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I recently watched a Joel Olsteen sermon online and his message was that we should wake up everyday and expect God to give us good things in our life.  "Today, God will do something good for me."  I feel like his motivational message was keeping a "half glass full" attitude, but I just didn't feel comfortable thinking with the mindset to expect goodness from God just because I am following his will.  Of course it feels amazing when God blesses me with his good graces & gifts, but it just didn't seem right to EXPECT something.  Your thoughts?

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There is a whole list of martyrs througout the church era, including today, that would disagree with him in relation to expecting good things in the physical realm. A great read is "Foxe's Book of Martyrs." The Bible tells us that we will face many trials and tribulations in this life.

 

Lord Bless,

LT

Hodie86,

God does something for me everyday. I don't expect Him to do it...I know He will do it. He has made those promises to me. He has been faithful in delivering on His promises.

Joel Osteen is telling you to use your faith. Through faith, believing God delivers on His promises, gives you a *half glass full* attitude. It gives you a positiveness about everything you go through.

*Expect* is a word we often use incorrectly and therefore it sounds like we demand something. We don't have to demand.....God has already provided a way of escape from the difficult things that assail us. One the other hand, we should expect (wait for)(hope) good things to constantly happen in our lives, brought around by God.

God's Word is true. Study it and believe it.

Blessings....

Rita

Joel is very good at encouragement and motivation and I don’t want my words to diminish him or criticize him in anyway, but I will show you in his own words where he is in error.

In a recent interview on Fox News, they asked Joel questions about his thoughts on Mitt Romney and then Mormonism. Romney is a professing Mormon and is a presidential candidate. Joel said, “Mitt Romney says that Jesus Christ is his Savior and that’s what I believe, I’m not the one to judge the other details.”

Yet, we know that as Christians we must have discernment and Mormonism does not teach the same thing as biblical Christianity and there is a wide divide between the two regarding the teachings about Jesus and about salvation. The essential truths of the gospel do not change, and Joel should know this. The truths concerning the virgin birth, His sinless life, His nature of being fully God and fully man, His sacrificial and substitutionary death, His resurrection and ascension, and the hope of His glorious return, are all things that cannot be diluted or distorted in anyway and when they are, how can we just let it go by saying, It is not for me to judge?

We like to hear what makes us feel good but there is a cost to a cross and the Christian life is a battlefield and night is coming when no man can work (John 9:4, NASB). If Joel is going to win souls for Christ, the time is now for him to speak the truth and tell people where they are in error and not tell them things that make them feel OK because for the many it is true that no matter how horrible this life is, this life will be their best life--hell awaits--while for the few this life is definitely NOT their best life now--heaven awaits.

I think Joel struggles with a lot of things but down deep does believe in the fundamental truths of God. However, I am in no way competent in this area. I know God is doing good for all of us even though there are so many things that we may not like or certainly would not prefer. Romans 8:28 tell us that God works everything to our good even though those things may appear to be very bad. He has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son. Ouch! I can guarantee that is really going to hurt, at least it does in my life. There is much work for Him to do to get me to the place that He has predestined for me to be. In order for that to happen, He will have to completely break me down. I wish He would just wave His rod and make it happen. Unfortunately, He seems to use life circumstances and experiences to accomplish this. As LT has mentioned, some have even been killed for their testimony of which God says this world is not worthy.

I pray that God blesses you mightily as He breaks you apart and conforms you into the image of His Son. Again, ouch!

Amen!

 

Good word Roy. We are all:

 

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

 

Isaiah 43:7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

 

Galatians 6:15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.

but God is a loving Father, He knows everything about us. Remember His Compassions are new each and every morning. He knows what is best for us. You and me do not know what our tomorrow will be, not even 3 hours from now. So I believe in each new day our Father has something new for each of His Child.

I agree. Amen.

Wow sis Mich beautifully stated.

 

Love and blessings

I agree totally with you, today people just want to hear what is good in their ears. The people that fill church buildings today are there because the priority in our/their minds is self. We want to please ourselves and get what we want.

Now on the topic we are discussing here, it depends on what you and I call 'good'. To a genuine child of God,everyday  our Father God Almighty does something New and Good.

Even through Valleys and Mountains of this life, God gives us strength to endure, isn't it something good? God gives us courage and faith to face each and every situation that comes our way. God does everything for the good of who trust in Him. Even something which seems bad to us, it is good for our betterment. God knows our tomorrow, He has our lives in His hands so whatever He does each day is good for us.

Remember He is a Good and Caring Father.

 

even today God my Father has something good for me. Amen

 

Thanks for this Michelle.  I needed this reminder that even through times that I thought were difficult, these situations (because I could not find answers) provided me an opportunity to turn (focus) on Him.
 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."(NIV) Psalms 46:10

There have been many really good perspectives to this post. It is very interesting to read all the different pros and cons of the type of sermon. We are definitely living in a different world of communication than it was while I was much younger. I pray that we will all find our way to get things back into kilter in the body. There is much dissension. I think giving the benefit of the doubt to our brothers and sisters is a very good idea. However, good doctrine is very important to the future of the church. Blessings this Christmas.

This is also the time we got to be so close to our Bibles. Most people are saying what they/we think but not what God says. We focus so much on getting what we think is the best for us, focusing so much on the things we have set our minds on. May the Lord help us in these end times to focus so much on pleasing Him.

May the Lord help us to live one day at a time. May our Gracious, Merciful, Slow to get angry, Enduring, Loving........Father help us all.

 

Merry Christmas

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