lot right in your life. 0:17:26.840 --> 0:17:27.959 Don't take it for granted. 0:17:28.640 --> 0:17:32.040 Don't get so focused on the crooked floors, the donkeys, 0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:33.560 the struggles that you. 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:38.440 Miss the gift of this day. See, every season is 0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:40.760 not springtime with the. 0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:47.400 Flowers, beautiful blooming, nice sunshine, cool weather. That's a great season. 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:51.360 But you're not going to grow if you stay in harvest. 0:17:52.240 --> 0:17:57.800 There's got to be planting seasons, watering seasons, maintaining seasons 0:17:57.960 --> 0:18:02.919 where you're pulling the weeds the soil. Those are important seasons. 0:18:03.359 --> 0:18:06.399 Without going through that process, then you're not going to 0:18:06.480 --> 0:18:10.080 come into a new season of harvest. Instead of being 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:14.440 frustrated by the difficulties, have a new perspective. That season 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:18.520 is getting you prepared for promotion. It may look like 0:18:18.640 --> 0:18:22.399 you're stuck. You don't see anything happening. But God is 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:26.560 at work, and at the right time, the season will change. 0:18:27.160 --> 0:18:31.879 Winter always gives way to spring. It takes a mature 0:18:32.040 --> 0:18:35.479 person to be content not only in the harvest season, 0:18:35.800 --> 0:18:39.639 but content in planning season, content in the watering season, 0:18:40.080 --> 0:18:40.840 content in. 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:42.359 The pulling up the weed season. 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:45.840 You may be in one of those difficult seasons right now, 0:18:46.600 --> 0:18:49.920 raising a small child, or taking care of an elderly 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:52.400 loved one, perhaps dealing with an illness. 0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:54.840 You feel like you're riding that donkey. 0:18:55.520 --> 0:18:57.960 It's easy to think, as soon as I get through 0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:01.479 this tough time, then I'll get my joy back, as 0:19:01.520 --> 0:19:04.080 soon as my kids get out of diapers, soon as 0:19:04.119 --> 0:19:06.639 I make it through the busy season at work, as 0:19:06.720 --> 0:19:09.960 soon as I lose this twenty pounds. No, this is 0:19:10.080 --> 0:19:13.080 the day the Lord has made. You got to choose 0:19:13.200 --> 0:19:17.320 to rejoice today. God has given you the grace you 0:19:17.520 --> 0:19:21.440 need not to endure the season that doesn't take any faith, 0:19:21.720 --> 0:19:26.440 but to enjoy the season. When you'll content, You see 0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:29.920 each day as a gift. You appreciate the people in 0:19:30.040 --> 0:19:32.920 your life. You're grateful for what God has given you 0:19:33.680 --> 0:19:37.560 that not only is making you stronger, developing your character, 0:19:37.960 --> 0:19:40.800 but you're passing the test. You will come out of fall, 0:19:41.119 --> 0:19:43.920 out of winter, and you will come into your springtime. 0:19:44.240 --> 0:19:48.160 Things will begin to bloom and blossom once again. When 0:19:48.160 --> 0:19:50.520 I was growing up, there were five of us kids 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:53.480 in the house. Of course, my parents were pastors and 0:19:54.040 --> 0:19:56.919 we didn't have necessarily a lot of money, but as 0:19:56.960 --> 0:19:59.440 a little boy always felt like we were well off. 0:20:00.080 --> 0:20:00.720 We had fun. 0:20:01.280 --> 0:20:03.800 We played hide and go seek in the house. We'd 0:20:03.800 --> 0:20:06.160 go out in the front yard and have big races. 0:20:06.480 --> 0:20:10.000 Life was good, but my parents couldn't afford to take 0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:13.560 us on a big family vacation every year, so every 0:20:13.640 --> 0:20:16.560 couple of months, my father would load us kids up 0:20:16.640 --> 0:20:19.600 in the car and take us up to the airport 0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:23.560 to ride the tram from Terminal A to Terminal B. 0:20:24.720 --> 0:20:27.080 There were just two terminals back then, and the tram 0:20:27.280 --> 0:20:27.680 was free. 0:20:28.240 --> 0:20:30.720 We thought that was so great. We would ride it 0:20:30.960 --> 0:20:34.159 over and over and over. People would look at us 0:20:34.400 --> 0:20:35.720 like we were so confused. 