WEBVTT 00:00:01.269 --> 00:00:03.950 According to a recent survey, we want to reduce 00:00:03.950 --> 00:00:06.690 the clutter, the stress, the ongoing chaos of 00:00:06.690 --> 00:00:09.669 our busy lives. But the big question is, how 00:00:09.669 --> 00:00:12.289 do you really simplify your life? Well, today 00:00:12.289 --> 00:00:14.029 we're going to talk about a plan that will help 00:00:14.029 --> 00:00:16.929 you cut through the noise and begin to simplify 00:00:16.929 --> 00:00:19.390 your life today. Stay with me. You're going to 00:00:19.390 --> 00:00:23.809 love it. Thank you for being with us for this 00:00:23.809 --> 00:00:26.550 edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:29.239 Chip serves as our Bible teacher for this global 00:00:29.239 --> 00:00:32.140 teaching and discipleship ministry, helping Christians 00:00:32.140 --> 00:00:35.280 develop an authentic faith. In just a minute, 00:00:35.299 --> 00:00:37.140 Chip will pick up where he left off last time 00:00:37.140 --> 00:00:39.820 in our series, Spiritual Simplicity. For the 00:00:39.820 --> 00:00:42.039 past several programs, Chip's taught through 00:00:42.039 --> 00:00:45.719 1 Corinthians 13, highlighting our need to declutter 00:00:45.719 --> 00:00:48.820 our busy lives and embrace an intentional loving 00:00:48.820 --> 00:00:51.539 mindset. So if you've missed any part of this 00:00:51.539 --> 00:00:53.929 study, it's not too late to catch up. either 00:00:53.929 --> 00:00:57.390 through livingontheedge .org or wherever you 00:00:57.390 --> 00:00:59.929 listen to podcasts. Well, with that, here's Chip 00:00:59.929 --> 00:01:02.390 to share the remainder of his talk in the name 00:01:02.390 --> 00:01:05.709 of love. You know what? I wonder what would have 00:01:05.709 --> 00:01:07.310 happened if we would have eaten together three 00:01:07.310 --> 00:01:09.890 or four times a week. I wonder what would have 00:01:09.890 --> 00:01:12.790 happened if instead of being so busy, I actually 00:01:12.790 --> 00:01:14.969 blocked off the first 30 minutes of every day 00:01:14.969 --> 00:01:17.670 and talked with God so I could keep my priorities 00:01:17.670 --> 00:01:20.030 straight. I wonder what would have happened instead 00:01:20.030 --> 00:01:22.370 of, you know, two or three hours every night 00:01:22.370 --> 00:01:25.689 just to wind down and watching fairly mindless 00:01:25.689 --> 00:01:28.810 TV, if I would have spent some time investing 00:01:28.810 --> 00:01:30.709 in the things that matter and the people that 00:01:30.709 --> 00:01:32.829 matter and giving attention to things that I 00:01:32.829 --> 00:01:36.269 know that would last. This is what the Apostle 00:01:36.269 --> 00:01:39.310 Paul is saying. He's saying this is how love 00:01:39.310 --> 00:01:42.430 responds to misplaced priorities. And then he 00:01:42.430 --> 00:01:44.969 gives us a solution. I love the Bible. It's not 00:01:44.969 --> 00:01:46.709 just, you know. He's saying, you know, you could 00:01:46.709 --> 00:01:49.109 be successful in business or finances or your 00:01:49.109 --> 00:01:51.930 kids could get in the best schools, but any success 00:01:51.930 --> 00:01:56.549 minus love equals a goose egg. Everything minus 00:01:56.549 --> 00:02:01.969 love is a zero. And so what would happen? Just 00:02:01.969 --> 00:02:06.090 what would happen if sometime you started a brand 00:02:06.090 --> 00:02:08.969 new journey and the new journey went something 00:02:08.969 --> 00:02:11.750 like this. I'm not sure what I'll do with the 00:02:11.750 --> 00:02:15.310 entire rest of my life. But until I take my last 00:02:15.310 --> 00:02:18.430 breath, I'm going to start thinking and planning 00:02:18.430 --> 00:02:21.590 and praying and structuring my life, my activities 00:02:21.590 --> 00:02:24.669 and my energy and my money around two things, 00:02:24.909 --> 00:02:29.810 loving God and loving people. And I'm going to 00:02:29.810 --> 00:02:33.009 stop cheating by saying one thing and pretending 00:02:33.009 --> 00:02:36.810 it's true. And I'm going to ask, do my finances 00:02:36.810 --> 00:02:41.330 and my time and my closest relationships reflect? 00:02:42.629 --> 00:02:45.909 But I really love God and love people. And here's 00:02:45.909 --> 00:02:51.509 the promise. Love never fails. You'll never have 00:02:51.509 --> 00:02:55.189 a regret. You'll never say no to one youth sport 00:02:55.189 --> 00:02:59.330 activity or a few more hours at work or one more 00:02:59.330 --> 00:03:02.449 deal that you can do where you say, no, this 00:03:02.449 --> 00:03:04.250 vacation's planned and we're going to go away. 00:03:04.409 --> 00:03:06.770 You'll never look back and go, oh, I wish you 00:03:06.770 --> 00:03:10.430 would have done one more deal. But you will look 00:03:10.430 --> 00:03:14.479 back with regret. If love's not the number one 00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:17.780 priority. And so he tells us how to do it. Are 00:03:17.780 --> 00:03:23.240 you ready for this? He says, grow up. So how 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:26.139 does love respond to misplaced priorities? You 00:03:26.139 --> 00:03:29.500 grow up. I mean, look what he says. Verse 11. 