Making Deposits Everywhere You Go

0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:03.160 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:06.360 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:09.040 enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:11.880 share it with a friend. Reappreciate you, and pray for 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:16.160 God's very best in your life. God bless you always 0:00:16.200 --> 0:00:18.560 a joy to come into your homes. And if you're 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:21.000 ever in our area, please stop by and be a 0:00:21.040 --> 0:00:23.680 part of order of our services. These are the finest 0:00:23.720 --> 0:00:26.639 people in all of Houston, Texas right here at Lakewood. 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:29.120 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:32.280 But thank you for tuning in and thank you again 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:34.479 for coming out today. And I'd like to start with 0:00:34.520 --> 0:00:38.040 something funny. And one day Adam was feeling very lonely. 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:41.200 God said Adam, I'm going to make you a companion. 0:00:41.600 --> 0:00:45.000 It's going to be called a woman. This person will 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:49.400 cook for you, wash your clothes. She will bear you children, 0:00:49.840 --> 0:00:51.479 never ask you to get up in the middle of 0:00:51.520 --> 0:00:54.480 the night. She will not nag you. She will agree 0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:57.320 with every decision you make, and if you ever have 0:00:57.400 --> 0:01:00.560 a disagreement, she'll be the first to admit she was wrong. 0:01:01.560 --> 0:01:04.720 Adam said, Wow, God, what will a woman like this cost. 0:01:05.040 --> 0:01:09.040 God said an arm and a leg. Adam said, what 0:01:09.080 --> 0:01:11.440 can I get for a rib? And the rest is history. 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:15.640 Hold up your bible, Say it like you mean it. 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:18.920 This is my Bible. I am what it says. I am. 0:01:19.360 --> 0:01:21.640 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:24.280 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:27.920 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:31.039 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:01:31.160 --> 0:01:35.840 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:01:35.840 --> 0:01:39.880 to talk to you today about making deposits everywhere you go. 0:01:40.720 --> 0:01:43.440 The way to make a deposit is to make people 0:01:43.600 --> 0:01:47.680 feel better about themselves. When you give a compliment you 0:01:47.760 --> 0:01:51.440 look nice today, A great job on that presentation at 0:01:51.480 --> 0:01:55.040 the office. Those are not just kind words. You made 0:01:55.040 --> 0:02:00.000 a deposit. When you express thanks. I appreciate you, thanks 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:04.040 for being in my life. That's a deposit. Even simple 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:07.640 things you walk over to the parking attendant, shake their hand, 0:02:07.800 --> 0:02:10.880 good morning, how are you today? The fact that you 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:13.920 took time to show respect, You went out of your 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:16.880 way to make them feel special. You made a deposit 0:02:17.800 --> 0:02:21.040 all through the day. We should look for these opportunities. 0:02:21.360 --> 0:02:24.799 Who can I bless who can I encourage? How can 0:02:24.840 --> 0:02:29.280 I make somebody feel better about themselves. My friend Johnny 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:31.760 and I we worked in the television department here at 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:34.840 Lakewood when we were in our early twenties. A couple 0:02:34.840 --> 0:02:37.240 of times a week we'd go down to the cafeteria 0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:41.560 to have lunch. And Johnny's always been very friendly, very likable. 0:02:42.000 --> 0:02:45.280 In the cafeteria line, he would see the ladies' name 0:02:45.400 --> 0:02:50.320 tags serving us. Johnny would always call them by name. Susie, 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:54.000 I'd like some green beans, please, thank you so much. Marie, 0:02:54.080 --> 0:02:57.399 all take some macaroni and cheese. You have a great day. 0:02:57.520 --> 0:02:59.640 And Beverly, how about a piece of fish? And I 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:02.919 really appreciate it. He would bring a smile to their face. 0:03:03.560 --> 0:03:06.639 It's funny. One time, this Nigerian lady was serving us. 