WEBVTT 00:00:01.290 --> 00:00:03.890 Do you ever feel stuck in your spiritual life? 00:00:04.030 --> 00:00:06.910 I mean, you're trying hard and you are doing 00:00:06.910 --> 00:00:09.429 all the right things, but it's like, where's 00:00:09.429 --> 00:00:12.089 God? Where's the power? Where's the presence? 00:00:12.189 --> 00:00:15.189 Where's the love? And you just can't figure out 00:00:15.189 --> 00:00:18.690 what's wrong. I've been there. And today I want 00:00:18.690 --> 00:00:20.850 to share some things I've learned to help you 00:00:20.850 --> 00:00:27.899 get unstuck. Thank you for being with us for 00:00:27.899 --> 00:00:30.679 this edition of Living on the Edge with Chip 00:00:30.679 --> 00:00:33.219 Ingram. Chip serves as our Bible teacher for 00:00:33.219 --> 00:00:35.399 this global teaching and discipleship ministry, 00:00:35.659 --> 00:00:38.520 helping Christians develop an authentic faith. 00:00:38.740 --> 00:00:40.880 Well, in just a minute, we'll pick up where Chip 00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:43.560 left off in our series, Balancing Life's Demands. 00:00:43.579 --> 00:00:46.840 Last time, he explained how hypocrisy can derail 00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:49.520 our honest pursuit of a moral, God -honoring 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:52.299 life. Today, Chip will unpack the second threat 00:00:52.299 --> 00:00:55.100 Jesus highlighted for us in Matthew chapter 5. 00:00:55.259 --> 00:00:57.920 So go there now as we join Chip with part two 00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:00.740 of his talk, Warning, Personal Discipline Can 00:01:00.740 --> 00:01:04.359 Be Hazardous to Your Health. He said, you have 00:01:04.359 --> 00:01:08.040 heard it said, love your neighbor and hate your 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:11.579 enemies. But I tell you, love your enemies and 00:01:11.579 --> 00:01:14.069 then listen to this. pray for those who persecute 00:01:14.069 --> 00:01:17.150 you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. 00:01:17.290 --> 00:01:19.489 And the idea of sons, especially in Hebrew culture, 00:01:19.650 --> 00:01:22.750 it has family likeness is the idea. You'll be 00:01:22.750 --> 00:01:25.609 like your Father in heaven. He causes the sun 00:01:25.609 --> 00:01:27.750 to rise on the evil and the good. He sends rain 00:01:27.750 --> 00:01:30.010 on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you 00:01:30.010 --> 00:01:33.670 love those who love you, duh, you know, what 00:01:33.670 --> 00:01:36.489 reward is that? I mean, don't tax collectors 00:01:36.489 --> 00:01:40.159 and sinners do that? And so he makes this point. 00:01:40.200 --> 00:01:44.319 He says, I want you to demonstrate to the Romans 00:01:44.319 --> 00:01:49.180 mercy, I mean grace. And then now he says, what 00:01:49.180 --> 00:01:51.040 do you do to your enemies? You don't give them 00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:54.040 what they deserve. Grace is giving people something 00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:57.799 they don't deserve. Mercy is withholding what 00:01:57.799 --> 00:02:00.560 people do deserve. And so when your enemies do, 00:02:00.659 --> 00:02:03.219 he says, I want you to withhold what you would 00:02:03.219 --> 00:02:06.760 normally give them, and I want you to overcome. 00:02:07.689 --> 00:02:11.289 evil with good. You'll never be more like your 00:02:11.289 --> 00:02:15.990 heavenly father than when you love people who 00:02:15.990 --> 00:02:19.530 have wounded and hurt and abused and betrayed 00:02:19.530 --> 00:02:24.819 you. And do you see, I mean, he is turning the 00:02:24.819 --> 00:02:27.219 paradigm of what it means to be an authentic 00:02:27.219 --> 00:02:30.840 follower of Yahweh completely upside down. This 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:33.800 is a righteousness that exceeds the Pharisees 00:02:33.800 --> 00:02:36.520 because this righteousness is a matter of the 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:39.939 heart. This righteousness requires supernatural 00:02:39.939 --> 00:02:44.060 help. This righteousness is not a religious system, 00:02:44.180 --> 00:02:46.740 a rigid personal discipline of doing the right 00:02:46.740 --> 00:02:50.340 things. And we can do it ourselves. I go to church. 00:02:50.919 --> 00:02:53.379 I'm on the missions committee. You know, I'm 00:02:53.379 --> 00:02:56.000 in a small group. I give X amount of dollars. 00:02:56.159 --> 00:02:58.280 You know, I've got my little checklist. Boom, 00:02:58.439 --> 00:03:02.439 boom, boom, boom, boom. And I am doing great. 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:04.840 I must be right with God. And then it develops 00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:09.180 two things. Number one, a very tired, weary Christian 00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:12.419 with not much joy and usually a self -righteous 00:03:12.419 --> 00:03:14.819 person who looks down on other people who aren't 00:03:14.819 --> 00:03:19.060 doing as much. Jesus was the most winsome human 00:03:19.060 --> 00:03:22.530 being. on the face of the earth. And his life 00:03:22.530 --> 00:03:26.930 of love and grace and mercy and truth and strength 00:03:26.930 --> 00:03:31.189 and courage caused prostitutes and sinners and 00:03:31.189 --> 00:03:34.210 people to be drawn to him like bees to honey. 00:03:34.409 --> 00:03:36.849 And it caused people who genuinely wanted to 00:03:36.849 --> 00:03:39.930 know God to see the Father as he really is. And 00:03:39.930 --> 00:03:41.849 it caused people who were religious and self 00:03:41.849 --> 00:03:44.009 -righteous and controlling to want to kill him. 00:03:45.729 --> 00:03:49.080 And sometimes I ask myself, if I lived... In 00:03:49.080 --> 00:03:51.379 that day, I wonder which one of those groups 00:03:51.379 --> 00:03:56.199 I would be in. I tend to read the New Testament 00:03:56.199 --> 00:03:59.460 like I'm always one of the disciples. Try reading 00:03:59.460 --> 00:04:01.219 it sometime like you're one of the Pharisees. 00:04:04.740 --> 00:04:07.860 My righteousness, your righteousness must exceed 00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:13.939 that. And so here's the summary. Jesus condemns 00:04:13.939 --> 00:04:17.839 external righteousness, spiritual activities. 