0:20:37.520 --> 0:20:38.359 We weren't lost. 0:20:38.480 --> 0:20:43.240 We were having fun. My father learned to be content 0:20:43.720 --> 0:20:44.720 in each season. 0:20:45.480 --> 0:20:48.359 Instead of complaining that he didn't have enough, he chose 0:20:48.480 --> 0:20:52.159 to bloom where he was planning. It's funny when some 0:20:52.280 --> 0:20:54.280 of my friends as a little boy would tell me 0:20:54.400 --> 0:20:57.400 they were going to Disneyland. I always thought that meant 0:20:57.440 --> 0:20:59.600 they were going up to the airport to ride the trams. 0:21:00.480 --> 0:21:04.400 I say, yeah, we've been there before. When I got 0:21:04.440 --> 0:21:08.280 old enough to realize what Disneyland really was, I needed counseling. 0:21:11.520 --> 0:21:16.359 But don't miss a great season in your life wishing 0:21:16.440 --> 0:21:18.800 you had more complaining. 0:21:18.359 --> 0:21:19.440 About what you don't have. 0:21:20.119 --> 0:21:23.080 Listen, the real joy in life is in the simple things. 0:21:23.640 --> 0:21:26.840 Making memories with your family, riding the trains together at 0:21:26.880 --> 0:21:30.040 the airport, playing hide and go seeking the house, watching 0:21:30.080 --> 0:21:33.200 the sunset with your spouse, looking at the stars at night. 0:21:33.400 --> 0:21:34.119 Simple things. 0:21:34.880 --> 0:21:38.760 When our children were younger, Jonathan about five and Alexander 0:21:38.760 --> 0:21:42.400 would have been two, we planned a big vacation to Disneyland. 0:21:42.920 --> 0:21:45.280 They were going to get to eat breakfast with Mickey 0:21:45.359 --> 0:21:48.040 Mouse and take pictures with the other characters. It's a 0:21:48.080 --> 0:21:51.440 big deal, you know, getting two small children out to California, 0:21:51.840 --> 0:21:54.760 booking the hotel, getting the rental car, the flights, spend 0:21:54.840 --> 0:21:56.240 half of my retirement. 0:21:55.800 --> 0:21:56.280 To get there. 0:21:57.359 --> 0:21:59.480 When we arrived, we checked into the hotel and we 0:21:59.560 --> 0:22:02.320 went that's right to the park. I was so excited 0:22:02.359 --> 0:22:07.000 for my children. We weren't there fifteen minutes. Jonathan said, Dad, 0:22:07.359 --> 0:22:10.120 I want to go back to the hotel and go swimming. 0:22:11.080 --> 0:22:12.440 I didn't think I heard him ride. I said, you 0:22:12.480 --> 0:22:15.000 want to do what he said? I want to go 0:22:15.119 --> 0:22:17.080 back and go swimming. I said, no, no, no, Jonathan, 0:22:17.160 --> 0:22:20.359 we're at Disneyland. We came a long way. Look at 0:22:20.440 --> 0:22:23.919 all these rides. This is going to be fun. He said, no, Daddy, 0:22:24.160 --> 0:22:27.040 I want to go back and go swimming. I said, Jonathan, 0:22:27.119 --> 0:22:30.000 we can swim any time at home at the neighborhood pool. 0:22:30.160 --> 0:22:31.520 We're at Disneyland. 0:22:32.280 --> 0:22:35.160 He sat down on the pavement, crossed his arms and said, 0:22:35.200 --> 0:22:36.600 I don't want to be at Disneyland. 0:22:36.640 --> 0:22:39.600 I want to go swimming. I said, Jonathan, I spent 0:22:39.720 --> 0:22:41.880 fifty bucks on your ticket. You're gonna have fun whether 0:22:41.960 --> 0:22:42.600 you like it or not. 0:22:43.960 --> 0:22:46.200 I thought later I should have done like my dad 0:22:46.280 --> 0:22:48.280 and taken them to the airport to ride the trams. 0:22:49.560 --> 0:22:50.840 Could have saved me a lot of money. 0:22:52.200 --> 0:22:53.199 So you don't have to have a. 0:22:53.240 --> 0:22:57.040 Big vacation to have fun. Learn to enjoy the simple 0:22:57.119 --> 0:23:00.760 things in life. I'm mistake we make two often is 0:23:00.880 --> 0:23:04.120 we think when we reach a certain goal, then we'll 0:23:04.160 --> 0:23:07.119 be happy as soon as I finish college, Joel, as 0:23:07.119 --> 0:23:09.040 soon as I get the promotion, soon as I move 0:23:09.080 --> 0:23:11.320 into the new house, as soon as I have this baby, 0:23:11.600 --> 0:23:15.600 then I'll enjoy my life. Yes, you'll be happy when 0:23:15.600 --> 0:23:19.200 you accomplish your goals, but there are challenges that come 0:23:19.240 --> 0:23:23.120 along with it. I've heard it said with every blessing 0:23:23.840 --> 0:23:27.520 comes a burden. You'll never come to a place where 0:23:27.520 --> 0:23:31.480 you're problem free, no conflict, no bills to pay, everybody 0:23:31.600 --> 0:23:32.200 celebrating you. 0:23:32.520 --> 0:23:33.679 That's not reality. 