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:11.359 Her name had more letters than the alphabet. Johnny looked 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:14.000 at that name. I'll never forget it, he squinted. After 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:16.320 a long pause, he said, honey, I'll take a roll. 0:03:18.680 --> 0:03:20.839 We would get down to the where you check out 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:24.040 the cash register. I'd look back and all those ladies 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:28.440 servant would be full of joy, laughing, talking. He made 0:03:28.440 --> 0:03:30.880 their day. It got to the point when they saw 0:03:30.960 --> 0:03:33.440 Johnny in the line. We could be fifty people back. 0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:37.120 They'd start waving. Here he comes again. We always just 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:41.000 thought that Johnny needed prayer, But now I realize he 0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:44.920 was making a deposit. He was brightening people's day. The 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:48.920 scripture talks about how we should leave places better off 0:03:49.000 --> 0:03:52.560 than they were before. When you leave the office, each day, 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:55.960 you leave the gym, you leave your house, are people 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:59.480 better off than they were before? Did you take time 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:03.560 to enc urge anyone? Did you lift their spirits? Were 0:04:03.600 --> 0:04:07.040 you're pleasant to be around or were you're too busy, 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:11.960 too stressed out, discouraged, grumpy, sad to say, But when 0:04:11.960 --> 0:04:15.320 some people leave, you're glad to see them go. They 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:21.440 always are complaining, have a sad story, negative, bringing everybody down. 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:24.559 Don't let that be you. When you leave, people should 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:28.159 miss you. They should miss the joy, the peace, the 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:34.039 encouraging words, the compliments, the kind spirit. Don't drag places down, 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:38.760 leave them better off. Take time to make a deposit 0:04:39.080 --> 0:04:42.440 everywhere you go. At the grocery store, you may not 0:04:42.560 --> 0:04:45.000 be as outgoing as Johnny, but you can go to 0:04:45.040 --> 0:04:47.720 the cashier and say thank you so much. Have a 0:04:47.760 --> 0:04:51.040 blessed day. That didn't take a lot of extra effort, 0:04:51.320 --> 0:04:54.599 but you just made a deposit. You don't know what 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:58.159 that person is going through. They may seem fine on 0:04:58.240 --> 0:05:01.239 the outside, but you don't oh what's going on at home, 0:05:01.680 --> 0:05:05.480 the struggles they're facing, the disappointments they've been through, the 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:08.960 challenges that are in front of them. I was in 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:11.839 line at a grocery store waiting to check out years ago, 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:15.400 and the young lady at the register seemed very distracted. 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:19.280 She kept making mistakes, and the register got jammed, and 0:05:19.800 --> 0:05:22.600 item didn't have a price on it. Everything that could 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:26.320 go wrong did. People in the line were very frustrated, 0:05:26.720 --> 0:05:29.400 starting to complain. Some of them, when they got up 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:33.279 to her, were very rude and short with her. I thought, 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:36.360 this young lady has enough going wrong. I'm not going 0:05:36.360 --> 0:05:38.400 to be a part of the problem. I'm going to 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:41.000 be a part of the solution. When I walked up, 0:05:41.000 --> 0:05:43.920 I just smiled and said, I know it's kind of stressful. 0:05:44.000 --> 0:05:47.120 People are being rude, but I'm going to be praying 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:49.400 for you. I know everything is going to get better. 0:05:50.279 --> 0:05:54.120 Her eyes got real big. She said, as sincere as 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:57.400 can be, would you pray for me? My little baby 0:05:57.520 --> 0:05:59.880 is in the hospital and I'm so worried about it. 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:03.640 We took thirty seconds right then and there and prayed 0:06:03.960 --> 0:06:08.000 made the line even longer, people even matter. The lady 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:10.800 behind me in line, she overheard it and said to 0:06:10.839 --> 0:06:14.080 that young girl, my best friend is the head nurse 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:16.880 at that hospital. I'm going to have her go check 0:06:16.920 --> 0:06:20.800 on your baby. The whole atmosphere changed when we left. 0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:24.960 She was a different person. See, God will use your smile, 0:06:25.520 --> 0:06:30.560 You'll compliment your prayer to breathe new life into people's spirit, 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:34.360 to let them know that somebody cares to you. It 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:37.000 may be no big deal, but to that other person, 0:06:37.360 --> 0:06:40.839 it's what keeps them moving forward. There's a lady that 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:45.279 attends Lakewood. She's a widow and she lives alone, doesn't 0:06:45.279 --> 0:06:49.120 have any family here in town. She said her favorite 0:06:49.120 --> 0:06:53.080 thing about coming to Lakewood is that's the one time 0:06:53.200 --> 0:06:55.840 during the week that I know I'm going to get 0:06:55.880 --> 0:06:59.440 a hug. The only time she feels the warmth of 0:06:59.480 --> 0:07:03.480 another person is at our services. Most of us we 0:07:03.520 --> 0:07:06.680 get hugs all the time, but you never know that 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:10.360 person you reach out to maybe that's the only hug 0:07:10.480 --> 0:07:14.560 they're going to get this week. Maybe your smile, your compliment, 0:07:14.720 --> 0:07:18.240 your encouragement, is going to be the only encouragement that 0:07:18.280 --> 0:07:22.239 they receive. Be aware of who God puts in your path. 