God works all things together for our good. Trust God and know that He will work everything together for our benefit. Hard times help us develop compassion for others.
I SAID, IF YOU TRUST GOD AND YOU
LOVE HIM, I DON’T CARE WHAT HAS
HAPPENED OR WHAT DOES HAPPEN,
GOD WILL TAKE IT AND MAKE IT
SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER WORK OUT
FOR YOUR GOOD.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: NOW, BOY, TO ME, THIS
IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING
THINGS ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP
WITH GOD.
THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT’S GONNA
FEEL GOOD.
THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE’RE GONNA
LIKE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE
HAVE TO GO THROUGH.
THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT.
BUT I–AND I DON’T KNOW HOW HE
DOES IT, GOD CAN TAKE A BAD
THING AND WE MAY NEVER WANNA SAY
THE THING WAS GOOD BUT SOMEHOW
OR ANOTHER GOD CAN MIRACULOUSLY
WORK IN THAT THING AND HE CAN
MAKE US A BETTER PERSON.
I MEAN, IF YOU DON’T GET
ANYTHING ELSE OUT OF A PROBLEM,
YOU GET MORE COMPASSION AND YOU
BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY WHEN SOMEBODY
ELSE TELLS YOU THEY’VE GOT
A PROBLEM.
HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO TALK TO
SOMEBODY ABOUT YOUR PROBLEM
THAT IS–DOESN’T HAVE ANY?
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: OH MAN, THEY’RE QUICK
TO TELL YOU, “WELL, I’D DO THIS
AND I’D DO THAT,” AND IT SOUNDS
SO SIMPLE FOR THEM.
AND YOU JUST WANT SOMEBODY TO
SAY, “OH MY GOSH, I KNOW WHAT
YOU’RE GOING THROUGH.
I KNOW HOW HARD IT IS.”
AND THEN IT’S FINE TO TELL THEM
WHAT GOD CAN DO FOR THEM BUT
THERE’S NOTHING WORSE THAN
SOMEBODY WHO HAS NO COMPASSION.
ALL THEY CAN EVER GIVE YOU IS
A SCRIPTURE.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: DON’T BE THAT KIND
OF A CHRISTIAN.
SOMETIMES, SOMEBODY JUST NEEDS
YOU TO CRY WITH THEM.
SOMETIMES THEY NEED YOU JUST
TO UNDERSTAND.
EVERYBODY WHO COMES TO YOU FOR
HELP DOESN’T ALWAYS WANT
AN ANSWER.
SOMETIMES, THEY JUST WANT YOU
TO UNDERSTAND.
DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID?
EVERYBODY WHO COMES DOESN’T WANT
AN ANSWER.
THEY DON’T WANT A SERMON.
THEY JUST WANT SOMEBODY TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY’RE
GOING THROUGH.
AND THE BEST WAY I KNOW TO GET
A BOATLOAD OF COMPASSION IS
TO GO THROUGH STUFF YOURSELF.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: AND I’LL BE HONEST
WITH YOU, IF YOU’RE GONNA BE
USED BY GOD VERY MUCH,
YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE SOME
COMPASSION AND THAT MEANS YOU’RE
GONNA HAVE TO HAVE SOME
EXPERIENCE.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: I’M GLAD YOU’RE
STILL SMILING.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: AND I KNOW THERE ARE
TRAGIC THINGS HAVE HAPPENED
TO PEOPLE.
I MEAN, I KNOW YOU’RE PROBABLY
THINKING, “WELL, YOU KNOW, THIS
HAPPENED OR THAT HAPPENED AND
HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY TELL ME GOD
CAN WORK GOOD OUT OF THAT?”
I DON’T KNOW HOW HE DOES IT
BUT I KNOW IF WE LOVE HIM
AND IF WE TRUST HIM.
AND OBVIOUSLY, THAT INCLUDES
HAVING A DECENT ATTITUDE BUT,
YOU KNOW, I DON’T UNDERSTAND
THIS, GOD, BUT I TRUST YOU AND I
BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN WORK IT OUT
FOR MY GOOD.
WHATEVER YOU MIGHT BE GOING
THROUGH RIGHT NOW OR WHATEVER
YOU HAVE GONE THROUGH IN
THE PAST, IF YOU’VE NEVER DONE
THIS BEFORE, I WANT YOU TO START
BELIEVING TODAY THAT GOD CAN
TAKE THAT THING AND HE CAN MAKE
IT WORK OUT FOR GOOD
IN YOUR LIFE.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: THIS IS A HAPPY DAY,
AMEN?
ALL RIGHT NOW, GENESIS 50:20.
I’M NOT GONNA TELL YOU THE WHOLE
STORY OF JOSEPH.
MOST OF YOU PROBABLY KNOW IT.
LET’S JUST SAY THAT HE WAS
CRUELLY TREATED BY HIS BROTHERS.
THEY HATED HIM, THEY SOLD HIM TO
SLAVE TRADERS, WHOLE BUNCH–A
SERIES OF BAD THINGS HAPPENED
AS A RESULT OF THAT.
HE ENDED UP IN PRISON FOR MANY
YEARS FOR SOMETHING
HE DIDN’T DO.
ALL THAT TIME HE KEPT
TRUSTING GOD.
THERE WAS A FAMINE IN THE LAND.
HE WAS NOW IN CHARGE OF
ALL THE FOOD.
