WEBVTT 00:00:01.129 --> 00:00:04.309 Is your to -do list too long? Do you have too 00:00:04.309 --> 00:00:06.990 many people wanting your attention? Are you juggling 00:00:06.990 --> 00:00:10.310 too many balls and you wonder, God, how do I 00:00:10.310 --> 00:00:13.650 slow this down? How do I get my life under control? 00:00:13.910 --> 00:00:17.089 If that's you, stay with me. We're going to talk 00:00:17.089 --> 00:00:22.489 today about how to put first things first. Welcome 00:00:22.489 --> 00:00:25.390 to this edition of Living on the Edge with Chip 00:00:25.390 --> 00:00:27.920 Ingram. Our mission is to inspire Christians 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:31.100 to be genuine followers of Jesus and to empower 00:00:31.100 --> 00:00:33.740 them to be active disciple makers in our world. 00:00:34.060 --> 00:00:36.200 You know, I think it's safe to say we all can 00:00:36.200 --> 00:00:38.700 relate to that overwhelmed feeling Chip just 00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:41.759 described. When a lot is going on in life, whether 00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:44.439 at work or in your family, it can be like chasing 00:00:44.439 --> 00:00:47.780 down a runaway train. So today, Chip continues 00:00:47.780 --> 00:00:50.679 his series, Balancing Life's Demands, by helping 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:53.840 us slow down and reprioritize what matters most. 00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:56.700 He has a lot to share with us, so grab your notes 00:00:56.700 --> 00:00:59.719 and Bible, and go to Hebrews chapter 12 as we 00:00:59.719 --> 00:01:02.399 join Chip for his talk, How to Put First Things 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:07.099 First. I was a pretty new Christian, and I had 00:01:07.099 --> 00:01:11.159 this amazing opportunity to ask Howard Hendricks. 00:01:11.239 --> 00:01:14.400 He was one of my heroes and mentors, and I got 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:18.519 to ask him anything I could ask, anything you 00:01:18.519 --> 00:01:23.430 wanted to ask him. I grew up in a very dysfunctional 00:01:23.430 --> 00:01:25.370 church, one that didn't teach the Bible and had 00:01:25.370 --> 00:01:28.329 a lot of hypocrisy, and then I ended up in a 00:01:28.329 --> 00:01:31.969 small parachurch ministry where everybody I knew 00:01:31.969 --> 00:01:33.430 for the first three years I was a Christian, 00:01:33.569 --> 00:01:35.689 I mean everybody, everyone got up and read the 00:01:35.689 --> 00:01:37.629 Bible, everyone memorized two or three verses 00:01:37.629 --> 00:01:40.510 a week, everyone was in a Bible study. Once you 00:01:40.510 --> 00:01:42.790 got to a certain point, no one said it, but you 00:01:42.790 --> 00:01:45.019 just knew. Someone has helped you, now you need 00:01:45.019 --> 00:01:47.739 to help someone else. Everyone was in some sort 00:01:47.739 --> 00:01:50.700 of a mentoring relationship where I knew that 00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:52.540 Jerry was helping me and I was helping the two 00:01:52.540 --> 00:01:54.120 guys on my floor and I was helping the two guys 00:01:54.120 --> 00:01:56.640 on my floor. And so we went from about four or 00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:58.939 five people in his living room to 250 college 00:01:58.939 --> 00:02:01.420 students in personal Bible study on a secular 00:02:01.420 --> 00:02:05.640 campus. It's all I knew. And then I kind of got 00:02:05.640 --> 00:02:08.539 onto the real world and I met all these Christians 00:02:08.539 --> 00:02:12.060 that said they love God. And by the way, I'm 00:02:12.060 --> 00:02:13.639 not saying that everyone needs to do all those 00:02:13.639 --> 00:02:15.960 things in that way. Please don't hear that, you 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:17.620 know, that's a list of things everyone needs 00:02:17.620 --> 00:02:20.300 to do. All I'm saying is all the Christians I 00:02:20.300 --> 00:02:23.620 knew were really, I didn't know they were like 00:02:23.620 --> 00:02:25.560 not committed Christians and committed Christians. 00:02:25.659 --> 00:02:28.360 You know what I'm saying? It's just those are 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:30.620 the only ones I ever met. And the ones before, 00:02:30.860 --> 00:02:33.000 you know, that was a bad, bad scene growing up. 00:02:34.139 --> 00:02:35.960 And I remember getting with Prof Hendricks and 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:38.319 I said, Prof, will you tell me something? You 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:40.900 know, you always ask, like, oh, great pooh -paw 00:02:40.900 --> 00:02:44.599 of wisdom and knowledge. Then I got to really 00:02:44.599 --> 00:02:46.479 know him. He's just a regular guy with lots of 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:48.360 wisdom and knowledge. I said, why is there so 00:02:48.360 --> 00:02:50.900 much hypocrisy? You know, once I saw it, I just 00:02:50.900 --> 00:02:53.360 thought, why is there just so much hypocrisy 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:56.639 in the church? And I'll never forget, you know, 00:02:56.639 --> 00:02:58.740 he said, Chip, I think it might go to something 00:02:58.740 --> 00:03:01.139 like this. Most people live with two sets of 00:03:01.139 --> 00:03:04.699 priorities. They have one set of priority that 00:03:04.699 --> 00:03:08.289 they have written down on a list. If you ask 00:03:08.289 --> 00:03:10.650 them, they sincerely believe it. God's first, 00:03:10.990 --> 00:03:16.090 family, you know, children, ministry, work. And 00:03:16.090 --> 00:03:19.990 they have that on a list. But they have another 00:03:19.990 --> 00:03:24.469 set, and that's how they actually live. And so 00:03:24.469 --> 00:03:27.229 we have people whose lives are over here, and 00:03:27.229 --> 00:03:31.150 their list is over here, and we have this amazing 00:03:31.150 --> 00:03:37.150 ability to not see that they don't line up. The 00:03:37.150 --> 00:03:39.669 reason why most of us live with two sets of priorities, 00:03:39.830 --> 00:03:41.469 I want to give you three reasons here just to 00:03:41.469 --> 00:03:45.930 get us going. First, we are deceived. We're deceived. 