WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:04.099 Are you or someone you love going through a difficult 00:00:04.099 --> 00:00:07.400 time? We all know how it feels when circumstances 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:10.300 overwhelm us and peace just evaporates, right? 00:00:10.539 --> 00:00:13.859 Well, today I want to teach you how to be at 00:00:13.859 --> 00:00:17.320 peace and stay at peace regardless of your circumstances. 00:00:17.839 --> 00:00:22.399 That's today. You don't want to miss it. Thank 00:00:22.399 --> 00:00:25.019 you for being with us for this edition of Living 00:00:25.019 --> 00:00:27.960 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Chip serves as 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:30.160 our Bible teacher for this global teaching and 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:32.820 discipleship ministry, helping Christians develop 00:00:32.820 --> 00:00:35.640 an authentic faith. Could you relate to those 00:00:35.640 --> 00:00:38.380 feelings Chip described? I mean, who hasn't felt 00:00:38.380 --> 00:00:41.140 discouraged or hopeless because of dire circumstances? 00:00:41.700 --> 00:00:44.000 Well, last time Chip shared two vital principles. 00:00:44.280 --> 00:00:46.439 We must remember to hang on to peace and avoid 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:48.659 getting overwhelmed. And today he's going to 00:00:48.659 --> 00:00:51.000 share two more. So if you're ready, settle in 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:53.340 for part two of Chip's meaningful message in 00:00:53.340 --> 00:00:57.060 difficult circumstances. I've got a good friend, 00:00:57.100 --> 00:01:01.479 and we have some similarities. He's kind of an 00:01:01.479 --> 00:01:03.759 intense guy, and he has a lot of responsibility 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:08.859 in his job, and he's stuck. Some of you are stuck 00:01:08.859 --> 00:01:10.560 in your marriage. Some are stuck in your job. 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:12.500 Some are stuck with your parents. Some are stuck 00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:15.140 at school, but you know what it's like when you're 00:01:15.140 --> 00:01:18.959 trying, trying, trying, trying, trying, bam, 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:20.739 and no matter what you do, you can't break through, 00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:23.099 and you're just like bummed out. And you say, 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:25.180 unless this changes, unless this changes, that's 00:01:25.180 --> 00:01:28.260 where he's at. He's tried everything. He's got 00:01:28.260 --> 00:01:29.879 a lot of wherewithal to make things. He can't 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:32.400 make it. And he sat down and he said, you know 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:34.640 something? He said, God spoke to me. Pulled out 00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:36.659 this pen and we were meeting the other morning, 00:01:36.700 --> 00:01:37.819 had a little coffee. He said, you know what I 00:01:37.819 --> 00:01:40.599 did? He said, you know what? I just, God, I can't 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:42.840 change that. I've done all that I can. He took 00:01:42.840 --> 00:01:45.159 out a pen and then he wrote. He said, okay, here's 00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:49.200 what I did. I wrote down God, family, me. And 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:51.230 then he put lines through them like this. Then 00:01:51.230 --> 00:01:52.609 he put a line underneath. He said, now in my 00:01:52.609 --> 00:01:56.030 heart, what I say is that it's God first family 00:01:56.030 --> 00:01:58.769 than me. And so I looked at that and I did a 00:01:58.769 --> 00:02:00.849 little kind of P &L. You know, I kind of did 00:02:00.849 --> 00:02:03.349 a little inventory and said, is God really first 00:02:03.349 --> 00:02:06.049 in my life? In other words, I can't change. I'm 00:02:06.049 --> 00:02:08.050 stuck. I've hit this thing that I can't move. 00:02:08.629 --> 00:02:11.650 And so I'm saying, okay, God, and you can move 00:02:11.650 --> 00:02:14.810 it. So if it's not moving, maybe you want to 00:02:14.810 --> 00:02:16.629 teach me something. What do you want to teach 00:02:16.629 --> 00:02:19.430 me about my relationship with you, about my family? 00:02:19.819 --> 00:02:23.000 And about me. And he said, I literally wrote 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:25.580 down where I thought I was at. He said, I was 00:02:25.580 --> 00:02:29.199 saying God's first, but I looked at all my activities 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:32.680 and my energy, a lot more me than God. I was 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:35.580 saying, oh, honey, family, you're really what 00:02:35.580 --> 00:02:38.979 matters. But when I looked at my life, and then 00:02:38.979 --> 00:02:40.939 he just told me, I mean, he said, you know, I 00:02:40.939 --> 00:02:44.960 reorganized, reprioritized, and I moved some 00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:49.129 things to say, okay, I want to learn. I want 00:02:49.129 --> 00:02:55.189 to learn. See the difference? God's number one 00:02:55.189 --> 00:02:58.189 agenda, his number one priority, this is going 00:02:58.189 --> 00:03:00.949 to be hard to take, it's not to make you happy. 