Joel Osteen - Over and Above Blessings
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I want to talk to you today about over-and-above blessings. When you have a generous spirit, you’re always doing more than what’s required. You stay late to help that co-worker who’s struggling, you take that elderly neighbor dinner at night, you support that single parent mom, or you give to expand the ministry. You don’t have to. Nobody would look down on you if you didn’t. But you have this over-and-above mentality. You’re always looking for ways you can do good. You’re not just being a blessing to others, but you are positioning yourself for God to do over and above in your life.
The scripture says if you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly. But if you sow generously, you will reap generously. Some people do as little as they can to get by. They show a little kindness so they won’t be seen as unfriendly. They’ll give a little time to help others, a little encouragement, a little friendship. They wonder why they don’t get good breaks, why they don’t see favor. They’re reaping what they’re sowing. If you sow average, you’re going to see average. If you sow ordinary and do only what’s required, then you’ll see ordinary.
But when you have this over-and-above mentality, looking for ways to be a blessing and doing more than what’s expected, you are setting yourself up for God to show out in your life, to open doors you couldn’t open, to bring divine connections, and to see favor that you’ve never seen. Don’t live at the level of obligation. Don’t have that «what can I get by with» mentality. That’s going to limit your life.
Have a generous spirit. If you’ll turn loose of what’s in your hands, God will turn loose of what’s in His hands. God is a rewarder. He sees you being a blessing, singing in the choir on your day off, and investing in that young man who doesn’t have a father, taking him to ball practice with your son. He sees you giving funds that you could use for your dream, making sacrifices to build His kingdom. That’s setting you up for over-and-above blessings. I’ve learned you can’t outgive God. You can’t be a blessing to others without God being a blessing to you. The way He does it is He multiplies it. It’s going to come back pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
There was a man in the scripture named Barnabas. He didn’t come from an influential family. He didn’t have a big resume or education—just an ordinary man—but he had a generous spirit. He saw the disciples were doing great work, and he wanted to support them. Acts 4 says he sold a piece of property he owned, brought the funds, and laid them at the disciples' feet. He didn’t have to. Nobody would have faulted him if he didn’t, but he had this over-and-above mentality. He wanted to be a blessing. That one act of generosity opened the door to all this opportunity. He became a mentor to Paul. Paul wasn’t accepted by the disciples at first; they still thought that he was against the church.
It was Barnabas who convinced them that Paul was a believer. Barnabas went from ordinary—nobody knew him—to this influential position. The scripture says Barnabas was chosen by the Spirit to accompany Paul on his first missionary journey. Barnabas helped start the church in Antioch. When Paul and Mark had a big disagreement, Barnabas was the one who helped restore the relationship. On and on, God used Barnabas in great ways, but it can all be traced back to that over-and-above gift. His generosity opened doors, brought favor, and relationships he never dreamed of.
When you live with this over-and-above mentality, you’re generous with your time, your talent, your resources—not living at the level of obligation but going above and beyond. That gets God’s attention. He’ll release over-and-above in your life. He’ll put you in front of audiences that you’ve never dreamed of—people, opportunities, resources you didn’t see coming. That’s the running-over blessings—things you can’t explain, positions where you didn’t have the qualifications, connections with people that should be over your head, out of your league, but now they’re looking up to you. Now you’re the leader. You’re giving vision. You’re making the impact.
Don’t miss opportunities to live over and above. These are things that are not required. Nobody’s going to pressure you to do it. Your mind, your reasoning, will tell you, «No thanks, Joel, I’m busy. I don’t have time to serve. I don’t have time to mentor that young person,» or, «I need these funds. I’ve got my own dreams; I’m trying to build my own career.» Here’s the whole key. When you give over and above, you’re not going to end up at a deficit. You’re not losing anything. You are positioning yourself for increase, for abundance, for doors to open, for divine connections.
If Barnabas were here today, he would tell you, «It all started when I gave that gift, when I went over and above.» And he didn’t give it to something; he simply gave it to be a blessing. But look at how God works. If He can entrust you to be a great blessing, then He will bless you with more. He will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings that you cannot contain. That’s what it says in the book of Malachi—that when you tithe your income and give offerings, God will increase you and pour out His blessings. But in that same passage, it asks the question, «Will a man rob God by not giving?»
