Redeeming The Time | Joel Osteen

Hi, it's Jolan Victoria. What a joy to be with you today. We always counted an honor. Know that we're praying for you and your family. We sure hope you enjoy this podcast today and we just are praying for you and know that God is for you, so enjoy today's message. Well, God bless you. It's always a joy to come into your homes.

We love you.

We know God has great things in store for each one of you. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and see us. I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. But thanks for tuning in today. I like to start with something funny each week, and I heard about these two famous baseball players.

They were discussing whether or not there would be baseball up in heaven.

They made an agreement that whoever died first would come back and tell the other if indeed there was baseball in heaven. A few months later, one of the players died, and just like he promised, he came back said to his friend, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is there is baseball up in heaven. The bad news is scheduled to pitch next Thursday. All right, hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it.

This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want to talk to you today about redeeming the time. Time is one of the most valuable commodities that we have.

It's more valuable than money. You can make more money, but you can't make more time. Queen Elizabeth said on her deathbed, I would give my entire kingdom for just.

One more day. When you woke up this morning, God gave you a.

Present is called today. With that gift comes a responsibility. The scripture tells us to redeem the time.

That simply means don't let it go to waste.

Don't live this day unfocused, unhappy, negative, defeated. Make the most of each day. Things may not be perfect. You may have some obstacles, but you can never get this day back. If you will learn to see each day as a gift, you will live more intentional. You will realize when you spend your time, you are spending your life.

You can either invest it or you can waste it. Imagine every morning a bank deposited eighty six thousand, four hundred dollars into your account. That money was yours to use however you would like. The only catch is at the end of the day, what you didn't use, you lose. It's taken out of your account. That would get your attention, you'd be focused, you'd make sure you took full advantage and not let one penny go to waste. Why it's valuable, It's the same principle with time. Every day God gives us each eighty six thousand, four hundred seconds.

You can spend it as you would like.

You can invest it by living positive, hopeful, pursuing your goals, being a blessing to others, or you can waste it by being disorganized, unhappy, negative, discouraged, worried. But the principle is the same. At the end of the twenty four.

Hour it goes away. We can never get it back.

When we fully understand the value of our time and we see each day as the gift that it is, it helps us to keep the right perspective. We realize there are some battles that are not worth fighting. You don't have time to get involved in things that are not between you and your God given destiny. If somebody has a problem with you, as long as you're being your best, doing what you believe God put in your heart, with all due respect, that's their problem and yours. You don't have to resolve conflict with every person. Some people don't want to be at peace with you.

That's just a distraction.

And when you realize your time is limited, you don't respond to every critic. You don't waste your time trying to convince people to like you that are never going to like you. You accept the fact that not everyone is going to understand you. Not everyone is going to give you their approval, But that's okay.

You just run your race.

When you're redeeming your time, you're not trying to keep someone happy that's never going to be happy.

There are people that no matter what you do.

For them, it's not going to be enough, no matter how many times you rescue them, no matter how many favors you do, sooner or later they're.

Going to find fault with you. And end up being.

Unhappy, but understand their happiness is not your responsibility. You should be kind, you should be respectful, but your attitude should be If you don't want to be happy, that's fine, but you're not gonna keep me from being happy.

I know this day is a gift.

And I'm not gonna waste it trying to fix somebody that doesn't want to be fixed, or trying to change something that I cannot change. Friends, you have a responsibility to redeem the time that God has given you. He's entrusted you with his life. He's breathed his breath into you. He's put gifts and talents on the inside. You have seeds of greatness. You didn't just show up on planet Earth.

You're a person of destiny. You have an assignment with a purpose to fulfill, and with this gift of life comes a responsibility to develop your talents, to pursue your God given goals to become everything that He's created you to be. On a regular basis, you need to reevaluate what you're doing and how you're spending your time. Refocus your life, let go of any distracts, shake off any self pity, any discouragement, any disappointments, and.

Run your race with purpose. Friends.

God did not put you here to be controlled by somebody else. He didn't put you here to drag through the day and barely make it. You were not created to have to constantly try to convince someone to like you. If somebody doesn't want to be your friend, let them go and God will bring you some better friends. You don't have to talk to somebody into loving you, or coming to see you or calling you. God already has arranged the right people that will celebrate you, people that can't wait to be around you, people that appreciate who you are and what you have to offer. When we come to the end of our days, we're going to have to give an account. God is going to ask how did you spend your life? What did you do

with the gifts I put in you?

