WEBVTT 00:00:01.260 --> 00:00:03.480 Do you ever feel like you just can't connect 00:00:03.480 --> 00:00:06.280 with that special person in your life? You know 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:08.539 you love them and they love you, but for some 00:00:08.539 --> 00:00:11.820 reason the relationship isn't going well? Well, 00:00:11.859 --> 00:00:14.679 today I'll give you some insight about what might 00:00:14.679 --> 00:00:17.160 be happening and just how to fix it. Stay with 00:00:17.160 --> 00:00:24.359 me. Thanks for listening to this edition of Living 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:27.519 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. We are an international 00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:30.600 teaching and discipleship ministry that encourages 00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:33.119 and equips Christians to live like Christians. 00:00:33.380 --> 00:00:35.619 And in just a minute, we'll dive into the second 00:00:35.619 --> 00:00:37.780 half of Chip's message, What the World Needs 00:00:37.780 --> 00:00:40.719 Now is Love, Sweet Love, from our current series, 00:00:40.899 --> 00:00:43.920 Spiritual Simplicity. But before we get going, 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:46.399 let me encourage you to stick around after this 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:49.539 message as Chip shares some valuable advice to 00:00:49.539 --> 00:00:52.280 help us simplify our lives and refocus on what 00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:55.329 truly matters. You won't want to miss it. Okay, 00:00:55.390 --> 00:00:57.369 Chip has a lot to get to, so grab your Bible 00:00:57.369 --> 00:00:59.789 now as he begins in the book of Ephesians chapter 00:00:59.789 --> 00:01:03.850 5. Let me give you the two major ways that God 00:01:03.850 --> 00:01:07.370 has designed for us to experience his love. God 00:01:07.370 --> 00:01:09.989 designed love to be birthed and modeled in our 00:01:09.989 --> 00:01:16.530 families. Ephesians 5, 18 through chapter 6, 00:01:16.609 --> 00:01:19.569 verse 4. I'd encourage you to follow along, and 00:01:19.569 --> 00:01:22.590 I don't usually read a long passage, but this 00:01:22.590 --> 00:01:26.069 one is one. You just need to lean back. And here's 00:01:26.069 --> 00:01:29.310 what I want you to listen as I read. Notice we 00:01:29.310 --> 00:01:33.269 said love comes from God's spirit. Notice he's 00:01:33.269 --> 00:01:35.950 going to talk about you surrendering or allowing 00:01:35.950 --> 00:01:38.170 the spirit to control you. And then I'm going 00:01:38.170 --> 00:01:40.370 to show you from scripture that God has a very 00:01:40.370 --> 00:01:44.030 clear design that where he wants us to learn 00:01:44.030 --> 00:01:46.950 about love is in our families. He actually designed 00:01:46.950 --> 00:01:49.689 the family system to work in such a way that 00:01:49.689 --> 00:01:51.950 little boys and little girls would grow up feeling 00:01:51.950 --> 00:01:55.569 loved, affirmed, cared for, not for what they 00:01:55.569 --> 00:01:57.950 do, but for who they are. Pick it up with me 00:01:57.950 --> 00:02:00.670 in verse 15. The apostle, after telling us all 00:02:00.670 --> 00:02:02.849 this great stuff we have in Christ, says, be 00:02:02.849 --> 00:02:05.030 very careful then how you live, not as unwise, 00:02:05.090 --> 00:02:08.330 but as wise. Making the most of every opportunity 00:02:08.330 --> 00:02:10.770 because the days are evil. Therefore, don't be 00:02:10.770 --> 00:02:13.090 foolish, but understand what the will of the 00:02:13.090 --> 00:02:14.430 Lord is. And he says, well, what's the will of 00:02:14.430 --> 00:02:16.310 the Lord? Well, don't be drunk with wine, which 00:02:16.310 --> 00:02:18.930 leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled, and 00:02:18.930 --> 00:02:21.879 the word means controlled, with the Spirit. Well, 00:02:21.900 --> 00:02:23.379 if you're filled with the Spirit, well, what 00:02:23.379 --> 00:02:25.960 happens? Well, speak to one another with psalms 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:28.180 and hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make 00:02:28.180 --> 00:02:30.400 music in your heart to the Lord, always giving 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:32.340 thanks to God the Father for everything in the 00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:34.180 name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then, by the 00:02:34.180 --> 00:02:36.580 way, submit to one another out of reverence for 00:02:36.580 --> 00:02:39.379 Christ. When you're filled with the spirit, there's 00:02:39.379 --> 00:02:41.819 a joy in your heart. There's a melody. There's 00:02:41.819 --> 00:02:43.860 a perspective where you realize God's in control 00:02:43.860 --> 00:02:45.560 and he's good and you choose to give thanks. 00:02:45.719 --> 00:02:47.560 And then he says, now I'm gonna talk about relationships 00:02:47.560 --> 00:02:49.860 and how love works when the spirit's in control. 