Joel Osteen - Born With a Blessing
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I want to talk to you today about being born with a blessing. When you have a generous spirit, you are always giving—your time, your resources—being a blessing. Those are seeds you’re sowing that will not only make your life more rewarding, but they also impact your children and family line. There’s a generational blessing when you live generously. Your giving and your faithfulness may not show the full harvest of those seeds just yet; some of it is being stored up for those who come after you. Your children will harvest what you have planted, and your great-grandchildren will come into favor because of you. Your giving is credited to their accounts.
And it doesn’t mean that you won’t be blessed; rather, because you have a generous spirit, you will see overflowing blessings—blessings that spill over to the next generation. The scripture says that when you honor God with your giving, He will pour out blessings you cannot contain. That means you can’t contain it all in your lifetime; it is too much for one generation. It will be passed down to your family line. I’m living in blessings today that I didn’t earn. People who came before me were generous; they made sacrifices to help others. They honored God with their lives, and now I am reaping favor from the seeds they sowed.
Every time you give your time, your talent, your resources, you are storing up blessings for your family. They will walk into favor, see doors open, and the right people show up because of your generosity. It’s an overflowing blessing. You were faithful, and it overflowed to your great-grandchildren. They may not be able to explain it; it seems like a lucky break. No, that’s a generational blessing. They are reaping a harvest from the seeds you sowed.
In Genesis 14, Abraham had to go rescue his nephew Lot, who had been captured by bandits. Abraham and his men sneaked up in the middle of the night and attacked the opposition. They recovered Lot, his family, and all their possessions, plus they gathered the enemy’s spoils. It was a great victory. As they were returning, Melchizedek, the high priest, met Abraham to congratulate him. Verse 20 says that Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything he recovered. This is the first place in scripture where we see the tithe—10% of our income. Abraham didn’t have to do this; it wasn’t required. But Abraham was a giver. He recognized that it was God’s favor that brought him victory, and he wanted to bless the high priest with some of the spoils to show how God was first in his life and to express his gratitude for what God had done.
That may seem like a nice gesture, just being generous, but it was more significant than that. Abraham had a son named Isaac, who had a son named Jacob. Jacob had a son named Levi, who came four generations after Abraham. Hebrews says Levi paid tithe to Melchizedek through his ancestor Abraham, for although Levi was not yet born, the seed from which he came was in Abraham’s loins when he gave the tithe to Melchizedek. This means Abraham gave that gift, honored God, and his great-great-grandson—a young man he had never met and who had not yet been born—was credited with giving tithes. Levi came out of the womb with favor he had nothing to do with. He was born with a blessing because his grandfather was so generous.
Notice the principle: when Abraham gave, he didn’t just see favor. The scripture says he had an abundance of cattle and sheep; he was one of the wealthiest men of his day. But his generosity didn’t just impact him; it was credited to his great-grandson’s account. Four generations later, Levi showed up with a blessing because of Abraham’s giving. Let’s live our lives in such a way that our descendants are born with a blessing. You can impact future generations by living generously. You’ll not only see God bless you, but there will be blessings you cannot contain—blessings that flow down to your children and grandchildren.
I realized I didn’t get here by myself. I didn’t have the skill, the courage, or the faith to make all this happen. I was born with favor in my account that I had nothing to do with. My grandfather on my mother’s side was a giver. He had a rough childhood. He lost his father at 8 years old and was passed from family to family; nobody wanted him. He lived alone in a barn. He could have been bitter and gone through life with a chip on his shoulder, but you have to take the hand you’ve been dealt and make the most of it. Nothing that has happened to you has to stop your purpose.
He met my grandmother and they got married. At 18, my grandfather got a job at the Exxon refinery in Baytown. For 40 years, he never missed a day of work. He was faithful. When he retired, he’d come to Lakewood during the week to do repairs and help the staff, and I would see him underneath the portable buildings working on the plumbing. He was generous. When he passed at 94 years old, we were going through his belongings and found a notebook where he kept a record of all his giving. It was handwritten: $6 to Central Baptist Church, his tithe, and $8 to the Lakewood Building Fund, $4 to missions—every gift, year after year, recorded in this book. But he wasn’t the only one keeping records; God sees the sacrifices you make. He sees you going the extra mile, giving, serving, and helping others. He’s not only going to bring that back to you, pressed down and shaken together, but there will also be some running over—a portion that’s going to be credited to your children and to those who come after you.