How did you use the time I gave you?

We can't do like Adam and make it sp excuses God. This woman you gave me, she got me off course. Or yes, God, I wasn't very happy, but I didn't have a good job. Yes, I worried all the time, but the economy was so bad. No, shake that off and make the most of each day. I believe you and I are going to be able to say God, I live my life to the full. I recognized each day was a gift. I developed to my talents. I wasn't controlled and manipulated. I didn't get involved in battles that didn't matter. I didn't let disappointment stop me. I didn't lose my integrity and compromise. I was a giver and not a taker. God, I gave it my very best.

I redeemed the time. When you have that kind of attitude, God will increase you. He'll give you more influence, more opportunity. The Apostle Paul said we should run with purpose in every step. That means when you get up in the morning on purpose, set your thoughts in the right direction, positive, hopeful, this is going to be a great day. On purpose, put a smile on your face, a song in your heart, a spring in your step. And then, on purpose, go out each day with a plan, with a goal. Not distracted by every phone call, running here and there, upset in the traffic, too stressed.

To enjoy the day.

No redeem your time being on purpose person, And yes, I'm all for being flexible. And certainly for taking time to help others. But if we're not focused, if we're not running with purpose in every step, we will allow distractions to get us off course and keep us from God's very best. When you realize your time is limited, you don't get offended every time you turn around. You don't let little petty things and politics.

At the office sour your day.

You don't go around offended with unforgiveness because somebody mistreated you.

You let it go and trust God to make your wrongs right.

I talked to a lady recently and she told how a family member had done her wrong.

She was so upset and starting to get so bitter.

I told her what I'm telling you, life is too short to live it that way.

Just let it go and trust God to be your vindicator. She wouldn't hear it.

She said, no, Joel, I'm not going to be happy until they apologize. What she didn't realize is she is wasting valuable days. That person hurt her once. Now she's allowing them to hurt her again and again because she will not let it go.

And I wonder how many.

Of us like her have wasted valuable days. We can't say we redeemed the time we just drugged through the day, offended, upset, worried. Some people have lived like this for years, with bitterness, unforgiveness, nursing an old wound. Instead of moving forward to the great things God has in store, they keep going back to the old.

It's just like a skill.

Every time you pick it, it reopens the wound. It's never going to heal until you leave it alone and stop going back.

What am I saying?

Quit reliving the hurts and pains of your past when those pictures come up on the movie screen of your mind. The good news is you've got the remote control, change the channel. You can choose what you want to dwell on. Do you realize how much energy.

It takes to be bitter?

Do you know how much emotional energy it takes to hold a grudge. We only have a certain amount for each day. If we use our emotional energy for the wrong purposes, focused on the negative, dwelling on who hurt us, We're not gonna have the energy we need for the right purposes. We're not gonna make the best decisions, We're not gonna be as creative. Our gifts and talents won't come out to the full. We're not only doing our self a disservice, but we're doing our family, our friends a disservice.

We're not redeeming the time.

Well, you say, Joel, I'm not gonna be happy until they get what they deserve.

That's only fair.

Or I can't enjoy my life until my coworkers stop talking about me. Listen, we can't control any of that. You cannot control what people do or what they say.

You can only control yourself.

If you're allowing that to upset you, to cause you to go around bitter and angry, then you are giving away your power.

You're letting them control you.

The scripture says, don't let the sun go down on your anger. And the reason many people have no joy, no enthusiasm, is because they go to bed every night with unforgiveness, dwelling on their hurts and pains, reliving their disappointments. When you go to bed like that, with a cluttered mind focused on the negative, then when your sun comes up the next morning, it's clouded by all these things you.

Brought over from yesterday.

It's just like in the natural when it's overcast outside and the clouds are blocking the sun.

It's kind of dark and gloomy.

That's what happens when we go to sleep with bitterness, with resentment, focused on the negative. Some people have not seen the sun shine in their life for years and years, not because it's not up there, not because God doesn't have great things in their future, but simply because they keep letting their sun go down.

With all these negative things on it.

The problem is, if it goes down with resentment, it comes up with resentment. If you go to bed with self pity, you're gonna wake up with self pity. That's what's blocking God's blessings. It's stopping you from seeing the bright, clear future that God has in store. If you want those dark clouds to go away, if you want the sun to shine brightly in your life. Once again, it's totally up to you. You control the weather, you control the clouds.