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:53.620 And he says, the baseline is no one steps up 00:02:53.620 --> 00:02:56.960 and says, I gotta have my way on my terms. Submit 00:02:56.960 --> 00:02:59.680 or surrender one to another. In other words, 00:02:59.699 --> 00:03:02.280 God, you're the great choreographer and you're 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:04.280 gonna put relationships together. You show me 00:03:04.280 --> 00:03:07.620 my part of the dance. You show me my role. so 00:03:07.620 --> 00:03:10.300 that I can get and receive your love and then 00:03:10.300 --> 00:03:12.539 give it in the way you want me to. And so then 00:03:12.539 --> 00:03:14.460 he starts and says, okay, family relationships. 00:03:15.060 --> 00:03:16.939 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 00:03:17.219 --> 00:03:19.319 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ 00:03:19.319 --> 00:03:21.240 is the head of the church, his body, of which 00:03:21.240 --> 00:03:23.599 he is the savior. Now, as the church submits 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:26.080 to Christ, so wives should submit to their husbands 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:28.319 and everything. And just before the women go, 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:31.300 are you kidding? He says, husbands. Love your 00:03:31.300 --> 00:03:33.180 wives just as Christ loved the church. Well, 00:03:33.180 --> 00:03:34.960 he died. You're starting to get the point, guys. 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:37.840 And gave himself for her to make her holy, cleansing 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:39.560 her by the washing of the water with the word, 00:03:39.659 --> 00:03:42.180 to present her to himself as a radiant church 00:03:42.180 --> 00:03:44.620 without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, 00:03:44.699 --> 00:03:47.639 but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:50.139 ought to love their wives as their own bodies. 00:03:50.219 --> 00:03:52.939 He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:55.460 no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds 00:03:55.460 --> 00:03:57.460 and cares for it just as Christ does the church. 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:00.199 For we're members of his body for this reason. 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:02.800 A man will leave his mother and father and be 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:04.460 united to his wife and the two will become one 00:04:04.460 --> 00:04:07.360 flesh. This is a profound mystery, but I'm talking 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:09.960 about Christ in the church. However, application, 00:04:10.219 --> 00:04:13.659 each one of you must love his wife as himself 00:04:13.659 --> 00:04:17.720 and the wife must respect her husband. Children, 00:04:17.800 --> 00:04:20.600 obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:23.579 Honor your father and mother. Respect. Don't 00:04:23.579 --> 00:04:27.670 talk back. Listen to them. Obey them. Why? Well, 00:04:27.689 --> 00:04:29.129 this is the first commandment with the promise 00:04:29.129 --> 00:04:31.329 that it may go well with you and that you may 00:04:31.329 --> 00:04:34.009 live and enjoy a long life on the earth. Fathers, 00:04:34.009 --> 00:04:36.670 do not exasperate your children. Instead, bring 00:04:36.670 --> 00:04:38.649 them up in the training and the instruction of 00:04:38.649 --> 00:04:40.970 the Lord. He's going to go on and talk about 00:04:40.970 --> 00:04:43.050 slaves and masters. But here's what he says. 00:04:43.149 --> 00:04:45.990 The spirit of God contains the love of God. The 00:04:45.990 --> 00:04:48.529 spirit of God comes into a human heart. He's 00:04:48.529 --> 00:04:50.470 going to say there can either be resistance or 00:04:50.470 --> 00:04:52.750 you can surrender and say, I want to do life 00:04:52.750 --> 00:04:55.490 your way. And here's God's plan. It's really 00:04:55.490 --> 00:04:59.209 very simple. A tiny little baby gets born. And 00:04:59.209 --> 00:05:00.829 a mother says, I want to nurture and love this 00:05:00.829 --> 00:05:03.569 baby. And a father says, fantastic. And the mother 00:05:03.569 --> 00:05:06.089 says, I think this baby will learn how to love 00:05:06.089 --> 00:05:09.329 if I love my husband the way God says. And I 00:05:09.329 --> 00:05:11.089 really have to trust him. And so I'm going to 00:05:11.089 --> 00:05:12.930 respect my husband and I'm going to encourage 00:05:12.930 --> 00:05:15.490 him. I'm going to affirm him. I'm going to realize 00:05:15.490 --> 00:05:18.129 he does have a pretty fragile ego. And I'm going 00:05:18.129 --> 00:05:19.810 to, when I have to challenge him, I'm going to 00:05:19.810 --> 00:05:21.649 do it in some ways that he understands. I'm going 00:05:21.649 --> 00:05:23.509 to ask some probing questions. I'm going to take 00:05:23.509 --> 00:05:25.610 strong stands on things. But I'm going to let 00:05:25.610 --> 00:05:29.019 him know I'm behind him 100%. And as that happens, 00:05:29.100 --> 00:05:31.399 a man feels loved and empowered. And as he does, 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:33.519 he says, he experiences God's love through his 00:05:33.519 --> 00:05:35.019 wife. He says, you know something? I'm going 