IT’S AMAZING HOW THIS PERSON
OVER HERE CAN MISTREAT YOU BUT
IF YOU PUT YOUR TRUST IN GOD
HE CAN ACTUALLY PROMOTE YOU.
HE IS A GOD OF JUSTICE.
AND SO THERE WAS A FAMINE IN THE
LAND AND SO THE BROTHERS CAME
TO GET FOOD AND THEY HAD TO GO
THROUGH JOSEPH TO GET IT BUT
THEY DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS JOSEPH.
YOU KNOW, GOD CHANGED HIM SO
MUCH HIS BROTHERS DIDN’T
RECOGNIZE HIM.
I’LL TELL YOU WHAT.
PROBABLY SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT
ABUSED ME WOULDN’T RECOGNIZE ME
TODAY EITHER, AMEN?
AND GOD’S DOING THE SAME THING
IN YOUR LIFE.
AND SO WHEN THEY DID REALIZE IT
WAS JOSEPH, THEN THEY WERE
AFRAID AND THEY THOUGHT, “WELL,
THERE’S NO TELLING WHAT HE’S
GONNA DO TO US NOW HE’S GOT
A CHANCE TO GET US BACK.
AND THIS IS WHAT JOSEPH SAID TO
THEM, GENESIS 50:20: “AS FOR
YOU, YOU THOUGHT EVIL AGAINST
ME, BUT GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD,
TO BRING ABOUT THAT MANY PEOPLE
SHOULD BE KEPT ALIVE,
AS THEY ARE THIS DAY.”
IN OTHER WORDS, GOD USED THAT
SITUATION, THAT CRUEL SITUATION,
TO GET JOSEPH INTO A PLACE WHERE
HE COULD ACTUALLY USE HIM THEN
TO HELP THE WHOLE NATION WHEN
THE TIME CAME AROUND
AND WAS RIGHT.
LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING,
YOU MAY BE HEADED SOMEWHERE AND
RIGHT NOW YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE
HEADED IN THE TOTALLY WRONG
DIRECTION IN YOUR LIFE.
YOU MAY HAVE NO IDEA THAT THIS
IS THE EXACT ROUTE THAT YOU NEED
TO GET WHERE YOU WANNA BE
AND JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW
YOU’RE GOING THIS WAY, C’MON.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: ACTS CHAPTER 7,
VERSE 9.
I LOVE THIS.
“AND THE PATRIARCHS [JACOB’S
SONS], BOILING WITH ENVY AND
HATRED AND ANGER, SOLD JOSEPH
INTO SLAVERY IN EGYPT;
BUT GOD–”
THOSE ARE TWO OF MY
FAVORITE WORDS IN THE BIBLE.
“BUT GOD.”
DOESN’T MATTER WHAT ANYBODY ELSE
DOES.
IF GOD BE FOR ME, WHO CAN BE
AGAINST ME?
IF GOD IS ON MY SIDE,
WHOM SHALL I FEAR?
[AUDIENCE CHEERING]
JOYCE: THEY DID ALL THIS
STUFF TO HIM BUT GOD WAS
WITH HIM.
AND I’LL TELL YOU THE TRUTH.
YOU DON’T EVEN NEED TO KNOW WHAT
GOD’S GONNA DO, AS LONG AS YOU
KNOW THAT HE’S WITH YOU.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT ROUTE YOU’LL
HAVE TO TAKE TO GET WHERE GOD
WANTS YOU TO BE BUT IF YOU KEEP
LOVING HIM AND YOU KEEP TRUSTING
HIM, HE IS GONNA GET YOU INTO
A PLACE THAT IS GONNA JUST LEAVE
YOU WITH JAW-DROPPING AWE.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: AND THEN, OF COURSE,
ROMANS 8:28 WOULD GO ALONG
WITH THIS.
“WE ARE ASSURED AND KNOW THAT
[GOD BEING A PARTNER IN THEIR
LABOR] ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER
AND ARE [FITTING INTO A PLAN]
FOR GOOD TO AND FOR THOSE WHO,”
WHAT?
“LOVE GOD AND WANT HIS WILL.”
SIMPLE.
LOVE GOD.
ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS,
PROBABLY THE FIRST THING, THAT I
SAY EVERY MORNING WHEN I WAKE UP
IS, “I LOVE YOU, LORD.”
I’LL TELL YOU WHAT, IF YOU JUST
LOVE JESUS, IT GOES A LONG,
LONG, LONG, LONG WAY IN TAKING
CARE OF EVERYTHING ELSE.
“I LOVE YOU, LORD.
I LOVE YOU.”
TELL HIM THAT 100 TIMES A DAY,
“I LOVE YOU, LORD.
I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE
YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU.”
THAT PRETTY MUCH SAYS IT ALL.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: NOW, THESE ARE
THE–THE THINGS THAT I’M SHARING
WITH YOU, THESE ARE SOME OF THE
SCRIPTURES THAT HAVE BEEN JUST
LIKE–NOT JUST LIKE A LITTLE
NICE SCRIPTURE BUT THESE ARE
SOME OF THE TEACHINGS FROM THESE
SCRIPTURES THAT HAVE BEEN
ABSOLUTELY LIFE-CHANGING FOR ME.
AND I WANT THEM TO IMPACT YOU IN
SUCH A WAY THAT YOU’LL REMEMBER
THAT GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF
PERSONS AND WHAT HE DOES FOR ONE
HE WILL ALSO DO FOR YOU.