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:27.080 Nobody is there by accident. Oh you said, Joel. They're fine, 0:07:27.600 --> 0:07:30.320 They're doing better than I am. They're happy, they've got 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:35.080 a smile, they're outgoing. I've learned many people smile on 0:07:35.160 --> 0:07:39.200 the outside to hide the pain and loneliness on the inside. 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:44.440 You are a container filled with God. There is healing 0:07:44.600 --> 0:07:48.800 in your voice, healing in your smile, healing in your hugs. 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:52.800 Take time to show a part of God everywhere you go. 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:57.040 After all, God has no hands to comfort on this 0:07:57.200 --> 0:08:02.440 earth except our hands, no arms to love except our arms. 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:07.440 He has no voice to encourage except our voice. A 0:08:07.560 --> 0:08:10.640 lady told how her mother had died and the mother 0:08:10.800 --> 0:08:13.640 was in her eighties, lived a long, blessed life, but 0:08:14.200 --> 0:08:17.240 the daughter was very devastated. She and her mother were 0:08:17.360 --> 0:08:20.600 very close, and now this daughter was just lonely. She 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:25.000 missed her mother. One day, she decided to attend Lakewood. 0:08:25.040 --> 0:08:28.360 She'd never been here before. We have greets at the 0:08:28.400 --> 0:08:31.280 door that welcome people, and when she walked in, this 0:08:31.480 --> 0:08:35.120 elderly lady greeted her. She gave her a hug and 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:39.040 as she was pulling away, this greeter just gently patted 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:42.440 her cheeks and said, very lovingly, We're so glad to 0:08:42.480 --> 0:08:46.439 have you here today. This lady began to weep when 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:50.520 she gained her composure. She said to the greeter, when 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:53.960 my mother hugged me, she always patted my cheeks just 0:08:54.040 --> 0:08:56.720 like you did. Now I know that was God saying 0:08:57.040 --> 0:08:59.079 I'm taking care of your mother, and I'm going to 0:08:59.120 --> 0:09:03.680 take care of you as well. You never know what 0:09:04.200 --> 0:09:07.400 patting somebody's cheeks is going to mean. Just doing your thing, 0:09:07.720 --> 0:09:10.440 you never know what kind of impact that's going to have. 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:14.560 Think about this, There are two hundred and seventy doors 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:18.040 in this facility. What are the chances that that visitor 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:21.400 would walk in the one door where the greeter would 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:24.760 be there to pat her cheeks. You may come to Lakewood, 0:09:24.760 --> 0:09:26.400 but I can't promise you you're all going to get 0:09:26.400 --> 0:09:29.960 your cheeks patted. But God will put you at the 0:09:30.040 --> 0:09:33.720 right place at the right time. God knows how to 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:38.040 use what you have, your unique gifts, your unique talents. 0:09:38.280 --> 0:09:41.840 You may not call everybody's name in the line like Johnny. 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:45.040 You may not pat people's cheeks after you hug them, 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:49.560 But God can use your smile, You'll compliment your kind 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:53.120 words to help put people back on their feet. I 0:09:53.160 --> 0:09:56.240 met a young lady in another state. She had attended 0:09:56.320 --> 0:09:59.320 Lakewood for several years, and she went through a very 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:03.640 rough time. Her marriage was falling apart, and she was 0:10:03.720 --> 0:10:06.720 so discouraged didn't think that she could go on now. 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:10.520 One of her lowest moments, she was leaving a service 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:13.280 here at Lakewood on a Sunday morning, walking down a 0:10:13.320 --> 0:10:16.720 crowded corridor with hundreds of other people going out of 0:10:16.760 --> 0:10:20.920 the building. Well, Victoria came walking in the opposite direction, 0:10:21.280 --> 0:10:24.679 going up to the visitor's reception. Out of the hundreds 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:29.560 and hundreds of people in that crowded corridor, Victoria reached 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:32.720 out and gently touched her arm, looked her in the eyes, 0:10:32.800 --> 0:10:37.200 and said, you are so beautiful. Just a five second 0:10:37.200 --> 0:10:41.240 interaction and they both went their separate ways. Victoria never 0:10:41.320 --> 0:10:44.920 thought any more about it. Several years later, this young 0:10:45.000 --> 0:10:48.640 lady told me at a book signing, Victoria will never 0:10:48.760 --> 0:10:51.720 know what she did for me that day, when I 0:10:51.800 --> 0:10:57.760 felt the most unattractive, the most unlovely, her words breathed 0:10:57.840 --> 0:11:01.520 new life into my spirit. In the months to come, 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:05.000 she would play that phrase over and over, you are 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:10.040 so beautiful, four words spoken at the right time. That's 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:13.360 what helped her to keep moving forward. The scripture says 0:11:13.360 --> 0:11:19.760 in Hebrews to encourage one another daily, not monthly, not 0:11:19.880 --> 0:11:22.440 once a week, not when you feel like it, no, 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:27.600 every day. Look for opportunities to make a deposit. Make 0:11:27.640 --> 0:11:32.520 it your business to make somebody else feel better about themselves. 