Build People Up With Your Words | Victoria Osteen

>> VICTORIA OSTEEN: LOVE YOU

IN THIS PLACE!

AMEN, AMEN, YOU MAY BE

SEATED.

I WANT TO ENCOURAGE US ALL

TODAY TO BE BUCKET FILLERS.

WHAT’S A BUCKET FILLER?

A BUCKET FILLER IS SOMEONE

WHO IS WILLING TO MAKE

DEPOSITS, POSITIVE DEPOSITS

IN THE LIFE OF OTHER PEOPLE,

NOT ONLY WITH THEIR WORDS BUT

WITH THEIR ACTIONS.

SEE, A BUCKET FILLER IS

SOMEONE WHO IS WILLING TO

GIVE.

THERE’S TOO MANY BUCKET

DIPPERS IN THIS WORLD.

TOO MANY BUCKET DIPPERS.

WHAT’S A BUCKET DIPPER?

A BUCKET DIPPER IS SOMEONE

WHO DIPS OUT OF THE EMOTIONAL

BANK OF OTHERS WITH HARSH

WORDS AND CRITICISM, SOMEONE

WHO DIPS OUT OF THE LIFE OF

OTHER PEOPLE.

YOU SEE, THE THING ABOUT

BUCKET DIPPERS, BUCKET

DIPPERS DON’T EVEN REALIZE

THAT THEY’RE DEPLETING THEIR

OWN BUCKET.

YOU SEE, WHEN YOU FILL OTHER

PEOPLE’S BUCKETS, YOU’LL HAVE

YOUR BUCKET FILLED.

WE WANT TO BE BUCKET FILLERS.

WE HAVE TREMENDOUS POWER AND

INFLUENCE WITH OUR WORDS.

LISTEN TO WHAT IT SAYS IN

EPHESIANS 4:29.

IT SAYS, “LET NO UNWHOLESOME

TALK COME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH,

BUT ONLY WHAT IS HELPFUL FOR

BUILDING OTHERS UP,” FOR

BENEFITING THE HEARER, FOR

EXTENDING GRACE TO THOSE

OTHER PEOPLE, FOR BUILDING

PEOPLE UP.

YOU SEE, IT IS UP TO US.

IT STARTS WITH US.

WE CAN BE THE BUILDERS.

WE CAN BE THE ONE TO TURN

THIS THING AROUND.

WE DON’T HAVE TO GO WITH THE

FLOW, BUT WE CAN SWIM

UPSTREAM BECAUSE WE HAVE GOD

ON THE INSIDE OF US, BUT WE

HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION THAT

WE’RE GOING TO BE BUILDERS.

YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY CAN WE

BUILD PEOPLE WITH OUR WORDS,

FIND THE BEST AND BRING IT

OUT IN THEM, BUT DO YOU KNOW

THAT OUR WORDS CAN LITERALLY

BE THE GLUE THAT HOLDS OUR

RELATIONSHIPS TOGETHER?

IT CAN LITERALLY BIND US

TOGETHER WHEN WE SPEAK

POSITIVE, FAITH-FILLED WORDS

OVER ONE ANOTHER, WHEN WE’RE

WILLING TO PICK OUT THE GOOD

AND NOT SEE THE BAD.

YOU SEE, IT’S EASY TO SEE

WHAT’S WRONG, BUT IT TAKES A

BUILDER TO SEE WHAT’S RIGHT.

IT TAKES A BUILDER TO KNOW

ARCHITECTURALLY HOW TO FIX

THINGS.

YOU ARE A BUILDER TODAY.

I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU WITH

THAT BECAUSE TOO OFTEN WE ARE

UNCONSCIOUS ABOUT LITERALLY

WHAT WE ARE DOING THROUGHOUT

THE DAY, AND I WANT US TO ALL

GO OUT OF HERE SAYING, “I AM

A BUILDER OF PEOPLE BECAUSE,

WHEN I BUILD PEOPLE, I BUILD

MYSELF.

WHATEVER I THROW OUT, IT’S

GOING TO COME BACK TO ME.”

JOEL AND I’VE BEEN MARRIED 30

YEARS, AND WE’VE LEARNED A

LOT ABOUT BUILDING.

WE’VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT

EXTENDING GRACE TO ONE

ANOTHER THROUGH OUR WORDS.