00:03:47.090 --> 00:03:50.770 We honestly don't see the discrepancy between 00:03:50.770 --> 00:03:53.629 what we think and say and how we actually live. 00:03:53.770 --> 00:03:55.750 And by the way, it's true of all of us. This 00:03:55.750 --> 00:03:57.430 isn't like the bad people and the good people. 00:03:57.590 --> 00:03:59.569 This is like, are you really, really deceived, 00:03:59.889 --> 00:04:02.949 fairly deceived, or just a little deceived, right? 00:04:03.090 --> 00:04:06.060 I mean, welcome to the human race. The second 00:04:06.060 --> 00:04:08.680 reason we have lived with two sets of priorities 00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:14.659 is we are afraid. Though we long sincerely to 00:04:14.659 --> 00:04:18.420 put first things first, we simply do not believe 00:04:18.420 --> 00:04:21.860 that God will supply our needs if we give him 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:25.319 the first portion of our time, our lives, and 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:30.459 our money. I mean, you don't understand. I can't 00:04:30.459 --> 00:04:33.740 squeeze in. I mean, I am overwhelmed, and you're 00:04:33.740 --> 00:04:36.920 asking me to add? you know, 15 minutes or a half 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:41.319 hour or 45 minutes to be with God first. You 00:04:41.319 --> 00:04:42.560 know, it's kind of like some of you look, are 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:45.139 you on drugs, man? You understand I got three 00:04:45.139 --> 00:04:47.199 kids. You understand I got six grandkids. And 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:52.699 see, if you believe that when you give the first 00:04:52.699 --> 00:04:55.620 and the best to God, he will begin to clear things 00:04:55.620 --> 00:04:58.540 and provide in ways. So a lot of us don't put 00:04:58.540 --> 00:05:01.779 things first. And don't live by biblical priorities 00:05:01.779 --> 00:05:03.839 because it's really an unbelief issue that's 00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:07.399 rooted in fear. You know, we've got debts. We've 00:05:07.399 --> 00:05:10.019 got pain. I'm overwhelmed. Give the first portion 00:05:10.019 --> 00:05:12.660 of my money. See, when you do that, it forces 00:05:12.660 --> 00:05:15.240 a chain reaction. If you give the first portion, 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:16.839 you think, oh, now what are we going to do? You're 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:18.870 going to trust God. And if you're not on a budget, 00:05:18.949 --> 00:05:20.569 you probably have to get on one. You probably 00:05:20.569 --> 00:05:21.949 have to figure out where your money's actually 00:05:21.949 --> 00:05:23.670 going. You probably have to make some priority 00:05:23.670 --> 00:05:25.689 decisions. You probably have to do some crazy 00:05:25.689 --> 00:05:27.370 stuff like, well, I guess we could cut off that 00:05:27.370 --> 00:05:29.829 satellite and maybe the cable. And you know what? 00:05:29.889 --> 00:05:32.610 I had no idea. We tracked it for one month. You 00:05:32.610 --> 00:05:36.110 know, $395 of eating out. Gosh, this is only 00:05:36.110 --> 00:05:39.449 half a month. How did we do? When you begin to 00:05:39.449 --> 00:05:43.550 take those steps, God will show you things. But 00:05:43.550 --> 00:05:46.790 see, we're afraid. And it feels overwhelming. 00:05:47.370 --> 00:05:49.970 When we're afraid. And so most of us with this 00:05:49.970 --> 00:05:52.689 whole priority issue, we nod, we nod. Yeah, well, 00:05:52.769 --> 00:05:55.250 I need to address that someday. Monday hits, 00:05:55.389 --> 00:05:58.689 emails hit. It's got to go here, go here. And 00:05:58.689 --> 00:06:02.170 most of what we talk about apart from some who 00:06:02.170 --> 00:06:04.649 say, God, I really want to hear. I really want 00:06:04.649 --> 00:06:08.029 to change. I really want to grow. It'll be almost 00:06:08.029 --> 00:06:11.850 life as normal two weeks from now. The third 00:06:11.850 --> 00:06:13.889 reason we live with two sets of priorities is 00:06:13.889 --> 00:06:17.879 we have failed repeatedly. Our sincere and honest 00:06:17.879 --> 00:06:19.980 efforts to put first things first in the past 00:06:19.980 --> 00:06:23.560 lasted only a short time and ended with frustration 00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:26.759 and disillusionment with ourselves. Let's face 00:06:26.759 --> 00:06:29.920 it, how many have started on a diet and not doing 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:32.199 so well? How many have had a little card in our 00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:34.259 wallet somewhere that says fitness center that 00:06:34.259 --> 00:06:36.800 we've actually paid for? You know, and they're 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:38.879 making a ton on it because let's see, if it's 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:42.819 $150 for a year or $200 or 300 and you go twice, 00:06:42.839 --> 00:06:44.879 that's like $75 a visit. They're really doing 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:47.579 well. How many of us said, God, I'm really gonna 00:06:47.579 --> 00:06:49.199 start meeting with you and you did it for two, 00:06:49.300 --> 00:06:52.560 three, four mornings and, right? And you know, 00:06:52.620 --> 00:06:55.779 you're human, I'm human. So in those areas where 00:06:55.779 --> 00:06:58.120 God has spoken to us in the past and we're gonna 00:06:58.120 --> 00:07:00.480 put first things first. How about this one? Have 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:03.279 you had one of these? I am really serious this 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:07.459 time, right? Hey, I mean, I'm really, I mean, 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:09.639 I'm gonna get in shape. I'm gonna walk with God. 