00:05:35.019 --> 00:05:36.680 to step out and I'm going to lead this family 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:39.779 emotionally, spiritually, financially. And tell 00:05:39.779 --> 00:05:42.120 you what, I'm going to give my life for this 00:05:42.120 --> 00:05:44.379 woman. I'm going to figure out what makes her 00:05:44.379 --> 00:05:46.259 feel loved. And I'm going to do what the scripture 00:05:46.259 --> 00:05:48.779 says. I want to be a living representation of 00:05:48.779 --> 00:05:50.639 Christ. And I want to love her in such a way. 00:05:50.699 --> 00:05:52.019 And then she loves me in such a way. And these 00:05:52.019 --> 00:05:53.740 little kids look up and see this mom and dad 00:05:53.740 --> 00:05:55.920 loving each other. And they create this secure 00:05:55.920 --> 00:05:58.910 environment. that's not performance -oriented, 00:05:59.089 --> 00:06:01.149 and they have their ups and downs, and when they 00:06:01.149 --> 00:06:04.069 blow it, they forgive one another, and they're 00:06:04.069 --> 00:06:06.129 committed to one another, and then kids grow 00:06:06.129 --> 00:06:08.629 up, and they begin to obey and realize, you know 00:06:08.629 --> 00:06:11.290 what, I don't like these boundaries. I don't 00:06:11.290 --> 00:06:13.470 like it when my dad says no, when my mom follows 00:06:13.470 --> 00:06:15.269 through, and when they're both on the same page. 00:06:15.550 --> 00:06:17.670 But wow, I guess my life isn't going down the 00:06:17.670 --> 00:06:19.329 tube like a lot of my friends, and my parents 00:06:19.329 --> 00:06:21.990 are staying together. Boy, that feels kind of 00:06:21.990 --> 00:06:23.730 good. And I guess if I can't obey my mom and 00:06:23.730 --> 00:06:26.209 dad now who I can see, I'll never obey a God 00:06:26.209 --> 00:06:28.730 that I can't see. And then they grow up and become 00:06:28.730 --> 00:06:31.250 adults. And because of those kind of things, 00:06:31.310 --> 00:06:33.550 they have a good self -image. And they learn 00:06:33.550 --> 00:06:36.189 to trust God. And they become adults. And they 00:06:36.189 --> 00:06:39.029 actually kind of come back to your house. And 00:06:39.029 --> 00:06:41.069 it's full circle. And your kids, adult kids, 00:06:41.149 --> 00:06:43.370 love you. And you watch them start to raise their 00:06:43.370 --> 00:06:46.290 kids. And there's this dynamic called the family 00:06:46.290 --> 00:06:50.870 where Jesus has clothes on. called moms and dads 00:06:50.870 --> 00:06:53.910 and kids. And it's imperfect, but it's a design 00:06:53.910 --> 00:06:58.370 that God has put into place. And when families 00:06:58.370 --> 00:07:03.209 follow this design, kids grow up strong, healthy, 00:07:03.470 --> 00:07:06.810 clear, great self -esteem, people of integrity. 00:07:07.069 --> 00:07:09.889 Husbands feel supported and empowered. Wives 00:07:09.889 --> 00:07:12.920 feel loved and cherished. And when those kind 00:07:12.920 --> 00:07:15.160 of families, very far from perfect, but very 00:07:15.160 --> 00:07:17.160 different from the world, tell you what, people 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:20.720 around go, man, what do you all have? Where did 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:24.300 you learn that? Because see, a lot of them are 00:07:24.300 --> 00:07:29.439 out looking for position or fame or sex or success 00:07:29.439 --> 00:07:33.339 or appearance or possessions. And they're getting 00:07:33.339 --> 00:07:37.000 all the pseudo loves. And every time keeps coming 00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:40.819 back empty. And when you're really loved, You 00:07:40.819 --> 00:07:45.379 have the freedom to be you. Just you. And the 00:07:45.379 --> 00:07:48.079 most attractive person on the face of the earth 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:53.120 is when you are really you. Loved by God, free 00:07:53.120 --> 00:07:56.500 not to impress anyone, free to be you, free to 00:07:56.500 --> 00:07:59.579 accept you, and free to love others. And so that's 00:07:59.579 --> 00:08:01.779 design number one. It's an amazing design. I 00:08:01.779 --> 00:08:03.259 put a little chart there. You know, the Holy 00:08:03.259 --> 00:08:05.319 Spirit. Then you have this relationship, husband 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:07.060 to wife, wife to husband, parents to children, 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:10.269 then children to parents. And it's this vicious 00:08:10.269 --> 00:08:14.410 cycle of love. It's God's design. Now, here's 00:08:14.410 --> 00:08:17.529 what I know. By personal experience, unfortunately. 00:08:19.829 --> 00:08:24.610 Most families, non -Christian families or Christian 00:08:24.610 --> 00:08:27.970 families, at least in the last 40 to 50 years, 00:08:28.089 --> 00:08:30.509 have not followed this design very well. All 00:08:30.509 --> 00:08:33.730 right? So my dad was an alcoholic. He's a good 00:08:33.730 --> 00:08:37.460 guy. He was just an alcoholic. Teresa's dad was 00:08:37.460 --> 00:08:39.000 an alcoholic. He's a good guy too. He's just 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:42.779 an alcoholic. I never heard my dad ever say to 00:08:42.779 --> 00:08:44.879 me verbally, I love you until he was probably 00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:47.700 late 50s after he'd been a Christian four or 00:08:47.700 --> 00:08:51.440 five years. I don't think I saw my mom and dad 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:54.720 kiss like two times growing up. I didn't see 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:59.480 this nurturing. So as I grew up, what was I doing? 