Here's the key.

Every night, before you go to bed, just look up and say, Father, I am releasing every negative thing that happened to me today. I'm forgiving every person that hurt me. I'm forgiving myself for mistakes I've made. I'm releasing every disappointment, every worry, every hurt and I'm not going to bed angry.

Upset in self pity. I give it to you and I lay down in peace.

When you do that, your son is going to go down with nothing blocking it. Maybe over the years you've had things build up, and today it looks like there's layer after layer of overcast guies.

In your life.

The good news is if you'll just be diligent, keep releasing this every night, little by little, the clouds are going to break up and the sun will start to shine through. You'll have a new spring in your step. Your goals and dreams will come back to life. You'll have more energy, You'll feel better, You'll meet new friends.

God will open up new opportunities. What's happening, Those are breaking up and the sun God's goodness is starting to shine through once again. No matter what you've been through in the past, you need to draw the line in the sand and say that's it. I'm not going to bed anymore with something blocking my son. That means you're not going to go to bed dwelling on unanswered questions. God, why did my loved one not make it? Why did my marriage not survive?

God?

Why didn't I get that promotion? That I prayed and worked so hard for. No, just let it go when you lay down to sleep, don't take any baggage with you. Don't go to bed thinking about the disappointments of the day and what you didn't get done and what somebody said. Just clear your mind and say, God, I'm giving it all to you. I'm releasing it right now. If you'll get in a habit of doing that every night before you go to bed, then nothing is going to block that sun. It's gonna shine brightly in your life. I saw an interview with a lady. She was supposed to be on the flight to buffal that recently crashed. None of the passengers or the crew survived. She had been booked to be on this flight, but at the last

minute something came up. She missed it and took one. Thirty minutes later, she realizes she has been given a second chance that could have easily been hurt. She talked about how that changed her perspective. Now she appreciates each day much more.

She sees it as a gift.

She told how she doesn't get upset as easily. Little things don't bother her. She doesn't get offended. She is much more forgiving, much more understanding, much more loving. You know what she's really saying. I don't go to bed anymore with things that are blocking my son. I realize how limited my time is, and I'm not gonna waste it in unforgiveness or in things that I can't change.

I'm gonna make the most of each day.

That's the attitude I want us to have. We don't know how long we're going to be here. The Scripture says, our life is like a mist. We're here for a moment, and then we're gone. I wonder how long we'd stay offended if we knew we only had six months to live. I wonder how many times we'd get upset and go around worried if we knew we just had a few more weeks, Or how many days would we drag through with no passion. If we knew our time was coming to an end very shortly, most likely that would change our perspective. I saw sign on the freeway the other day.

It said, do you have any reason to be grateful? Just check your pulse. What's it saying? As long as you're alive, you've been given a gift. Every morning you wake up with air debris.

Every day.

You can see the sunshine, every time, you hear your kids laughing and playing. Every evening, you see the stars, you hear the crickets, you feel the warmth of your spouse. Let that be another reminder that God.

Has blessed you with a gift of today. Don't take it for granted. It's funny.

Sometimes the things we can complain about are the very things other people would love to have. We complain about the children. Oh man, these kids are so much work. All I do is cook and clean. Do you realize some couples aren't able to have children. They do anything they could to have children like yours. Don't take it for granted. Or this job, Joel, it is so stressful and I just don't like my boss.

Do you know how many people would love to have your job? Learn to appreciate it. Or how about this Joel, This husband of mine, he just gets on my nerves. We don't get along.

This may surprise you, You may not even believe it, but there are some ladies that would love to have your husband. Now. I know some of you are thinking, can I give you.

A phone number? Right now?

It says in second Corinthians, don't squander one bit of the marvelous life God has given you. Notice that saying, don't waste one tiny bit, Don't waste another second focused on the negative and what you don't have in life. Don't waste another minute being discouraged and depressed. Don't go another day with unforgiveness and bitterness in your heart. I have people say to me all the time, Joel, if I'd have known back then what I know now, I would have sure lived my life differently. I wouldn't have got upset so easily. I wouldn't have tried to reconcile with somebody that didn't want to reconcile with me. I wouldn't have gotten distracted and not pursued my god giving goals.

You know what they're really saying. I would have been.