00:03:05.949 --> 00:03:10.310 It's not so you'll be self -actualized at the 00:03:10.310 --> 00:03:14.870 top pinnacle of Maslow's hierarchy. It's not 00:03:14.870 --> 00:03:16.789 so you'll be fulfilled and everything will go 00:03:16.789 --> 00:03:20.229 your way every day in every way. His primary 00:03:20.229 --> 00:03:24.610 agenda in your life is to make you like his son. 00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:29.340 To use the ups of his blessing and the struggles 00:03:29.340 --> 00:03:32.000 and the down of a fallen world to take the thread 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:34.840 of a vital relationship with Jesus Christ by 00:03:34.840 --> 00:03:37.560 the power of the Holy Spirit rooted in his word 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:40.659 in authentic community to little by little by 00:03:40.659 --> 00:03:43.919 little make you more and more like Jesus. So 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:46.400 there's a mom in the house that thinks and talks 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:49.240 and serves like Jesus. So there's a dad who... 00:03:49.479 --> 00:03:51.919 talks and thinks and lives. So there's kids in 00:03:51.919 --> 00:03:55.199 the house so that you go to work and people don't 00:03:55.199 --> 00:03:59.300 understand how this attitude that is amazing 00:03:59.300 --> 00:04:02.099 can be tied to the injustice you're getting at 00:04:02.099 --> 00:04:05.780 work. How this attitude and response is tied 00:04:05.780 --> 00:04:08.900 to a very frustrating marriage. How this attitude 00:04:08.900 --> 00:04:12.180 that you have with regard to your life can happen 00:04:12.180 --> 00:04:14.180 when I know how much you got hurt by the market's 00:04:14.180 --> 00:04:19.600 last dip. See, that's what God's about. And you 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:21.779 can be content in the ups and the downs when 00:04:21.779 --> 00:04:24.660 you say, Lord, I'm going to choose to thank you 00:04:24.660 --> 00:04:27.160 for what I do have, not spend all my time focusing 00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:29.060 on what I don't. Then I'm going to step back 00:04:29.060 --> 00:04:31.459 and say, Lord, I don't know the agenda for the 00:04:31.459 --> 00:04:34.120 world, but I know your agenda for me. What do 00:04:34.120 --> 00:04:37.360 you want me to learn? What do you want me to 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:40.560 learn? Because I can't change her. I can't change 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:43.540 him. I can't get inside this kid's head and re 00:04:43.540 --> 00:04:45.560 -screw things so that they'll respond in a way. 00:04:45.620 --> 00:04:47.240 You know what? My boss looks like he's going 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:50.699 to be here for a while. This economy is not going 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:53.300 to change. You know, I can't. I'm stuck. So, 00:04:53.480 --> 00:04:59.120 be teachable. The third principle that Paul gives 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:03.420 us, the secret of contentment challenges our 00:05:03.420 --> 00:05:08.019 basic American value that more is better. And 00:05:08.019 --> 00:05:10.889 Paul says, first, our contentment... It's not 00:05:10.889 --> 00:05:13.009 based on your circumstances. Second, it's an 00:05:13.009 --> 00:05:14.829 attitude you learn, not a thing you achieve. 00:05:15.050 --> 00:05:17.370 And now he says, prosperity does not have the 00:05:17.370 --> 00:05:20.589 power to give us contentment, nor poverty the 00:05:20.589 --> 00:05:24.129 power to take it away. Notice he illustrates 00:05:24.129 --> 00:05:28.310 that in verse 12. He said, I've had a lot, I've 00:05:28.310 --> 00:05:30.790 had nothing. He uses the word plenty, and he 00:05:30.790 --> 00:05:33.449 talks about, it's literally what they would do 00:05:33.449 --> 00:05:36.269 with cattle or livestock that was fat, fattened. 00:05:36.490 --> 00:05:38.870 He said, I've lived in the lap of luxury, it 00:05:38.870 --> 00:05:42.449 can't deliver. And I've been where I didn't know 00:05:42.449 --> 00:05:43.709 if they were gonna pull me out of the ocean. 00:05:44.790 --> 00:05:47.569 And proverbially, I've been on the other end 00:05:47.569 --> 00:05:50.089 of biopsy reports when either for me or someone 00:05:50.089 --> 00:05:52.829 I love desperately, it comes up with a big capital 00:05:52.829 --> 00:05:55.269 C called cancer. And I don't know how I'm gonna 00:05:55.269 --> 00:05:57.009 make it without this person or I don't know what 00:05:57.009 --> 00:05:59.209 my family or friends are gonna do if I leave 00:05:59.209 --> 00:06:02.389 prematurely. Paul's saying in both those things, 00:06:02.689 --> 00:06:07.850 prosperity is unable to deliver contentment and 00:06:07.850 --> 00:06:10.540 poverty doesn't have the power to take it. away. 00:06:11.660 --> 00:06:13.980 And so notice his practice here is be flexible. 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:17.899 Be flexible. See, it's one thing to be grateful. 00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:20.199 It's another thing to say, oh God, teach me. 00:06:20.279 --> 00:06:25.100 I want to learn. Well, once God shows you, knowing 00:06:25.100 --> 00:06:27.259 what you're to do and doing it is two different 00:06:27.259 --> 00:06:29.720 things, isn't it? Saying, oh God, I want to be 00:06:29.720 --> 00:06:32.120 teachable. Oh, thanks for showing me that. Being 00:06:32.120 --> 00:06:35.720 flexible is change. Ask God not just what do 00:06:35.720 --> 00:06:37.360 you want me to learn, then go to the next step 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:39.240 like my friend. What do you want me to change? 