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:11.240 I'm gonna start mentoring someone. We are gonna 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:12.980 simplify. We're gonna start, we're gonna get 00:07:12.980 --> 00:07:17.699 under control. And like maybe, I mean for you 00:07:17.699 --> 00:07:19.800 like obsessive, compulsive, super disciplined 00:07:19.800 --> 00:07:23.399 people, it lasts about two weeks maybe. And you 00:07:23.399 --> 00:07:26.779 know, once you fail a number of times, then you 00:07:26.779 --> 00:07:30.300 know what you do? You just start saying, one, 00:07:30.300 --> 00:07:33.920 we don't say it anymore. And two, there's this 00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:36.220 battle that goes on. Yeah, I want that God. I 00:07:36.220 --> 00:07:39.240 hear that. Those tools of my money and my time. 00:07:39.480 --> 00:07:42.779 I don't want to go there. I've tried this before 00:07:42.779 --> 00:07:47.019 and I failed. And I failed. And so what I want 00:07:47.019 --> 00:07:48.879 to talk to you about this morning is I want to 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:52.000 get very, very practical. And I want to talk 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:54.519 about what I think is the secret, if you will, 00:07:54.600 --> 00:08:00.959 the missing ingredient. What it is, what is it 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:03.220 that brings the list that I intellectually would 00:08:03.220 --> 00:08:07.160 write down and my life as demonstrated and played 00:08:07.160 --> 00:08:10.199 out by how I actually do things, what is it that 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:12.220 brings those things together so they're the same? 00:08:13.340 --> 00:08:15.360 What's the missing ingredient to living out your 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:18.740 priorities? First, it's a rarely used word. We're 00:08:18.740 --> 00:08:20.459 gonna go sort of in a little inductive journey 00:08:20.459 --> 00:08:24.300 together, okay? It's a rarely used word. Second, 00:08:24.459 --> 00:08:27.920 it's a fruit of the Spirit. It's a fruit of the 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:30.740 Spirit. So this missing ingredient isn't something 00:08:30.740 --> 00:08:34.080 that you can do. It's something that is a part 00:08:34.080 --> 00:08:35.840 of what you already possess in Christ, but it's 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:38.120 allowing the Spirit of God to produce this in 00:08:38.120 --> 00:08:42.429 your life. Third, it comes to us by grace. Whatever 00:08:42.429 --> 00:08:44.289 this is, this missing ingredient, it comes to 00:08:44.289 --> 00:08:46.809 us by grace. So it's not about trying hard. Most 00:08:46.809 --> 00:08:49.669 of you have already tried the trying hard. It 00:08:49.669 --> 00:08:53.389 doesn't work. Four, we admire it in other people. 00:08:54.110 --> 00:08:57.409 When we see this in other people, we go, whoa, 00:08:57.549 --> 00:09:01.970 man, that's neat. We admire it. It's essential 00:09:01.970 --> 00:09:06.429 for putting first things first. A lot of people 00:09:06.429 --> 00:09:08.490 start well, don't finish well because of this. 00:09:09.129 --> 00:09:11.929 And the word... Are you ready? Again, you just 00:09:11.929 --> 00:09:13.889 sort of swallow hard. The word is discipline. 00:09:16.090 --> 00:09:18.330 Some translations say self -control. If that 00:09:18.330 --> 00:09:19.950 makes you feel better, you can write in self 00:09:19.950 --> 00:09:25.850 -control. But it's discipline. I mean, we love 00:09:25.850 --> 00:09:27.450 it when we see it in other people. We admire 00:09:27.450 --> 00:09:31.370 it. It's part of the fruit of the Spirit. Let 00:09:31.370 --> 00:09:33.649 me give you a definition for discipline. Discipline 00:09:33.649 --> 00:09:36.870 is doing what needs to be done when it needs 00:09:36.870 --> 00:09:40.129 to be done. By the way, that's why workaholics 00:09:40.129 --> 00:09:43.649 can be slothful and lazy, even though highly 00:09:43.649 --> 00:09:48.649 active. And all of us. Have you ever had a, you 00:09:48.649 --> 00:09:52.769 know, Matthew 18 situation come up? Someone has 00:09:52.769 --> 00:09:54.690 sinned against you, or there's an issue that 00:09:54.690 --> 00:09:57.409 you need to confront someone on, right? And you 00:09:57.409 --> 00:09:59.450 wrote it down. God has showed you need to go 00:09:59.450 --> 00:10:01.289 talk to this person. You need to confront them. 00:10:01.750 --> 00:10:04.549 And all of a sudden, it just pops up over here. 00:10:04.649 --> 00:10:06.409 You know, I really need to jot that note to so 00:10:06.409 --> 00:10:08.450 -and -so. And you know what? Maybe I'll do a 00:10:08.450 --> 00:10:12.509 few errands first. Or, you know, we fill it in 00:10:12.509 --> 00:10:16.029 with all kinds of discipline is not simply activity. 00:10:17.629 --> 00:10:21.750 It's doing what needs to be done when it needs 00:10:21.750 --> 00:10:24.879 to be done. And, you know, the Proverbs give 00:10:24.879 --> 00:10:27.340 us the list of, you know, major sins that inhibit 00:10:27.340 --> 00:10:29.600 our lives. When's the last time you heard like 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:33.139 a really great message on slothfulness or laziness? 