00:04:18.949 --> 00:04:22.509 When it does not flow from internal relationship 00:04:22.509 --> 00:04:26.790 with God, true spirituality is always an issue 00:04:26.790 --> 00:04:32.470 of the heart. God's love is never dependent upon 00:04:32.470 --> 00:04:35.610 your performance. If there's one thing, if we 00:04:35.610 --> 00:04:39.509 could be set free, God's love is not dependent 00:04:39.509 --> 00:04:45.939 on your performance. I remember early on. I was 00:04:45.939 --> 00:04:48.079 helping out with a school, and part of trying 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:50.959 to negotiate some tuition for my kids was coaching 00:04:50.959 --> 00:04:53.100 the basketball team as I pastored this little 00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:56.490 church. And I had a group of, you know, one of 00:04:56.490 --> 00:04:58.829 those big vans, 15 passenger vans. I had the 00:04:58.829 --> 00:05:01.250 whole team, and we had about an hour and a half 00:05:01.250 --> 00:05:03.610 away, played the game, came back. And, you know, 00:05:03.649 --> 00:05:05.230 the highlight for some of the guys was stopping 00:05:05.230 --> 00:05:07.129 at McDonald's, you know, on the way home, regardless 00:05:07.129 --> 00:05:10.110 of the game. And so I've got about 10 or 12 of 00:05:10.110 --> 00:05:11.889 these guys, and we're eating at McDonald's, and 00:05:11.889 --> 00:05:17.420 there was a very, very old lady. there. And she 00:05:17.420 --> 00:05:21.300 watched these young men bow and pray, and a conversation 00:05:21.300 --> 00:05:24.639 started, and just had a little prompting from 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:26.699 God. Wasn't trying to be ultra -spiritual, but 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:29.660 got in a conversation with this lady, and I asked 00:05:29.660 --> 00:05:31.779 her about her spiritual roots. Oh, yes, and yeah, 00:05:31.819 --> 00:05:34.439 very spiritual, and you know, I love God, and 00:05:34.439 --> 00:05:35.680 this and that. I said, well, tell me a little 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:38.160 bit about, would you explain to me, and I've 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:39.660 got all these guys here, and I'm thinking this 00:05:39.660 --> 00:05:42.339 is a good window of opportunity. Would you explain 00:05:42.339 --> 00:05:46.410 to me how do you develop a close relationship 00:05:46.410 --> 00:05:48.889 with God? Because, you know, she had a lot of 00:05:48.889 --> 00:05:51.209 jewelry and things that would tell you that she's 00:05:51.209 --> 00:05:54.610 very religious. And she goes, oh, yes, yes. And 00:05:54.610 --> 00:05:56.209 she was from the old country. I don't know what 00:05:56.209 --> 00:05:57.730 old country she was from. Had a little bit of 00:05:57.730 --> 00:05:59.649 an accent. But she was from the old country. 00:06:00.069 --> 00:06:03.769 She says, you need to understand that there is 00:06:03.769 --> 00:06:07.870 this great God. And between me and this great 00:06:07.870 --> 00:06:12.769 God is this huge boulder of granite. And every 00:06:12.769 --> 00:06:16.490 day I get up and God gives me a little hammer 00:06:16.490 --> 00:06:21.129 and he gives me a chisel. And I chisel a tiny 00:06:21.129 --> 00:06:24.189 piece of that boulder away. And I do it with 00:06:24.189 --> 00:06:26.529 a good work here and I do it with a prayer here 00:06:26.529 --> 00:06:28.829 and another prayer here and another good work. 00:06:29.170 --> 00:06:33.970 And I mean, the lady's like 90. And I said, well, 00:06:34.089 --> 00:06:40.779 how's it coming on the boulder? Like you had 00:06:40.779 --> 00:06:43.000 a lot of time to work on this one, you know? 00:06:43.339 --> 00:06:46.899 And she goes, oh, well, I'm not through yet, 00:06:46.980 --> 00:06:49.740 but I just pray and hope desperately someday. 00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:53.540 And she began to share a little bit of her life. 00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:55.839 And I will tell you, it is one of the simply 00:06:55.839 --> 00:07:00.319 saddest experiences ever. She knew a lot of the 00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:04.779 Bible. She quoted lots of verses. She was a modern 00:07:04.779 --> 00:07:07.540 day. Her theology was the righteousness of the 00:07:07.540 --> 00:07:12.209 Pharisees. And that's a vivid picture, but I 00:07:12.209 --> 00:07:14.769 think at least subconsciously, there's a lot 00:07:14.769 --> 00:07:18.670 of us that think that way. Oh, I miss my quiet 00:07:18.670 --> 00:07:20.170 time. Oh, I haven't prayed in a couple days. 00:07:20.389 --> 00:07:22.930 Oh, you know, I'm giving X percent, but I ought 00:07:22.930 --> 00:07:26.870 to be giving X percent. And there's this unconscious, 00:07:27.110 --> 00:07:29.069 oh, I feel okay, and I'm doing okay, and God 00:07:29.069 --> 00:07:31.769 loves me when I perform, perform, perform, and 00:07:31.769 --> 00:07:34.930 when I don't. Now, we're going to learn in a 00:07:34.930 --> 00:07:36.589 second our spiritual activities. You're thinking, 00:07:36.649 --> 00:07:38.750 wait a minute, Chip. You just told us, man, you're 00:07:38.750 --> 00:07:40.730 giving all these sessions about how important 00:07:40.730 --> 00:07:42.389 it is and to be disciplined and all this, and 00:07:42.389 --> 00:07:44.490 now you're just messing with my mind, Ingram. 00:07:44.589 --> 00:07:49.810 No, no, no, Jesus is. Okay? Everything we've 00:07:49.810 --> 00:07:53.350 talked about so far is absolutely true, absolutely 00:07:53.350 --> 00:07:58.290 of a necessity. But it's the difference between 00:07:58.290 --> 00:08:01.430 doing those things to walk into the house and 00:08:01.430 --> 00:08:04.319 meet with a person. than get focused on the driveway. 00:08:05.500 --> 00:08:08.620 It's the spiritual activities. And just sort 00:08:08.620 --> 00:08:11.459 of a quick FYI, in case it's never got clearer, 00:08:11.620 --> 00:08:14.199 because I lived in America, and I went to church, 00:08:14.300 --> 00:08:18.180 though it be not a good one. I never heard it. 00:08:19.060 --> 00:08:21.399 So just let me take two minutes before we go 00:08:21.399 --> 00:08:24.480 on. I want to explain the good news of the gospel 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:30.139 is this. God loves you. And there's no way, no 00:08:30.139 --> 00:08:33.320 effort, no good work. no means you can ever have 00:08:33.320 --> 00:08:35.879 to earn his favor and there is no boulder between 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:38.919 you. It's a chasm that's impossible to cross. 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:43.200 From the eternity past in the mind head of the 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:46.559 triune God, they predetermined that the son of 00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:49.820 God would come to the earth and take on human 00:08:49.820 --> 00:08:53.220 flesh being fully man and fully God. Fully man, 00:08:53.460 --> 00:08:56.299 he would have the ability to die. Fully God, 00:08:56.460 --> 00:08:58.580 he would live a perfect life and his sacrifice 00:08:58.580 --> 00:09:02.419 would have infinite value. And after revealing 00:09:02.419 --> 00:09:05.700 by his life and his words and his teaching, the 00:09:05.700 --> 00:09:08.860 very character of God, truth and grace, it was 00:09:08.860 --> 00:09:11.399 preordained from the foundation of the world 00:09:11.399 --> 00:09:15.080 that the son of God would be unjustly accused 00:09:15.080 --> 00:09:18.860 of many crimes and he would hang upon a cross 00:09:18.860 --> 00:09:21.700 and he would hang upon the cross, not for one 00:09:21.700 --> 00:09:24.539 single thing that he did, but for the sins of 00:09:24.539 --> 00:09:28.039 all men for all time. And as he hung upon that 00:09:28.039 --> 00:09:31.690 cross, he would be the offering, for you and 00:09:31.690 --> 00:09:35.049 for me, and all the sins of all people of all 00:09:35.049 --> 00:09:37.889 time would be absorbed by him. He would become 00:09:37.889 --> 00:09:41.710 sin, a sin offering on our behalf. And because 00:09:41.710 --> 00:09:45.529 God is holy and God is just, he would, because 00:09:45.529 --> 00:09:48.549 he can't see sin for the first time, and this 00:09:48.549 --> 00:09:52.850 was the agony, he would take his just wrath and... 00:09:53.100 --> 00:09:55.580 pour it on the Son of God so there would be separation. 