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:01.320 I'm looking for love in all the wrong places, 00:09:01.379 --> 00:09:04.620 just like most of us. Now here's what's amazing. 00:09:05.509 --> 00:09:08.990 Catch this. Because, you know, some of your body 00:09:08.990 --> 00:09:11.269 language, when I went through the family of design, 00:09:11.529 --> 00:09:14.409 if I could read your thoughts, it would be, I 00:09:14.409 --> 00:09:17.789 sure wish I could have got that, but I didn't. 00:09:18.570 --> 00:09:21.409 That was part of you. The other part was, I know 00:09:21.409 --> 00:09:23.090 I'm supposed to be doing that kind of model, 00:09:23.110 --> 00:09:26.710 and yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, I'm not. And you're 00:09:26.710 --> 00:09:31.309 thinking, where am I going to go with this? The 00:09:31.309 --> 00:09:34.809 wonderful thing about God, He's a God of grace. 00:09:35.509 --> 00:09:38.450 And that means second, third, and 34th chances. 00:09:38.809 --> 00:09:40.970 And so what you're going to find is that when 00:09:40.970 --> 00:09:44.409 we fail to follow God's design or when others 00:09:44.409 --> 00:09:47.970 fail to follow God's design and we reap the negative 00:09:47.970 --> 00:09:51.529 consequences, he'll actually take our deepest 00:09:51.529 --> 00:09:55.690 pains, our dysfunctions, and our hurts if we 00:09:55.690 --> 00:09:58.970 bring them to him. And he'll actually use that. 00:09:59.419 --> 00:10:02.100 as an opportunity to express his love in the 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:04.340 midst of our pain. Notice the next point. It 00:10:04.340 --> 00:10:08.080 says we often experience love most deeply when 00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:11.779 we need it most desperately. Romans 5, three 00:10:11.779 --> 00:10:14.320 through five. It starts out literally. Verse 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:17.360 one says, thanks be to God. We have peace through 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:20.000 our Lord Jesus Christ and we exalt or we rejoice. 00:10:20.750 --> 00:10:23.029 in this brand new salvation that God's given 00:10:23.029 --> 00:10:25.409 us. And it's exciting. And he says, it's in this 00:10:25.409 --> 00:10:27.850 grace in which we stand. And then in verse three, 00:10:27.889 --> 00:10:30.429 he says, but not only this, but we also rejoice 00:10:30.429 --> 00:10:33.090 or exalt in our tribulation or our problems or 00:10:33.090 --> 00:10:35.350 our difficulties. And then he says, why? Because 00:10:35.350 --> 00:10:37.610 tribulation or difficulties produce perseverance 00:10:37.610 --> 00:10:39.909 and perseverance produces character and character 00:10:39.909 --> 00:10:43.009 produces hope. And hope never disappoints because 00:10:43.009 --> 00:10:46.509 the Holy Spirit pours out the love of God. And 00:10:46.509 --> 00:10:49.230 what he's saying is when difficult, painful things 00:10:49.230 --> 00:10:51.970 come and you will turn to God. And sometimes, 00:10:52.070 --> 00:10:53.809 you know what perseverance means? Just endure. 00:10:55.560 --> 00:10:58.240 This is a hard marriage. I endure. This is a 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:00.580 tough situation. I endure. You know what? I'm 00:11:00.580 --> 00:11:01.960 not getting any better physically. I endure. 00:11:02.220 --> 00:11:04.000 My parents are going through a rough time. I 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:05.960 endure. But I'm turning to God in my endurance. 00:11:06.320 --> 00:11:08.399 As you endure, what happens is something happens 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:10.799 inside. Your character changes as you trust him. 00:11:10.940 --> 00:11:12.799 And as your character changes, you begin to see 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:15.340 there is hope. God can change me and he can change 00:11:15.340 --> 00:11:18.090 things. And the hope... is received when the 00:11:18.090 --> 00:11:19.889 spirit of God through the word of God in the 00:11:19.889 --> 00:11:22.529 context of community pours out into your being 00:11:22.529 --> 00:11:25.789 and you actually can come out of very dysfunctional 00:11:25.789 --> 00:11:28.529 families and painful issues and experience God's 00:11:28.529 --> 00:11:31.129 love and say there's hope. That's the girl that 00:11:31.129 --> 00:11:34.870 I met. Girl that I met not only had a difficult, 00:11:35.029 --> 00:11:38.950 painful, really negative childhood. She looked 00:11:38.950 --> 00:11:40.750 for love in all the wrong places and got married 00:11:40.750 --> 00:11:44.909 early. And then she had a husband who abandoned 00:11:44.909 --> 00:11:48.490 her. sleeping with someone else for a couple 00:11:48.490 --> 00:11:50.789 years and she didn't know it. Then she gets pregnant 00:11:50.789 --> 00:11:52.610 with these twin boys and he leaves and never 00:11:52.610 --> 00:11:55.049 to be heard of again. I met her two and a half 00:11:55.049 --> 00:11:57.710 years later. It was in that pain that Teresa, 00:11:57.830 --> 00:12:00.669 out of dysfunctional family and being abandoned 00:12:00.669 --> 00:12:03.450 by a man who was selling drugs. turned to God 00:12:03.450 --> 00:12:07.309 and she persevered. And that persevering and 00:12:07.309 --> 00:12:09.750 she would pray at night and sing at night and 00:12:09.750 --> 00:12:11.929 cry out to God and she didn't have any money. 