00:10:34.179 --> 00:10:36.240 You know, call me anything, but don't call me 00:10:36.240 --> 00:10:39.799 lazy, right? When I know what needs to be done. 00:10:40.169 --> 00:10:42.009 in my relationship with God, my relationship 00:10:42.009 --> 00:10:45.450 with my wife, with one of my kids, in terms of 00:10:45.450 --> 00:10:48.649 where God shows me something. When I don't do 00:10:48.649 --> 00:10:51.070 what needs to be done, when it needs to be done. 00:10:51.210 --> 00:10:57.970 The Bible calls that slothfulness. And so there's 00:10:57.970 --> 00:10:59.809 a reason why we don't get some things in line. 00:10:59.970 --> 00:11:02.730 So let's get sort of on the positive side of 00:11:02.730 --> 00:11:05.850 this. Discipline is the spirit -empowered ability. 00:11:06.429 --> 00:11:09.710 given by God's grace that allows us to say no 00:11:09.710 --> 00:11:13.330 to the quick fix and the easy road and say yes 00:11:13.330 --> 00:11:16.870 to the harder but better way. That's what it 00:11:16.870 --> 00:11:19.929 is. It's not trying hard. It's not buttoned down. 00:11:20.029 --> 00:11:21.870 It's not I'm going to make myself do this. It's 00:11:21.870 --> 00:11:24.029 not getting self -righteous and no one else does 00:11:24.029 --> 00:11:25.730 this, but I get up early and I do this and I 00:11:25.730 --> 00:11:27.730 do this, I do this, and I'm rigid and legalistic. 00:11:27.769 --> 00:11:32.179 No, no, no. Discipline. is spirit -empowered 00:11:32.179 --> 00:11:36.059 ability that you get by God's grace that allows 00:11:36.059 --> 00:11:40.320 you to say no to quick fixes and easy solutions 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:43.899 and say yes to facing the hard, difficult things 00:11:43.899 --> 00:11:47.139 on the front end in order to receive the richer 00:11:47.139 --> 00:11:51.440 and deeper and better. Titus 2, 11 and 12, you 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:55.600 have it in a translation in your notes. And this 00:11:55.600 --> 00:11:57.539 one is especially good because I like it. It 00:11:57.539 --> 00:11:59.759 says, for the grace of God that brings salvation 00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:04.279 that has appeared to all men, it, notice it's 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:07.899 grace, it teaches us to say no to ungodliness 00:12:07.899 --> 00:12:11.700 and worldly passions and to live self -controlled, 00:12:11.700 --> 00:12:14.940 that's our word, upright and godly lives in this 00:12:14.940 --> 00:12:19.419 present age. Couple quick observations. First 00:12:19.419 --> 00:12:23.899 of all, grace produces discipline. And by the 00:12:23.899 --> 00:12:25.720 way, somewhere along the line, we've been teaching 00:12:25.720 --> 00:12:29.000 grace in a faulty way. We think grace and no 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:30.960 effort. The opposite of grace is no effort, and 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:33.179 that's not it. The opposite of grace is merit. 00:12:34.340 --> 00:12:37.820 Paul would say, make every effort. It takes focus. 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:40.759 It takes energy. But it is the grace of God who 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:44.580 both to will and to work in you. It's the grace 00:12:44.580 --> 00:12:46.899 of God that helps me to say no to worldliness. 00:12:47.059 --> 00:12:49.720 But then notice the second observation. It teaches 00:12:49.720 --> 00:12:53.019 us. What's that mean? It means it's a process. 00:12:53.720 --> 00:12:56.200 It means it doesn't happen overnight. It means 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:58.559 like a child learns to ride a bike. I don't know 00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:00.000 about you, but I didn't stick my kids on the 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:02.779 bike and go, okay, bang, they got it. They learn. 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:07.419 And how do they learn? They do this. Bam. Bam. 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:09.759 Well, I don't, you know, I don't see their parents 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:12.120 going, get up right now. What's wrong with you? 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:14.460 They're just going, whoa, whoa, come here. Emmy, 00:13:14.559 --> 00:13:16.580 Emmy, Emmy, come on, my mama. Come on, come on, 00:13:16.580 --> 00:13:18.460 come on. And then they take three steps and they 00:13:18.460 --> 00:13:20.950 fall. And their parents are excited about what? 00:13:21.029 --> 00:13:23.809 The two or three steps they take. And they understand 00:13:23.809 --> 00:13:27.049 they're going to fall. It's a process to learn. 00:13:28.389 --> 00:13:30.409 Discipline is a byproduct of the Holy Spirit. 00:13:30.509 --> 00:13:34.090 Listen to what it says in Galatians 5, 22 and 00:13:34.090 --> 00:13:36.870 23. It says, but the fruit, singular, of the 00:13:36.870 --> 00:13:39.190 Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, 00:13:39.370 --> 00:13:42.509 goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self 00:13:42.509 --> 00:13:47.470 -control. Against such things is no law. So it's 00:13:47.470 --> 00:13:49.610 the spirit, it's learning to trust by faith, 00:13:49.669 --> 00:13:52.070 allowing the spirit of God to produce discipline 00:13:52.070 --> 00:13:54.690 in our lives. We're commanded, I mean, just if 00:13:54.690 --> 00:13:57.590 that doesn't do it for you, we're commanded to 00:13:57.590 --> 00:14:01.850 live disciplined lives. 