TO BE MARRIED FOR 30 YEARS,

YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO GIVE

EACH OTHER GREAT GRACE, AND

YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR WORDS

TO DO IT.

YOU SEE, WE REALIZE, REALLY,

A GOOD RELATIONSHIP IS BUILT

ON WHAT YOU’RE WILLING TO

GIVE, MORE THAN WHAT YOU’RE

WILLING TO RECEIVE.

WE ALL WANT TO BE LOVED.

WE ALL WANT THE OTHER PERSON

TO SHOW US KINDNESS, BUT TO

GET THE KINDNESS, WE HAVE TO

BE WILLING TO GIVE BECAUSE,

REALLY, WHAT YOU GIVE IS

REALLY WHAT’S GOING TO COME

BACK TO YOU.

ARE YOU JUST LOOKING FOR

SOMEONE TO GIVE YOU SOMETHING

IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP?

I’M TELLING YOU, THIS IS A

PRINCIPLE THAT, IF WE WILL

UNDERSTAND, I BELIEVE THINGS

WILL CHANGE IN OUR LIFE WHEN

WE UNDERSTAND THAT BEING

WILLING TO EXTEND GRACE AND

GIVE GRACE IS WHAT’S GOING TO

BUILD OUR RELATIONSHIPS.

WE’VE ALL HEARD THIS

WHEN WE WERE YOUNG,

“THE GOLDEN RULE.”

YOUR MOM PROBABLY TAUGHT YOU.

YOUR FIRST-GRADE TEACHER

PROBABLY HAD YOU RECITE IT,

BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT THE

GOLDEN RULE IS FOUND IN

MATTHEW 7:12?

IT SAYS THIS: “SO IN

EVERYTHING, DO UNTO OTHERS

WHAT YOU HAVE THEM

DO TO YOU.”

YOU SEE WHAT I’M SAYING?

DO UNTO OTHERS WHAT YOU WOULD

HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.

YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT THIS:

WHEN YOU GO BUY A SHIRT OR

YOU’RE GOING TO GO BUY AN

OUTFIT AT THE STORE, YOU

DON’T JUST RUN INTO THE STORE

AND BLINDLY GRAB SOMETHING,

PAY FOR IT, RUN OUT THE DOOR,

AND PUT IT ON.

NO, YOU CHOOSE WISELY: YOU GO

IN, YOU LOOK AT THE CLOTHES,

YOU DECIDE WHAT’S GOING TO

WORK FOR YOU, WHAT WILL BE

THE BEST FOR YOU.

YOU TAKE TIME AND EFFORT.

YOU BUY THOSE CLOTHES, YOU

TAKE THEM HOME, AND YOU PUT

THEM ON.

YOU TAKE TIME TO CLOTHE

YOURSELF.

I WANT TO ENCOURAGE US TO

TAKE THE SAME TIME TO CHOOSE

WISELY THE WORDS THAT WE

SPEAK OUT OF OUR MOUTH

BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS THIS:

WE’RE GOING TO WEAR THOSE

WORDS.

WE ARE GOING TO BE A PRODUCT

OF WHAT WE SAY.

WE ARE GOING TO EAT FROM THE

FRUIT OF OUR LIPS.

YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE JUST

THROW CAUTION TO THE WIND,

NOT THINKING IT’S GOING TO

AFFECT US, BUT CAN I TELL

YOU, WHAT YOU SAY IS GOING TO

AFFECT YOU.

NOW, I HAVE TO ADMIT THIS:

WHEN I WAS A YOUNG BRIDE AND

I FIRST MARRIED JOEL 30 YEARS

AGO, I DIDN’T WEIGH MY WORDS.

I WASN’T PUTTING THE GLUE ON

MY RELATIONSHIP LIKE I SHOULD

HAVE.

I’LL NEVER FORGET THIS: GOD

SPOKE TO ME ONE DAY, AND HE

SAID, “VICTORIA,” HE SAID,

“IF YOU DON’T BEGIN TO CHOOSE

YOUR WORDS WISELY, YOU’RE

GOING TO BE SORRY.”

HE BASICALLY SAID, “YOUR OWN

WORDS ARE GOING TO WORK

AGAINST YOU.”

I WAS A YOUNG BRIDE.

I WAS A YOUNGER–I WAS NEW TO

THIS THING, AND I DIDN’T

ALWAYS WEIGH MY WORDS RIGHT.