00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:42.000 This guy sat down at the table. I mean, he took 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:45.839 his priorities and he went, he told me, I got 00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:48.100 the biggest, I got one of the biggest presentations 00:06:48.100 --> 00:06:51.139 to these big corporations that I've got to make. 00:06:51.220 --> 00:06:54.420 And I mean, there's a lot riding on it. And I 00:06:54.420 --> 00:06:56.920 said, my wife, you know, she wanted to go out 00:06:56.920 --> 00:06:59.459 and have some fun. And it was like, oh, there's 00:06:59.459 --> 00:07:03.300 no, I said, oh, wait a second, okay. I said, 00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:07.319 she, God, her, said, so I did it. Then I got 00:07:07.319 --> 00:07:08.899 up in the wee hours of the morning and I had 00:07:08.899 --> 00:07:12.620 this much work to do and I had about two hours 00:07:12.620 --> 00:07:15.800 to do it. And I said, God, you gotta show up. 00:07:16.519 --> 00:07:20.000 And they talked about how God did and how the 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:21.759 presentation went better than if he had 10 or 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:25.860 12 hours. See, you gotta be flexible. You gotta 00:07:25.860 --> 00:07:27.860 say, God, I'm grateful. You gotta say, God, I'm 00:07:27.860 --> 00:07:31.079 teachable. Then you say, God, how do you want 00:07:31.079 --> 00:07:35.800 to change me? What's the next step? to whatever 00:07:35.800 --> 00:07:39.500 you wanna do to make me more like your son. But 00:07:39.500 --> 00:07:42.139 you gotta push away from the lie that prosperity 00:07:42.139 --> 00:07:44.920 will deliver it. Had a young guy named Todd, 00:07:45.060 --> 00:07:48.399 worked in Santa Cruz. And I'm just one of those 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:50.579 sort of weird people that kind of how the world 00:07:50.579 --> 00:07:52.759 works, my body clock is just the opposite. So 00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:54.959 when you guys are just kind of getting fired 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:56.439 up and thinking it's gonna be a great night, 00:07:56.540 --> 00:07:59.019 I'm going to bed. And while you're sleeping, 00:07:59.079 --> 00:08:01.480 I'm working. It's just kind of how God made me. 00:08:02.009 --> 00:08:05.009 And the problem is finding a good place to work 00:08:05.009 --> 00:08:08.129 in the wee hours of the morning. And in Santa 00:08:08.129 --> 00:08:10.290 Cruz, I found this little coffee shop because 00:08:10.290 --> 00:08:12.769 they cook donuts and bagels all night. So they 00:08:12.769 --> 00:08:15.589 opened by about four. And a little Cambodian 00:08:15.589 --> 00:08:17.129 lady became a good friend and she made the kind 00:08:17.129 --> 00:08:19.389 of coffee I like. And so I would go in there 00:08:19.389 --> 00:08:21.649 and then, you know, by 4 .35, a couple guys would 00:08:21.649 --> 00:08:23.470 come and they'd be doing some studying. And you 00:08:23.470 --> 00:08:25.790 realize they're probably as weird as you are. 00:08:26.029 --> 00:08:28.029 And so maybe we could become friends. And so 00:08:28.029 --> 00:08:30.189 we did. And this one guy, you know, he was always 00:08:30.189 --> 00:08:32.799 doing some work. And eventually we got to know 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:35.639 one another. And Todd came out. He ended up coming 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:38.120 to the church and got involved. And he came out 00:08:38.120 --> 00:08:42.080 to work at a Christian camp as a volunteer at 00:08:42.080 --> 00:08:45.460 basically minimum wage. And he was working on 00:08:45.460 --> 00:08:46.559 something. I said, what are you doing? He said, 00:08:46.620 --> 00:08:48.799 I'm finishing up a book. And then I later saw 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:51.679 the book called True Riches. And I said, well, 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:53.220 what's the book about? He said, well, here, you 00:08:53.220 --> 00:08:56.779 can have a copy. And I just read the back. Todd 00:08:56.779 --> 00:09:02.179 Sinelli. A graduate MBA, Wharton Finance. I mean, 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:03.519 he had like every business thing you could ever 00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:07.139 get. At 23 years old, don't suggest anyone do 00:09:07.139 --> 00:09:10.259 this, he had three credit cards. He got as much 00:09:10.259 --> 00:09:12.500 cash out of each one, got $1 ,000 out of them. 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:16.379 $3 ,000 stake, went on the trading table at Chicago, 00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:18.840 became friends with who the big guru of trading 00:09:18.840 --> 00:09:21.679 was in Chicago at the time, went into the pit. 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:24.600 At 23, he's dead broke, borrowing off his credit 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:27.580 cards. At 24, he's a millionaire. At 25, he's 00:09:27.580 --> 00:09:29.720 a multi, multi, multi -millionaire, 25 years 00:09:29.720 --> 00:09:31.879 old. He's taking the vacations to Haiti. He can 00:09:31.879 --> 00:09:34.779 do anything, anytime, and he's a believer. And 00:09:34.779 --> 00:09:36.840 everything the world has been at his lap, at 00:09:36.840 --> 00:09:39.879 26, he's dead broke. At 27, he earns it all back 00:09:39.879 --> 00:09:42.700 again. And now he has it all back again. And 00:09:42.700 --> 00:09:45.259 he says, God wanted to teach me something. Anything 00:09:45.259 --> 00:09:48.419 I wanted in this world, I could get. And he said, 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:50.799 do you understand how scary and shocking it is 00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:53.480 to know Christ and Christ alone can only deliver? 