00:12:11.990 --> 00:12:14.169 And in that persevering, it built some character. 00:12:14.289 --> 00:12:16.049 And I got to see the character of this godly 00:12:16.049 --> 00:12:18.669 woman and that produced hope. And I met her about 00:12:18.669 --> 00:12:20.570 two and a half years later where it was like 00:12:20.570 --> 00:12:23.389 a piece of coal turned into a diamond. And I 00:12:23.389 --> 00:12:26.090 saw a heart for God and a love for God and someone 00:12:26.090 --> 00:12:28.909 who understood the amazing forgiveness of God 00:12:28.909 --> 00:12:32.809 and it attracted me. And I just came on the other 00:12:32.809 --> 00:12:34.570 end of it. I hadn't been through difficult, painful 00:12:34.570 --> 00:12:39.129 times. I just was empty in success. I was on 00:12:39.129 --> 00:12:41.909 the performance trap. So I didn't understand 00:12:41.909 --> 00:12:45.029 God's love. Affirmation felt like love, so perform, 00:12:45.149 --> 00:12:47.269 perform, perform. Get A's, score points, get 00:12:47.269 --> 00:12:51.090 pretty girlfriends. I'm loved, right? No, you're 00:12:51.090 --> 00:12:55.870 empty. You just appear plastic and like you have 00:12:55.870 --> 00:12:58.090 things that everyone told you would fill the 00:12:58.090 --> 00:13:00.659 hole and it never did. And it was out of that 00:13:00.659 --> 00:13:05.039 that I persevered, that built character, that 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:08.159 I came to Christ and then said, you know something? 00:13:09.379 --> 00:13:13.159 Adulation and affirmation and false intimacy 00:13:13.159 --> 00:13:18.919 and position, they're empty. And it's hard because 00:13:18.919 --> 00:13:20.799 I can see those things and I can't see God's 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:25.480 love. Where are you at today? Would you like 00:13:25.480 --> 00:13:28.870 to really experience God's love? I'll tell you, 00:13:28.889 --> 00:13:31.769 there's very clear steps to experiencing God's 00:13:31.769 --> 00:13:33.169 love. I put them in your notes. They're very, 00:13:33.190 --> 00:13:35.990 very clear. They're very, very clean. Step one 00:13:35.990 --> 00:13:39.090 is you need to step down. You have to surrender. 00:13:39.750 --> 00:13:41.909 You know, you can live life on your agenda or 00:13:41.909 --> 00:13:44.029 God's agenda, but a certain day at a certain 00:13:44.029 --> 00:13:46.309 time, even as a Christian, you got to say, God, 00:13:46.350 --> 00:13:48.309 from this day on, I'm going to do it your way. 00:13:48.389 --> 00:13:50.590 I know I'll mess up. I know it'll be hard, but 00:13:50.590 --> 00:13:52.990 whatever your word says, I'm doing life your 00:13:52.990 --> 00:13:56.379 way. I desperately need you. Some of us get there 00:13:56.379 --> 00:13:58.000 because the pain is so great there's no place 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:01.799 else to go. You're listening to Living on the 00:14:01.799 --> 00:14:04.340 Edge. Before we hear the rest of Chip's message, 00:14:04.460 --> 00:14:07.179 let me remind you that we are a listener -supported 00:14:07.179 --> 00:14:10.340 ministry. Your regular gifts help us create programs 00:14:10.340 --> 00:14:13.620 like this one, develop new resources, and encourage 00:14:13.620 --> 00:14:16.620 pastors globally. Prayerfully consider becoming 00:14:16.620 --> 00:14:20.120 a monthly partner today. Then go to livingontheedge 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:23.299 .org to give a gift. Thanks so much for your 00:14:23.299 --> 00:14:27.220 support. Well, here again is Chip. Second is 00:14:27.220 --> 00:14:30.559 you got to step away. You know, you walk in darkness. 00:14:30.779 --> 00:14:32.240 You know, for me, it was hanging out in bars 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:34.600 and doing stuff that I knew was wrong and getting 00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:36.559 caught up in all my stuff. I had to step away 00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:38.639 from the world's values. I had to be separate 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:40.840 from the world's values. And I had to say, you 00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:42.580 know what? This is really different and really 00:14:42.580 --> 00:14:45.580 hard, but I'm going to do life your way. And 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:47.159 I got to start hanging around some people that 00:14:47.159 --> 00:14:51.019 do life your way. You step away. And then you 00:14:51.019 --> 00:14:54.259 have to step in. You can't be sort of this. you 00:14:54.259 --> 00:14:56.600 