00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:32.259 He says, when I was a child, I talked, I thought, 00:03:32.300 --> 00:03:34.199 and I reasoned as a child. But when I became 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:36.979 a man, and this word means a man who has responsibility, 00:03:37.159 --> 00:03:38.960 who's at the point in his life that is old enough 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:42.419 to reproduce. So I did a little thinking about, 00:03:42.909 --> 00:03:44.849 how kids think or children think, and the word 00:03:44.849 --> 00:03:47.889 for child here is a small child. So let me tell 00:03:47.889 --> 00:03:50.250 you how children think, and then we'll talk about 00:03:50.250 --> 00:03:52.729 how adults think, and then you can ask yourself, 00:03:52.830 --> 00:03:55.889 how am I talking and thinking and reasoning like 00:03:55.889 --> 00:03:58.930 a child? The word talk here just means what comes 00:03:58.930 --> 00:04:01.009 out of your mouth. It's no technical term to 00:04:01.009 --> 00:04:03.870 it, but what comes out of our mouth always reveals 00:04:03.870 --> 00:04:06.979 what's in our heart. The word... Think here is 00:04:06.979 --> 00:04:09.379 that same word that's used in, same root word 00:04:09.379 --> 00:04:12.060 as in, remember Romans 12 .2? Don't think more 00:04:12.060 --> 00:04:13.860 highly of yourself than you ought to think, but 00:04:13.860 --> 00:04:16.540 think is to have sober, fact same word, judgment 00:04:16.540 --> 00:04:19.040 as God has allotted to each. It's about processing 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:24.379 and evaluating what's going on and why. And then 00:04:24.379 --> 00:04:27.060 the word reasoning here is one of my favorite 00:04:27.060 --> 00:04:29.579 words. It's logizomai. It's found in Romans 12 00:04:29.579 --> 00:04:34.379 .1. Do you hear it? Logic amai. It means to reason. 00:04:34.680 --> 00:04:37.920 It's a very clear, it's reckoning. It's an accounting 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:40.240 term. It's weighing things. Here's all the positive. 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:42.279 Here's all the negatives. Here's the P &L. Here's 00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:44.259 what we'll deliver here. Here's what won't. It's 00:04:44.259 --> 00:04:49.379 a reasoning matter of fact thinking. And in Romans 00:04:49.379 --> 00:04:51.459 12, one at the very end, it says, for this is 00:04:51.459 --> 00:04:54.000 your spiritual service of worship. The word spiritual 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:57.620 or reasonable is this word. Now here's how kids 00:04:57.620 --> 00:05:00.180 think. Here's how they, when I hear kids talk, 00:05:00.670 --> 00:05:05.310 Little kids, they say, I want it. I mean, I did 00:05:05.310 --> 00:05:08.110 an experiment, a sociological experiment Friday 00:05:08.110 --> 00:05:11.290 night. I had two kids stay overnight in my house. 00:05:12.170 --> 00:05:16.310 One was three, and one just turned six. And I 00:05:16.310 --> 00:05:19.790 heard, Papa, I want that. I want that. I want 00:05:19.790 --> 00:05:21.689 that. Can we do this? Can, please, please, yes, 00:05:21.790 --> 00:05:23.509 yes, can, want, want, want, want, want. That's 00:05:23.509 --> 00:05:28.790 how kids think. Or how they talk. And then how 00:05:28.790 --> 00:05:32.970 they think. Is what? About them. I mean, there's 00:05:32.970 --> 00:05:35.410 50 toys on our living room floor. There's two 00:05:35.410 --> 00:05:38.670 kids. One kid's playing with, I want that, I 00:05:38.670 --> 00:05:43.029 want that, I want, I want. Kids, by nature, they 00:05:43.029 --> 00:05:45.129 don't wake up in the morning thinking, I wonder 00:05:45.129 --> 00:05:49.430 how I can encourage mom and dad today. You know? 00:05:49.670 --> 00:05:52.310 Or they don't walk into a room with other seven 00:05:52.310 --> 00:05:55.610 -year -olds and say, hey, anybody feeling kind 00:05:55.610 --> 00:05:58.350 of down? Need a little time to talk? Did everybody, 00:05:58.449 --> 00:06:00.569 you know, hey, did everyone get their milk? I 00:06:00.569 --> 00:06:03.310 want to make sure. I've got two here. You can't 00:06:03.310 --> 00:06:06.009 have seven milks and three kids and they fight 00:06:06.009 --> 00:06:09.110 over who gets two or three. That's childish. 00:06:09.509 --> 00:06:12.790 Paul says when he was a child, he talked like 00:06:12.790 --> 00:06:16.350 a child. Want, want, want. He thought like a 00:06:16.350 --> 00:06:19.410 child about me, me, me. And he reasoned as a 00:06:19.410 --> 00:06:21.949 child. And the way kids reason are called now, 00:06:22.170 --> 00:06:25.660 immediate gratification. They, you know, if you 00:06:25.660 --> 00:06:28.540 tell them you can have five candy bars a week 00:06:28.540 --> 00:06:30.720 from now, or you can have one now, the wrapper's 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:33.100 off of it. They can't even think about five candy 00:06:33.100 --> 00:06:35.660 bars later. It's immediate. It's now. I've got 00:06:35.660 --> 00:06:39.480 to have it. That's how kids think. How do adults 00:06:39.480 --> 00:06:44.300 think? Talk and reason. Well, a kid says, I want. 00:06:45.319 --> 00:06:49.240 An adult says, what's needed? What's needed here? 00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:53.540 Not what I want. Not what you want. What's needed? 