00:09:53.700 --> 00:09:55.820 But unconsciously, you do believe these other 00:09:55.820 --> 00:09:59.360 things. So I had anything that I wanted. And 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:01.320 he said, I went into the deepest depression I've 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:05.440 ever had. And so I came here to serve people, 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:08.440 and I wanted to do it kind of at minimum wage 00:10:08.440 --> 00:10:12.899 because I want to be content. And you know, how 00:10:12.899 --> 00:10:15.720 many of us who know Christ, whose spirit lives 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:19.799 in our hearts and lives, who say we believe what 00:10:19.799 --> 00:10:23.700 this book says, if the truth were known and the 00:10:23.700 --> 00:10:27.250 smoke were pulled back, We really, our lives 00:10:27.250 --> 00:10:29.710 reflect, it's I gotta get that SAT score, and 00:10:29.710 --> 00:10:31.529 when I make that squad, and when I'm first team, 00:10:31.690 --> 00:10:33.309 and when I get the corporate ladder, and when 00:10:33.309 --> 00:10:34.909 I get this house, and we get the other house, 00:10:34.990 --> 00:10:36.909 and if we can position this this way, and you 00:10:36.909 --> 00:10:38.190 know what? You know what? That isn't a lousy 00:10:38.190 --> 00:10:39.669 watch compared to that one that I really want. 00:10:39.730 --> 00:10:41.269 I got a picture on the refrigerator of that portion. 00:10:41.429 --> 00:10:45.850 Someday, someway, I'm gonna get that. Unconsciously 00:10:45.850 --> 00:10:47.789 had bought the lie that prosperity can deliver, 00:10:47.929 --> 00:10:51.450 and Paul says it can't. But you gotta be a radical 00:10:51.450 --> 00:10:53.980 Christian to believe that, don't you? But he 00:10:53.980 --> 00:10:55.799 says not only it can't, but he turns it around 00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:58.120 and says poverty, poverty doesn't have the power 00:10:58.120 --> 00:11:00.779 to take it away. I've been in need. I've been 00:11:00.779 --> 00:11:03.159 at times when I have nothing. And I'll never 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:04.919 forget the time I was in the Philippines and 00:11:04.919 --> 00:11:07.820 it's the most classic picture. And I was involved 00:11:07.820 --> 00:11:09.919 in a basketball team that was sharing Christ 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:11.720 and had a good friend who's a missionary. And 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:14.360 he had a little Filipino guy that just, I mean, 00:11:14.379 --> 00:11:17.399 our hearts bonded named Alex. And Alex was married 00:11:17.399 --> 00:11:21.179 and he was probably early 30s at the time. And 00:11:21.179 --> 00:11:23.899 Manila, it's just crazy, crazy. No rules, no 00:11:23.899 --> 00:11:25.539 anything. So I get on the back of his motorcycle, 00:11:25.659 --> 00:11:28.179 and he wants to show me his home. And he's just 00:11:28.179 --> 00:11:29.840 so proud. He says, Chip, you've got to come to 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:31.539 my home. You've got to see it. And I said, okay. 00:11:31.700 --> 00:11:33.659 And so we're driving in and out of traffic, and 00:11:33.659 --> 00:11:36.379 I'm praying, Lord Jesus, that I might see my 00:11:36.379 --> 00:11:40.879 wife and children again. And so Tom says, now, 00:11:40.899 --> 00:11:43.629 he lives in the slums. And you don't know what 00:11:43.629 --> 00:11:45.710 slums are until you go to these kind of countries. 00:11:45.850 --> 00:11:49.090 And so we pull up and there's a hill. And as 00:11:49.090 --> 00:11:51.389 far as the eye can see, there's cardboard checks 00:11:51.389 --> 00:11:54.669 against one another. And then sort of the upper 00:11:54.669 --> 00:11:57.789 level middle class has a few wooden crates along 00:11:57.789 --> 00:12:00.470 with the cardboard. And then the elite areas, 00:12:00.629 --> 00:12:03.289 they have a little corrugated tin roof on top. 00:12:03.289 --> 00:12:05.769 It would help for the rain. And as far as the 00:12:05.769 --> 00:12:09.129 eye could see, I mean, there's no plumbing. There's 00:12:09.129 --> 00:12:13.049 no thousands and thousands of people. And Alex, 00:12:13.129 --> 00:12:15.570 because of Tom's connections, Tom figured out 00:12:15.570 --> 00:12:17.610 there was one light pole and he had a wire that 00:12:17.610 --> 00:12:22.110 went about 100 yards. And one person out of all 00:12:22.110 --> 00:12:25.070 these thousands of people had a little wire that 00:12:25.070 --> 00:12:27.830 went through the top of his and had one little 00:12:27.830 --> 00:12:31.990 light bulb. And Alex would open his home and 00:12:31.990 --> 00:12:33.950 read the scriptures at night because he's the 00:12:33.950 --> 00:12:36.990 only one that had light. And he came in and we 00:12:36.990 --> 00:12:39.610 walked through this maze of people and poverty. 00:12:40.509 --> 00:12:42.549 You know, it's like watching one of those World 00:12:42.549 --> 00:12:44.710 Vision commercials on TV and my heart's going 00:12:44.710 --> 00:12:46.950 out. And Alex's chest has kind of come in and 00:12:46.950 --> 00:12:49.909 it went into about a nine by six room. And then 00:12:49.909 --> 00:12:51.830 he had dug out a little, it was a dirt floor 00:12:51.830 --> 00:12:53.950 and went into about a three by six area where 00:12:53.950 --> 00:12:57.169 he cooked. And he looked at me and he said, this 00:12:57.169 --> 00:13:00.590 is my home. This is my wife. And she was kind 00:13:00.590 --> 00:13:02.690 of had number three kind of on the way. And these 00:13:02.690 --> 00:13:04.950 are my little boys. And Chip, I'm so glad you 00:13:04.950 --> 00:13:07.269 would come to my home. And you know what I'm 00:13:07.269 --> 00:13:09.409 telling you, you'd think he owned the Taj Mahal. 