know, Lone Ranger Christian out there, you got 00:14:56.600 --> 00:14:58.559 to get with a group of people that are on the 00:14:58.559 --> 00:15:00.940 same page that are moving and you say, you know 00:15:00.940 --> 00:15:02.399 what, little by little, I'm going to let you 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:05.320 in on who I am, but I'm going to hang with you 00:15:05.320 --> 00:15:07.320 all. That's, I mean, the reason that we're so 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:10.179 adamant about small groups is life change happens 00:15:10.179 --> 00:15:14.049 in authentic community. Jesus lives inside of 00:15:14.049 --> 00:15:16.190 you if you're a Christian, and he lives inside 00:15:16.190 --> 00:15:18.789 of other people, and it is impossible to live 00:15:18.789 --> 00:15:21.309 and experience his love apart from deep, authentic 00:15:21.309 --> 00:15:23.750 connection and vulnerability with other people. 00:15:23.850 --> 00:15:27.789 Is it risky? Yes. The option, though, of not 00:15:27.789 --> 00:15:31.149 being loved is the only alternative. And so at 00:15:31.149 --> 00:15:33.110 some point you step down, then you step away, 00:15:33.330 --> 00:15:35.289 then you step in, and then when you're in that 00:15:35.289 --> 00:15:36.909 community, at some point in time you get to step 00:15:36.909 --> 00:15:39.690 up. And you got to step up and quit playing it 00:15:39.690 --> 00:15:42.370 safe and saying, this is my sober self -assessment. 00:15:42.429 --> 00:15:45.009 I'm good at this. I struggle with this. I want 00:15:45.009 --> 00:15:48.250 to be God's man or God's woman. And I want you 00:15:48.250 --> 00:15:50.190 all to help me. And I'm going to let you see 00:15:50.190 --> 00:15:52.669 the parts of me that are not very pleasant. Everyone 00:15:52.669 --> 00:15:55.669 has them. Because you never feel loved until 00:15:55.669 --> 00:15:58.570 you meet some people that see your not so pretty 00:15:58.570 --> 00:16:01.210 stuff. And they look right at you and go, yeah, 00:16:01.250 --> 00:16:03.850 I've seen that. I still like you. In fact, I 00:16:03.850 --> 00:16:08.429 love you. I mean, I've seen that for years. I've 00:16:08.429 --> 00:16:10.830 got it. You've got it. Do you know how freeing 00:16:10.830 --> 00:16:13.649 it is? I mean, help me with this, but is there 00:16:13.649 --> 00:16:16.370 anybody here who's perfect? Just go ahead and 00:16:16.370 --> 00:16:18.649 raise that hand. Do I see those hands? I mean, 00:16:18.669 --> 00:16:20.649 we intellectually say that. So why would I be 00:16:20.649 --> 00:16:22.669 threatened at a certain point to say, you know 00:16:22.669 --> 00:16:25.409 something? A guy last night, I was so proud of 00:16:25.409 --> 00:16:27.049 him. But you know what he said? He goes, I got 00:16:27.049 --> 00:16:30.059 to step in. I got to step up. Yeah, I'm a part 00:16:30.059 --> 00:16:31.600 of the church and I'm growing. I'm making progress. 00:16:31.779 --> 00:16:34.259 It's great. But he was saying, I need to go to 00:16:34.259 --> 00:16:36.919 the next level and I need to get real at a level 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:40.100 where I really put my past behind me. And then 00:16:40.100 --> 00:16:44.240 what you do is you step out. You step out and 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:46.919 you get your focus off of you and you say, I 00:16:46.919 --> 00:16:48.179 bet there's someone hurting a little bit more 00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:50.220 than me. I bet there's someone a little poorer 00:16:50.220 --> 00:16:52.059 than me. I bet there's someone whose marriage 00:16:52.059 --> 00:16:53.820 is even more messed up than mine. I bet there's 00:16:53.820 --> 00:16:55.480 someone whose addiction is even deeper than mine. 00:16:55.559 --> 00:16:58.539 And you just start to give your life away with 00:16:58.539 --> 00:17:00.659 your time and your energy and your money. And 00:17:00.659 --> 00:17:02.419 Jesus promised, give and it will be given unto 00:17:02.419 --> 00:17:03.940 you a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, 00:17:04.019 --> 00:17:07.059 running over, back into your lap. And all I can 00:17:07.059 --> 00:17:10.799 tell you is, you want to experience the infinite, 00:17:10.980 --> 00:17:15.319 unconditional. powerful, life transforming love 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:19.079 of God. You step down, you step away, you step 00:17:19.079 --> 00:17:22.640 in, you step up, and then you step out. If you 00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:24.700 want to be loved, here's what it's going to take. 00:17:25.619 --> 00:17:28.019 Every person in the world is stepping on something. 