00:06:54.649 --> 00:06:59.810 What's best? Kids say, it's all about me. When 00:06:59.810 --> 00:07:02.990 you're an adult, what you realize is anything 00:07:02.990 --> 00:07:05.910 that works, it's about others. Maturity is thinking 00:07:05.910 --> 00:07:09.290 about others, especially for you moms. I don't 00:07:09.290 --> 00:07:10.889 think there's probably hardly a mom in the whole 00:07:10.889 --> 00:07:13.170 world that gets up thinking, oh, I wonder how 00:07:13.170 --> 00:07:15.930 I'm going to spend this day on me today. When 00:07:15.930 --> 00:07:18.370 you're an adult, when you walk into an office, 00:07:18.529 --> 00:07:22.670 it's about what do these people need? I'm responsible. 00:07:24.170 --> 00:07:28.149 You think about others. An adult's reasoning 00:07:28.149 --> 00:07:31.529 goes something like this. Two words, delayed 00:07:31.529 --> 00:07:35.170 gratification. It's not what this is going to 00:07:35.170 --> 00:07:37.670 deliver today. It's what is it going to deliver 00:07:37.670 --> 00:07:40.389 over the long haul? What will this behavior produce 00:07:40.389 --> 00:07:44.910 next week, next year, five years from now? It's 00:07:44.910 --> 00:07:47.689 adults ask the question, not what can I have 00:07:47.689 --> 00:07:51.529 now? Adults ask what is needed and what is best 00:07:51.529 --> 00:07:54.949 for the longest haul for the most people? What's 00:07:54.949 --> 00:08:00.790 wise? What has value? What will deliver? Now, 00:08:00.850 --> 00:08:05.370 he goes on to talk about cloudy vision leads 00:08:05.370 --> 00:08:08.689 to complexity. And I want to give you and me 00:08:08.689 --> 00:08:11.209 a little grace because if you think these messages 00:08:11.209 --> 00:08:13.269 are hard to listen to, you should have to come 00:08:13.269 --> 00:08:17.110 up with them. I'm serious. I mean, I gotta apply 00:08:17.110 --> 00:08:19.209 this stuff. If I don't apply it to me first, 00:08:19.230 --> 00:08:23.970 I got nothing to say. And the principle is, notice 00:08:23.970 --> 00:08:26.930 what he says. For now, we see in a mirror dimly. 00:08:26.990 --> 00:08:28.410 And by the way, a mirror in the ancient world 00:08:28.410 --> 00:08:30.029 was not like your mirror where everything was 00:08:30.029 --> 00:08:32.409 clear. It was a piece of steel that was brushed. 00:08:32.509 --> 00:08:34.669 And so you could see yourself and you could make 00:08:34.669 --> 00:08:36.769 yourself out, but it was cloudy. You knew who 00:08:36.769 --> 00:08:38.830 it was and it was helpful, but it wasn't crystal 00:08:38.830 --> 00:08:42.139 clear. He says now, temporal, in this life, the 00:08:42.139 --> 00:08:45.000 way we're living, we see in a mirror, but it's 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:47.840 kind of cloudy. So it's complex. And so it's 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:50.080 hard to know. And some people say this and some 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:51.759 people say this. And then you get busy and you 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:53.620 feel a pull here and a pull here. And there's 00:08:53.620 --> 00:08:55.840 competing demands. And there's a demand for this 00:08:55.840 --> 00:08:57.419 and a demand for this. And the demand for family, 00:08:57.480 --> 00:08:59.580 demand for what? When do you do what? How can 00:08:59.580 --> 00:09:01.940 you ever know? And so most of us try and do it 00:09:01.940 --> 00:09:06.379 all and not do any of it very well and neglect 00:09:06.379 --> 00:09:09.700 our own soul. He says, now we see in a mirror 00:09:09.700 --> 00:09:12.480 dimly, but then, he's talking about when Christ 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:18.179 comes back, then we'll see fully. Now we know 00:09:18.179 --> 00:09:20.379 and see in part, but then it's gonna be face 00:09:20.379 --> 00:09:23.100 -to -face. Jot in your notes, 1 John 3, 2. We 00:09:23.100 --> 00:09:26.200 do not know what we will be like, but this is 00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:29.519 what we know. When we see him, we will be like 00:09:29.519 --> 00:09:33.320 him. When you meet Christ face -to -face, we 00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:35.700 will be transformed and we will be like him, 00:09:35.740 --> 00:09:39.879 not God. But as created beings, these glorified 00:09:39.879 --> 00:09:44.299 bodies, I mean, everything gets clear. And when 00:09:44.299 --> 00:09:46.740 it's clear, notice what happens. When things 00:09:46.740 --> 00:09:50.379 are absolutely clear, he says, now abide faith, 00:09:50.740 --> 00:09:54.820 hope, and love. The greatest of these is love. 00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:59.039 Why? One, because it lasts. Faith is trusting 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:01.220 or believing in what I can't see, the promises 00:10:01.220 --> 00:10:03.840 and the character of God, but someday faith becomes 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:06.860 sight. Hope is this anchor of your soul, this 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:09.220 certainty that God says, I am coming back. I 00:10:09.220 --> 00:10:12.159 have forgiven you. I am in control. And it's 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:14.840 not a wish, it's an absolute hope. But at one 00:10:14.840 --> 00:10:17.019 point in time, your hope turns from hope to possession. 