00:13:10.689 --> 00:13:13.870 See, poverty doesn't have the power. And then 00:13:13.870 --> 00:13:15.669 I said, well, Alex, where do you sleep? And he 00:13:15.669 --> 00:13:17.970 had a little cot. It was about two and a half 00:13:17.970 --> 00:13:20.409 by about four and a half or five feet. And he 00:13:20.409 --> 00:13:22.049 looked at me like, where do we sleep? I mean, 00:13:22.070 --> 00:13:24.870 we have a king size bed. Look at this. He says, 00:13:24.909 --> 00:13:27.250 Chip, you see, instead of being on the dirt, 00:13:27.389 --> 00:13:30.509 I curl my body this way. My wife curls her body 00:13:30.509 --> 00:13:32.409 this way. And we put our two boys in the middle. 00:13:33.269 --> 00:13:35.629 That's where we cook. In other words, we're a 00:13:35.629 --> 00:13:39.860 two level house. And we have a light bulb. Isn't 00:13:39.860 --> 00:13:44.039 God good? You're listening to Living on the Edge. 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:46.519 We'll get you back to our series I Choose Peace 00:13:46.519 --> 00:13:49.080 in just a minute. But first, if this teaching 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:51.720 has ministered to you, consider becoming a monthly 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:54.440 partner. Your regular financial support goes 00:13:54.440 --> 00:13:57.419 a long way to help us encourage pastors, create 00:13:57.419 --> 00:14:00.279 resources, and share Jesus with today's youth. 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:04.120 Visit livingontheedge .org today to learn how 00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:06.779 to support us. Well, with that, here again is 00:14:06.779 --> 00:14:11.639 Chip. Paul says you can learn to be content and 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:14.779 come to a point in your life where just like 00:14:14.779 --> 00:14:18.860 you can say, I know how to ride a bike. I know 00:14:18.860 --> 00:14:20.960 how to hit a golf ball. Can I get better? Sure. 00:14:22.419 --> 00:14:25.940 But he says if you will practice being grateful, 00:14:26.139 --> 00:14:29.519 if you will be teachable and say, God, what do 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:32.360 you want to teach me? And if you will be flexible 00:14:32.360 --> 00:14:35.200 and say, instead of changing that out there, 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:38.639 Show me anything in my life or relationships 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:41.539 you want me to change. He said, you'll be about 00:14:41.539 --> 00:14:47.279 75 % of being there 24 -7, 365, 24 hours a day 00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:51.679 of having a soul and a heart that is content 00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:53.720 as though you had millions of dollars in the 00:14:53.720 --> 00:14:56.639 bank, every relationship was intact, and life 00:14:56.639 --> 00:14:58.879 could be not more wonderful because those things 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:01.720 can't deliver it. The final thing he says to 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:04.620 you and me, is the principle number four, that 00:15:04.620 --> 00:15:07.200 only Christ has the power to give us contentment 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:11.080 that transcends all life's variables. Only Christ. 00:15:11.620 --> 00:15:16.460 Even among us as believers, the lie is that contentment 00:15:16.460 --> 00:15:19.779 can be found apart from God. Now, that's what 00:15:19.779 --> 00:15:22.139 unbelievers think. I mean, I'm gonna get this 00:15:22.139 --> 00:15:24.940 car, this house, this relationship, this jewelry, 00:15:25.059 --> 00:15:27.580 this fame, this success, and everyone has an 00:15:27.580 --> 00:15:30.100 unconscious or conscious little box, and they 00:15:30.100 --> 00:15:33.240 drive toward it. And the problem is it's kind 00:15:33.240 --> 00:15:35.679 of like this rainbow that we have and there's 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:37.639 a golden pot at the end and we work and work 00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:39.059 and work and work and work and work and work 00:15:39.059 --> 00:15:41.419 and we finally get on top and we slide into the 00:15:41.419 --> 00:15:44.360 golden pot. And maybe it's fame or maybe it's 00:15:44.360 --> 00:15:46.000 success or maybe it's that perfect little house 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:49.480 or maybe it's the financial success or maybe 00:15:49.480 --> 00:15:52.200 we finally get to make our first CD or maybe 00:15:52.200 --> 00:15:54.559 we're an artist or maybe our family's warm and 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:56.799 we're sitting around the table singing Kumbaya 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:01.289 and I have this little picture. But then... When 00:16:01.289 --> 00:16:07.169 you get it, you realize it doesn't deliver. It's 00:16:07.169 --> 00:16:10.269 an empty bucket. You've given your life, your 00:16:10.269 --> 00:16:13.970 time, your energy, your focus, and among unbelievers, 00:16:14.090 --> 00:16:16.669 they get in the goal. Many people come to Christ 00:16:16.669 --> 00:16:20.710 after