00:17:28.600 --> 00:17:30.339 You know, we talk about the ladder of success, 00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:32.819 the ladder of appearance, and some people really 00:17:32.819 --> 00:17:34.420 work, and I'm going to be the super perfect mom, 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:36.240 and other people is, you know, I'm going to keep 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:37.940 pumping those weights so I look, and the girls 00:17:37.940 --> 00:17:39.619 are like me, and, you know, some people are trying 00:17:39.619 --> 00:17:41.519 to afford liposuction, and other people, you 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:44.609 know, we all got it, right? But every one of 00:17:44.609 --> 00:17:46.849 us are stepping on certain things we think if 00:17:46.849 --> 00:17:49.369 we can just get this, we'll be loved. And at 00:17:49.369 --> 00:17:51.410 some point in time, you know something? You step 00:17:51.410 --> 00:17:54.509 down from that and you surrender to God. And 00:17:54.509 --> 00:17:56.369 you say, you know what? You may give me a parent. 00:17:56.529 --> 00:17:58.029 You may give me some money here and there. But 00:17:58.029 --> 00:17:59.549 I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going 00:17:59.549 --> 00:18:02.509 to step down and surrender to you. Lock, stock, 00:18:02.589 --> 00:18:06.250 and barrel. Many of you, that's the step you 00:18:06.250 --> 00:18:09.109 need to take today. Second, then, you know, you're 00:18:09.109 --> 00:18:11.450 kind of in there. You need to step away and step 00:18:11.450 --> 00:18:14.289 into the light. You got to step away from the 00:18:14.289 --> 00:18:16.670 people, step away from the environments, step 00:18:16.670 --> 00:18:19.069 away from the media that keeps giving you the 00:18:19.069 --> 00:18:20.990 messages that there's some step there that will 00:18:20.990 --> 00:18:24.789 make you a somebody. And you step away and step 00:18:24.789 --> 00:18:26.789 into the light and you start walking in holiness. 00:18:27.609 --> 00:18:29.789 And boy, that's a big one. And you know, by the 00:18:29.789 --> 00:18:31.710 way, it's not always drugs or alcohol. You can 00:18:31.710 --> 00:18:33.529 be addicted to shopping. You can be addicted 00:18:33.529 --> 00:18:35.549 to people's approval. You can be addicted to 00:18:35.549 --> 00:18:38.329 all kinds of stuff. You can be addicted to ESPN. 00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:41.839 You can be addicted to fantasy football. You 00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:44.900 can be addicted to just trivia. Where in the 00:18:44.900 --> 00:18:47.859 world is your life going? Do you want to be loved? 00:18:49.339 --> 00:18:52.480 And then third, you got to step in. And you got 00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:53.920 to get with a group of people and you got to 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:55.359 say, you know something? You know, I'm going 00:18:55.359 --> 00:18:56.759 to play it safe at first because I don't know 00:18:56.759 --> 00:18:58.440 you people. And I know you're Christians, but 00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:00.900 you know, Christians are flaky people like everyone 00:19:00.900 --> 00:19:03.799 else. And so I'm going to figure out who's going 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:05.880 to not share what I share with other people. 00:19:06.019 --> 00:19:08.160 And little by little by little, I'm going to 00:19:08.560 --> 00:19:11.880 But I'm going to do life with you all. I'm going 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:14.720 to make it a priority. I mean, some of you make 00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:16.819 it a priority to work out. Some of you figure 00:19:16.819 --> 00:19:19.400 out how to work 70 hours a week. I mean, you 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:21.900 make a priority. You do what matters to you. 00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:24.220 So you decide what matters to you. You want to 00:19:24.220 --> 00:19:26.289 experience love, you step down. You step away, 00:19:26.490 --> 00:19:29.369 then you step in. And then someplace in the stepping 00:19:29.369 --> 00:19:31.970 in, you take a step of vulnerability and you 00:19:31.970 --> 00:19:33.789 say, you know something? I know I've presented 00:19:33.789 --> 00:19:35.470 this side and I've showed a little bit of me, 00:19:35.529 --> 00:19:37.670 but I want you to know, you know, I got some 00:19:37.670 --> 00:19:40.430 things I'm not proud of. I'll tell you what, 00:19:40.430 --> 00:19:42.049 you will experience the love of God like never 00:19:42.049 --> 00:19:45.809 before. And then you step out and you get on 00:19:45.809 --> 00:19:47.710 your little spiritual bicycle and you say, you 00:19:47.710 --> 00:19:50.250 know what? I got to get going. I got to get focused 00:19:50.250 --> 00:19:53.869 on helping some other people. Here's my question. 00:19:55.180 --> 00:19:59.400 What step do you need to take? God loves you. 00:20:00.180 --> 00:20:04.660 The Lord, your God, is with you. He is mighty 00:20:04.660 --> 00:20:11.180 to deliver. He takes great delight in you. He 00:20:11.180 --> 00:20:15.519 will quiet you with his love. He'll rejoice over 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:19.740 you with singing. But there's a condition. And 00:20:19.740 --> 00:20:21.900 the condition is you need to figure out whether 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:24.359 it's a ladder issue. A stepping away and into 00:20:24.359 --> 00:20:28.579 the light issue. A stepping in issue. Stepping 00:20:28.579 --> 00:20:33.279 up. And then, you know, it's a by faith. You 00:20:33.279 --> 00:20:35.740 say, God, I'm afraid. Everything I've ever done. 00:20:36.539 --> 00:20:38.799 In fact, in scripture, every time I find anybody 00:20:38.799 --> 00:20:41.420 that's doing anything significant, either an 00:20:41.420 --> 00:20:43.539 angel or someone comes and says, do not be afraid. 