Be a Safe Place | Joel Osteen
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What is the opening greeting and purpose of today’s message?
Hey, thanks again for being with us today. Always my honor to be able to share God's word with you and hopefully inspire you and encourage you. And if you're enjoying the podcast, I hope you'll share it with a friend, pass it along, let's inspire some other people as well. But know that we love you. It's gonna be a blessed day for you. God bless you. It's great to be with you today. And I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, and social media. And you can come visit us in person. We'd love to have you be a part of one of our services. I'd like to start with something funny. I heard about this mother. She was cooking breakfast for her two young boys.
Ryan was five and Kevin was three. And they began To argue over who should get the first pancake. She saw this as an opportunity to teach them a lesson. She said, boys, boys, if Jesus were here, he would say, Let my brother have the first pancake. Brian turned to his younger brother and said, Okay, Kevin, you be Jesus. 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 being a safe place. We live in a culture where there's so much judgment and people are quick to assume the worst without really knowing the facts.
Just a rumor, gossip. They heard it on social media. It must be true. So they start throwing stones and trying to shame and discredit. And if we do make a mistake, and we all do, there's zero tolerance. We're gonna cancel you. You should have known better. Their goal is to expose, blow it up a portion, make sure you get what you deserve. But the scripture says the mercy you show others is the mercy you're going to receive. And if you're harsh and critical and don't give people grace to be human, then when you make a mistake, people are going to be harsh and critical with you. And it's easy to find fault and kick people when they're down. Can you believe they did this? But we're not called to throw rocks.
We're called to lift the fallen, to restore the broken, to heal the hurting. They don't need more judgment. They have enough people beating them down. They need someone who will pour the healing oil on. Someone who will help love them back into wholeness. You are never more like God than when you're helping people in need, showing mercy when they failed, pushing them up when others are pushing them down.
How does the pancake‑sharing story illustrate giving mercy to others?
I've never seen a day where there's so much joy over someone falling. You know, people jump on the bandwagon, spread their good news, they messed up, they got caught. I told you they were phonies, but you have to remember this, but by the grace of God, that could be you. Well, he cheated, y'all. He lied. Her past finally caught up. Before you join the mob and start throwing stones, before you look down in shame and judgment, it's much better to pause and say, Lord, thank you for what you kept me from. Thank you for your grace helping me stay on the right path. If you walk in humility and be generous with your mercy, God will keep you on the best path. But when we get judgmental, they knew better, they're getting what they deserve, that's opening yourself up to be in their same shoes.
If we don't humble ourselves, the scripture says God will humble us. It's much better if you do it than for God to do it. Learn to live as a healer. As a restorer. Not looking for opportunities to condemn, but looking for ways that you can lift people. There's enough judgment in the world, enough criticism, zero tolerance, you messed up, I'm gonna expose you. Where are the healers? Where are the people that will cover their faults, show mercy for mistakes, have compassion despite their failures? And this is not excusing their behavior and covering sin. I'm talking about loving them back into wholeness. Where when they come to you, they know they're not going to be judged, looked down on.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the opening greeting and purpose of today’s message?
0:01–2:55
2
How does the pancake‑sharing story illustrate giving mercy to others?
2:55–5:38
3
Why does Joel say we should be a “safe place” instead of judges?
5:38–10:17
4
What biblical example of a city of refuge does Joel use to define mercy?
10:17–30:20