extraordinary success and realize it is 00:16:20.710 --> 00:16:23.590 empty. Others come to Christ out of extraordinary 00:16:23.590 --> 00:16:26.649 pain, but both have come to the point of their 00:16:26.649 --> 00:16:32.230 need. And my observation is, What the world system 00:16:32.230 --> 00:16:35.830 really is is that's how unbelievers think. And 00:16:35.830 --> 00:16:38.490 what happens to me, and I think what happens 00:16:38.490 --> 00:16:41.370 to a lot of you, is I know that's wrong and that's 00:16:41.370 --> 00:16:44.610 not really true. And what I say is it's Jesus 00:16:44.610 --> 00:16:46.830 plus a great family. It's Jesus plus a great 00:16:46.830 --> 00:16:49.090 body. It's Jesus plus a good job. It's Jesus 00:16:49.090 --> 00:16:52.070 plus. But it's that plus that always gets me 00:16:52.070 --> 00:16:54.629 in trouble. And I say to Jesus, when you can 00:16:54.629 --> 00:17:00.799 deliver the plus, then I'll be. satisfied, happy, 00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:04.400 fulfilled. And so I have made a spiritual version 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:07.380 of the when -then syndrome, and the enemy has 00:17:07.380 --> 00:17:12.380 fed me a lie, and I end up as empty, almost, 00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:16.079 as those without Christ. And the energy and the 00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:18.559 skills and the money and the resources and the 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:21.160 gifts that God gave me to do something great 00:17:21.160 --> 00:17:25.730 with my life very subtly got turned inward. And 00:17:25.730 --> 00:17:28.410 I spend it all about chasing something that doesn't 00:17:28.410 --> 00:17:35.089 exist, only to come up empty. The fastest growing 00:17:35.089 --> 00:17:39.029 profession in Christendom in the last 30 years 00:17:39.029 --> 00:17:44.309 is Christian counseling. We have never had more 00:17:44.309 --> 00:17:47.809 Christians with more problems. And by the way, 00:17:47.829 --> 00:17:49.750 I'm glad we have them. I've been there. I've 00:17:49.750 --> 00:17:53.640 done that, and it helped. And so the final practice 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:58.019 is to understand only Christ can give what transcends 00:17:58.019 --> 00:18:02.440 all circumstances, so be confident. The secret 00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:04.940 of the success, how is it that you can be grateful? 00:18:05.099 --> 00:18:07.640 How is it that you can be teachable? How is it 00:18:07.640 --> 00:18:09.220 that you can say, I'll change anything? Because 00:18:09.220 --> 00:18:10.740 you say to yourself, I've tried to change before 00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:12.759 and I can't. Well, Paul says, here's the key. 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:17.529 I can do all things. through him who gives me 00:18:17.529 --> 00:18:20.069 the strength, moment by moment, relationship 00:18:20.069 --> 00:18:22.609 by relationship, decision by decision, painful 00:18:22.609 --> 00:18:24.269 disappointment through painful disappointment, 00:18:24.369 --> 00:18:27.549 to fulfill everything he wants me to do. I can 00:18:27.549 --> 00:18:30.529 have confidence. But the confidence occurs not 00:18:30.529 --> 00:18:32.289 theoretically when I'm on the couch going someday, 00:18:32.390 --> 00:18:35.769 someway, I might try that. The confidence comes 00:18:35.769 --> 00:18:39.849 by faith when, thank you, Lord, for what I do 00:18:39.849 --> 00:18:45.700 have. Oh, God. Okay, I realize I'm teachable. 00:18:45.720 --> 00:18:47.680 I'm an arrogant person. I'm not like sticking 00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:50.400 out my chest arrogant, but I've somehow got my 00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:52.460 whole life revolved around me. You want me to 00:18:52.460 --> 00:18:53.980 change, put other people first. I'm going to 00:18:53.980 --> 00:18:55.559 put other people first, but don't you understand 00:18:55.559 --> 00:18:59.079 that's going to impact my income. I might have 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:02.400 to sell this or do that. Yeah, you want me to 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:04.579 become a servant to these relationships when 00:19:04.579 --> 00:19:06.559 I thought they were all to make me happy. That's 00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:12.440 going to be, I can't do that. Be confident. Come 00:19:12.440 --> 00:19:16.519 to me with a humble heart. In the ups, thank 00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:19.579 you. In the downs, thank you. What do you want 00:19:19.579 --> 00:19:22.700 me to learn? How do you want me to change? And 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:25.640 then you take the power of my word, energized 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:28.779 by the Holy Spirit, in the context of genuine, 00:19:28.900 --> 00:19:32.299 authentic, loving community relationships. And 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:36.190 I guarantee you. I will give you whatever you 00:19:36.190 --> 00:19:39.150 need, not for tomorrow, not for next week, not 00:19:39.150 --> 00:19:41.470 to solve all the problems. I'll give you whatever 00:19:41.470 --> 00:19:45.750 you need to have a quiet heart that is completely 00:19:45.750 --> 00:19:50.730 at peace and the strength to allow my son, through 00:19:50.730 --> 00:19:53.569 the power of the Spirit, to give you the response, 00:19:53.890 --> 00:19:57.549 the reaction, the courage, the faith, whatever 00:19:57.549 --> 00:20:02.490 you