00:10:17.879 --> 00:10:20.440 You will walk with God if you're a Christ follower, 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:22.659 if you've received his forgiveness. But love 00:10:22.659 --> 00:10:25.559 will continue on because when you see him face 00:10:25.559 --> 00:10:31.429 to face, what's 1 John say? God is love. We will 00:10:31.429 --> 00:10:34.669 love one another perfectly. That's why it's never 00:10:34.669 --> 00:10:40.629 ruined. It never falls. When you have a cloudy 00:10:40.629 --> 00:10:44.029 vision about your purpose and your priorities, 00:10:44.289 --> 00:10:48.529 it produces complexity. When you have a clear 00:10:48.529 --> 00:10:51.889 vision about where you're going, why you're going 00:10:51.889 --> 00:10:54.250 there, what's important, and how to get there, 00:10:54.409 --> 00:10:58.779 it produces love. Now, if I was sitting there 00:10:58.779 --> 00:11:03.740 like I've been with this text, and I really wanted 00:11:03.740 --> 00:11:05.820 my priorities, and some of these are big issues, 00:11:05.940 --> 00:11:10.600 right? I mean, this isn't like, oh, hey, why 00:11:10.600 --> 00:11:12.059 don't you pray a couple extra little prayers? 00:11:12.899 --> 00:11:14.720 I mean, this is some of you saying, you know 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:17.519 what? I'm not sure I'm in the right job. This 00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:18.860 is some of you saying, well, if this isn't the 00:11:18.860 --> 00:11:20.679 right job, I don't know if I can continue living 00:11:20.679 --> 00:11:23.559 in this community. For some of you, it's like, 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:26.200 well, You know, we're both working and we never 00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:29.799 see our kids. Maybe one of us needs to stop. 00:11:31.139 --> 00:11:32.700 I mean, for some, it's like, you know, aren't 00:11:32.700 --> 00:11:35.500 my schedules nuts? I mean, I intend and want 00:11:35.500 --> 00:11:37.980 and, you know, I don't read the Bible. I don't 00:11:37.980 --> 00:11:39.539 talk with God much and I can't figure why it's 00:11:39.539 --> 00:11:43.620 not working. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. You 00:11:43.620 --> 00:11:45.440 know, I know that I could get help from people 00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:46.820 and I'd love to get one of those small groups. 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:50.399 I hear it's really great. I don't have time to 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:56.159 make time to love God. To create margin to nourish 00:11:56.159 --> 00:11:58.639 your own soul. Some of you haven't taken a day 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:01.320 off in ages and haven't had what's a real vacation 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:05.899 in years. And you know what? You reap and then 00:12:05.899 --> 00:12:08.480 you're gonna sow. But what you need to hear is 00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:10.399 this isn't like a message you have misplaced 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:12.840 priorities and God is mad at you. What you need 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:15.500 to hear is you're living in a world that's complex 00:12:15.500 --> 00:12:17.740 in a place that's fast with a lot of smart people. 00:12:17.980 --> 00:12:20.860 And this is your heavenly father saying, let's 00:12:20.860 --> 00:12:25.539 call a timeout. I don't want your life to end 00:12:25.539 --> 00:12:29.580 up a super duper temporal ice sculpture that 00:12:29.580 --> 00:12:31.980 impresses people. And then you get near the end 00:12:31.980 --> 00:12:33.940 of your life or maybe even five or 10 years from 00:12:33.940 --> 00:12:36.299 now. And the most important relationships and 00:12:36.299 --> 00:12:40.220 issues in your life be puddles of water. And 00:12:40.220 --> 00:12:42.440 you say, wow, I was successful. My kids got in 00:12:42.440 --> 00:12:44.980 this school or I was upperly mobile or I worked 00:12:44.980 --> 00:12:47.539 all these hours and they promoted me or I did 00:12:47.539 --> 00:12:49.840 this and I did that. And then you just think 00:12:49.840 --> 00:12:56.179 and it profited you. Nothing. And then you became 00:12:56.179 --> 00:13:00.539 nothing. You're listening to Living on the Edge. 