00:09:55.860 --> 00:09:58.200 And Jesus would receive that. And why he said, 00:09:58.259 --> 00:10:01.340 my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Because 00:10:01.340 --> 00:10:04.120 in that window and moment of time, for first 00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:07.860 time in all eternity, your sin and my sin was 00:10:07.860 --> 00:10:12.139 paid for completely by him. And he gave his life. 00:10:13.779 --> 00:10:17.059 And he now offers a gift to every human being 00:10:17.059 --> 00:10:19.620 on the face of the earth that is free. For by 00:10:19.620 --> 00:10:22.059 grace you're saved through faith. That's not 00:10:22.059 --> 00:10:24.340 of yourself. It's a gift of God, not of works. 00:10:24.419 --> 00:10:26.740 At least any man should boast. And then three 00:10:26.740 --> 00:10:29.460 days later, not by a dream, not by a prophet, 00:10:29.620 --> 00:10:32.000 not by a religion, not by something in the sky. 00:10:33.870 --> 00:10:37.610 He would rise from the dead and for over 40 days 00:10:37.610 --> 00:10:41.769 have personal interaction with 500 eyewitnesses 00:10:41.769 --> 00:10:44.889 documented. And just to throw a little icing 00:10:44.889 --> 00:10:46.830 on the cake, God had a number of other people 00:10:46.830 --> 00:10:49.049 be raised from the dead and they went around 00:10:49.049 --> 00:10:52.070 and talked about what was happening. In space 00:10:52.070 --> 00:10:55.159 -time history. And the offer and the message 00:10:55.159 --> 00:10:57.500 of Christianity is not be a nice person, go to 00:10:57.500 --> 00:10:59.559 church, clean up your morals, and be a little 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:02.659 bit kinder and nicer than other people. The message 00:11:02.659 --> 00:11:06.340 is we are lost in our sin. We're separated eternally 00:11:06.340 --> 00:11:09.179 from God. I am the way, the truth, and the life. 00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:11.720 No one comes to the Father except by me, Jesus 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:14.440 would say. And he makes an offer to you and to 00:11:14.440 --> 00:11:17.179 every single person. Whosoever would believe 00:11:17.179 --> 00:11:20.620 in him should not perish but have eternal life. 00:11:20.899 --> 00:11:23.159 Eternal life isn't something that happens. after 00:11:23.159 --> 00:11:26.480 you die. It is a quality of life where the chasm 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:29.580 is closed. Your sin is atoned or covered for. 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:32.360 You are taken out of this kingdom of darkness, 00:11:32.500 --> 00:11:35.559 ripped out of it by faith through his grace, 00:11:35.700 --> 00:11:38.460 planted in the kingdom of his beloved son in 00:11:38.460 --> 00:11:41.059 the kingdom of light. The spirit of God enters 00:11:41.059 --> 00:11:43.440 your physical body. You're sealed with the spirit, 00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:46.480 deposited spiritual gifts in you and his purposes 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:48.960 now as Christ lives his life out through you. 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:53.799 That's the gospel. The righteousness of Christ. 00:11:58.120 --> 00:12:02.879 And living the Christian life is not hard and 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:05.360 it's not about trying hard. It's impossible. 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:08.559 When Paul explains it in the book of Romans, 00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:10.759 he will tell us the first three chapters is the 00:12:10.759 --> 00:12:13.080 problem, chapters four and five is the solution, 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:15.759 then chapters six, seven, and eight are how the 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:18.539 supernatural righteousness is achieved. It's 00:12:18.539 --> 00:12:21.039 achieved first by reckoning that you died with 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:23.919 him, you rose to walk in newness of life, that 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:25.559 there's a battle of the flesh and the spirit, 00:12:25.659 --> 00:12:28.639 chapter seven, but praise God, there's no condemnation 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:30.960 for those in Christ Jesus. It's the spirit of 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:33.019 God that manifests the very life and presence 00:12:33.019 --> 00:12:36.179 of Jesus inside you, and he lives. his life through 00:12:36.179 --> 00:12:41.759 you before God, manifesting through your personality 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:44.879 and your life, the righteousness and the life 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:48.139 and the love of God. That's what it means to 00:12:48.139 --> 00:12:51.139 be a Christian. And that's what Jesus came and 00:12:51.139 --> 00:12:54.200 that's what he was explaining. Your righteousness 00:12:54.200 --> 00:12:58.080 must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. 00:12:58.080 --> 00:13:02.250 And so he condemns external. righteousness if 00:13:02.250 --> 00:13:05.590 it doesn't flow from internal relationship with 00:13:05.590 --> 00:13:12.129 God. So you got it? Good. Now, let's look at 00:13:12.129 --> 00:13:14.669 the second issue he addresses, because you might 00:13:14.669 --> 00:13:17.529 say, well, wait a second. You know, that's wonderful. 00:13:17.750 --> 00:13:21.570 Grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, grace. That 00:13:21.570 --> 00:13:25.519 feels really good. But what about all those teachings 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:27.799 we went over about spiritual activities and disciplines? 00:13:28.059 --> 00:13:30.679 Aren't we commanded to pray? Aren't we commanded 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:34.639 to give? Aren't we commanded to fast? Yes. Jesus' 00:13:34.740 --> 00:13:37.580 solution was not to stop spiritual activities, 00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:41.019 but to ensure that we do them out of grace and 00:13:41.019 --> 00:13:43.919 relationship, not performance and obligation. 