I WAS USED TO, KIND OF,

HAVING MY OWN WAY, DOING IT

THE WAY I WANTED TO DO IT,

AND I THOUGHT, “HE SHOULD GET

INTO THE PROGRAM,”

BUT CAN I TELL YOU THIS?

I STAND UP HERE TODAY, AND I

REMEMBER GOD SPEAKING TO MY

HEART LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY.

IT BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES.

IT WAS A SERIOUS MATTER, AND

I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT I TOOK

HEED TO WHAT GOD TOLD ME.

I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT WHAT I

WAS BUILDING.

I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT THE

GRACE THAT I WAS EXTENDING.

YOU SEE, I WANTED A MAN THAT

WAS SUCCESSFUL.

I WANTED A MAN THAT BELIEVED

IN HIMSELF, THAT HAD

CONFIDENCE.

I WANTED TO BE THE BUOY THAT

PUSHED HIM UP, NOT THE ANCHOR

THAT PULLED HIM DOWN.

I BEGAN TO SAY WHAT I WANTED,

NOT WHAT I SAW OR WHAT I

THOUGHT I SAW.

I BEGAN TO SEE THE GOOD AND

BRING OUT THE GOOD.

NOW, CAN I TELL YOU, TO THIS

DAY, I AM NOT PERFECT, BUT I

MAKE FAR MORE DEPOSITS THAN I

DO WITHDRAWALS, FAR MORE

DEPOSITS THAN I DO

WITHDRAWALS!

IT’S KIND OF LIKE YOUR BANK

ACCOUNT.

IF YOU KEEP WRITING THOSE

CHECKS, YOU’RE GOING TO GO

BANKRUPT.

YOU’VE GOT TO PUT CHECKS IN.

YOU’VE GOT TO FILL THAT

ACCOUNT BEFORE YOU THINK

ABOUT PULLING ANYTHING OUT.

SO, TODAY, I JUST WANT TO

ENCOURAGE EVERY ONE OF US,

WE CAN CREATE A LIFE THAT

WE WANT WITH THE WORDS

THAT WE SPEAK.

IF YOU WANT GRACE, YOU BETTER

EXTEND GRACE BECAUSE WE’RE

ALL BECOMING.

I THINK ABOUT PETER.

HE WAS A DISCIPLE OF JESUS.

HE WALKED WITH JESUS, AND IF

YOU READ ABOUT PETER’S LIFE,

SOMETIMES HE WAS IMPATIENT.

HE WOULD SAY THINGS HE

SHOULDN’T.

IN FACT, HIS NAME, SIMON

PETER, ACTUALLY MEANS,

“PEBBLE,” AND I’M SURE SOME

OF THE THINGS HE DID, HE FELT

LIKE A PEBBLE SOME DAYS, BUT

YOU KNOW WHAT?

HE WAS JESUS’ DISCIPLE, AND

JESUS SAID, “PETER, YOU’RE A

ROCK.”

YOU SEE, DESPITE PETER’S

PERSONALITY, JESUS CALLED THE

ROCK OUT IN HIM.

HE SPOKE TO THE POTENTIAL,

AND WE ARE THE CHURCH OF THE

LIVING GOD.

WE’VE GOT TO SPEAK TO EACH

OTHER’S POTENTIAL.

WE ARE BUILDING THIS ON A

SOLID FOUNDATION ON A ROCK.

WE CAN’T BE INFLUENCED BY

WHAT WE SEE.

WE’VE GOT TO MAKE A DECISION

THAT WE ARE BUILDERS BECAUSE,

I CAN TELL YOU, IF YOU EXTEND

GRACE, YOU WILL HAVE A GRACE

EXTENDED TO YOU.

WE CAN ALL BE BETTER!

WE’RE LEARNING, WE’RE

GROWING, WE’RE BECOMING,

WE’RE IN THE PROCESS.

WE’RE CREATING PETERS ALL

AROUND US AS WE CREATE THE

PETER ON THE INSIDE OF US.

REMEMBER, YOU’RE A BUCKET

FILLER.

STOP AND CHOOSE YOUR WORDS

WISELY BECAUSE I BELIEVE,

WHEN YOU DO THAT, WHEN YOU’RE

WILLING TO EXTEND GRACE, THAT

SAME GRACE WILL COME BACK TO

YOU, AMEN?

AMEN, HE’S AN AWESOME GOD!