No wonder I’m blessed; I was born with a blessing. I can’t take credit for it. I had a grandfather who honored God and lived generously with his talent and his resources. Now I’m walking in favor that I can’t explain—good breaks that I didn’t earn. It’s a generational blessing. It’s because those who came before me stored up favor and mercy. Freely it has been given to me, and now I’m going to freely give it to others. I’m going to make sure I store up plenty in my children’s accounts. Let’s live in such a way that our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren, four or five generations later, like Levi, are born with a blessing because of you.
You went the extra mile. You stayed late to help that friend. You came early to serve at church. You stretched to support the ministry. All those gifts are being credited to those who are coming after you. You can’t contain all that God is going to do. I’m not saying He won’t bless you, but one lifetime is not enough. It’s going to spill over to your family line and to future generations.
I was 18 years old when one evening my parents were dressed up and about to leave the house. It wasn’t a church night, and I asked where they were going. My father said there was a new police chief in town. He was the first African-American chief in Houston, and they were going to welcome him. I said, «That’s great! Do you know him?» They said, «No, we’ve never met him.» I asked, «Did someone invite you?» They said, «No, nobody invited us.» I asked, «Do you know other people there?» They said, «No, Joel, we’re just going to make him feel welcome and let him know that we support him and are praying for him.»
That struck me as odd. You don’t know him; you don’t have to go. Nobody’s expecting you! But my parents were givers. They loved to invest in people and encourage them. They were always for the underdogs. If someone was written off, my parents would be there to tell you that you can still do it. If you failed or made a mistake, they would be there to lift you up, help restore you, and let you know God has another chance. They went to the reception and met Chief Brown, telling him how they believed in him and how all of Lakewood would be praying—just sowing a seed of friendship, being kind, letting him know that they care.
Well, 21 years later, my father had gone to be with the Lord, and I had been pastoring for three years. The church was growing, and we needed a larger auditorium. We couldn’t find any property to build. A friend called and said the Rockets basketball team was going to move out of the compact center. We should try to get that building for Lakewood, which was owned by the city. When he said that, something came alive inside me; I knew we were supposed to go after it. He said, «Joel, you should call the mayor and ask him about it.» But I had only been pastoring a short time, and nobody knew who I was. I thought, «I can’t call the mayor; he won’t take my call!» Then I remembered who the mayor was. It was no longer Police Chief Lee Brown; now it was Mayor Lee Brown—the same man my parents befriended 21 years earlier. Daddy may have gone, but that favor was stored up in my account.
I called the city, and 15 seconds later, the mayor was on the line. He said, «Joel, what can I do for you?» I told him we were interested in the compact center, and he said, «Joel, I think Lakewood having the compact center would be great for the city of Houston.» I thought, «How can this be happening? Why does he want to go out of his way to be good to us?» That wasn’t something I did; that was the blessing that came from my parents' generosity. At 18 years old, I wondered why they were going; that seemed odd. But when you live a generous life, you don’t know what you’re storing up. You don’t know how God is not only going to bless you but also bless those who come after you.
On my own, I didn’t have the clout, the influence, or the experience, but there was favor in my account. When you look back over your life, how many challenges have you overcome that should have stopped you? Obstacles too big, dreams too great—but somehow you had the strength to outlast, the door opened, the company chose you, a sickness turned around. Somehow, you got pregnant when they said you couldn’t have a baby. There are good breaks you can’t explain—turnarounds you didn’t see coming, favor that thrust you ahead. It’s because someone in your family line stored up blessings for you. Someone gave, sacrificed, and served. Those blessings ran over into your account; they couldn’t contain it.
Now you’re being promoted; you’re seeing favor. It’s a generational blessing—like Levi; you were born with a blessing. You had relatives that sowed seeds. They didn’t reap the whole harvest; some were designed to bloom in your life. Now you’re reaping from what they sowed.
But my father always dreamed of building a large auditorium like the compact center. In fact, in one of his messages, way before we moved in, he said, «One day we’re going to buy the summit!"—that’s what this place was called back then. He never saw it in his lifetime; he went to be with the Lord. But sometimes, God will put a dream in your heart that your children or grandchildren will fulfill. You will see further than you can go. Your vision may be greater than you can accomplish, but God is birthing that in your spirit so that future generations can step into what you’re seeing.