00:13:44.100 --> 00:13:47.330 It was that we would do them... out of devotion 00:13:47.330 --> 00:13:50.309 and see them as what they are. They're just a 00:13:50.309 --> 00:13:53.210 driveway. They're just a conduit to get to where 00:13:53.210 --> 00:13:56.649 you really wanna go. Giving, praying, fasting, 00:13:57.029 --> 00:14:00.509 media fast, scripture memory, accountability 00:14:00.509 --> 00:14:03.750 groups, none of that is the deal. They're just 00:14:03.750 --> 00:14:07.070 the driveway to get you where Christ can make 00:14:07.070 --> 00:14:09.990 his home and have freedom and manifest his life 00:14:09.990 --> 00:14:14.200 in your heart. That's what Paul prays. In Ephesians 00:14:14.200 --> 00:14:17.179 3, that Christ would take up residence, that 00:14:17.179 --> 00:14:18.879 he would dwell, and the word dwell there means 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:21.600 he would feel comfortable and be at home in you. 00:14:22.500 --> 00:14:25.159 And by the way, the whole Christian life, one 00:14:25.159 --> 00:14:29.159 word, abide. What do you need to abide? I don't 00:14:29.159 --> 00:14:30.820 know. I mean, scripture gives us some basics, 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:33.399 but whatever you need to stay connected to Jesus, 00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:35.960 just stay connected to Jesus and let his life 00:14:35.960 --> 00:14:38.240 flow through you. I mean, if you really want 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:41.639 to get it simple. You're listening to Living 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:44.139 on the Edge. We'll return you to Chip's message 00:14:44.139 --> 00:14:46.639 in just a minute, but let me quickly share with 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:49.179 you, God has called us to do incredible ministry 00:14:49.179 --> 00:14:52.179 work all around the world. And when you regularly 00:14:52.179 --> 00:14:54.340 give to Living on the Edge, you're a part of 00:14:54.340 --> 00:14:57.120 what we do. So consider becoming a monthly partner 00:14:57.120 --> 00:15:02.279 today. Then visit livingontheedge .org. We appreciate 00:15:02.279 --> 00:15:05.120 your generous support. Well, with that, here's 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:08.259 Chip. And what we know is that there's certain 00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:11.919 practices that help us abide. They're not an 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:14.860 end in themselves, they help us abide. In chapter 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:18.700 five, Jesus corrects our belief, our misguided 00:15:18.700 --> 00:15:21.720 beliefs about performance orientation, self -effort, 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:24.220 guilt manipulation, obligation and duty. Now, 00:15:24.259 --> 00:15:28.059 in chapter six, he's going to correct our behavior. 00:15:28.659 --> 00:15:31.500 He's gonna teach us, well, how do we do the right 00:15:31.500 --> 00:15:34.059 thing, right? But how do we do it in the right 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:36.879 way? And so I'm going to give you a quick overview 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:41.080 here of the first part of chapter 6. And what 00:15:41.080 --> 00:15:44.159 I want you to notice here is that what he's doing 00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:46.759 here, he's going to say now, in our pursuit of 00:15:46.759 --> 00:15:49.639 seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:54.899 there is also the danger of deception. In Matthew 00:15:54.899 --> 00:16:00.259 6, he will give three most common practices of 00:16:00.259 --> 00:16:02.440 the Christians, the followers, the religious 00:16:02.440 --> 00:16:05.580 leaders of that day. And what he will do is he'll 00:16:05.580 --> 00:16:08.559 show you, now look, your righteousness needs 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:11.320 to exceed that of the Pharisees. Let me show 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:15.039 you how to use those practices that does something 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:18.820 to your heart and your relationship rather than 00:16:18.820 --> 00:16:22.860 tries to impress people. So here's his application. 00:16:23.480 --> 00:16:26.899 Chapter six, verse one, be careful not to do 00:16:26.899 --> 00:16:29.740 your acts of righteousness before men, to be 00:16:29.740 --> 00:16:32.889 seen by them. If you do, you'll have no reward 00:16:32.889 --> 00:16:35.289 from your father in heaven. So when you give 00:16:35.289 --> 00:16:37.529 to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets 00:16:37.529 --> 00:16:39.649 as the hypocrites do in the synagogue and on 00:16:39.649 --> 00:16:42.590 the streets to be honored by men. I tell you 00:16:42.590 --> 00:16:44.610 the truth, they have received the reward in full. 00:16:44.909 --> 00:16:47.929 But when you give to the needy, do not let your 00:16:47.929 --> 00:16:49.750 left hand know what your right hand is doing 00:16:49.750 --> 00:16:52.470 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your 00:16:52.470 --> 00:16:55.289 father who sees what is done in secret will reward 00:16:55.289 --> 00:16:58.399 you. He's not saying here that if anyone ever 00:16:58.399 --> 00:17:01.200 finds out what you give, it's a problem. What 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:03.960 he's saying is if your motive when you give is 00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:06.380 to make sure people find out what you give, you 00:17:06.380 --> 00:17:08.759 got a problem. And he's saying you can have a 00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:12.240 reward. Plan A, people think you're hot stuff. 00:17:13.099 --> 00:17:16.440 God's unimpressed. Plan B, God thinks you're 00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:18.759 hot stuff and in secret wants to reward you and 00:17:18.759 --> 00:17:22.680 people don't know about it. You got it? The key 00:17:22.680 --> 00:17:27.529 here is our motive. The key issue is our motive. 00:17:27.890 --> 00:17:32.470 Giving guards your devotion. Your heart just 00:17:32.470 --> 00:17:34.589 always follows your treasure. So if you want 00:17:34.589 --> 00:17:38.630 your motives and your devotion to stay true to 00:17:38.630 --> 00:17:41.170 God and not an idol, and what did Jesus say? 00:17:41.210 --> 00:17:42.849 When Jesus said this wild thing, he says, there's 00:17:42.849 --> 00:17:46.369 only really two gods, me and mammon. I mean, 00:17:46.390 --> 00:17:50.910 what's mammon? It's materialism. And he says, 00:17:50.990 --> 00:17:54.470 you know, you can't serve both. And so giving 00:17:54.470 --> 00:17:56.650 isn't like, oh, this obligation. Oh, my gosh, 00:17:56.690 --> 00:17:59.109 who made up this 10 % thing? And, oh, gosh, I 00:17:59.109 --> 00:18:00.430 went to that seminar. They're into this, what, 00:18:00.450 --> 00:18:03.069 proportional giving? My, and I'm doing 10%. It 00:18:03.069 --> 00:18:05.089 took me forever. Now they're going 12, 15, 22. 