need, I... will give you because you're my 00:20:02.490 --> 00:20:12.710 child. I love you. Trust me. I received a letter 00:20:12.710 --> 00:20:14.609 yesterday. I went into the office to clean some 00:20:14.609 --> 00:20:20.329 things up and I received this letter. A guy writes, 00:20:20.569 --> 00:20:23.450 hi Chip, thanks so much for a couple things that 00:20:23.450 --> 00:20:25.930 I think were very helpful. And then out of the 00:20:25.930 --> 00:20:28.069 blue it says, it seems like recently I keep running 00:20:28.069 --> 00:20:31.549 into People who follow the kind of thinking that 00:20:31.549 --> 00:20:33.730 if they can only perform at a high enough level, 00:20:33.849 --> 00:20:36.369 if they can only gain enough applause or admiration 00:20:36.369 --> 00:20:39.190 of men and women around me, that my life will 00:20:39.190 --> 00:20:42.470 then have meaning. He says, in the past year, 00:20:42.490 --> 00:20:44.250 it seems I've spoken to so many people in these 00:20:44.250 --> 00:20:46.829 situations, and I've seen it in my own life. 00:20:47.289 --> 00:20:50.789 But that doesn't do it. People put everything... 00:20:50.990 --> 00:20:53.130 onto being on the cheerleading squad or working 00:20:53.130 --> 00:20:54.609 their way up the top of the corporate ladder, 00:20:54.789 --> 00:20:57.210 making the dean's list or wearing a Super Bowl 00:20:57.210 --> 00:20:59.450 ring, you know, becoming a major player in the 00:20:59.450 --> 00:21:01.809 political realm. They spend every ounce of time 00:21:01.809 --> 00:21:03.869 and energy on these earthly goals, convinced 00:21:03.869 --> 00:21:05.250 that they're going to achieve them and they'll 00:21:05.250 --> 00:21:08.109 finally obtain self -esteem and the confidence 00:21:08.109 --> 00:21:12.049 and the peace they desperately want. But it seems 00:21:12.049 --> 00:21:13.829 to me when they reach the pinnacle of what they 00:21:13.829 --> 00:21:16.410 thought would be successful, the sense of self 00:21:16.410 --> 00:21:20.049 -worth and contentment they long for is conspicuously 00:21:23.060 --> 00:21:26.359 And the reason I think it is is that their goals 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:30.039 were centered on what other people think rather 00:21:30.039 --> 00:21:34.299 than on what God thinks. And he closes with this. 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:36.460 He says, I remember a sports writer named Gary 00:21:36.460 --> 00:21:39.460 Smith once interviewed boxing legend Muhammad 00:21:39.460 --> 00:21:42.819 Ali. And the interview was conducted at the fighter's 00:21:42.819 --> 00:21:45.599 farmhouse. And during the time together, Ali 00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:48.549 took Smith on a tour of his estate. And then 00:21:48.549 --> 00:21:51.130 he was led into the barn and the rider saw all 00:21:51.130 --> 00:21:54.529 of Muhammad Ali's trophies, ribbons, and awards 00:21:54.529 --> 00:21:58.970 on the shelf, collecting dust. Some of them even 00:21:58.970 --> 00:22:02.309 spattered with pigeon droppings. Golden gloves, 00:22:02.769 --> 00:22:08.269 Olympic gold, world champion. As they surveyed 00:22:08.269 --> 00:22:11.849 all the boxing memorabilia getting ruined, Muhammad 00:22:11.849 --> 00:22:15.269 Ali said something very quietly to Smith. He 00:22:15.269 --> 00:22:17.750 spoke so softly, in fact, that the writer had 00:22:17.750 --> 00:22:20.710 to ask him to repeat what he had said. With his 00:22:20.710 --> 00:22:23.630 lips barely moving, and if you've seen Ali talk 00:22:23.630 --> 00:22:26.029 now because of some of the damage, the words 00:22:26.029 --> 00:22:28.130 seemed to come from the very back of the champ's 00:22:28.130 --> 00:22:34.509 throat. And he said, I had the world. I had all 00:22:34.509 --> 00:22:40.410 the world. And it was nothing. It was nothing. 00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:51.200 What do you have? What are you aiming for? What 00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:57.819 would it look like for you to be grateful, to 00:22:57.819 --> 00:23:01.200 be teachable, to be flexible, and to be confident 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:05.339 that God could give you whatever you want and 00:23:05.339 --> 00:23:09.480 that months, years after a period of time, circumstances 00:23:09.480 --> 00:23:12.259 would no longer have the power to touch you? 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:18.279 You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip 00:23:18.279 --> 00:23:21.119 Ingram. And the message you just heard, in difficult 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:24.299 circumstances, is from our series, I Choose Peace. 00:23:24.700 --> 00:23:27.180 Chip will join us in studio to share some insights 00:23:27.180 --> 00:23:30.359 from today's talk in just a minute. What's weighing 00:23:30.359 --> 00:23:32.799 on your mind right now? Financial uncertainty? 