What’s interesting is God owns it all. He makes streets out of gold. When Peter needed money for taxes, there was a coin in the fish’s mouth. It’s not like God needs our funds to keep everything going. God’s going to go broke if we don’t give. No! What that means is if you don’t live generously, you are robbing God of the opportunity to bless you. You’re robbing Him of the doors He wants to open, the resources He wants to give you, the people He wants to bring. You’re taking away that opportunity for Him to show out in your life. Don’t rob Him. He’s longing to be good to you. Jesus said it’s the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. But God works by principles.
When you live over and above, that’s a seed you’re sowing. Then you will reap over and above. When you do more than what’s required, like Barnabas, nobody forced you to bless that neighbor who’s struggling. Nobody made you come early today and serve as a prayer partner and usher. Nobody required you to give that co-worker a ride. You weren’t obligated to support the ministry. Nobody would know if you didn’t. You could live at the level of obligation. But I know a secret. I’m looking at Barnabases. I’m looking at over-and-above people—people with a generous spirit.
You need to get ready! God’s about to release over and above in your life. He’s about to put you in front of audiences you didn’t see coming, with people of influence, where you shine brightly, where they admire you, and open doors that thrust you to a new level because you sow generously. You’re going to reap generously. And I know many of you have been doing this, but you haven’t seen those windows open yet. Let me encourage you: God has seen all the sacrifices, the times you gave when you needed the funds. You stayed late to help when you were tired. You went the extra mile, but nobody said thanks.
God is about to thank you. He’s about to show out in your life. You’re going to see increase—abundance, resources, contracts that you cannot contain. That means so many good opportunities that you have to choose what’s best. That means lending and not borrowing, being able to be a bigger blessing. That means the right people showing up—not having to track them down, hoping they give you a break, but divine connections searching you out. This all goes back, number one, to honoring God, keeping Him first place, and number two, having an over-and-above mentality, a generous spirit—not ingrown, focused only on me. Get outside of yourself. Don’t rob God of the opportunity to bless you. Look for ways you can be an over-and-above blessing.
I was at the furniture store a while back, and I ran into this couple. They told me how they had just bought their first home, and they were so proud—just beaming with joy. I congratulated them, gave them a hug, and they were looking for furniture for their living room. On the way out, I told my salesman, «Whatever they find to buy, put it on this credit card. Don’t say anything about who it was. I’m not doing it to get credit; I’m doing it unto God. He’s the one that matters. He’s keeping all the records.»
Well, Joel, I don’t have those kinds of funds to buy a stranger furniture—maybe not. But can you buy your co-worker a cup of coffee and bring it to them in the morning? You didn’t have to. That’s an over-and-above blessing. Can you mow the lawn of that elderly neighbor? Can you pick up the friend who doesn’t have a ride and bring them to church? Can you mentor that young man who’s struggling? Look for something you can do that’s over and above, that’s not required. That’s sowing a seed for God to do over and above in your life. The scripture says in Galatians, «Don’t miss an opportunity to do good.» Don’t be too busy, too self-centered, too stingy. When you miss that opportunity, you are robbing God of the opportunity to bless you. When you make someone else’s day, God will always make your own day.
When we acquired the compact center, we learned that it was going to cost $und00 million to renovate. We borrowed 75 million. In the year before we could move in, we had a $25 million payment due. I was 38 years old; I’d only been pastoring for two years. I’d never had to raise those kinds of funds, come up with such a large amount. I felt this pressure, this uncertainty, with thoughts saying, «Joel, you’re never going to make that payment. You’re way over your head.»
I had to agree. It was over my head, but I knew it wasn’t over God’s head. That year, we did everything we could. We presented the vision, and we had meetings inviting people to support. So many got on board and were very generous—many of you. But despite all of our efforts, we were three months from moving in and still only a third of the way there. I received a phone call from a pastor friend of mine in another state. He was trying to purchase a building for his church. He’d been working on it for a couple of years, raising the funds, doing everything he could.
This was his dream, but he didn’t have enough. He was scheduled to close in three days, but he was a million dollars short. He said, «Joel, I’m just calling to see if you’ll pray with me about these funds coming in.» He had a much smaller church, and I could tell he was devastated. He would not only lose the property but would also lose the down payment if he didn’t close. I could hear the still, small voice saying, «Joel, give him the million that he needs.» I thought, «Get behind me, Satan. We don’t have enough for our own building! We’re three million short, God, and we’re 20 million short!»
That didn’t make sense. I told him, «We’ll be praying for you.» That’s the easy way out, right? Well, that night I couldn’t sleep. All I could think about was him. I finally fell asleep and I dreamed about him. Sometimes, to go over and above, it doesn’t make sense. All the facts, the figures, the logic say, «Hold on to what you have. Man, you need that for your dream, your house, your retirement.» But God is not always logical. This is what faith is all about.