2 Peter 1, 6 says, and 00:14:01.850 --> 00:14:05.009 let your knowledge lead to self -control and 00:14:05.009 --> 00:14:07.009 self -control to perseverance and perseverance 00:14:07.009 --> 00:14:11.990 to godliness. You're listening to Living on the 00:14:11.990 --> 00:14:14.710 Edge. We'll get back to our series, Balancing 00:14:14.710 --> 00:14:17.309 Life's Demands, in just a minute. But first, 00:14:17.409 --> 00:14:19.809 if this teaching has ministered to you, consider 00:14:19.809 --> 00:14:22.570 becoming a monthly partner. Your regular financial 00:14:22.570 --> 00:14:25.389 support goes a long way to help us encourage 00:14:25.389 --> 00:14:28.769 pastors, create resources, and share Jesus with 00:14:28.769 --> 00:14:32.330 today's youth. Visit livingontheedge .org to 00:14:32.330 --> 00:14:34.889 learn how to support us. Well, with that, here 00:14:34.889 --> 00:14:38.240 again is Chip. Discipline is the process that 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:42.200 is learned over time through training. It is 00:14:42.200 --> 00:14:45.539 not an experience, it's not automatic, and it's 00:14:45.539 --> 00:14:49.100 not about trying hard. I'll never forget, I had 00:14:49.100 --> 00:14:52.039 an assistant, a really bright young gal that 00:14:52.039 --> 00:14:54.259 worked with me for about eight years, and she 00:14:54.259 --> 00:14:57.000 had never run a day in her life. I mean, she 00:14:57.000 --> 00:14:59.919 was not athletic at all. And she decided she 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:02.090 was going to run a marathon. And, you know, I've 00:15:02.090 --> 00:15:03.590 been working out for years, and, like, I run 00:15:03.590 --> 00:15:05.509 about two miles, and it hurts my knees. Man, 00:15:05.649 --> 00:15:07.850 you know, let me chase something, hit something, 00:15:08.070 --> 00:15:10.470 play something. But running just seems like, 00:15:10.590 --> 00:15:12.750 how can anyone do it? I admire you who do it. 00:15:13.169 --> 00:15:15.629 I mean, here she is. She's never done, she goes, 00:15:15.649 --> 00:15:17.269 oh, no, I talked to my friend, and we're going 00:15:17.269 --> 00:15:18.870 to, there's a training program. We saw it in 00:15:18.870 --> 00:15:22.129 a magazine. I'm going, good luck, sweetie. And 00:15:22.129 --> 00:15:25.750 then we met this guy who does marathons. And 00:15:25.750 --> 00:15:27.830 I watched her, and she started walking, and then 00:15:27.830 --> 00:15:30.070 she jogged so long. And all I can tell you is. 00:15:30.899 --> 00:15:33.960 About four months after she decided to run a 00:15:33.960 --> 00:15:38.279 marathon, she went into training. And I can remember 00:15:38.279 --> 00:15:40.220 about three months in, and she goes, could I 00:15:40.220 --> 00:15:42.299 come in a half hour late tomorrow? I said, sure, 00:15:42.379 --> 00:15:45.419 what you got going? She goes, well, I did 10 00:15:45.419 --> 00:15:48.659 miles on so -and -so, and I'm up to my 16 -miler, 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:50.919 and we got to get up real early. I said, you're 00:15:50.919 --> 00:15:52.940 going to run 16 miles before you come to work? 00:15:53.580 --> 00:15:56.950 And she said, yeah. I'm thinking you are like 00:15:56.950 --> 00:15:59.070 an angel from heaven. How do you do this? And 00:15:59.070 --> 00:16:02.110 what I watched is she ran a marathon without 00:16:02.110 --> 00:16:05.990 stopping because everything she needed to run 00:16:05.990 --> 00:16:10.289 a marathon was in her body. But she had to go 00:16:10.289 --> 00:16:14.009 into a process of training over time to take 00:16:14.009 --> 00:16:17.370 that which she already possessed over time to 00:16:17.370 --> 00:16:20.690 develop the capacity to perform what was in her. 00:16:20.850 --> 00:16:22.269 Are some of you kind of getting what I'm saying? 00:16:23.049 --> 00:16:26.250 All that you need is in you. The spirit and the 00:16:26.250 --> 00:16:28.190 power and the grace that raised Christ from the 00:16:28.190 --> 00:16:31.389 dead is in you. We must go into training. That's 00:16:31.389 --> 00:16:33.789 why the writer of Hebrews would say, by now, 00:16:33.789 --> 00:16:36.210 you ought to be mature. You ought to be teaching, 00:16:36.269 --> 00:16:39.549 but you're drinking milk. You need to be trained 00:16:39.549 --> 00:16:42.570 by God's word. And so we're going to talk about 00:16:42.570 --> 00:16:46.570 cultivating discipline as training. Now, as we 00:16:46.570 --> 00:16:49.990 get going here, the dynamics of biblical discipline 00:16:49.990 --> 00:16:53.570 can be summed up in two words. Because at this 00:16:53.570 --> 00:16:55.970 point, I hope you're saying, I want that training. 00:16:56.330 --> 00:16:59.129 I want to be disciplined. I'd love to start time 00:16:59.129 --> 00:17:01.909 with God or a workout or mentoring someone or 00:17:01.909 --> 00:17:03.870 getting my finances or my time in order, but 00:17:03.870 --> 00:17:05.670 I've never been disciplined. If you could show 00:17:05.670 --> 00:17:07.910 me how to get disciplined, ooh, ooh, ooh, I will 00:17:07.910 --> 00:17:10.769 do it. I want God to do it. Okay, say no more. 00:17:12.470 --> 00:17:15.890 That's what we're going to do. It can be summed 00:17:15.890 --> 00:17:20.750 up in two words, delayed gratification. It's 00:17:20.750 --> 00:17:24.380 the key. And I think of all the passages in scripture 00:17:24.380 --> 00:17:28.779 that help me really get my arms around biblical 00:17:28.779 --> 00:17:33.680 discipline, it's Hebrews 12, 11. All discipline 00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:38.059 for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful. 00:17:38.119 --> 00:17:43.579 Yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards 00:17:43.579 --> 00:17:48.259 it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. 00:17:49.109 --> 00:17:51.730 Do a little Bible study. I would encourage you 00:17:51.730 --> 00:17:55.190 to memorize that one little verse. All discipline, 00:17:55.410 --> 00:17:59.309 self -control, same word. Every passage so far, 00:17:59.329 --> 00:18:03.170 it's the same root word. All discipline, notice 00:18:03.170 --> 00:18:07.869 for the moment, front end. It does not seem to 00:18:07.869 --> 00:18:10.609 be, you know, it's sorrowful. It's difficult. 