00:18:05.769 --> 00:18:07.490 You know, boy, I'll tell you what. I don't know 00:18:07.490 --> 00:18:09.150 where these people are coming from. And, you 00:18:09.150 --> 00:18:12.210 know, okay, I paid my taxes. Okay, PG &E bill. 00:18:13.269 --> 00:18:19.750 Gas bill, mortgage bill, Jesus bill. Golly. He 00:18:19.750 --> 00:18:27.410 said, you missed. Giving is my opportunity to 00:18:27.410 --> 00:18:31.210 remind you that I own everything and your breath 00:18:31.210 --> 00:18:33.670 is from me. And what do you have that you don't 00:18:33.670 --> 00:18:36.880 receive? And your heart is a very precious thing 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:40.599 to me. And so I've instituted this practice that 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:43.519 every time you receive some things, you take 00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:45.920 a portion of it. And actually, I'm quite generous 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:49.099 since it's all mine. And I just ask for a portion 00:18:49.099 --> 00:18:51.779 of it, not because I need it. I can do anything. 00:18:52.180 --> 00:18:54.579 But I'm asking for a portion as sort of this 00:18:54.579 --> 00:18:58.490 reminder. For you to take your little claws because 00:18:58.490 --> 00:19:01.190 you always want to hang on to stuff and let go 00:19:01.190 --> 00:19:05.109 and love other people because I'm the most generous 00:19:05.109 --> 00:19:08.210 being in all the universe. I love so much. I 00:19:08.210 --> 00:19:12.109 gave my son. And so I want to teach you how to 00:19:12.109 --> 00:19:14.829 love. And you know what? You can give without 00:19:14.829 --> 00:19:16.650 loving, but you can never love without giving. 00:19:17.869 --> 00:19:22.950 And so it's a practice. Not to say, oh gosh, 00:19:23.069 --> 00:19:24.490 I'm really making progress. I used to only be 00:19:24.490 --> 00:19:28.769 a 10 % or I'm up to 12 .5. You're up to 12 .5? 00:19:28.769 --> 00:19:36.009 I'm giving 30 % of my income now. God has more 00:19:36.009 --> 00:19:39.430 and more of my heart and I give cheerfully and 00:19:39.430 --> 00:19:42.470 I give as a son who says, oh God, thank you. 00:19:43.109 --> 00:19:48.630 And all of this, all this is still to bless me 00:19:48.630 --> 00:19:52.490 and to richly enjoy? Thank you, Lord. I encourage 00:19:52.490 --> 00:19:55.829 you to give from the heart first. Then by the 00:19:55.829 --> 00:19:57.470 way, what many of you don't do, pay yourself, 00:19:57.869 --> 00:20:03.450 save second, and then live on the rest. The next 00:20:03.450 --> 00:20:07.089 practice, he goes to the motive again, the key 00:20:07.089 --> 00:20:09.250 issue in prayer. And when you pray, don't be 00:20:09.250 --> 00:20:11.450 like the hypocrites for they love to pray. How 00:20:11.450 --> 00:20:14.089 do they do it? Standing in the synagogues, on 00:20:14.089 --> 00:20:16.869 the street corners. Why? To be seen by men. I 00:20:16.869 --> 00:20:18.630 tell you the truth, they've received their reward 00:20:18.630 --> 00:20:21.390 in full. But when you pray, go into your room, 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:23.559 It's the idea of the inner room. Close the door. 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:27.799 Pray to your Father who has seen you in secret. 00:20:27.900 --> 00:20:30.000 Then your Father who sees what is done in secret 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:32.579 will reward you. And then it goes on and talks 00:20:32.579 --> 00:20:34.579 about when you pray and how to pray and the right 00:20:34.579 --> 00:20:36.799 way to pray and not babbling. And he gives us 00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:40.359 what's now known as the Lord's Prayer. But he 00:20:40.359 --> 00:20:44.680 gives us in prayer what? It's, again, motive, 00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:49.170 and it guards your discernment. A lot of the 00:20:49.170 --> 00:20:51.029 issues you have are discernment issues. What 00:20:51.029 --> 00:20:52.509 should I do? I just don't know. And you know 00:20:52.509 --> 00:20:55.970 what? No one does but God. And he has an agenda 00:20:55.970 --> 00:20:57.910 for you. And we always want someone to tell us 00:20:57.910 --> 00:20:59.670 what we ought to do and what percentage should 00:20:59.670 --> 00:21:01.490 we give and should I do this or should I do that? 00:21:01.549 --> 00:21:03.809 Or guess what? You know what? God wants to tell 00:21:03.809 --> 00:21:08.970 you. He wants to tell you. But you got to sit 00:21:08.970 --> 00:21:12.269 still. And I pray in the car. I'm going to keep 00:21:12.269 --> 00:21:13.829 praying in the car. I practice the presence of 00:21:13.829 --> 00:21:15.950 God. I have quick little prayers here. I have 00:21:15.950 --> 00:21:19.869 short ones over here. But I have to stop, go 00:21:19.869 --> 00:21:24.130 into my inner room, shut off the world, sit before 00:21:24.130 --> 00:21:27.750 him, and get clear. And often I pray through 00:21:27.750 --> 00:21:30.470 the Lord's Prayer so that it's not just needs 00:21:30.470 --> 00:21:33.450 or it's not just worship, it's our Father. It's 00:21:33.450 --> 00:21:36.009 relationship. Who art in heaven, holy. This is 00:21:36.009 --> 00:21:38.910 who God is. I want your kingdom to come, your 00:21:38.910 --> 00:21:41.869 agenda, not mine. I'm going to ask for my needs. 00:21:42.029 --> 00:21:44.009 I'm going to deal with relational issues and 00:21:44.009 --> 00:21:46.329 forgive anybody you bring to my mind. I'm going 00:21:46.329 --> 00:21:48.569 to ask you to guard me from temptation. You know 00:21:48.569 --> 00:21:50.970 what's coming today. And I want your kingdom 00:21:50.970 --> 00:21:56.190 and your power and your glory. So he says, I 00:21:56.190 --> 00:21:58.990 want you to pray, not because if you, okay, I 00:21:58.990 --> 00:22:01.910 did it 15 minutes. I'm spiritual. I did it 20. 00:22:02.069 --> 00:22:09.009 I did it 25. I pray for an hour every day. I'm 00:22:09.009 --> 00:22:12.970 not sure God has a clock or watch up there. I 00:22:12.970 --> 00:22:15.910 think he's looking at the heart and the honesty 00:22:15.910 --> 00:22:20.250 and the openness and where you say, Lord, speak. 