I called him the next morning and said Lakewood was going to give him the funds. It was our gift that made his dream come true. When you help others accomplish their dream, God will help you accomplish your dream. You’re never losing what you give. It’s a seed you’re sowing that’s going to come back to you, pressed down, shaken together, running over.
Well, Lakewood owned a television station at that time—Channel 55 here in Houston. Victoria and I put that on the air in the late 90s. When my father passed, we decided to sell it. We believed it was worth $30 million. We had a man come in to represent us. He sold more stations than anyone in the US, the leading expert. He said, «You won’t get half of what you’re asking. There’s no way! The market’s down, no one wants an independent station. There’s no future in it.» On and on. He could not have been more negative and discouraging. He had all the facts, the figures, the sales to back up what he was saying. In the natural, he was right. But God knows how to breathe on your property, breathe on your career, breathe on your children, where what looks impossible becomes possible.
My brother-in-law, Don, ran the station. He said, «Joel, don’t listen to him! We’re going to get the full amount.» I thought, «Man, Don, you got more faith than I do,» but I’m going to agree with you. I’m going to be a believer and not a doubter. One month before the big payment was due, a buyer showed up for the station. We didn’t go after him; he came to us. He had never owned any television properties. We told him the price, and he said, «You got a deal! I’ll take it.»
We sold the station a few days before the deadline, got twice the amount the expert said we’d get, and we had the funds to move into the compact center. But I believe it all goes back to that act of generosity a year earlier, where we went over and above to help someone else. We sowed a generous seed, and God did over and above in our lives. You cannot give God something without Him giving you more back in return. It’s not just what He does; it’s who He is. For God so loved the world that He gave. It’s His nature to give.
You have to stir your faith when it comes to over and above, 'cause our flesh, our human nature, doesn’t like to stretch. We don’t want to be uncomfortable and inconvenienced. It doesn’t have to be money. But how about giving your time, giving encouragement, giving friendships? Are there any areas you’re living over and above, being a blessing to someone else, going the extra mile to help that friend’s dream come true?
Joel, if I do that, man, I’m falling behind! I’m not going to have enough for my own dreams for my future. It’s just the opposite! You are positioning yourself for God to do over and above in your life, to open the windows of heaven, to pour out blessings that you cannot contain. There was a young woman in the scripture named Rebecca. She lived in the city of Nahor, which is modern-day Syria. I’m sure, like any girl, she wondered what she was going to do with her life. Would she get married? Where would she live? Would she have children? She had all these hopes and dreams. But in those days, the marriages were pre-arranged. You didn’t have a choice. The parents of the husband would choose who the wife would be.
Well, Abraham lived in Canaan. He was an old man and about to pass. He said to his assistant, «Go back to my hometown of Nahor and find a good wife for my son Isaac.» You can imagine the pressure on this assistant. It was up to him to choose. He traveled back to Nahor and was camped on the outskirts there with his camels. There was a well down the hill, and all these young girls were coming from the city to draw water. He thought, «How am I going to know which one is the right one?» He said, «God, here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to ask these girls for a drink. The way I know it’s the one you’ve chosen is she will say yes. I will not only give you a drink, but I will get water for your camels as well.» The first one that came up was this beautiful girl. He said, «Do you mind getting me a drink of water?» She said, «Certainly I will.» She lowered her jug and he drank the water. When he finished, he handed it back. She said, «Let me get water for your camels as well.»
Verse 20 says, «She ran quickly down to the well again and kept carrying the water until all the camels had finished drinking.» Well, this man had ten camels. A camel, after a long day’s walk, can drink 30 gallons of water. If she had a one-gallon container, that means she had to go back to the well 300 times. Look at her generosity! It’s one thing to say, «Yeah, I’ll get you some water.»
That’s the minimal commitment. That’s what’s required. I’m not going to leave you here thirsty; I’d be looked down on. But all these camels? Forget it! I’m going to hang out with friends. We’re going to Lululemons. I don’t want to be inconvenienced. No! Rebecca had this over-and-above mentality. The assistant didn’t ask to water the camels. She suggested it. It was her idea. She wasn’t doing this to get anything; she didn’t have an ulterior motive. Maybe he’ll give me a gift. She was simply doing it to be a blessing.