00:18:10.769 --> 00:18:14.470 It's painful. Yet, to those who have, what's 00:18:14.470 --> 00:18:17.910 our word? Over time, been trained by it, I wish 00:18:17.910 --> 00:18:20.730 you could see the picture of my assistant's face 00:18:20.730 --> 00:18:24.109 with the medal she got with her three friends 00:18:24.109 --> 00:18:28.829 26 .2 miles later. Someone who'd never run a 00:18:28.829 --> 00:18:31.990 day in her life and accomplished an amazing feat 00:18:31.990 --> 00:18:35.789 because she went into training. And that's what 00:18:35.789 --> 00:18:38.349 God has for you in your relationships, your marriages, 00:18:38.589 --> 00:18:41.890 your singleness, your parenting, your money, 00:18:41.990 --> 00:18:44.940 and your time. That's what he really has for 00:18:44.940 --> 00:18:46.779 you. Don't believe that lie. Well, there's other 00:18:46.779 --> 00:18:49.920 people that are more smart than we are. And there's 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:51.799 people that are so much more holy. And there's 00:18:51.799 --> 00:18:53.660 people that are in such a different category. 00:18:54.119 --> 00:18:57.019 This is God's plan for every one of his children. 00:18:57.619 --> 00:19:01.160 I love the quote by the author and psychiatrist, 00:19:01.460 --> 00:19:05.380 Scott Peck. He says, discipline is willfully 00:19:05.380 --> 00:19:07.960 choosing to embrace the painful and difficult 00:19:07.960 --> 00:19:12.269 aspects of one's life first. In order, listen 00:19:12.269 --> 00:19:16.069 to this, to more fully enjoy and successfully 00:19:16.069 --> 00:19:20.190 achieve those relationships that mean the most. 00:19:21.329 --> 00:19:24.269 So much, we always focus on the first half. It's 00:19:24.269 --> 00:19:27.210 sorrowful, it's hard. I gotta get up. We gotta 00:19:27.210 --> 00:19:29.369 get on a budget. I don't wanna do that. You know, 00:19:29.410 --> 00:19:31.329 I'll never do it. I've failed before. Instead 00:19:31.329 --> 00:19:34.109 of focusing on, he says it's willfully choosing 00:19:34.109 --> 00:19:39.049 to what? To confront the pain on the front end. 00:19:39.770 --> 00:19:41.990 Why? So you can get something way, way better 00:19:41.990 --> 00:19:45.250 on the back end. Let me give you a high school 00:19:45.250 --> 00:19:48.109 illustration. You're in 10th grade, and you're 00:19:48.109 --> 00:19:49.750 now learning how to write term papers. You have 00:19:49.750 --> 00:19:51.890 to write a term paper, and there's a 15 -page 00:19:51.890 --> 00:19:54.710 term paper that is due. You don't know much, 00:19:54.710 --> 00:19:56.309 but they've sent you to the library. It's the 00:19:56.309 --> 00:19:58.309 old days, so either three by five cards, you 00:19:58.309 --> 00:20:00.990 go and get on the computer, and you've got, you 00:20:00.990 --> 00:20:02.410 know, like a month to do it, and three weeks 00:20:02.410 --> 00:20:04.390 have gone by to your last week, and you say to 00:20:04.390 --> 00:20:05.690 yourself, you know, I gotta get on this term 00:20:05.690 --> 00:20:08.250 paper, you know. I've never written one, and 00:20:08.920 --> 00:20:10.759 And your parents ask, well, how's that term paper? 00:20:10.839 --> 00:20:12.640 Oh, yeah, pretty good. That means I've been thinking 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:14.339 about it a little bit. Like, I do have my topic. 00:20:14.539 --> 00:20:17.279 That's it. And then they say, hey, how's it really 00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:19.240 going? So now it's by Tuesday or Wednesday. And 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:23.220 you did at least peruse where the resources were 00:20:23.220 --> 00:20:27.660 for about five minutes. Well, it's Thursday. 00:20:27.940 --> 00:20:29.640 And you decide, okay, Thursday, I've got to get 00:20:29.640 --> 00:20:31.299 this. I mean, I've got to start the term paper. 00:20:31.579 --> 00:20:33.099 And you're at school and someone goes, hey, are 00:20:33.099 --> 00:20:35.009 you going to the party tonight? No, I didn't 00:20:35.009 --> 00:20:37.089 know there's, oh man, this is an awesome party. 00:20:37.490 --> 00:20:39.690 Well, okay, you know, I could do it Friday night. 00:20:39.809 --> 00:20:42.269 So you go to the party, but even during the party, 00:20:42.390 --> 00:20:45.690 in the back of your mind. This nagging, 15 pages, 00:20:45.769 --> 00:20:47.930 that's a long time. Little knot in your stomach, 00:20:48.009 --> 00:20:49.490 but, you know, a little fun sort of makes that 00:20:49.490 --> 00:20:52.190 go away. And you get up on Friday and then, oh, 00:20:52.369 --> 00:20:53.789 hey, did you hear about, you're going to the 00:20:53.789 --> 00:20:55.369 game tonight? Oh, no, I can't go to the game. 00:20:55.390 --> 00:20:57.509 I'm writing a term paper. Friday night? You're 00:20:57.509 --> 00:20:58.950 going to stay home and write a term paper, you 00:20:58.950 --> 00:21:00.849 nerd? What's with you? And you say to yourself, 00:21:00.970 --> 00:21:02.589 that is kind of dumb. I got all day Saturday, 00:21:02.750 --> 00:21:07.049 right? So you go to the game, right? And then 00:21:07.049 --> 00:21:08.750 you get up on Saturday. Man, I am really tired. 