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:03.379 Before we continue today's program, let me ask 00:13:03.379 --> 00:13:06.059 you, are you in a small group? Well, if so, are 00:13:06.059 --> 00:13:08.120 you looking for a new study to do together this 00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:10.960 year? Join us after Chip's message to learn more 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:13.539 about our library of study guides, which are 00:13:13.539 --> 00:13:15.539 sure to help you and your group grow in your 00:13:15.539 --> 00:13:18.179 faith. You won't want to miss it. Well, with 00:13:18.179 --> 00:13:20.080 that, let's rejoin Chip for the remainder of 00:13:20.080 --> 00:13:25.299 his message. And so you got to grow up. You got 00:13:25.299 --> 00:13:28.539 to learn to talk like an adult. You got to start 00:13:28.539 --> 00:13:30.799 asking questions like, what's really needed? 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:37.320 You need to begin to think like an adult. What 00:13:37.320 --> 00:13:39.720 do the people in my sphere that I'm responsible 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:42.500 for, what do they need? Not what do they want, 00:13:42.580 --> 00:13:44.820 not what makes them happy, not if I say this, 00:13:44.820 --> 00:13:48.210 will they reject me? Do they need a cell phone 00:13:48.210 --> 00:13:50.750 at this age? Do they need to be watching this 00:13:50.750 --> 00:13:52.929 or that? Are these the right friends for them 00:13:52.929 --> 00:13:56.250 to be with? For some of us, do I need to keep 00:13:56.250 --> 00:13:58.789 hanging around this group of people that I find 00:13:58.789 --> 00:14:00.870 myself making progress and pulled back away? 00:14:01.110 --> 00:14:03.549 Do I need to keep burning two to three hours 00:14:03.549 --> 00:14:06.129 a night because I'm exhausted? Do I need to keep 00:14:06.129 --> 00:14:09.870 that second glass of wine every night or do I 00:14:09.870 --> 00:14:15.370 basically have an addiction? See, this is hard 00:14:15.370 --> 00:14:21.879 stuff. Unless we grow up, unless we ask, you 00:14:21.879 --> 00:14:27.080 know what? What's wise? What's best? Who do I 00:14:27.080 --> 00:14:29.799 really wanna become? What kind of relationships 00:14:29.799 --> 00:14:32.580 do I really wanna have? What do you wanna be 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:35.779 known for? What do you really wanna be known 00:14:35.779 --> 00:14:43.460 for? I can't think of a greater goal than, and 00:14:43.460 --> 00:14:46.019 I'm praying and I've got so far to go, but I 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:50.740 would love, I don't want my kids, adult kids 00:14:50.740 --> 00:14:56.039 now, to say, wow, my dad was a busy pastor. I 00:14:56.039 --> 00:14:58.980 like my adult kids to say, you know, my dad had 00:14:58.980 --> 00:15:01.840 a lot on his plate, but man, I heard from him 00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:05.360 every week. He had time for my kids. He really 00:15:05.360 --> 00:15:09.220 cared about me. I want my wife, you know, I figure 00:15:09.220 --> 00:15:11.679 at the pace that I go, I'll probably go before 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:14.419 she does. I hope so, because I need her a lot 00:15:14.419 --> 00:15:19.840 more than she needs me. Man, I hope after I die, 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:22.519 I hope my wife will say, you know something, 00:15:22.659 --> 00:15:24.419 he did have a lot on his plate, but man, we had 00:15:24.419 --> 00:15:27.919 a rich, deep, he loved me. He loved me and he 00:15:27.919 --> 00:15:31.799 loved God. And what I can tell you is I've had 00:15:31.799 --> 00:15:33.940 various seasons in my life like you have in your 00:15:33.940 --> 00:15:36.879 life where I just had to say, you know something, 00:15:37.059 --> 00:15:40.480 I'm gonna have to uncloud my vision and I may 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:43.919 see him part, but if you want, this is a lamp 00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:46.690 into your feet and a light into your path. If 00:15:46.690 --> 00:15:49.129 you want to get clear vision, you have to be 00:15:49.129 --> 00:15:52.809 in God's word. No legalism, no ought or got to. 00:15:52.929 --> 00:15:56.409 It is a love relationship. If you want to know 00:15:56.409 --> 00:15:58.409 if you're doing the right thing, you need to 00:15:58.409 --> 00:16:01.409 talk and talk to God out loud. And when you're 00:16:01.409 --> 00:16:03.870 confused, ask him a question and sit quietly 00:16:03.870 --> 00:16:06.830 and see if he doesn't give you direction. If 00:16:06.830 --> 00:16:09.549 you want to make it in this life and stay clear 00:16:09.549 --> 00:16:12.009 and stay on course, it's not hard to do it alone. 00:16:12.149 --> 00:16:14.720 It's impossible to do it alone. You will have 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:17.159 to create margin in your life to be with a group 00:16:17.159 --> 00:16:21.080 of people to say, I can't love God and love others 00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:24.759 by myself. Will you help me? If you want the 00:16:24.759 --> 00:16:26.740 kind of family that, you know, is in the back 00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:28.559 of your mind that you hope someday, some way 00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:30.480 it's going to have, you will have to structure 00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:33.980 in times around the table and times for vacation 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:37.799 and times to really talk because you're going 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:39.279 to get the outcomes of what you're structured. 