The good news is your generosity, the way you honor God, your obedience and faithfulness—those seeds are accruing for your children and family line. Like me and Mayor Brown, there will be destiny moments for those who come after you, where doors open and the right people show up to bring to pass what God put in your heart. They will reap the harvest of some of the seeds that you’ve sown.
Now keep doing the right thing. Keep being generous. Keep encouraging that friend. Keep taking care of that elderly neighbor. Keep giving to support God’s work. You’re not only going to see increase, but there will be overflowing blessings—blessings that you cannot contain.
In scripture, Jonathan was King Saul’s son. He was best friends with David and had an incredibly generous spirit. He was next in line to be king after his father passed, but he knew God’s hand was on David. He went out of his way to be good to David. He could have been jealous or competitive, thinking, «I have to push David down,» but he was just the opposite. David came from a low-income family, and they were shepherds. Jonathan was raised in royalty in the palace, understanding protocol and how things operated.
When David came to the palace, Jonathan took him under his wing and helped him learn how everything worked, how to serve, and how to carry himself. When King Saul became jealous of David and tried to kill him, Jonathan protected David, shared secrets to keep him safe, and came up with a plan so he wouldn’t be harmed. If not for Jonathan, David may not have fulfilled his purpose.
When David was about to take off running from King Saul, Jonathan met him out in the field. 1 Samuel 18 says Jonathan took off his robe and gave it to David along with his armor, his sword, his bow, and his belt. Look at Jonathan—a giver! Not only incredibly generous, but he’s giving it to someone who is going to take his position! God help us to be that way— not so selfish and insecure that I can’t bless someone who’s going where I want to go, or be good to someone who’s going to pass me up.
When you can pass the test of being good to people who are going further, then God can entrust you with greater influence and greater resources. When you’re unselfish, you are comfortable helping others get ahead. You are sowing a seed for an overflowing blessing. God’s not only going to reward your generosity but also your children. Those who come after you are going to be born with a blessing. Your giving is being credited to their account.
David and Jonathan hugged each other goodbye, and David took off into the desert with Saul chasing after him. They would only see each other one more time. It’s significant that during one of their last encounters, Jonathan was giving all these gifts. As David hid in the caves month after month, I can imagine many times he looked at his robe and thought about his good friend Jonathan and how much he loved him. He put on his belt, picked up his sword, and remembered, «Jonathan gave me this.» He was constantly reminded of Jonathan’s generosity—not just material things but how Jonathan helped him navigate the palace and how he protected him from King Saul.
A few years later, Jonathan and his father Saul were killed in a battle, and on the same day, David was made king. The promise came to pass, and David was incredibly successful. He had great victories, led the Israelites to conquer enemies and take new ground. Twenty years had passed since Jonathan was killed. Now David was known everywhere, with all this influence and power. One night, he was reminiscing, thinking about his dear friend Jonathan and how much he missed him. He said to his men, «Is there anyone still alive from the house of Saul that I can show kindness to for Jonathan’s sake?»
Two decades had passed, and David was saying, «I want to be good to Jonathan’s family. I want to show them kindness because of what he did for me.» Jonathan didn’t help David to get something, but look at how God works; he was storing it up for his children. God put it on David’s heart to be good to Jonathan’s descendants. His men said, «David, Jonathan has a son named Mephibosheth. He’s living in the city of Lo-debar, but he’s crippled.» Lo-debar was the poorest city of that day; it was the slums. David said, «Doesn’t matter; go get him and bring him to me.»
They searched and searched and finally found him. They had to carry him to the palace. Mephibosheth was nervous; he didn’t know if David was angry or trying to get revenge because his grandfather, King Saul, tried to kill him. He was expecting the worst. He came in, and David said, «Mephibosheth, don’t worry. I’m not here to harm you; I’m here to bless you because your father Jonathan was so good to me. From now on, you’re going to live in the palace with me. You’re going to eat dinner at my table each night. And all the land that belonged to your grandfather, I’m giving it to you.»
