Look For The Good | Joel Osteen

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Paul said in Philippians, whatever things are wholesome, good, pure, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.
It’s significant that he used the word if, if there be any virtue.
He was saying you have to look for the good. In your family, look for the good.
In your spouse, yes, you can point out 23 flaws. How about looking for the good?
In that challenge, maybe a lot’s coming against you. Look for the good. God is sustaining you.
People are encouraging you. This one area has improved.
If you’re going to find joy in the journey, you have to look past all the wrongs and see the rights.
And sometimes, it’s just the fact that you shouldn’t still be here. The opposition should have taken you out.
The sickness should have defeated you. How you were raised should have held you back.
But you can say, Lord, thank you that I’m still standing. Thank you that I still have air to breathe.
Thank you that you’re still for me. Luke 24, Jesus had been crucified on a Friday.
That Sunday, 2 of his disciples were walking from Jerusalem to a city called Emmaus.
You can imagine how discouraged they were. The man they had followed, given their life to was now gone.
As they were on this journey, talking about everything that had happened, the wrongs, the betrayals, the heartache, Jesus came up and started walking with them, but they didn’t recognize who He was.
He was in a different form. Jesus asked what they were discussing and why they were so concerned.
They said in effect, where have you been? Haven’t you heard they’ve taken our Messiah and crucified him?
Now we’re without a leader. Jesus began to talk to them about what the prophets had predicted.
How He had to come and be crucified, that He’d be raised on the 3rd day.
Verse 27 says, He explained what the Scripture said about Him. What an incredible moment this was.
They’re walking with Jesus who’s just risen from the dead, who’s helping them to understand passages from the Old Testament that prophesied what would happen, how this was all a part of God’s plan.
Well, it was a 7 mile walk from Jerusalem. They were about to arrive in Emmaus.
It was late at night. They asked Jesus to stay with them.
As they were eating dinner, Jesus broke the bread and their eyes were open.
They recognized who He was and Jesus suddenly disappeared. Think about that long walk with Jesus.
They were so focused on what didn’t work out, this great disappointment, their leader is gone, that they didn’t recognize the miracle in the moment.
All they knew was life was unfair, this wasn’t right.
They were discouraged yet that whole time the risen savior was in their midst.
How many times on our journey are we not recognizing what God is doing?
We’re so caught up in the stress of the day, dealing with this problem, had a setback in our finances that we don’t see all the good things.
How God is sustaining us, favoring us, guiding us.
We’ve been through challenges, but in the midst, our children are still healthy. We have opportunity.
The right person showed up when we needed them.
Don’t get so focused on what’s wrong that you don’t recognize what’s right.
It’s interesting that these disciples were on a journey with Jesus.
One principle it shows us is there was joy in the journey, but they didn’t recognize it.
How many of us are seeing the joy in the journey? We see the traffic.
We see the struggle. These children are a lot of work, but are you seeing the joy?
Could it be like these disciples that God is doing great things in your midst but you don’t see it?
The scripture says, God opened their eyes and suddenly they recognized Jesus.
My prayer is, God, open our eyes.
Help us on the journey of life to not miss the miracles of the moment, to recognize your goodness, to be aware that you’re at work.
I don’t want us to come to the end of life. Man, I didn’t enjoy my twenties.
So stressed raising kids. I didn’t enjoy my thirties. Pressures of work were so bad.
Didn’t enjoy my forties. Had financial difficulties. My fifties, I had that health issues.
My sixties, we had inflation, the pandemic, the Texans couldn’t win.
We look up and our life is past, but we didn’t enjoy it. It’s always something.
Some problem, some person, some delay.
You could be in a great moment right now, but like these disciples, you’re letting what went wrong, so focused on where you’re trying to go that you’re missing all the good things.
They looked back and thought, man, Jesus was walking with us. He was explaining the Scriptures.
We were right there in his presence. We should have stopped taking it all in and enjoyed it.
Instead, they were just trying to get to Emmaus, Trying to get past the disappointment.
I’m not saying that we don’t have difficulties. There’s pressure, stress.
What I’m saying is there is good in every season. You have to find joy in the journey.
Sometimes like these disciples, we don’t see it till it’s gone. In the moment, we don’t recognize it.
But later we look back and think, that was a great time. We talk about the good old days.
Can I tell you, you are living in the good old days? There are great things happening right now.
Great memories, great people, great opportunities. Don’t do like them and miss it.
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