00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:42.220 The way you're presently living is going to produce 00:16:42.220 --> 00:16:45.129 the continued of what you're presently receiving. 00:16:46.789 --> 00:16:49.289 It really is about just loving God and loving 00:16:49.289 --> 00:16:52.850 one another. If you'll turn to the last page, 00:16:52.929 --> 00:16:58.250 I put our R12 application as being separate from 00:16:58.250 --> 00:17:01.850 the world's values because in essence, what I've 00:17:01.850 --> 00:17:04.829 really talked about is how to be holy. Holy is 00:17:04.829 --> 00:17:07.529 not, that word conjures up for some of us black 00:17:07.529 --> 00:17:10.710 robes and candles and people with really big 00:17:10.710 --> 00:17:15.190 black Bibles. sometimes weird and mystical. The 00:17:15.190 --> 00:17:16.509 word holy, you know what it means? It just means 00:17:16.509 --> 00:17:18.970 different. The word literally means something 00:17:18.970 --> 00:17:21.009 that's set apart, that it's special. It just 00:17:21.009 --> 00:17:24.309 means different. God wants a different life for 00:17:24.309 --> 00:17:27.809 you. A better life, a holy life. Is moral purity 00:17:27.809 --> 00:17:30.369 a part of it? Absolutely. But he wants something 00:17:30.369 --> 00:17:34.049 different for you. I mean, look at the families 00:17:34.049 --> 00:17:35.930 in America and the single people in America and 00:17:35.930 --> 00:17:38.089 all the pain and all the junk and all the stuff. 00:17:38.289 --> 00:17:40.109 He's just saying, I don't want that for you. 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:43.559 So stop being conformed to this world's values 00:17:43.559 --> 00:17:47.099 and start not trying hard, but renew your mind. 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:50.680 Say no to some of the movies and some of the 00:17:50.680 --> 00:17:52.720 stuff and some of the time and some of the novels 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:54.559 and some of the relationships that keep telling 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:56.259 you you got to look like this and act like this 00:17:56.259 --> 00:17:57.700 and earn this much and do this stuff and live 00:17:57.700 --> 00:18:00.519 at this pace. And shut out some of that and start 00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:03.240 renewing your mind with God's truth. And then 00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:04.779 notice, look in your notes. What's the second 00:18:04.779 --> 00:18:08.619 half of that verse say? What's his heart? His 00:18:08.619 --> 00:18:10.539 heart isn't that you become religious and weird. 00:18:10.900 --> 00:18:13.619 His heart is that you might approve or taste 00:18:13.619 --> 00:18:16.380 or test or experience his will for you, which 00:18:16.380 --> 00:18:20.660 is good, acceptable, and perfect. I jotted down, 00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:25.819 when we have misplaced priorities, even when 00:18:25.819 --> 00:18:29.420 it's out of ignorance, we end up buying what 00:18:29.420 --> 00:18:32.500 we don't need to impress people that don't care. 00:18:33.220 --> 00:18:36.500 We listen to what the world says instead of what 00:18:36.500 --> 00:18:40.240 God's word says. We assume that the goal in our 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:43.059 parenting is to make our kids successful and 00:18:43.059 --> 00:18:49.519 happy instead of holy. We don't live differently 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:53.019 and therefore the great majority of all people 00:18:53.019 --> 00:19:00.559 who sincerely love God miss God's best. And the 00:19:00.559 --> 00:19:05.440 point of simplifying your life is not to become 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:09.859 some weird, religious, fanatical Christian in 00:19:09.859 --> 00:19:14.160 the negative sense is that you could be holy 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:19.240 as God is holy so that you could experience the 00:19:19.240 --> 00:19:22.579 very best and that when people would rub up against 00:19:22.579 --> 00:19:26.359 your life and your lifestyle and your values 00:19:26.359 --> 00:19:29.660 as a single person, as a married person, as people 00:19:29.660 --> 00:19:36.690 with kids, they would see a refreshing, peaceful, 00:19:36.690 --> 00:19:40.910 deep, connected relationship that flows out of 00:19:40.910 --> 00:19:44.390 your time with God, your time with others. And 00:19:44.390 --> 00:19:45.990 they would just say something like, you know 00:19:45.990 --> 00:19:49.029 something, this world's nuts. How could you say 00:19:49.029 --> 00:19:51.690 no to that opportunity? Or how do you balance 00:19:51.690 --> 00:19:54.769 your life with all your responsibility? And you 00:19:54.769 --> 00:19:57.170 will have an answer that will