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:35.480 One time, I was in my front yard doing some 0:11:35.600 --> 0:11:38.760 yard work and was very hot outside in the middle 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:41.360 of the summer. I decided to go in and get 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:44.440 some water. When I did, I heard the garbage truck 0:11:44.480 --> 0:11:46.960 coming down the street. I thought, I'll get a few 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:50.480 extra bottles and give it to the trash collectors. When 0:11:50.520 --> 0:11:53.320 I handed them that water, you would have thought I 0:11:53.360 --> 0:11:56.880 had given them a thousand dollars each. And yes, it's 0:11:56.920 --> 0:11:59.400 hot here in Houston. But it wasn't so much the water. 0:11:59.800 --> 0:12:03.320 It was the fact that somebody took time to make 0:12:03.360 --> 0:12:09.400 them feel appreciated, somebody expressed their gratitude. I read where 0:12:09.520 --> 0:12:14.280 half of all employees don't feel appreciated by their company. 0:12:15.000 --> 0:12:18.840 Eighty percent have never been told thank you for doing 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:23.560 their job. Imagine what kind of deposit we can make 0:12:24.160 --> 0:12:27.200 when you thank the young lady at the grocery store, 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:30.000 when you thank the person that takes your order on 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:33.160 the phone, when you think the ushers that seet you 0:12:33.240 --> 0:12:36.080 each week, or driving out of the parking lot, you 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:39.720 thank the police officers and not whisper something else under 0:12:39.760 --> 0:12:44.280 your breath. Well, Joel, I'm paying these employees. I shouldn't 0:12:44.280 --> 0:12:47.559 have to thank them, or I pay taxes. I don't 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:50.360 have to thank these police officers. They work for the city. 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:54.439 Do you know how much better of a job people 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:57.120 will do when you thank them? Do you know how 0:12:57.200 --> 0:13:02.120 much more your employees will produce when they know they're appreciated. 0:13:03.120 --> 0:13:05.640 A man went out to get his paper in the morning, 0:13:05.679 --> 0:13:08.320 and when he opened the front door, the little dog 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:11.480 from across the street was bringing the paper to him. 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:14.800 He was pleasantly surprised. He thought this is great, and 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:17.240 he went in and got the dog a treat and 0:13:17.240 --> 0:13:19.720 gave it to him. Little dog went off as happy 0:13:19.760 --> 0:13:22.319 as can be. The next morning he went out to 0:13:22.360 --> 0:13:25.400 get his paper. The little dog was there with eight 0:13:25.559 --> 0:13:31.840 newspapers beside him. That dog had gone and got all 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:36.439 the neighbor's newspapers. He thought, if I get one treat 0:13:36.440 --> 0:13:40.240 for one I'm gonna get eight today. We laugh, but 0:13:40.679 --> 0:13:43.360 human nature is the same way. We'll do a lot 0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:47.200 more when we know we're appreciated. A few months after 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:50.680 I gave those trash collectors that water, one day I 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:53.560 had forgotten to take my garbage out. They come very 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:56.280 early in the morning, and I'd gotten busy, and I thought, 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:59.240 oh no, because it's hot and this garbage is gonna stink, 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:02.520 and not much I could do about it. Later that day, 0:14:02.920 --> 0:14:05.839 after the garbage men got through running their route through 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:09.520 the neighborhood, they came back down my street, stopped at 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:12.600 my house, rained my doorbell, and asked if my trash 0:14:12.760 --> 0:14:17.600 was ready to be collected. All I gave them was 0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:23.520 three bottles of water, probably a dollar fifty investment. But 0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:28.040 that simple act of kindness deposited something much greater. On 0:14:28.080 --> 0:14:31.520 the inside. It said to them, I value you, I 0:14:31.600 --> 0:14:36.080 respect you, I appreciate you serving my family. Don't miss 