Here’s my point: Mephibosheth didn’t do anything to deserve this. He didn’t know David and didn’t work to earn it. But because of his father’s generosity, he was born with a blessing. There was favor in his account because his father sowed seeds of kindness, friendship, and resources. Now that harvest was coming to his son, Mephibosheth; it had been stored up.
Many of you have sown seeds of generosity. Like Jonathan, you’ve been a blessing to people, giving your time, helping those in need, and supporting the ministry. God is keeping the records; He’s seen the sacrifices you’ve made. There will be a day when you see an overflowing blessing—not only that you’re blessed in the future, but that your children and great-grandchildren will also benefit. God will cause someone to want to be good to them for your sake.
The older I get, now that I’m 36, the more I realize the blessing of having generous parents and grandparents. My mother would have turned 92 years old last week—her first birthday in heaven. She’s there with my father and my grandparents. They left so much in my account. I often say, «Thank you, Daddy. Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Granddaddy, for leaving so much in my account.» How that inspires me to live that way!
It’s easy these days to be selfish and self-centered, focused only on me and my problems and goals: «I don’t have time to help others; I need all my resources.» That’s a shallow way to live. We are a part of a much larger plan. We can make it easier on those who come after us, or we can make it more difficult. We can give them an advantage, have favor, good breaks, and mercy credited to their accounts, or we can be a burden, leaving them with nothing to benefit from.
Let’s be like Abraham and give out of gratefulness for the victories God has given us. Or how about being like Jonathan, giving unselfishly to help others? That’s not only going to cause you to be blessed, but also store up blessings for future generations.
In my early 20s, I was in India with my father and a few of my siblings. We were at the apartment of an influential Indian pastor whom my father loved and Lakewood supported for many years. This pastor was so passionate about his ministry that he never got his family a nicer place to live. They lived in an old, rundown apartment in a rough area where the faucets weren’t working. My father decided a couple of months earlier that he was going to give him the funds personally from our family to buy a house to live in. It wasn’t as much as here in the States, but it was still a significant amount.
We went to his apartment that night to tell him. All of his family gathered around, and he had several small children. My father told him that our family wanted to buy him a house and we brought him a gift to make it happen. There were three of us kids there and one more in our group. Instead of having one check for the whole amount, my father had five checks so we could each give. My father gave the first one, the pastor opened it up, and began to weep. Nobody had ever given him that much before. Next, I came up and handed in the check. He started weeping more, and you know me—I started crying myself. Three more came up, one by one, handed him the check. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.
I had bought a new sports car earlier that year, a Camaro Z28. That was so exciting, but that was nothing compared to the feeling of giving that pastor that check. I’d never felt the joy and satisfaction like that before. That’s what the scripture says, «It’s more blessed to give than to receive.» I realized the reason my father had separate checks is that he wanted us each to experience the joy of giving. He knew it would make a lasting impact.
Parents, teach your children what it means to be givers. Include them when you give your tithes at church. Take them to serve with you at the food bank. Let them be a part when you’re helping that friend in need or being good to that neighbor. Being generous is one of the greatest gifts we can leave our family.
Today, much of our giving is digital. In the old days, you would bring your offering to church and drop it off in the plate. It was an act of worship, something you could see, pray over, and understand the significance. But now, with everything electronic, it can happen without us realizing the importance. We are doing the right thing, but giving is an act of worship—it’s a way we honor God.
A friend of mine who attends here said that when he goes to give each month, he has his children gather around the computer at home. He has his offering on there, and they pray over it as a family and thank God for the funds. When it’s time to give, he has the children push the send button so they can experience what it means to give.
When Victoria was a little girl, her father was a deacon in the Church of Christ, and he would take the offering back to be counted. Victoria, just five or six years old, would sit on the counter and stamp the back of the checks, getting them ready for deposit. Her father could have left her out with the others and done that on his own, but he wanted her to know, «We are givers. We honor God. We put Him first.»
How many of us have been born with a blessing because we had parents who were generous and relatives who were givers? I pray every day, «God, help me to be a good steward of what You’ve given me. Help me to pass on the favor and blessing by living generously.» Many of you have done this; you’ve given, served, and gone out of your way year after year. God has seen every gift and every sacrifice. I believe and declare, like with Abraham, not only will you see abundance, but your seed, your Levites, four generations later, will be born with a blessing-favor, influence, and good breaks because of your generosity- in Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say «Amen»?