say, you know something, 00:19:57.349 --> 00:20:00.269 I was going really strong and I really love God, 00:20:00.349 --> 00:20:03.829 but I came out of denial. And I decided that 00:20:03.829 --> 00:20:07.230 I would actually make loving God and loving people 00:20:07.230 --> 00:20:10.150 my number one priority, and trust that the hard 00:20:10.150 --> 00:20:12.849 decisions and the people that I disappoint, that 00:20:12.849 --> 00:20:15.369 God was big enough to take care of that. And 00:20:15.369 --> 00:20:20.829 that's my prayer for you. You're listening to 00:20:20.829 --> 00:20:23.650 Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. And the 00:20:23.650 --> 00:20:26.450 message you just heard in the name of love is 00:20:26.450 --> 00:20:29.630 from our series, Spiritual Simplicity. Chip will 00:20:29.630 --> 00:20:31.910 join us in studio to share some insights from 00:20:31.910 --> 00:20:34.819 today's talk in just a minute. Have you ever 00:20:34.819 --> 00:20:37.039 felt like there's never enough time in the day 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:39.799 for yourself, the people you love, even God? 00:20:40.140 --> 00:20:43.140 If you can relate, don't miss this series. Chip's 00:20:43.140 --> 00:20:45.279 going to challenge the unrealistic standards 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:48.920 and expectations we all feel pressured by. Join 00:20:48.920 --> 00:20:51.279 us as we learn how to break free from this demanding 00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:54.180 cycle and discover the simpler, more fulfilling 00:20:54.180 --> 00:20:57.099 life God has in store for us. I hope you'll be 00:20:57.099 --> 00:20:59.859 with us for every part of this study. Before 00:20:59.859 --> 00:21:02.900 we go on, here's Chip. Thanks so much, Dave. 00:21:03.309 --> 00:21:06.529 Our mission is to help Christians live like Christians. 00:21:07.009 --> 00:21:09.589 Here's what I can tell you. I meet people who 00:21:09.589 --> 00:21:11.950 go to church regularly. They even are in the 00:21:11.950 --> 00:21:14.730 Bible on a regular basis, and they get stuck. 00:21:15.210 --> 00:21:17.750 I'll never forget when Steve came to me. I was 00:21:17.750 --> 00:21:20.769 rehabbing one of my many injuries. He was a personal 00:21:20.769 --> 00:21:23.210 trainer. I had no idea of his background. We 00:21:23.210 --> 00:21:25.450 got to know one another, and pretty soon he said, 00:21:25.549 --> 00:21:27.549 you're that chip on the radio, aren't you? And 00:21:27.549 --> 00:21:30.210 we built a great friendship. He shared and poured 00:21:30.210 --> 00:21:33.049 out his life. And he just was stuck in a number 00:21:33.049 --> 00:21:35.410 of areas. Finally, after a few months, I said, 00:21:35.470 --> 00:21:37.750 Steve, do you know your problem? There's something 00:21:37.750 --> 00:21:40.410 in the way you'll never break through unless 00:21:40.410 --> 00:21:43.589 this becomes a part of your life. He paused, 00:21:43.710 --> 00:21:46.490 looked at me and said, what is it? I said, you 00:21:46.490 --> 00:21:49.089 got to have community, Steve. You're not in any 00:21:49.089 --> 00:21:51.809 group. You can't do this alone. You're one of 00:21:51.809 --> 00:21:54.609 the most disciplined people I've ever met. God 00:21:54.609 --> 00:21:57.730 tells us that you cannot change in isolation. 00:21:58.779 --> 00:22:01.319 Steve got an early morning Bible study with some 00:22:01.319 --> 00:22:04.019 men. Then he began to lead one, and right now 00:22:04.019 --> 00:22:06.700 he's leading about three of them. His life has 00:22:06.700 --> 00:22:09.579 been transformed over the last few years, and 00:22:09.579 --> 00:22:13.500 it was all about one thing. Steve needed a group 00:22:13.500 --> 00:22:16.680 centered on God's Word where he put it into practice 00:22:16.680 --> 00:22:19.400 and got the love, the support, and the accountability 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:23.299 that he desperately needed. How about you? Push 00:22:23.299 --> 00:22:26.240 away all the other demands, and after your time 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:29.420 with God, can I encourage you, Get in a group 00:22:29.420 --> 00:22:32.140 or start a group, and we have resources that 00:22:32.140 --> 00:22:35.099 will help you grow in Christ, face spiritual 00:22:35.099 --> 00:22:38.319 warfare, be a better parent, grow in your knowledge 00:22:38.319 --> 00:22:41.119 of the Scripture, because when Christians live 00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:44.259 like Christians, they change, marriages change, 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:47.279 families change, churches change, communities 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:50.420 change, and God is glorified. And that's our 00:22:50.420 --> 00:22:53.319 mission, and I invite you to join me in it. Thanks, 00:22:53.339 --> 00:22:55.880 Chip. Well, we have a growing library of small 00:22:55.880 --> 00:22:58.960 group resources on a wide range of topics, and 00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:01.880 they're so easy to use. Chip provides the teaching. 