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:40.320 these opportunities to make deposits. When the mailman drops off 0:14:40.360 --> 0:14:43.320 a mail, thank you so much. The lady that helps 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:46.760 you at the mall, I appreciate you. The man you 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:49.600 see at the gas station each week, thanks for being 0:14:49.640 --> 0:14:54.040 here serving our community. Don't go the next twenty years 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:57.720 seeing the people God's put in your life, not making 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:01.080 any kind of deposit. Do some then to make them 0:15:01.080 --> 0:15:04.560 feel better about themselves. Now you say, Joel, I'm not 0:15:04.640 --> 0:15:08.280 going to have any kind of long term personal relationship 0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:12.040 with them. Maybe not. But you're not doing it for yourself. 0:15:12.440 --> 0:15:15.480 You're doing it for them. You're doing it because they've 0:15:15.480 --> 0:15:19.080 been made in the image of Almighty God, and God 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:22.840 placed them in your path. He's counting on you to 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:26.280 make some deposits. Do you know some people they never 0:15:26.360 --> 0:15:30.880 really get any compliments, They don't really feel appreciated. Some 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:35.280 have never experienced even a simple act of kindness. A 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:39.560 friend on staff called this man we know in another state. 0:15:40.000 --> 0:15:42.720 He drives us when we travel to that state, and 0:15:43.040 --> 0:15:45.400 a while back there had been a big hurricane there. 0:15:45.920 --> 0:15:48.480 So my friend called just to check on him and 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:52.080 his family. When I saw this driver the next time, 0:15:52.640 --> 0:15:56.880 he said, that was the nicest thing anybody had ever 0:15:56.960 --> 0:16:00.360 done for him. He went on and on. All it 0:16:00.480 --> 0:16:03.360 was was a five minute phone call saying, man, we 0:16:03.400 --> 0:16:06.280 heard about the hurricane. Are you okay? Just check it 0:16:06.320 --> 0:16:09.520 on you? What am I saying? It doesn't have to 0:16:09.560 --> 0:16:14.600 be something big? One compliment, you are so beautiful. That's 0:16:14.640 --> 0:16:17.720 all it took for that young girl. One pat on 0:16:17.760 --> 0:16:22.160 the cheek, and that lady felt loved. Three bottles of water, 0:16:22.680 --> 0:16:25.280 and now I have personal trash pick up for the 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:28.520 rest of my life. I read a story about a 0:16:28.600 --> 0:16:32.080 nineteen year old young man named Carl. He is a 0:16:32.120 --> 0:16:36.040 special needs child. He has Down syndrome. He works at 0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:40.040 the local grocery store as a bagger, and everyone loves Carl. 0:16:40.120 --> 0:16:43.320 It's got a great attitude. And one day Carl came 0:16:43.400 --> 0:16:46.120 up with an idea. He wanted to make people better. 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:50.320 Every night, he would find a thought for the day, 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:54.000 some kind of encouraging word. He would type it on 0:16:54.040 --> 0:16:57.120 his computer six or seven times, then print it and 0:16:57.160 --> 0:17:00.440 have it copy. His dad would help him to cut 0:17:00.440 --> 0:17:03.760 these into individual pieces, so he would have about three 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:08.159 hundred of these inspirational sayings. He called it his word 0:17:08.320 --> 0:17:11.080 of the day. When he would bag the groceries, he 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:13.120 would put that thought for the day on the top 0:17:13.160 --> 0:17:15.960 of the bag and he'd tell the customers, I put 0:17:15.960 --> 0:17:18.639 a good word in your bag. I hope it helps 0:17:18.680 --> 0:17:22.720 you to enjoy the day. A week later, the line 0:17:22.760 --> 0:17:26.280 where Carl was bagging was five times longer than any 0:17:26.320 --> 0:17:29.359 other line. It went to the back of the grocery store, 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:32.520 back by the frozen food section. The manager got on 0:17:32.560 --> 0:17:35.720 the loud speaker, there are other registers open, no waiting, 0:17:35.960 --> 0:17:39.320 Nobody would move. They said, no, we want to get 0:17:39.400 --> 0:17:44.879 Carl's word for the day. What was Carl doing making 0:17:44.920 --> 0:17:48.800 a deposit using what he had. He could have been 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:52.000 at home feeling sorry for himself, thinking somebody needs to 0:17:52.080 --> 0:17:55.320 cheer me up. I've got the disadvantage. No, If you'll 0:17:55.320 --> 0:17:58.520 get your mind off of what you don't have and 0:17:58.760 --> 0:18:02.200 use what you do have to make somebody else feel 0:18:02.240 --> 0:18:05.840 better to brighten their day, I can promise you God 0:18:05.880 --> 0:18:09.280 will always brighten your own day. The reason some people 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:12.960 are not happy, the reason they're not fulfilled, is they're 0:18:12.960 --> 0:18:18.000 living in grown They're not doing anything good for anyone else. 