More careful and more deliberate about how I spent my time. I would have maximized each day. That's what I'm asking you to do. Take inventory of how you're spending your life. It's very sad to come to the end of our days and have to say if I would have only chosen better friends, who knows where.

I would have ended up.

If i'd only forgiven this person, gotten out of self pity and gone on with my life. If I'd only taken more time for my family and not worry worked so much. Friends, now is the time to make adjustments. We can't do anything about the past, but we can do something about right now. We can start redeeming the time. Understand, I'm not redeeming the time if I go around with a chip on my shoulder focused on my disappointments. Now, when you go through setbacks, and we all do, don't waste the time by thinking about what you've lost. Invest the time by thanking God for what he has come in thank him for.

The new doors he's about to open. I talked to a young lady recently.

She was a reporter at a local television station during Hurricane Ike.

She was covering the story.

Her assignment this particular day was to find people that were really struggling and having a tough time finding food. Basically, it was to find sad stories. So she went to one of the local food drops where they were giving away free food, and she talked to the people in line. But nobody had a sad story. They were all all grateful and believed that they were gonna make it. It just so happened that Victoria and I were there with some of the Lakewood volunteers helping out, and she brought the camera over to me said, Joel, tell me the worst thing that you've seen today. I said, yes, some people are struggling, but they have faith, and they know they're going over and not under. They know they're victors

and not victims, and this is going to be their best year in spite of the hurricane. She took the microphone away and said, I knew you wouldn't tell me anything negative. She went and found Victoria. Victoria was worse than me. She said, these people are fired up. They know God's in control, and their best days are still out in front of them. She went back to the station and told her boss, I couldn't find any sad stories, but I.

Got Joel and Victoria osting.

She was so excited she thought the boss would be thrilled, but he wasn't thrilled at all. He didn't want me in Victoria. He wanted sad, depressing stories. Long story short, that young lady got terminated over that incident.

She was let go, and.

At first she was kind of discouraged, but she understood this principle that every day is a gift from God. Instead of dragging around defeated and discouraged, she started thanking God for the new doors he was going to open, thanking him that he had a better plan. What was she doing redeeming the time not complain and not feeling sorry for herself. She knew she wouldn't be alive if God didn't have another victory in front of her. It wasn't long after that that she got a call from a very prestigious organization. They said, we saw your report on the hurricane, the same one that caused her to get let go.

They said, we.

Were just wondering if you'd like to come work for us and head up our whole media department and produced documentaries.

That was a dream come true for her.

She smiled and gave me a big hug and said, Joel, I just want to thank you and Victoria for getting me fired. I heard somebody say disappointments are inevitable, but misery is optional. No matter what kind of setbacks you face, no matter who does you wrong, you do not have to drag through the day defeated, upset in self, pity, redeem the time. Thank God that he's still in control.

Thank him for the new doors he's going to open. Understand, every person goes through the valleys, but the valleys are what lead us to higher mountains. If you never go through a valley, you'll probably not get to a higher level. The key is when you're in the difficult seasons in those valleys, you got to redeem the time, just like her, Instead of complaining, instead of feeling sorry for yourself, go out and do.

Something good for somebody else. Sow a seed.

Volunteer while you're in the valley, give somebody a ride while you're in the valley.

Pray for others while you're in the valley. Ussher while you're in the valley.

When you sow a seed, when you invest it the right way in helping others, then those seeds that you sow are going to create the harvest you need, not just to take you out of the valley, but they're going to lead you to a higher mountain, to a level you've.

Not been at before.

David put it this way in Psalm ninety, verse twelve. God teach us to number our days and realize how few they really are help us to spend them like we should. I'm forty five years old. It seemed like it was just yesterday that I was graduating.

From high school. It's been twenty something years. I don't know where the time is gone.

A few years ago, I made a decision that I was not going to live another day negative.

Discouraged, worried, offended.

I have plenty of opportunities, just like you, but I do my best not to go there. That's what I'm asking you to do today. We should pray with David every day. God help us to realize how short our time here on earth really is. I read a story by Jeffrey Davis called One Thousand Marbles. It's about a man that was listening to the radio early one Saturday morning.