00:22:20.450 --> 00:22:23.609 Your servant is listening. Where you're the Mary. 00:22:23.769 --> 00:22:27.769 Lord, be it unto me according to your word. Lord, 00:22:27.849 --> 00:22:32.380 if you'll show me, I'll do. I need to know. Because 00:22:32.380 --> 00:22:34.920 see, the real goal of all those issues you have, 00:22:35.059 --> 00:22:37.039 your agenda is you want to know, like me, so 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:38.460 you can do this and do that and know what to 00:22:38.460 --> 00:22:41.519 do. You know what God's agenda is? Hanging out 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:45.880 with you. Enjoying you. And the more you rub 00:22:45.880 --> 00:22:49.440 up and enjoy him, you won't even notice it happening, 00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:51.400 but it's kind of like when Moses was hanging 00:22:51.400 --> 00:22:54.019 out with God a lot, remember that? Like 40 days, 00:22:54.099 --> 00:22:57.339 no food, no drink, just talking. When he came 00:22:57.339 --> 00:23:02.079 down, what was he like? What? He's glowing. Why? 00:23:02.539 --> 00:23:05.019 Because you always become like the people you 00:23:05.019 --> 00:23:07.720 hang out with. And when you learn to hang out 00:23:07.720 --> 00:23:11.700 with God, you just, I mean, it's not like some 00:23:11.700 --> 00:23:14.319 mechanical deal. You just become more and more 00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:17.259 like him. And so the third area Jesus says about 00:23:17.259 --> 00:23:19.680 this internal righteousness, he talks about fasting 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:22.630 and And we pick that up in verse 16. When you 00:23:22.630 --> 00:23:24.670 fast, don't look somber as the hypocrites do, 00:23:24.789 --> 00:23:27.329 for they disfigure their faces to show men they're 00:23:27.329 --> 00:23:29.049 fasting. I tell you the truth, they've received 00:23:29.049 --> 00:23:31.410 their reward in full. But when you fast, put 00:23:31.410 --> 00:23:34.829 on oil on your head and wash your face so that 00:23:34.829 --> 00:23:36.589 it won't be obvious to men that you're fasting. 00:23:37.269 --> 00:23:41.109 But only to your father who is unseen and your 00:23:41.109 --> 00:23:44.730 father who sees what is done in secret and he'll 00:23:44.730 --> 00:23:49.059 reward you. Fasting. is emotive again, and it 00:23:49.059 --> 00:23:53.299 provides perspective. It allows you to disengage 00:23:53.299 --> 00:23:57.359 from all the stuff and spend that time with God 00:23:57.359 --> 00:24:01.160 and try a day or two occasionally so when those 00:24:01.160 --> 00:24:04.299 hunger pains come, you drink a lot of water, 00:24:04.359 --> 00:24:06.880 and you say, God, I want to be reminded. I want 00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:09.359 to be reminded that all the busyness and all 00:24:09.359 --> 00:24:11.180 the pull and all the demand, you're just sort 00:24:11.180 --> 00:24:13.359 of backing up. And I will tell you, as you do 00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:17.710 that, you get perspective. Your spiritual sensitivity 00:24:17.710 --> 00:24:22.750 goes up when you fast. And finally, the summary 00:24:22.750 --> 00:24:25.509 of this is pretty clear. Spiritual disciplines 00:24:25.509 --> 00:24:29.430 are essential, okay? Spiritual disciplines are 00:24:29.430 --> 00:24:32.869 essential, but become dangerous when they become 00:24:32.869 --> 00:24:37.349 a means to gain the reward of men rather than 00:24:37.349 --> 00:24:45.009 deepen our relationship with God. Isn't it amazing 00:24:45.009 --> 00:24:49.009 just the heart behind Jesus' teaching here? Do 00:24:49.009 --> 00:24:51.390 you need to have personal discipline? Yeah. Do 00:24:51.390 --> 00:24:52.970 you need to get your priorities right? Absolutely. 00:24:53.349 --> 00:24:54.990 Do you need to, I mean, get a handle on your 00:24:54.990 --> 00:24:56.569 time and your money? Yes. Do you need to look 00:24:56.569 --> 00:24:58.069 at those six things that are misplaced priorities 00:24:58.069 --> 00:25:01.410 and say, I need to address it. But you need to 00:25:01.410 --> 00:25:05.809 do all that with the righteousness that exceeds 00:25:05.809 --> 00:25:12.119 that of the scribes and the Pharisees. have a 00:25:12.119 --> 00:25:16.140 final application here. It's that secrecy is 00:25:16.140 --> 00:25:19.599 God's method of keeping our motives pure. And 00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:21.640 this isn't a legalistic, oh, no one knows. If 00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:23.299 someone finds out you're doing this or that, 00:25:23.380 --> 00:25:25.740 or someone found out I was fasting, big deal. 00:25:25.900 --> 00:25:28.559 That's not the issue. The issue is if you have 00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:30.200 a sign, by the way, did you know I'm spiritual 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:33.359 and I'm fasting today? You know, that's what's 00:25:33.359 --> 00:25:37.039 being prohibited. It seems like God lets me do 00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:39.019 all kind of really silly, dumb things and looking 00:25:39.019 --> 00:25:42.619 back now to help other people, I guess. But it 00:25:42.619 --> 00:25:45.420 took me a long time to lock in, to really want 00:25:45.420 --> 00:25:48.000 to be a follower of Jesus. And then when I did, 00:25:48.180 --> 00:25:50.839 I can remember the day I woke up and thought, 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:56.160 I am a modern -day Pharisee. I came up with a 00:25:56.160 --> 00:25:57.579 group that was really into Scripture memory. 00:25:57.779 --> 00:26:00.220 So, I mean, I memorized hundreds and hundreds 00:26:00.220 --> 00:26:03.140 of verses. And then I went to chapters. And then 00:26:03.140 --> 00:26:06.460 I went to memorizing whole books. And boy, was 00:26:06.460 --> 00:26:12.140 I spiritual. And I remember bumping into someone 00:26:12.140 --> 00:26:14.319 who had known me about four years earlier and 00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:17.779 really good relationship, liked her, and God 00:26:17.779 --> 00:26:21.440 really used her. She was not a believer. We passed 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:24.339 in a common area outside where the school was, 00:26:24.519 --> 00:26:27.619 and I said, hi, how you doing? And she said something, 00:26:27.700 --> 00:26:29.480 and I said something, and she said something, 00:26:29.500 --> 00:26:31.160 and I quoted a verse, you know, appropriately, 00:26:31.319 --> 00:26:33.099 being the spiritual giant that I am. I mean, 00:26:33.099 --> 00:26:34.279 you got all these verses, you got to use them. 00:26:34.400 --> 00:26:36.420 And people got to know how holy you are. So, 00:26:36.420 --> 00:26:40.309 I mean, you know, bang, bang, bing. Boom, boom. 00:26:42.750 --> 00:26:46.069 Hey, you get a problem, I get a verse. Boom, 00:26:46.150 --> 00:26:49.049 boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. I mean, I was bad, 00:26:49.150 --> 00:26:53.849 man, you know? So I'm, anyway. So she makes some 00:26:53.849 --> 00:26:57.490 comment, and I quote a verse. And then the Spirit 00:26:57.490 --> 00:26:59.630 of God speaks to this gal, and she looks and 00:26:59.630 --> 00:27:01.390 goes, you know, Chip, I knew you about four years 00:27:01.390 --> 00:27:06.509 ago. And you were a really neat guy. And she 00:27:06.509 --> 00:27:08.920 said, you know, you just kind of. I don't know 00:27:08.920 --> 00:27:10.740 what the right word is, but you were easygoing. 