00:21:08.890 --> 00:21:10.829 I think I'll just get something to eat before 00:21:10.829 --> 00:21:14.690 I really get going. Well, pretty soon it is Sunday 00:21:14.690 --> 00:21:19.390 night. The term papers do. You start about 8 00:21:19.390 --> 00:21:22.750 .30 and you work until about 4 .30 in the morning 00:21:22.750 --> 00:21:25.849 and you've written a very poor 12 and a half 00:21:25.849 --> 00:21:29.369 page paper that's supposed to be 15. And here's 00:21:29.369 --> 00:21:32.910 the point. You not only have a lousy paper, you 00:21:32.910 --> 00:21:35.490 didn't enjoy Thursday night very much. During 00:21:35.490 --> 00:21:38.210 most of the game, All you could think about when 00:21:38.210 --> 00:21:40.529 your team wasn't scoring or you weren't laughing 00:21:40.529 --> 00:21:42.710 was what was undone, and you had this gnawing 00:21:42.710 --> 00:21:45.670 in the back of your mind. On Saturday, your procrastination, 00:21:45.750 --> 00:21:47.490 you had low -grade guilt that turned to high 00:21:47.490 --> 00:21:50.309 -grade guilt, and you told yourself, maybe God 00:21:50.309 --> 00:21:51.670 will really help me while you were at church 00:21:51.670 --> 00:21:53.190 and thought about skipping church to write the 00:21:53.190 --> 00:21:55.849 paper. I got news for you. There's people that 00:21:55.849 --> 00:22:00.819 live their whole life like that. And the stuff 00:22:00.819 --> 00:22:03.460 that really needs to get done keeps getting pushed 00:22:03.460 --> 00:22:05.920 out and keeps getting procrastinated. We'll get 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:08.160 the finances under control. We'll work on our 00:22:08.160 --> 00:22:09.720 marriage. We'll really sit down and talk with 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:11.799 one of our kids. We'll address this addiction 00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:14.200 issue. You know what? We'll confront that issue 00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:16.119 with, you know, our in -laws and, hey, we got 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:18.059 to set some boundaries and deal with some stuff. 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:20.119 And you know what? It's that term paper and it 00:22:20.119 --> 00:22:22.460 never gets, and you just stay busy. You stay 00:22:22.460 --> 00:22:24.940 active. You love God a little bit. You do a little 00:22:24.940 --> 00:22:27.279 bit of this, do a little bit of that. And all 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:32.839 the while. You never experience the rich better 00:22:32.839 --> 00:22:38.380 that God has because of that rare word, delayed 00:22:38.380 --> 00:22:41.779 gratification. And so I would say the big question 00:22:41.779 --> 00:22:45.619 for us, how in the world do you develop? If delayed 00:22:45.619 --> 00:22:48.220 gratification, if that's the key, how do you 00:22:48.220 --> 00:22:51.000 develop it in your life? And the method of developing 00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:53.359 biblical discipline can be summed up in three 00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:56.319 words. Discipline is two words, delayed gratification. 00:22:57.150 --> 00:22:59.730 How you get it, the process of developing it. 00:22:59.730 --> 00:23:01.910 You say to yourself, what's the training? Where's 00:23:01.910 --> 00:23:04.250 the magazine that says if I run, you know, jog 00:23:04.250 --> 00:23:06.470 a little bit and then the next week I actually 00:23:06.470 --> 00:23:08.529 try and jog a mile and then after that I go and 00:23:08.529 --> 00:23:10.690 where, how does that happen? And you're gonna 00:23:10.690 --> 00:23:13.130 see it right out of scripture. The three key 00:23:13.130 --> 00:23:16.930 words are advance, decision -making. The key 00:23:16.930 --> 00:23:20.839 to delayed gratification. If you are at the window 00:23:20.839 --> 00:23:23.339 and the moment where you know you need to delay 00:23:23.339 --> 00:23:26.019 your gratification and you haven't pre -decided 00:23:26.019 --> 00:23:27.579 what you're going to do in that moment, about 00:23:27.579 --> 00:23:30.319 95 % of the time, you will do what you don't 00:23:30.319 --> 00:23:36.279 want to do. This is Living on the Edge with Chip 00:23:36.279 --> 00:23:38.460 Ingram, and you've been listening to Part 1 of 00:23:38.460 --> 00:23:40.720 Chip's message, How to Put First Things First, 00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:44.019 from our series, Balancing Life's Demands. Chip 00:23:44.019 --> 00:23:46.259 will be back shortly to share some helpful application 00:23:46.259 --> 00:23:49.279 for us to think about. Are you overwhelmed by 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:51.819 the pressure to do more, have more, and achieve 00:23:51.819 --> 00:23:54.559 more? In this 10 -part series, Chip provides 00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:57.599 practical biblical steps to help you move your 00:23:57.599 --> 00:24:00.619 life from chaos to contentment. Discover how 00:24:00.619 --> 00:24:03.119 to align your priorities around God's vision 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:05.839 for your life and the discipline to not only 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:08.220 put first things first, but keep them there. 00:24:08.440 --> 00:24:10.700 You're not going to want to miss a single program 00:24:10.700 --> 00:24:13.849 of this series. Well, Chip's here in studio with 00:24:13.849 --> 00:24:16.250 me now. And Chip, before we go on, you wanted 00:24:16.250 --> 00:24:19.049 to share something with our listeners? Thanks, 00:24:19.170 --> 00:24:21.670 Dave. I know a lot of people pray and support 00:24:21.670 --> 00:24:23.970 the ministry because you hear of exciting new 00:24:23.970 --> 00:24:25.789 things that we're doing, whether it's in China 00:24:25.789 --> 00:24:28.630 or the Middle East or working with pastors. But 00:24:28.630 --> 00:24:30.849 I'd like you to consider something else. The 00:24:30.849 --> 00:24:33.730 Bible is very clear that where you are spiritually 00:24:33.730 --> 00:24:37.069 ministered to, there's a moral responsibility 00:24:37.069 --> 00:24:40.369 to financially support. That's not me. That's 00:24:40.369 --> 00:24:43.099 the Apostle Paul. And you know, there's about 00:24:43.099 --> 00:24:45.579 a million people every week that are hearing 00:24:45.579 --> 00:24:48.839 God's Word. And God is using the teaching ministry 