He was a young executive, very busy in his career. He didn't spend much time with his family. He wanted to, but he just had so much to do. This Saturday was no different. He couldn't go to his children's ballgames. He had extra work at the office, plus some projects at home he needed to take care of. He was eating his breakfast as fast as he could, about to rush out for the day. When he became intrigued at a story an older gentleman was telling on the radio about how he learned to appreciate each day. This gentleman told how when he was fifty five years old, he calculated that if he were to live to be seventy five, he would have approximately one thousand more Saturdays left in his lifetime. So he went to the local toy store

and he bought a thousand marbles, put him in a jar, and placed them on a desk at home. Every Saturday, without fail, he took one marble out month after month, year after year.

He watched the marbles go down.

Before he signed off on his radio program after telling this story, he said to his listeners today, I have taken out the final marble. I'm seventy five years old. If I'm back here next week, as far as I'm concerned, God has given me extra time. That young executive at listening that touched his heart. He knew God was speaking to him. He ran upstairs, woke his wife up, gave her a big kiss, said honey, let's go eat breakfast together this morning.

She was pleasantly surprised. She said that'd be great. But what got into you?

He said, oh, nothing, I just haven't spent a Saturday with you and the kids lately. And by the way, while we're out, can we stop by the toy store.

I need to pick up some marbles.

What happened all of a sudden he realized how short his time here on earth really is. Let me ask you, how are you spending the eighty six thousand, four hundred seconds God gives you each day? Are you investing it or are you wasting it? Are you taking time for the people you love the most? Are you allowing bitterness and unforgiveness to block your son to cloud your life?

Are you letting others control you? Are perhaps distractions keep you from your God given destiny.

Now make the most of each day.

When you get up in the morning, learn to accept the present God gives you, thank him for another gift of today, and then go out and live it to the full. Things may not be perfect, but that doesn't have to stop you from enjoying the day. Look at all the good things that are in your life. Enjoy the beauty of God's creation. When you go through disappointments, remember don't let the sun go down on that disappointment.

Before you go to bed. Just clear out your mind and turn it over to God. If you'll run with purpose in every step, accepting and appreciating the gift of today, then you are redeeming your time. You're not only going to enjoy your life, but God is gonna increase you and promote you. You're going to overcome your obstacles. You'll see your gifts and talents come out to the full, and when you come to the end of your days, you'll be able to say, I have no regrets, I have spent my life.

Well, amen, do you receive that today?

Well?

We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible based church, Keep God first place.

He's going to take your places you've never dreamed of.

It's easy in life to wear labels. Mistakes we've made and what people have said, disappointments we faced. Those labels can diminish our sense of value and cause us to forget who we really are. And have a new book called Made by God. Know it, receive it, and live it.

It'll help you.

See yourself the way God sees you, valuable, talented, worthy, a masterpiece. You've been fearfully and wonderfully made. I'd love to send you by new book plus the Maid by God T shirt from a good friends at Copper Fit. When you know who you are and who you are a child of the most High, you can live with confidence and step in to who you were created to be.

As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount this month, we would like to send you a copy of Joel's brand new book Made by God. Know It, receive it, Live it. You were not made by your mistakes. You were not made by what people said. You were not made by your hardest season. You were made by God on purpose, with purpose, and nothing can change that.

This powerful book will help.

You silence the labels life has put on you and finally see yourself the way God sees you, valuable, talented, a masterpiece. And when you request your copy, we also want to send you the exclusive Made by God T shirt from our friends at Copperfit, a daily reminder you can wear as a declaration of who you are and whose you are. Set down what was never yours to carry.

Request your copy today.

You are not your past. You are not labels life has put on you. You are made by God on purpose, for a purpose, and nothing can change your value. Victorian, I pray for you and your family every day. Believe in you're going to have a blessed summer. Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity helps us take this message of hope to people around the world.

The special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for all you do to make the ministry possible. Until we meet again, May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Be sure to request your copy of Made by God plus your exclusive Copperfit Made by God Tea available this month by visiting us at Joelostein dot com or call eight eight eight five six seven Joel. With an additional gift, you can also receive the complete Made by God Designed with Purpose collection featuring the Maid by God Tea, the Designed with Purpose Hat, and the Maid by God tote.

Each piece is more than something you wear or carry. It is a declaration, a statement of faith, a daily reminder that your life is not random. God has a plan for you. Wherever your day takes you, you will carry a message that speaks life not only over yourself, but to everyone around you. You can request these inspiring resources by calling eight eight eight five six seven Joel or logging on to Joelostein dot com today call or click anytime, twenty four hours a day,

Redeeming The Time | Joel Osteen

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