00:27:10.839 --> 00:27:15.579 You were fun to be around. You know, I didn't 00:27:15.579 --> 00:27:17.099 know much about Christianity, but I remember 00:27:17.099 --> 00:27:19.380 thinking, I'm not sure where you're coming from, 00:27:19.400 --> 00:27:21.140 but you seem to have a song on your heart. You 00:27:21.140 --> 00:27:23.799 treated people in a way. And I thought, you know, 00:27:23.880 --> 00:27:26.599 man, if I ever wanted to be a Christian, I'm 00:27:26.599 --> 00:27:27.839 not sure I ever would because I'm not sure what 00:27:27.839 --> 00:27:29.599 it's about. I think I'd like to be one like you. 00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:32.900 And she said, Chip, you know, I just kind of 00:27:32.900 --> 00:27:35.609 watch things. And right now. You're just a Bible 00:27:35.609 --> 00:27:38.569 spouting person that, you know what, every time 00:27:38.569 --> 00:27:41.650 I talk with you, I always leave feeling less 00:27:41.650 --> 00:27:45.430 of a person and guilty. And what I realize is 00:27:45.430 --> 00:27:47.769 I don't like to talk with you and I don't like 00:27:47.769 --> 00:27:53.230 to be around you. And I'm, you know, obviously 00:27:53.230 --> 00:27:57.170 aware that her lack of spirituality is, she's 00:27:57.170 --> 00:28:02.410 unable to discern the higher things of God. And 00:28:02.410 --> 00:28:04.789 you know what? I wish I was joking. When I walked 00:28:04.789 --> 00:28:07.230 away, I remember thinking, well, obviously, you 00:28:07.230 --> 00:28:08.769 know, she doesn't have the Spirit because the 00:28:08.769 --> 00:28:10.710 verse came to me. Those who, you know, don't 00:28:10.710 --> 00:28:12.250 know the Lord, the Spirit of Christ is not of 00:28:12.250 --> 00:28:13.650 them. They can't understand the things of the 00:28:13.650 --> 00:28:15.569 Spirit of God for they're spiritually discerned 00:28:15.569 --> 00:28:17.349 and if they don't have, you know. And then I 00:28:17.349 --> 00:28:21.430 got almost back to where I was to be and the 00:28:21.430 --> 00:28:27.170 Spirit of God said, you Bible -quoting hypocrite, 00:28:27.309 --> 00:28:30.650 all you have is a righteousness of the Pharisees. 00:28:31.599 --> 00:28:34.140 And you were a driven, focused, disciplined guy, 00:28:34.279 --> 00:28:37.539 and all you did is change uniforms from thinking 00:28:37.539 --> 00:28:40.480 basketball or impressing people or getting good 00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:42.859 grades or making money would make you some money. 00:28:43.220 --> 00:28:45.579 And all you did is exchange it for religious 00:28:45.579 --> 00:28:49.000 clothes. And during that time, I had a guy give 00:28:49.000 --> 00:28:51.660 me a 3x5 card after being at a little training 00:28:51.660 --> 00:28:53.519 program for three months. And, of course, I thought 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:55.420 I was doing great because I always got my stuff 00:28:55.420 --> 00:28:58.279 done. I had more verses memorized. I did all 00:28:58.279 --> 00:29:01.269 that you're supposed to do. And all he did was 00:29:01.269 --> 00:29:04.650 give me a card with these two verses. And I thought, 00:29:04.670 --> 00:29:08.869 maybe there's a message here. Luke 16, 15. It 00:29:08.869 --> 00:29:24.750 says, And just in case I didn't get his point, 00:29:24.829 --> 00:29:30.319 he had Galatians 1 .10. Am I trying to win the 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:33.160 approval of men, Paul would write, or of God? 00:29:33.740 --> 00:29:37.940 If I were still trying to please men, I would 00:29:37.940 --> 00:29:41.980 not be a bondservant of Christ. And I would like 00:29:41.980 --> 00:29:44.720 as your little application is go in your notes 00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:49.259 a page or two back and then just gaze at those 00:29:49.259 --> 00:29:54.210 little tests, your pop quiz. And look at objectives 00:29:54.210 --> 00:29:57.410 and look at priorities and look at schedule and 00:29:57.410 --> 00:29:59.930 look at discipline and look at accountability. 00:30:00.190 --> 00:30:03.289 And now let's look at these through the lens 00:30:03.289 --> 00:30:08.589 of how are you doing as those are simply means 00:30:08.589 --> 00:30:13.289 to know and love God and deepen your relationship 00:30:13.289 --> 00:30:20.309 because personal discipline is a very, very spiritually 00:30:20.309 --> 00:30:25.650 hazardous endeavor. You need to be disciplined. 00:30:26.430 --> 00:30:30.210 But your discipline can always be just a driveway. 00:30:30.890 --> 00:30:36.549 The means can never be an end. God wants your 00:30:36.549 --> 00:30:42.470 heart. You're listening to Living on the Edge 00:30:42.470 --> 00:30:45.390 with Chip Ingram. And the message you just heard, 00:30:45.589 --> 00:30:47.890 warning, personal discipline can be hazardous 00:30:47.890 --> 00:30:50.750 to your health, is from our series, Balancing 00:30:50.750 --> 00:30:53.839 Life's Demands. Chip will join us in studio to 00:30:53.839 --> 00:30:56.079 share some insights from today's talk in just 00:30:56.079 --> 00:30:59.279 a minute. Are you exhausted juggling your job, 00:30:59.380 --> 00:31:01.880 kids, marriage, and everything else you're responsible 00:31:01.880 --> 00:31:04.920 for? Do you wish there was a way to relieve that 00:31:04.920 --> 00:31:08.000 stress and live with a little more joy? Well, 00:31:08.019 --> 00:31:10.259 in this series, Chip reveals what a balanced 00:31:10.259 --> 00:31:13.079 life looks like and how you can rearrange your 00:31:13.079 --> 00:31:15.970 priorities around what matters most. Hear how 00:31:15.970 --> 00:31:18.269 to experience the joy -filled and satisfying 00:31:18.269 --> 00:31:21.509 life God desires for you to have. Now, if you've 00:31:21.509 --> 00:31:23.609 missed any part of Chip's teaching, catch up 00:31:23.609 --> 00:31:26.460 anytime on the Chip Ingram app. Well, Chip's 00:31:26.460 --> 00:31:29.039 back in studio with me now. And Chip, as I listened 00:31:29.039 --> 00:31:31.200 today, you know, I couldn't help but think about 00:31:31.200 --> 00:31:33.440 the countless people listening right now who 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:36.400 have real needs. As we continue to create new 00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:38.900 programming and develop resources that meet those 00:31:38.900 --> 00:31:41.960 needs, the expenses of the ministry are a monthly 00:31:41.960 --> 00:31:44.359 issue. Take a minute to talk to those who have 00:31:44.359 --> 00:31:47.099 considered partnering with us before, but haven't 00:31:47.099 --> 00:31:50.180 made that commitment. You know, Dave, really 00:31:50.180 --> 00:31:52.640 only about 2 % of all the people that listen 00:31:53.259 --> 00:31:55.259 partner with us financially in any way. And I 00:31:55.259 --> 00:31:57.480 think sometimes it's because they just don't 00:31:57.480 --> 00:31:59.240 think what I could do would make a difference. 