He knew she was the right one. He went and spoke to her father, told him how Abraham had sent him—this patriarch of the faith, a man everyone knew and respected, Abraham, one of the wealthiest men of that day. Now she was marrying his son, Isaac. You talk about over-and-above blessing! She thought she’d live in that town, in obscurity, and have an ordinary life. But now she’s in the most influential family of that day. She gave birth to Jacob. Out of Jacob came the 12 tribes of Israel. Rebecca is in the family line of Jesus. This can all be traced back to the over-and-above giving, doing more than what’s required.
Had she been too busy, too selfish, she would have missed the awesome future that God had for her. Man, let’s be Rebecca’s! Let’s be over-and-above people. Let’s look for opportunities to be a blessing. That friend that’s struggling? Just a phone call: «Hey, I’m praying for you. Let me bring you dinner this week.» That co-worker who’s fighting cancer? «Let me babysit your children one night.» Let me pick you up and bring you to church. That relative that’s trying to get the down payment for their house? «Let me give you a gift, something to push you ahead.» What you give may leave your hand, but it doesn’t leave your life. It’s a seed you’re sowing. It’s coming back.
God sees the sacrifices. He sees you going over and above, not doing it to get credit. Rebecca wasn’t making a big announcement or doing it in front of friends. It was this stranger that she had never met. And look what happened thousands of years later. We’re talking about her! She opened her heart, and God opened the heavens. When you give what’s in your hand, God will give what’s in His hands. I don’t believe in pressuring people to give and making you feel manipulated or guilty. But I am passionate about challenging you to live generously. I’ve seen it in my own life. God opens the windows of heaven.
When you have this over-and-above mentality—not, «I have to,» «This is what’s required,» «This is the minimum I can get away with"—that’s robbing God of the opportunity to bless you. That will keep the windows of heaven closed. But you come to Lakewood; I know who you are. I am looking at over-and-above people. I’ve seen you show up and volunteer week after week. I’ve seen you give to building projects, unselfishly rebuild houses, and visit people in the hospital. All those good deeds, sacrifices you’ve made, and funds you’ve given are coming back to you, pressed down, shaken together, running over. Now, you may not have seen it yet, but your time is coming. God is faithful. When you sow generously, you’re going to reap generously. Like Rebecca, He’s going to show out in your life and take you where you’ve never dreamed.
When Victoria was in her early 20s and still single, she met an elderly lady at the church she attended across town. They became friends, and this woman got to where she couldn’t drive anymore. So Victoria would go pick her up every Sunday and take her to church and take her to lunch afterward. Victoria had other friends. She was busy—plenty of things to do. Nobody would have faulted her for not doing this. But she had this over-and-above mentality, thinking, «How can I be a blessing today? Who can I be good to? Where is there a need that I can meet?» That’s the best way to live! Get up in the morning not thinking about how you can be blessed, but, «God, how can I be a blessing today? Show me ways to be good to people. Bring those across my path that need encouragement, that need a friend, that need to know that you care.»
Well, Victoria always prayed that God would bring the right man into her life. She said, «God, what’s more important to me than how he looks, or what he has, or how talented he is? God, I want someone that loves you with their whole heart. I want a man that puts you first place.» Well, all this time she’s praying that, God didn’t send her a young man—He sent this older woman. Year after year, Victoria was faithful, taking her to church, making sure she felt loved. She went over and above to be a blessing. And what did God do? He went over and above and sent her this tall, good-looking hunk of humanity. She didn’t come looking for me; I found her.
I walked into her mother’s jewelry store, and there she was to wait on me. I thought about how if Victoria had not taken care of that lady, had not gone over and above, my brother Paul could have walked into the store and said, «I like that one.» Here we go, y’all! This is like Rebecca. She didn’t have to get water for the camels. Victoria didn’t have to be good to the older lady. Barnabas didn’t have to give the property. We didn’t have to help that other pastor with his building. But every time you go over and above, God is going to go over and above. He’s going to do things in your life that surprise you.
Now, my challenge: don’t rob Him of this opportunity. Look for ways you can be good to people. You may not get any credit; nobody knows. But God knows! He’s keeping the records. Let’s stretch our faith. Let’s get out of our comfort zones. If you keep doing the same thing, you’re going to get the same results. What God has planned for you is bigger than you can imagine. How about getting some bigger seed in the ground? Take some steps of faith. Do something over and above what you’re used to. If you’ll do this, I believe and declare you’re about to see the heavens open. God is going to bring people you’ve never imagined, open doors you couldn’t open, give you resources, influence, creativity, blessings that you cannot contain. I believe it and declare it in Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say amen?