00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:04.059 Then you'll have time to discuss what you've 00:23:04.059 --> 00:23:06.859 heard alongside our helpful study guides. We 00:23:06.859 --> 00:23:09.359 also offer some insights for leaders to effectively 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:12.440 lead their groups. If you're not in a small group 00:23:12.440 --> 00:23:14.980 yet or looking for your next topic to study, 00:23:15.059 --> 00:23:18.000 check out our resources. And as Chip said, for 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:20.640 a limited time, we've discounted all of our small 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:23.259 group resources so you can get into community 00:23:23.259 --> 00:23:27.000 today. To learn more, go to livingontheedge .org 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:33.200 or call us at 888 -333 -6003. That's 888 -333 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:38.700 -6003 or livingontheedge .org. App listeners, 00:23:38.859 --> 00:23:41.619 tap special offers. Well, before we go, here 00:23:41.619 --> 00:23:44.079 again is Chip with a final word from this program. 00:23:44.829 --> 00:23:47.710 When you listen today, where did God speak to 00:23:47.710 --> 00:23:50.329 you? You know, we talked about growing up. You 00:23:50.329 --> 00:23:52.650 just have to flat out grow up if you're going 00:23:52.650 --> 00:23:56.809 to receive and give love. And I asked three little 00:23:56.809 --> 00:23:59.490 questions. And I want to remind you of these 00:23:59.490 --> 00:24:01.910 three questions as we end our time together. 00:24:02.210 --> 00:24:05.309 The first one is, what is wise? You know, what's 00:24:05.309 --> 00:24:07.670 the wise thing for you? What's the path for you? 00:24:07.730 --> 00:24:10.549 What do you need to do? Second, what is best? 00:24:10.809 --> 00:24:13.849 What is the very best thing for you? Not what 00:24:13.849 --> 00:24:17.000 is good. And third, what do you want to be known 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:19.900 for? At the end of your life, at the end of the 00:24:19.900 --> 00:24:22.440 day, people are going to know you for something. 00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:25.819 What do you really want that to be? And you're 00:24:25.819 --> 00:24:29.619 a smart person. I mean, if tweaking your life, 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:33.720 if making little incremental changes would get 00:24:33.720 --> 00:24:35.880 you in the right place and priorities, you would 00:24:35.880 --> 00:24:38.960 have already done that. Many of you, this is 00:24:38.960 --> 00:24:40.980 going to be one of the most important days of 00:24:40.980 --> 00:24:43.250 your life. And you're going to weigh things. 00:24:43.450 --> 00:24:46.069 And the Spirit of God is speaking to you. And 00:24:46.069 --> 00:24:48.190 you realize you need to get off a committee. 00:24:48.630 --> 00:24:52.309 You need to stop working two jobs. You need to 00:24:52.309 --> 00:24:54.829 stop some hobby that's fun and that you like 00:24:54.829 --> 00:24:57.130 that's eating up your time. You need to just 00:24:57.130 --> 00:25:00.890 literally do something radical to get your priorities 00:25:00.890 --> 00:25:04.430 in line so that you can love. You can't keep 00:25:04.430 --> 00:25:06.910 living the way you're living and doing as much 00:25:06.910 --> 00:25:09.509 as you're doing and really love. You may appear 00:25:09.509 --> 00:25:12.369 loving. but you can't really love living how 00:25:12.369 --> 00:25:15.349 you are. Now, in the end of the message, I put 00:25:15.349 --> 00:25:17.670 a game plan. I laid it out very specifically, 00:25:17.829 --> 00:25:22.210 but here's the issue. What are you going to do? 00:25:22.309 --> 00:25:26.970 My challenge, get before God, ask him, sit quietly, 00:25:27.170 --> 00:25:30.369 do what he says, and then write down what he 00:25:30.369 --> 00:25:32.950 says and share it with one friend for accountability, 00:25:33.069 --> 00:25:36.589 and then watch God work in you and through you. 00:25:37.099 --> 00:25:39.799 As we wrap up this program, Living on the Edge 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:42.640 depends on listeners like you to help us continue 00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:45.019 encouraging Christians to live like Christians. 00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:47.799 So would you consider becoming a monthly partner 00:25:47.799 --> 00:25:50.680 to help others benefit from this ministry? You 00:25:50.680 --> 00:25:53.579 can set up a recurring donation at livingontheedge 00:25:53.579 --> 00:25:59.579 .org or by calling 888 -333 -6003. Again, that's 00:25:59.579 --> 00:26:05.660 888 -333 -6003 or visit livingontheedge .org. 00:26:06.599 --> 00:26:09.200 App listeners, tap donate. And thanks for doing 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:11.960 whatever the Lord leads you to do. Well, from 00:26:11.960 --> 00:26:13.940 all of us here, I'm Dave Drewy, thanking you 00:26:13.940 --> 00:26:16.200 for listening to this edition of Living on the 00:26:16.200 --> 00:26:18.880 Edge, and I hope you'll join us again next time.