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:21.080 But when you get your mind off of your problems, 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:25.639 off of your needs, and you focus on improving somebody 0:18:25.680 --> 0:18:29.480 else's life, the seeds that you sow will always come 0:18:29.520 --> 0:18:33.040 back to you. God will improve your own life. I 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:36.120 heard about this junior high teacher one day. Her students 0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:38.560 were being very rowdy and she could tell that they 0:18:38.560 --> 0:18:40.800 didn't want to learn, and it was late in the day, 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:43.520 she didn't really feel like pressing through it, so she 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:46.040 told her class to put their books up and to 0:18:46.080 --> 0:18:49.959 get out one clean sheet of paper. Their assignment was 0:18:50.280 --> 0:18:54.000 to write down every student's name in the class and 0:18:54.200 --> 0:18:58.080 list at least one good thing you like about that student. 0:18:58.840 --> 0:19:02.000 The class went to work looking around thinking about what 0:19:02.040 --> 0:19:05.840 they liked about each other. Over the weekend, the teacher 0:19:05.880 --> 0:19:09.240 took the time to list the student's name, and then 0:19:09.280 --> 0:19:13.280 she copied all the encouraging comments that were set about them. 0:19:14.000 --> 0:19:17.720 On Monday, she handed that individual sheet of paper to 0:19:17.840 --> 0:19:20.600 each of the students. The room was just buzzing with 0:19:20.680 --> 0:19:24.000 excitement when they began to read the comments. You could 0:19:24.040 --> 0:19:27.840 see their faces brightening up. You would hear things like, Wow, 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:30.800 I didn't know they liked me that much. I didn't 0:19:30.800 --> 0:19:32.879 know they thought I was talented. I didn't know they 0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:36.280 thought I was so beautiful, On and on. Years later, 0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:40.040 one of the students was killed while serving in Vietnam. 0:19:40.480 --> 0:19:43.920 The teacher, along with many of the students, attended the funeral. 0:19:44.560 --> 0:19:47.679 After the service, the father of the soldier said to 0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:50.640 the teacher, I'd like to show you what my son 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:53.800 was carrying when he was killed, and he had this 0:19:53.880 --> 0:19:57.000 folded up piece of paper that the son always kept 0:19:57.000 --> 0:20:01.040 in his wallet. As he unfolded it, the teacher soon 0:20:01.160 --> 0:20:04.240 realized it was that note she had copied with all 0:20:04.280 --> 0:20:08.520 the encouraging comments. When the other students overheard that, they 0:20:08.560 --> 0:20:11.640 begin to tell the same type of story. One man 0:20:11.680 --> 0:20:14.359 told how he kept his note in his desk drawer 0:20:14.440 --> 0:20:17.240 at the office. A lady said she kept hers in 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:20.680 her wedding album. Another former student right then and there, 0:20:20.920 --> 0:20:24.200 pulled out his wallet, unfolded his like it was his 0:20:24.240 --> 0:20:29.960 most prized possession. The teacher was overwhelmed. She never dreamed 0:20:30.240 --> 0:20:34.159 what kind of lasting impact that simple assignment would have 0:20:34.280 --> 0:20:39.080 that day. My encouragement to you is be a wallet filler. 0:20:39.880 --> 0:20:44.119 Be free with your compliments. Take time to tell people 0:20:44.160 --> 0:20:47.000 how much you love them, how much they mean to you. 0:20:47.560 --> 0:20:50.600 It takes so little effort, yet it makes such a 0:20:50.720 --> 0:20:54.639 huge deposit for you to walk over to that coworker 0:20:54.680 --> 0:20:57.080 and say, hey, I've ever told you how much I 0:20:57.240 --> 0:21:01.600 enjoy working with you. You are so talented, Or to your spouse, 0:21:02.119 --> 0:21:05.120 you make my life great. I'm so glad that God 0:21:05.160 --> 0:21:08.240 brought you across my path to a son or a daughter. 0:21:08.440 --> 0:21:11.000 I'm so proud of you. You're going to do amazing 0:21:11.080 --> 0:21:15.320 things in life. Those are not just words, they are 0:21:15.359 --> 0:21:19.440 treasures that they will carry for a lifetime. Victoria used 0:21:19.480 --> 0:21:22.359 to work at her mother's jewelry store, I Lost Jewelers. 0:21:22.680 --> 0:21:25.359 From the time she was a little girl. Her mother 0:21:25.440 --> 0:21:29.919 taught her that there is something beautiful about every person 0:21:30.640 --> 0:21:35.320 their eyes, their smile, their hair, their personality, their clothes, 0:21:35.520 --> 0:21:38.399 and to look for it. This got Victoria in the 0:21:38.480 --> 0:21:42.000 habit of always looking for the good, seeing what she 0:21:42.359 --> 0:21:46.200 likes about a person. So often we do just the opposite. 0:21:46.280 --> 0:21:49.280 We look at people through a critical lens, and if 0:21:49.280 --> 0:21:52.320 we see something that we don't like, we don't understand. 0:21:52.400 --> 0:21:54.760 We think, why does she wear her hair like that 0:21:54.920 --> 0:21:57.600 doesn't look good. He needs to get in better shape. 0:21:57.600 --> 0:22:00.320 He doesn't have a good personality, she doesn't have very 0:22:00.359 --> 0:22:04.000 good taste. It's easy to see the negative, but every 0:22:04.119 --> 0:22:08.320 person has something great about them. Why don't you develop 0:22:08.359 --> 0:22:12.399 the habit of looking for that one good thing. A 0:22:12.440 --> 0:22:15.640 friend of mine, Nick, and his beautiful wife Summer. They 0:22:15.640 --> 0:22:18.560 have a four or five year old little daughter named Haven. 