00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:35.880 A tense relationship? Or is it just the grind 00:23:35.880 --> 00:23:38.819 of everyday life? Whatever it is that's robbing 00:23:38.819 --> 00:23:41.240 you of your peace, let me tell you there's an 00:23:41.240 --> 00:23:44.380 antidote. Through this practical study in Philippians 00:23:44.380 --> 00:23:47.279 chapter 4, Chip will teach us how to access the 00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:50.460 peace of God, which can restore, calm, and encourage 00:23:50.460 --> 00:23:53.099 your soul, no matter what may be happening around 00:23:53.099 --> 00:23:55.240 you. You're not going to want to miss a single 00:23:55.240 --> 00:23:58.200 program of this series. Well, before we go any 00:23:58.200 --> 00:24:00.539 further, our Bible teacher, Chip Ingram, is with 00:24:00.539 --> 00:24:03.799 me now to share a quick word. Thanks so much, 00:24:03.799 --> 00:24:28.529 Dave. And for many, the teaching and the resources 00:24:28.529 --> 00:24:31.369 we provide through Living on the Edge It helps 00:24:31.369 --> 00:24:33.890 them understand what it really means to come 00:24:33.890 --> 00:24:36.650 before God and to meet Him and experience Him. 00:24:36.750 --> 00:24:39.410 For others, it's kind of their lifeline to doing 00:24:39.410 --> 00:24:43.009 life in community. But there's a relatively smaller 00:24:43.009 --> 00:24:46.150 group of people who step up and say, I'm all 00:24:46.150 --> 00:24:49.750 in. We want to be on mission with you, and we 00:24:49.750 --> 00:24:51.970 want to make this ministry happen. So here's 00:24:51.970 --> 00:24:54.450 what I'm asking. Nearly all that we do at Living 00:24:54.450 --> 00:24:56.730 on the Edge is only possible through the financial 00:24:56.730 --> 00:25:00.390 partnerships of folks like you. Will you help? 00:25:00.799 --> 00:25:03.660 Will you pray about becoming a partner with Living 00:25:03.660 --> 00:25:06.400 on the Edge financially? Would you stand in agreement 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:09.420 with us on our mission as we pursue in this day 00:25:09.420 --> 00:25:12.680 and age to help Christians really live like Christians? 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:15.640 Thank you for doing whatever God leads you to 00:25:15.640 --> 00:25:18.329 do. Thanks, Chip. Well, as you prayerfully consider 00:25:18.329 --> 00:25:20.809 your role with this ministry, I want to remind 00:25:20.809 --> 00:25:23.690 you that every gift is significant. When you 00:25:23.690 --> 00:25:25.930 partner with Living on the Edge, you'll multiply 00:25:25.930 --> 00:25:29.569 our efforts and resources in amazing ways. Give 00:25:29.569 --> 00:25:34.589 a gift today by calling 888 -333 -6003 or by 00:25:34.589 --> 00:25:39.349 visiting livingontheedge .org. That's livingontheedge 00:25:39.349 --> 00:25:45.930 .org or call 888 -333 -6003. App listeners tap 00:25:45.930 --> 00:25:48.990 donate. We'll hear again as Chip with some final 00:25:48.990 --> 00:25:52.190 application for us. You know, the older I get, 00:25:52.369 --> 00:25:56.190 the more I realize that life is lived in seasons. 00:25:56.410 --> 00:26:00.049 And did you know that God has a plan in every 00:26:00.049 --> 00:26:02.609 season of your life? And a part of that plan 00:26:02.609 --> 00:26:06.289 is to bring you unbelievable joy and great relationships. 00:26:07.069 --> 00:26:09.730 And part of the plan is to bring tests and challenges 00:26:09.730 --> 00:26:13.190 and difficulties so that he makes you more and 00:26:13.190 --> 00:26:16.029 more like Christ. And what I can tell you is 00:26:16.029 --> 00:26:19.470 so often I have had ideas about this is how this 00:26:19.470 --> 00:26:21.930 season ought to go. And this is what ought to 00:26:21.930 --> 00:26:24.650 happen. And when it doesn't, I get really frustrated. 00:26:25.009 --> 00:26:27.970 I was sitting in a meeting and I had a big transition 00:26:27.970 --> 00:26:30.829 in my life. And in my mind, I knew exactly what 00:26:30.829 --> 00:26:33.529 it ought to look like. Well, guess what? It hasn't 00:26:33.529 --> 00:26:36.200 looked anything. like I thought it should look 00:26:36.200 --> 00:26:39.619 like. And confession, part of it, I got really 00:26:39.619 --> 00:26:43.059 frustrated inside. And how God did it, looking 00:26:43.059 --> 00:26:47.140 back, is 100x better than the plan that was in 00:26:47.140 --> 00:26:50.119 my mind. So here's what I want you to know. To 00:26:50.119 --> 00:26:53.359 choose peace, yes, be grateful, be teachable. 00:26:53.400 --> 00:26:56.460 What we learned today, be flexible. Be willing 00:26:56.460 --> 00:26:58.740 to accept God's path instead of what you have 00:26:58.740 --> 00:27:01.240 in your mind. And then finally, be confident. 00:27:01.579 --> 00:27:04.279 You know, we often quote this verse with sporting 00:27:04.279 --> 00:27:07.839 activities, but as you learn today, I can do 00:27:07.839 --> 00:27:10.119 all things through Christ who gives me strength 00:27:10.119 --> 00:27:13.240 is really not about doing well in sports. It's 00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:15.619 about trusting God to give you the strength, 00:27:15.759 --> 00:27:18.640 the endurance, the patience, and the wisdom to 00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:21.980 do life in the season he has you with a grateful 00:27:21.980 --> 00:27:25.200 attitude and with the peace that surpasses understanding. 00:27:26.029 --> 00:27:28.410 Good word, Chip. Hey, as we close, if you're 00:27:28.410 --> 00:27:30.490 looking for a way to get more out of Chip's teaching, 00:27:30.650 --> 00:27:33.089 let me encourage you to download his message 00:27:33.089 --> 00:27:35.890 notes. Now, this helpful tool is available for 00:27:35.890 --> 00:27:38.589 every program. Chip's notes include his outline, 00:27:38.950 --> 00:27:41.230 all of the scripture references, and lots of 00:27:41.230 --> 00:27:43.289 fill -ins to help you remember what you're learning. 00:27:43.549 --> 00:27:46.329 You can download them at livingontheedge .org 00:27:46.329 --> 00:27:49.670 under the Broadcasts tab. App listeners, just 00:27:49.670 --> 00:27:52.759 tap Fill in Notes. Well, from all of us here, 00:27:52.880 --> 00:27:55.019 I'm Dave Drewy, thanking you for listening to 00:27:55.019 --> 00:27:57.799 this edition of Living on the Edge, and I hope 00:27:57.799 --> 00:27:59.339 you'll join us again next time.