00:24:48.839 --> 00:24:51.140 of Living on the Edge to help Christians grow 00:24:51.140 --> 00:24:53.740 in Christlikeness. And that changes families 00:24:53.740 --> 00:24:56.420 and communities. If you're one of those people, 00:24:56.660 --> 00:25:00.160 would you pray about giving back if indeed Living 00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:02.500 on the Edge is ministering to you and helping 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:04.839 you grow spiritually? It's just a principle that 00:25:04.839 --> 00:25:06.980 I think is very important. Would you pray about 00:25:06.980 --> 00:25:09.380 it and do whatever God shows you to do? Thanks, 00:25:09.400 --> 00:25:12.059 Chip. As you prayerfully consider your role in 00:25:12.059 --> 00:25:14.359 this ministry, I want to remind you that every 00:25:14.359 --> 00:25:17.039 dollar is significant. When you partner with 00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:19.099 Living on the Edge, you multiply our efforts 00:25:19.099 --> 00:25:22.400 and resources in remarkable ways. To give a gift, 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:26.019 go to livingontheedge .org or call us at 888 00:25:26.019 --> 00:25:35.099 -333 -6003. That's 888 -333 -6003 or go to livingontheedge 00:25:35.099 --> 00:25:39.650 .org. App listeners, tap donate. Well, with that, 00:25:39.650 --> 00:25:42.029 here again is Chip to share a few final thoughts. 00:25:42.410 --> 00:25:45.410 As we close today's program, you know, this whole 00:25:45.410 --> 00:25:48.809 idea of discipline, of not getting what I want 00:25:48.809 --> 00:25:51.089 right now, it's like intellectually we say, oh, 00:25:51.170 --> 00:25:53.990 yes, I know delayed gratification is really important. 00:25:54.150 --> 00:25:56.990 But when you look at your debt level, when you 00:25:56.990 --> 00:25:59.190 look at eating at times when you know you're 00:25:59.190 --> 00:26:01.549 not hungry, and when you look at, you know, I 00:26:01.549 --> 00:26:04.130 started working out and already I've missed one 00:26:04.130 --> 00:26:07.450 day. What I want you to know is that we all struggle 00:26:07.450 --> 00:26:10.960 with this. issue, I've observed that the single 00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:14.200 most important element that's missing in people's 00:26:14.200 --> 00:26:17.589 growth is discipline. You know, there's honest 00:26:17.589 --> 00:26:19.890 desire. I'm with a group of young people. They 00:26:19.890 --> 00:26:23.410 honestly really want to grow, but they just, 00:26:23.430 --> 00:26:25.569 you know, it's hard to get out of bed. Or, you 00:26:25.569 --> 00:26:27.390 know, I meet people who really want to get their 00:26:27.390 --> 00:26:30.490 priorities in line, but oh, the mountain of credit 00:26:30.490 --> 00:26:33.430 card debt is so big and so long. Or, you know, 00:26:33.430 --> 00:26:35.430 people who want to get in shape, but it's just 00:26:35.430 --> 00:26:37.170 like, oh, you know, I get started and then I 00:26:37.170 --> 00:26:40.910 fail. It's because we don't understand how discipline 00:26:40.910 --> 00:26:43.710 works. It's a fruit of the spirit. It's not trying 00:26:43.710 --> 00:26:46.440 hard. In our next broadcast, I'm going to talk 00:26:46.440 --> 00:26:48.680 about the dynamics of delayed gratification. 00:26:48.980 --> 00:26:53.259 I mean, the mental process of how to think. So 00:26:53.259 --> 00:26:56.799 instead of this mindset of, oh, I'm giving up 00:26:56.799 --> 00:26:59.500 this and I can't do that. And, you know, this 00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:02.140 is so hard and I need to try harder. And I'm 00:27:02.140 --> 00:27:04.980 just not a very disciplined person. That thinking 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:07.799 is garbage. That thinking is from the enemy. 00:27:07.980 --> 00:27:11.059 When you get it right biblically, what you realize 00:27:11.059 --> 00:27:14.779 is I'm not giving up anything great. I'm delaying. 00:27:14.960 --> 00:27:17.359 things that would be sort of nice to get something 00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:20.700 awesome and great later. And as you start that 00:27:20.700 --> 00:27:23.619 process, the grace of God will begin to give 00:27:23.619 --> 00:27:25.720 you more and more discipline. It's a fruit of 00:27:25.720 --> 00:27:27.960 the Spirit. And you will begin to have this level 00:27:27.960 --> 00:27:31.660 of self -esteem and positive feedback as you 00:27:31.660 --> 00:27:33.980 begin to delay some things. And you'll begin 00:27:33.980 --> 00:27:36.259 to see the fruit within two or three weeks. But 00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:38.579 let me tell you, you've got to understand how 00:27:38.579 --> 00:27:41.160 it really works. And that's on our next broadcast. 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:43.880 I hope you'll be with us. Excited to hear more 00:27:43.880 --> 00:27:46.519 about that process, Chip. Thanks. Hey, as we 00:27:46.519 --> 00:27:49.000 close, if you're looking for good Bible content, 00:27:49.220 --> 00:27:51.619 check out the Chip Ingram app. You can listen 00:27:51.619 --> 00:27:54.319 to our most recent series or sign up for Daily 00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:57.299 Discipleship with Chip, a great resource to help 00:27:57.299 --> 00:28:00.380 you study God's Word at a deeper level. We want 00:28:00.380 --> 00:28:02.579 you to grow in your walk with Jesus, and the 00:28:02.579 --> 00:28:05.799 Chip Ingram app will help you do just that. We'll 00:28:05.799 --> 00:28:08.019 listen in next time as Chip picks up in his series, 00:28:08.180 --> 00:28:10.900 Balancing Life's Demands. Until then, this is 00:28:10.900 --> 00:28:13.420 Dave Drewy saying thanks for joining us for this 00:28:13.420 --> 00:28:15.579 edition of Living on the Edge.