0:22:19.240 --> 0:22:22.600 Nick heard Victoria talking about this principle, and he's been 0:22:22.640 --> 0:22:26.040 teaching Haven how to look for that one beautiful thing. 0:22:26.560 --> 0:22:30.520 Now little Haven sees it as a challenge. Everywhere she goes, 0:22:30.560 --> 0:22:33.600 she studies people. She'll look them up and down. Then 0:22:33.640 --> 0:22:36.840 she'll tell them, I like your earrings. I like the 0:22:36.840 --> 0:22:39.720 buttons on your shirt. She told somebody the other day, 0:22:39.720 --> 0:22:44.080 I like your fingernails. She's developing this habit at a 0:22:44.240 --> 0:22:48.520 very early age of seeing the good, telling people what 0:22:48.560 --> 0:22:52.639 she likes, not what she dislikes. What's Nick teaching his 0:22:52.800 --> 0:22:56.680 daughter how to make deposits to leave people better off 0:22:56.720 --> 0:23:00.560 than they were before. When I was growing up, my 0:23:00.600 --> 0:23:03.720 mother had a tradition that I never really liked. When 0:23:03.720 --> 0:23:06.880 it was somebody's birthday in the family, before we could 0:23:06.920 --> 0:23:10.160 cut the cake, we all had to say one good 0:23:10.280 --> 0:23:14.720 thing about that person. And I was very shy, not 0:23:14.920 --> 0:23:18.720 used to expressing my feelings. My attitude was my brothers 0:23:18.720 --> 0:23:22.040 and sisters, my family. They know how much y'all loved them. 0:23:22.240 --> 0:23:24.560 I don't need to tell them. But my mother would 0:23:24.600 --> 0:23:27.400 go around the room as a little boy, Joel, tell 0:23:27.480 --> 0:23:30.560 me one good thing you like about your brother Paul. 0:23:32.200 --> 0:23:36.560 Sometimes it would take me thirty minutes. Other times I 0:23:36.680 --> 0:23:40.879 just have to lie. But we couldn't cut the cake 0:23:41.080 --> 0:23:45.560 until we all said something good. I realize now, I'm 0:23:45.560 --> 0:23:50.760 not even looking at Paul, but I realized now my 0:23:50.960 --> 0:23:55.159 mother was teaching us to make deposits, to be free 0:23:55.280 --> 0:23:58.440 with our compliments. We had to think about what we 0:23:58.760 --> 0:24:02.439 liked and not what we disliked. It taught us not 0:24:02.640 --> 0:24:05.600 to take people for granted, not to just think, oh, 0:24:05.640 --> 0:24:09.720 they're beautiful, they're talented, they're fun, but to express it, 0:24:10.160 --> 0:24:13.200 to let them know what we were thinking. After all, 0:24:13.640 --> 0:24:18.440 our thoughts don't bless anybody. Love is not love until 0:24:18.480 --> 0:24:20.879 you give it away. Why don't you get in the 0:24:20.920 --> 0:24:25.679 habit of finding that one good thing about the people 0:24:25.720 --> 0:24:28.600 God put in your life and then take it a 0:24:28.640 --> 0:24:32.800 step further. Tell them, write them a note, send them 0:24:32.800 --> 0:24:35.919 a text and email, Hey, just thinking about you and 0:24:36.080 --> 0:24:40.600 how much I appreciate your friendship, your loyalty, your sense 0:24:40.600 --> 0:24:44.080 of humor, your personality, whatever it is. That's being a 0:24:44.160 --> 0:24:47.720 wallet filler. Those are treasures that they will carry for 0:24:47.800 --> 0:24:53.480 a lifetime. People need encouragement today more than ever. The 0:24:53.560 --> 0:24:57.720 reason why is because there's a bigger outlet for negative 0:24:58.080 --> 0:25:01.639 than there's ever been before. The Internet is both a 0:25:01.680 --> 0:25:05.719 blessing and it can be a curse. It lets people 0:25:06.200 --> 0:25:11.440 say hurtful things and hide behind no name. Our children 0:25:11.520 --> 0:25:15.520 have to deal with online bullying, people making hateful comments 0:25:15.640 --> 0:25:18.680 that they never say face to face. They're too embarrassed. 0:25:19.080 --> 0:25:22.360 The negative has been turned up. Now you and I 0:25:22.440 --> 0:25:27.400 need to turn up the positive. Don't be passive. Tell 0:25:27.440 --> 0:25:32.400 your family, your friends in person, on Facebook, on Twitter, 0:25:32.640 --> 0:25:35.520 how much you love them, how great you think they are. 0:25:35.840 --> 0:25:38.960 When you see a negative comment about them, go to work. 0:25:39.280 --> 0:25:43.240 You're beautiful, you're talented. I like you because you're loyal, 0:25:43.320 --> 0:25:46.240 because you're fun to be around. Do your friends in 0:25:46.320 --> 0:25:50.280 family a favor. Drown out all the haters, drown out 0:25:50.320 --> 0:25:56.000 the negative, critical sarcastic, jealous people. They want to make 0:25:56.080 --> 0:26:00.399 withdraws and push people down. You keep making deposits pushing 0:26:00.400 --> 0:26:03.720 people up. And here's the key. Don't waste your time 0:26:04.040 --> 0:26:07.600 arguing with people that are hateful. They're not going to 0:26:07.680 --> 0:26:10.240 change their mind. They don't want to understand you. They're 0:26:10.280 --> 0:26:13.120 not happy with their own life. They're jealous, so they're 0:26:13.119 --> 0:26:15.760 going to keep trying to push people down. The more 0:26:15.800 --> 0:26:18.160 hate they pour out, the more love you pour out. 0:26:18.400 --> 0:26:21.120 Stick up for your family, stick up for your friends. 0:26:21.520 --> 0:26:25.960 God's counting on us to make these deposits. My challenge 0:26:26.000 --> 0:26:31.600 to you encourage somebody every single day, look for opportunities 0:26:31.760 --> 0:26:35.000 to make them feel better about themselves. Make sure when 0:26:35.040 --> 0:26:37.840 you leave the place is better off than it was before. 