00:31:59.339 --> 00:32:01.519 But I just want to encourage some of you that 00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:03.660 feel like, you know, hey, you know, boy, God's 00:32:03.660 --> 00:32:06.039 really using this in my life, but I'm just not 00:32:06.039 --> 00:32:09.079 in a position. Maybe you could do something really 00:32:09.079 --> 00:32:11.940 small, but God could take your small gift and 00:32:11.940 --> 00:32:14.079 do something really big with it. So, you know, 00:32:14.079 --> 00:32:17.079 thanks so much and appreciate anything God leads 00:32:17.079 --> 00:32:19.640 you to do. Thanks, Chip. Well, if joining the 00:32:19.640 --> 00:32:21.859 Living on the Edge team is an idea that makes 00:32:21.859 --> 00:32:23.980 sense to you, let me encourage you to become 00:32:23.980 --> 00:32:26.539 a monthly partner. Now, you can do that today 00:32:26.539 --> 00:32:30.660 by visiting livingontheedge .org or calling 888 00:32:30.660 --> 00:32:35.400 -333 -6003. Take a few minutes to help others 00:32:35.400 --> 00:32:37.960 benefit from the work of this ministry. That 00:32:37.960 --> 00:32:44.160 number again is 888 -333 -6003 or go to livingontheedge 00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:48.900 .org. App listeners tap donate. Well, with that, 00:32:48.900 --> 00:32:52.000 here again is Chip. As we close today's program, 00:32:52.339 --> 00:32:54.559 we've talked about priorities. We've talked about 00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:57.720 your motivation. I just gave you a review of, 00:32:57.779 --> 00:32:59.680 you know, the role of prayer and fasting and 00:32:59.680 --> 00:33:02.319 giving. And here's what I want to tell you. It's 00:33:02.319 --> 00:33:05.980 about relationship. I have been through seasons 00:33:05.980 --> 00:33:08.799 of my life where I literally memorized hundreds, 00:33:09.160 --> 00:33:13.000 hundreds of verses and never missed a day praying. 00:33:13.819 --> 00:33:15.859 You know, part of it then is how do you get the 00:33:15.859 --> 00:33:18.420 balance? Because the fact is, is that I need 00:33:18.420 --> 00:33:20.240 to read the Bible at times when I don't feel 00:33:20.240 --> 00:33:23.160 like it. I need to pray when I don't feel like 00:33:23.160 --> 00:33:25.460 it and have times of breakthrough. But I have 00:33:25.460 --> 00:33:29.779 to avoid this idea that doing those things makes 00:33:29.779 --> 00:33:31.880 me right with God or somehow I'm performing. 00:33:32.339 --> 00:33:35.279 Now, what I've found is I have literally taken 00:33:35.279 --> 00:33:39.319 in my journey with the Lord this approach. I 00:33:39.319 --> 00:33:41.880 want my heart connected to you more than anything 00:33:41.880 --> 00:33:44.099 else. So what I'm going to do when I meet with 00:33:44.099 --> 00:33:47.309 you is what will connect my heart. Yesterday, 00:33:47.450 --> 00:33:50.470 I did not read the Bible at all. I listened to 00:33:50.470 --> 00:33:54.069 about 35 minutes of worship music, and I sang 00:33:54.069 --> 00:33:57.950 out loud, and I enjoyed God. The day before, 00:33:57.990 --> 00:34:01.589 I read my Bible a little. I sat quietly. I just 00:34:01.589 --> 00:34:04.589 listened to God as I had lots of questions. My 00:34:04.589 --> 00:34:06.910 normal approach is I read the Bible, I pray, 00:34:06.990 --> 00:34:09.750 I have a little program. But what I've come to 00:34:09.750 --> 00:34:13.469 is, what do I need to keep my heart tender with 00:34:13.469 --> 00:34:16.699 my Father? And we had family in, and, you know, 00:34:16.820 --> 00:34:18.719 it kind of interrupted my time. And some of us 00:34:18.719 --> 00:34:20.579 get really uptight because, you know, I'm going 00:34:20.579 --> 00:34:23.719 to miss my time. And I had a little granddaughter 00:34:23.719 --> 00:34:27.960 come down the stairs just about the time I was 00:34:27.960 --> 00:34:31.679 ready to open my Bible. And what I realized was 00:34:31.679 --> 00:34:34.639 the greatest thing I could do was put that little 00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:37.400 girl on my lap and play with her and talk to 00:34:37.400 --> 00:34:42.219 her and love her. Because God always values obedience 00:34:42.219 --> 00:34:45.719 over sacrifice. God's always looking for that 00:34:45.719 --> 00:34:48.380 which connects your heart, that which loves him 00:34:48.380 --> 00:34:51.059 and loves others. And that'll look different 00:34:51.059 --> 00:34:52.900 for different people. And I think sometimes, 00:34:53.119 --> 00:34:55.420 especially some of us with obsessive compulsive 00:34:55.420 --> 00:34:57.940 tendencies, you know, we just get our checklist 00:34:57.940 --> 00:35:00.480 and we unconsciously, you know, do so much of 00:35:00.480 --> 00:35:03.039 this and so much of that. And the balance is, 00:35:03.119 --> 00:35:06.199 is I do need to keep on track, but I need to 00:35:06.199 --> 00:35:08.719 give myself permission as I'm on track. crack 00:35:08.719 --> 00:35:11.460 to have freedom there. And there's been other 00:35:11.460 --> 00:35:13.380 times I've just felt dry. And I've just said, 00:35:13.400 --> 00:35:15.440 you know, I read the whole book of Esther the 00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:17.380 other day. Well, I don't usually read that much. 00:35:17.440 --> 00:35:19.800 I just needed it. I just needed my mind to get 00:35:19.800 --> 00:35:22.380 soaked in scripture. So what I want you to hear 00:35:22.380 --> 00:35:26.400 is let your heart be open to the Lord, have a 00:35:26.400 --> 00:35:28.980 structured plan that you follow. And then inside 00:35:28.980 --> 00:35:32.829 of that. Have liberty and get what you need, 00:35:32.909 --> 00:35:35.869 just like you would in any relationship, so that 00:35:35.869 --> 00:35:39.349 at the very core of why you meet with God and 00:35:39.349 --> 00:35:42.630 what you do, you want to ask and answer the question, 00:35:42.869 --> 00:35:45.809 what does it look like to give love and to receive 00:35:45.809 --> 00:35:48.730 love from your Heavenly Father and to other people? 00:35:49.070 --> 00:35:51.230 And you know what? If you do that, I think your 00:35:51.230 --> 00:35:52.849 priorities will be right where God wants them. 00:35:53.260 --> 00:35:56.059 Great challenge, Chip. And as we close, if you're 00:35:56.059 --> 00:35:58.699 looking for a practical way to grow in your relationship 00:35:58.699 --> 00:36:01.579 with God, check out the Chip Ingram app. You 00:36:01.579 --> 00:36:03.960 can listen to our most recent series, sign up 00:36:03.960 --> 00:36:07.079 for daily discipleship with Chip, and more. We 00:36:07.079 --> 00:36:09.420 want to help you deepen your faith, and the Chip 00:36:09.420 --> 00:36:12.059 Ingram app will help you do that. Well, from 00:36:12.059 --> 00:36:14.059 all of us here, I'm Dave Drewy, thanking you 00:36:14.059 --> 00:36:16.280 for listening to this edition of Living on the 00:36:16.280 --> 00:36:18.840 Edge, and I hope you'll join us again next time.