0:23:34.160 --> 0:23:36.320 If you don't learn to be content where you are, 0:23:36.880 --> 0:23:39.800 you won't be content when dreams come to pass. When 0:23:39.840 --> 0:23:42.600 God blesses you with that new house, what comes with 0:23:42.760 --> 0:23:45.640 it is a bigger yard demo, more rooms to clean, 0:23:45.760 --> 0:23:48.760 more to maintain. When you're blessed with that promotion, what 0:23:48.880 --> 0:23:50.959 comes with it is more responsibility. 0:23:51.480 --> 0:23:53.119 When you have that beautiful baby. 0:23:53.440 --> 0:23:56.120 Nothing like it in all the world, But at three 0:23:56.160 --> 0:23:58.320 o'clock in the morning, that baby wants to eat. 0:23:58.640 --> 0:23:59.920 They don't do things on our time. 0:24:01.200 --> 0:24:04.600 Now, don't pray for a bigger blessing if you're going 0:24:04.640 --> 0:24:06.480 to complain about a bigger burden. 0:24:07.520 --> 0:24:08.840 We love our new facility. 0:24:09.240 --> 0:24:12.440 This is a dream come true. God did more than 0:24:12.480 --> 0:24:15.880 we can ask or think. But with this amazing blessing 0:24:16.480 --> 0:24:20.440 came an amazing utility bill. First time I saw it, 0:24:20.600 --> 0:24:21.320 I thought, God, I. 0:24:21.440 --> 0:24:22.920 Sure liked our old facility. 0:24:24.280 --> 0:24:27.360 The good news is God wouldn't give you the blessing 0:24:27.760 --> 0:24:30.760 if you couldn't handle the burden. You have the grace 0:24:30.880 --> 0:24:35.600 you need for each season. Now do your part and 0:24:35.920 --> 0:24:39.520 choose to be content. You could be in one of 0:24:39.600 --> 0:24:42.840 the best seasons of your life right now, but you're 0:24:42.880 --> 0:24:46.159 not enjoying it because you're focused on the burden, on 0:24:46.280 --> 0:24:49.760 what you don't have, on how difficult it is. Because 0:24:49.840 --> 0:24:53.159 you're waiting for things to change. You're missing the beauty 0:24:53.320 --> 0:24:57.320 of this moment, the joy of today. Don't go through 0:24:57.440 --> 0:25:01.879 life always wanting something else. See the gift in what 0:25:02.040 --> 0:25:04.720 you have right now. Can I tell you we are 0:25:04.880 --> 0:25:08.439 living in the good old days. Twenty years from now 0:25:08.640 --> 0:25:11.679 you'll look back and say, Wow, twenty fourteen was one 0:25:11.720 --> 0:25:14.720 of the best times of my life. Don't miss it 0:25:15.119 --> 0:25:18.680 living discontent. Gentlemen, I know by the name of Mitch 0:25:18.800 --> 0:25:21.879 Album wrote a great book called The Five People You 0:25:22.000 --> 0:25:22.760 Meet in Heaven. 0:25:23.400 --> 0:25:24.800 They turned it into a movie. 0:25:25.400 --> 0:25:25.520 Now. 0:25:25.520 --> 0:25:28.840 Although it's not scriptural, it makes a very good point. 0:25:29.359 --> 0:25:31.879 It's about a man in his sixties that had worked 0:25:31.920 --> 0:25:35.440 at an amusement park his whole life. His parents owned it, 0:25:35.520 --> 0:25:38.680 and that's all he knew. He never really wanted to 0:25:38.800 --> 0:25:42.200 be there. He had dreams to do something bigger with 0:25:42.320 --> 0:25:46.040 his life, but unfortunate things kept happening. He found himself 0:25:46.160 --> 0:25:50.840 back at the amusement park. He was discontented, unfulfilled, never 0:25:50.960 --> 0:25:53.840 felt like that's where he was supposed to be, dreaded 0:25:53.920 --> 0:25:57.600 going to work each day. On the outside, he was 0:25:57.680 --> 0:26:00.680 good to people, kind, generous, he'd go out of his 0:26:00.800 --> 0:26:04.800 way to help others. But on the inside, he was unhappy, 0:26:05.200 --> 0:26:08.240 felt like a failure in life. At one point, this 0:26:08.400 --> 0:26:11.359 little girl was in danger on a ride, about to 0:26:11.400 --> 0:26:14.639 be harmed, and he rushed over to helper. He saved 0:26:14.640 --> 0:26:18.320 the little girl's life, but in the process he lost 0:26:18.440 --> 0:26:19.120 his own life. 0:26:19.240 --> 0:26:19.919 He was killed. 