0:26:38.200 --> 0:26:40.919 And if you'll learn to be a wallet feller, making 0:26:40.960 --> 0:26:44.440 deposits everywhere you go, then those seeds that you sow 0:26:44.760 --> 0:26:47.520 will always come back to you. As you help others 0:26:47.600 --> 0:26:50.560 rise higher, God's going to help you rise higher. Now. 0:26:50.560 --> 0:26:54.080 I believe and declare you will become everything God's created 0:26:54.119 --> 0:26:56.479 you to be. You're going to live the abundant life 0:26:56.560 --> 0:26:59.840 he has in store in Jesus' name. If you receive it, 0:27:00.119 --> 0:27:03.560 can you say it in today? We never like to 0:27:03.600 --> 0:27:06.760 close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make 0:27:06.880 --> 0:27:09.720 Jesus the lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:27:10.400 --> 0:27:15.560 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come 0:27:15.600 --> 0:27:20.919 into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. Friends, 0:27:20.920 --> 0:27:23.320 if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:27:23.320 --> 0:27:26.520 born again. Get in a good Bible based church. Keep 0:27:26.560 --> 0:27:29.280 God first place. He's going to take your places you've 0:27:29.280 --> 0:27:35.320 never dreamed of. We all go through disappointments and things 0:27:35.320 --> 0:27:39.359 that are not fair, but God sees every hurt, every injustice, 0:27:39.560 --> 0:27:42.959 and He's promised to pay you back for the unfair things. Now. 0:27:42.960 --> 0:27:45.359 I love to send you my new resource, Double for 0:27:45.520 --> 0:27:48.639 your Trouble. It's filled with inspiration to help you stay 0:27:48.640 --> 0:27:52.240 in faith and not get bitter and think why me. No, 0:27:52.400 --> 0:27:55.359 that setback may have been painful, but the fact is 0:27:55.560 --> 0:27:58.240 it sets you up for Double. God will make the 0:27:58.359 --> 0:28:01.480 enemy pay and bring you out better than you were before. 0:28:02.280 --> 0:28:05.240 This ministry is reaching people around the world with the 0:28:05.280 --> 0:28:08.000 message of hope, and as our way of saying thank 0:28:08.040 --> 0:28:10.600 you for your gift of any amount, we would like 0:28:10.640 --> 0:28:13.080 to send you a copy of Double for your Trouble. 0:28:13.320 --> 0:28:17.360 A daily guide for restoration. This thirty one day spiral 0:28:17.400 --> 0:28:21.600 bound resource is an invitation into healing, restoration, and the 0:28:21.680 --> 0:28:25.480 abundant life God has promised. Whether you're walking through a 0:28:25.520 --> 0:28:29.320 season of loss, believing for a breakthrough, or simply looking 0:28:29.400 --> 0:28:32.800 for a deeper connection with God, this guide is designed 0:28:32.800 --> 0:28:37.240 to help you reflect, realign, and rebuild day by day. 0:28:37.880 --> 0:28:43.680 Receive your copy and know that whatever you're facing today grief, loss, uncertainty, 0:28:44.040 --> 0:28:48.080 it doesn't define your future. Choose to trust God. He 0:28:48.240 --> 0:28:51.960 sees you, He cares deeply, and He is the God 0:28:52.000 --> 0:28:53.360 who restores Double. 0:28:53.960 --> 0:28:57.080 None of us like difficulties. But if you'll stay in faith, 0:28:57.200 --> 0:29:01.360 you won't come out the same, You'll come out with Double. Nicktoynock. 0:29:01.400 --> 0:29:04.160 Pray for you and your family every day. Thank you 0:29:04.200 --> 0:29:07.760 for your prayers and support. Your donations are bringing hope 0:29:07.800 --> 0:29:10.760 to people around the world. Special thank you to our 0:29:10.840 --> 0:29:13.560 Champion of Hope partners for all you do to make 0:29:13.600 --> 0:29:16.640 the ministry possible. Until we see you again next week, 0:29:16.840 --> 0:29:18.800 mid the Lord bless you and keep you. 0:29:19.720 --> 0:29:22.800 Be sure to request your copy of Double for Your Trouble, 0:29:23.000 --> 0:29:26.880 available this month by simply visiting us at Joelostein dot 0:29:26.920 --> 0:29:30.520 com or call eight eight eight five six seven Joel. 0:29:31.080 --> 0:29:34.440 You can also receive God's Got You Restoration Duo. 0:29:34.920 --> 0:29:35.960 This book is a. 0:29:35.880 --> 0:29:39.440 Powerful reminder that no matter what you face, you are 0:29:39.480 --> 0:29:42.920 not alone. God's got you and he will never let 0:29:42.960 --> 0:29:46.520 you go. In addition to these two inspiration books, you 0:29:46.560 --> 0:29:50.800 can also receive the Double Portion Restoration Bible Collection. This 0:29:50.920 --> 0:29:54.920 beautifully curated collection brings together the restoring of hope of 0:29:55.000 --> 0:29:58.440 Double for Your Trouble and the comforting reassurance of God's 0:29:58.440 --> 0:30:02.760 Got You, paired with a CSB Thin Line Bible Digital 0:30:02.760 --> 0:30:04.600 Study edition in Camel. 0:30:04.280 --> 0:30:05.760 Swaede's soft leather touch. 0:30:06.240 --> 0:30:10.160 This elegant Bible offers a rich, immersive study experience and 0:30:10.360 --> 0:30:14.360 enduring companion as you lean into God's promises of renewal 0:30:14.440 --> 0:30:19.360 and restoration. Let these resources strengthen your faith, study your heart, 0:30:19.640 --> 0:30:23.320 and remind you each day that God is restoring, leading, 0:30:23.600 --> 0:30:24.960 and working double. 0:30:24.720 --> 0:30:25.680 On your behalf. 0:30:26.160 --> 0:30:29.640 You can request these inspiring resources by calling eight eight 0:30:29.680 --> 0:30:33.520 eight five six seven Joel or logging on to joelostein 0:30:33.600 --> 0:30:34.720 dot com today. 0:30:35.680 --> 0:30:38.120 If you've never been to Lakewood, we have a great 0:30:38.200 --> 0:30:42.640 opportunity to come. We call it Homecoming Weekend. We'd love 0:30:42.680 --> 0:30:45.239 to meet you and your family. You can see the 0:30:45.240 --> 0:30:48.280 building and attend one of the services. It's a great 0:30:48.320 --> 0:30:51.040 time to be a part of the Lakewood family. Looking 0:30:51.040 --> 0:31:00.120 forward to seeing you at Homecoming Weekend. No