0:26:20.640 --> 0:26:23.080 He went to heaven and was told that he would 0:26:23.119 --> 0:26:28.000 meet five people. These people would be instrumental in helping 0:26:28.119 --> 0:26:32.160 him to choose what kind of heaven he would have. Again, 0:26:32.240 --> 0:26:35.360 it's not doctrinely correct, but in this book, you could 0:26:35.480 --> 0:26:37.760 choose what your heaven would be. If you wanted to 0:26:37.800 --> 0:26:40.440 live on a beach, in a palace in the mountains. 0:26:40.520 --> 0:26:41.439 It was your choice. 0:26:42.320 --> 0:26:44.760 The first man he met he had helped during the war. 0:26:45.520 --> 0:26:47.400 The man told him how much he meant to him. 0:26:48.119 --> 0:26:50.560 He then met three other people that he had been 0:26:50.640 --> 0:26:54.480 good to. They expressed their heartfelt love and appreciation for 0:26:54.560 --> 0:26:57.240 what he had done. The last one he met was 0:26:57.280 --> 0:27:00.880 the little girl whose life he had saved. He began 0:27:01.040 --> 0:27:04.480 to realize all of his time on earth that he 0:27:04.600 --> 0:27:08.000 felt like he was at the wrong place, the wrong job. 0:27:08.480 --> 0:27:11.840 He didn't like his life, but actually he was at 0:27:11.880 --> 0:27:15.399 the right place. God had been directing his steps. He 0:27:15.520 --> 0:27:18.880 made a difference with his life when he stepped back 0:27:19.320 --> 0:27:22.480 and saw it from a new perspective. He chose his 0:27:22.680 --> 0:27:26.000 heaven to be the amusement park, the place that he 0:27:26.000 --> 0:27:29.960 had dreaded all those years. Could it be that you're 0:27:30.000 --> 0:27:32.879 at the right place for the season that you're in, 0:27:33.520 --> 0:27:37.159 but you're not enjoying it. Maybe, like him, if you 0:27:37.200 --> 0:27:39.800 would step back and see it from a new perspective, 0:27:40.200 --> 0:27:43.000 you would realize God has you in the palm of 0:27:43.080 --> 0:27:47.159 his hand. He's directing your steps. He knows where you are, 0:27:47.640 --> 0:27:50.639 what you like, what you don't like. And instead of 0:27:50.760 --> 0:27:56.760 living discontented, frustrated, always wishing you were somewhere else. Embrace 0:27:57.040 --> 0:28:00.960 the place where you are, see the good, be grateful 0:28:01.000 --> 0:28:04.760 for what you have. Remember there's a blessing and a 0:28:04.880 --> 0:28:08.600 burden for every season. Don't focus on the burden. You 0:28:08.760 --> 0:28:11.960 have the grace to enjoy the blessing. If you will 0:28:12.040 --> 0:28:14.840 make this choice that you're going to live content through 0:28:14.880 --> 0:28:18.760 every season, blooming where you're planning, not always wishing for 0:28:18.880 --> 0:28:23.440 something else, then I believe and declare you're going to enjoy. 0:28:23.280 --> 0:28:24.120 Your life more. 0:28:24.480 --> 0:28:28.240 You will rise higher, overcome every obstacle, and you will 0:28:28.280 --> 0:28:30.560 become everything God's created you to be. 0:28:30.960 --> 0:28:31.920 In Jesus' name. 0:28:35.600 --> 0:28:38.520 Well, we never like to close our broadcast without giving 0:28:38.560 --> 0:28:41.560 you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. 0:28:41.960 --> 0:28:42.920 Would you pray with me? 0:28:43.600 --> 0:28:49.000 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins, Come 0:28:49.080 --> 0:28:51.960 into my heart, wash me clean. 0:28:52.960 --> 0:28:54.600 I make you my Lord and savior. 0:28:56.240 --> 0:28:58.640 Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you 0:28:58.720 --> 0:29:01.480 got born again to get in a good Bible based church. 0:29:01.960 --> 0:29:03.160 Keep God first place. 0:29:03.440 --> 0:29:05.840 He's going to take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:06.760 --> 0:29:10.160 Thank you for listening to the joel Osteine podcast. Help 0:29:10.280 --> 0:29:12.960 us continue to share the message of Hope with those 0:29:13.080 --> 0:29:16.960 all over the world. Visit joelostein dot com slash give 0:29:17.080 --> 0:29:18.720 Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:20.040 --> 0:29:22.960 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:22.960 --> 0:29:26.520 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast. 0:29:26.280 --> 0:29:29.240 To keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying 0:29:29.320 --> 0:29:31.920 for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll 0:29:31.960 --> 0:29:32.760 see you next time. 0:29:40.040 --> 0:29:42.680 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:29:42.800 --> 0:29:47.800 for everyone. 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