00:20:43.660 --> 00:20:45.359 Do not be afraid. Why? Because they're afraid. 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:48.200 Well, that would mean people would know this. 00:20:48.259 --> 00:20:50.779 Yep, they would. But think of how much energy 00:20:50.779 --> 00:20:53.640 you use hiding it. How much energy do we use 00:20:53.640 --> 00:20:57.920 pretending? Where do you find love? Source of 00:20:57.920 --> 00:21:00.519 love is God. It comes through his spirit. You 00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:02.759 need to walk in his spirit. How do you get it? 00:21:02.779 --> 00:21:05.720 The ideal is that it's in this family system. 00:21:05.819 --> 00:21:07.819 And for those of us with families, let's ask 00:21:07.819 --> 00:21:10.039 God to help us create those kind of families 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:15.339 of Ephesians 5 and 6. And then no matter where 00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:18.180 you're at in your pain, sometimes we get love 00:21:18.180 --> 00:21:21.240 most deeply when we realize we're really desperate. 00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:25.539 And we say, okay, I'm willing. Final question. 00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:30.299 How do you give it away? How do you give it away? 00:21:31.980 --> 00:21:36.079 The R12 application is serving and love. Everybody 00:21:36.079 --> 00:21:37.859 makes decisions, and all those decisions make 00:21:37.859 --> 00:21:41.960 you. Make a decision today. Second thing is I 00:21:41.960 --> 00:21:43.700 thought of something real, real practical, and 00:21:43.700 --> 00:21:46.640 it's really brief, but I thought of the Gospels, 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:48.920 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the most loving 00:21:48.920 --> 00:21:51.710 person in the world was Jesus, right? Most loving 00:21:51.710 --> 00:21:55.250 person. So what did he do? And I literally, I 00:21:55.250 --> 00:21:58.470 mentally went through Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. 00:21:58.549 --> 00:22:00.569 I just went through the life of Christ. I thought, 00:22:00.609 --> 00:22:02.289 what did he do? Are you ready for this? This 00:22:02.289 --> 00:22:05.349 is how Jesus loved people. He did it by talking 00:22:05.349 --> 00:22:10.589 with them. He did it by walking with them. He 00:22:10.589 --> 00:22:14.769 did it by eating with them. He did it by praying 00:22:14.769 --> 00:22:18.210 with them. He did this to his. He did this with 00:22:18.210 --> 00:22:20.069 his friends. He actually did these things with 00:22:20.069 --> 00:22:22.670 his enemies. He did it by playing with them. 00:22:23.109 --> 00:22:25.609 I'll tell you, I think Jesus was a very fun guy 00:22:25.609 --> 00:22:28.730 to be around, holy for sure. But I mean, a lot 00:22:28.730 --> 00:22:30.369 of us, we don't get some of those jokes. That 00:22:30.369 --> 00:22:32.130 day he said, hey, Pete, John, come here. You 00:22:32.130 --> 00:22:34.869 know what? I mean, he was real. He was loving. 00:22:35.569 --> 00:22:38.890 I think they played together. He suffered with 00:22:38.890 --> 00:22:41.130 them. When things got hard, I mean, they went 00:22:41.130 --> 00:22:43.730 through it together. And then he did two things, 00:22:43.809 --> 00:22:46.539 both with his family, his friends. And his enemies. 00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:51.640 He taught them. And he forgave them. Now, you 00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:53.440 know what? I don't know about you, but that list 00:22:53.440 --> 00:22:57.519 is not rocket science. If you're leaving here, 00:22:57.660 --> 00:23:01.119 now what should I do to become a more loving 00:23:01.119 --> 00:23:05.180 person with my family? Oh, with my friends. With 00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:09.619 my small group. Even at work. Yeah. Or even with 00:23:09.619 --> 00:23:13.279 my enemies. Here's a novel idea. Talk with them. 00:23:14.160 --> 00:23:17.140 Eat with them. Hey, you want to go for a walk? 00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:22.839 Pray with them. Play with them. If you're in 00:23:22.839 --> 00:23:25.299 the role, teach them. And if they've hurt you, 00:23:25.319 --> 00:23:29.059 forgive them. Let me just ask you, in your family, 00:23:29.140 --> 00:23:34.079 are you doing that? Or are you too busy? You're 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:36.299 too busy to eat together? Jesus wasn't too busy 00:23:36.299 --> 00:23:40.079 to do that. Too busy to talk together? Too busy 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:45.710 to take a walk? Too busy to have some fun? And 00:23:45.710 --> 00:23:48.150 so are you ready? Now we're back to the very 00:23:48.150 --> 00:23:51.529 first page, aren't we? Why are you too busy? 00:23:53.450 --> 00:23:56.089 And what I'll tell you, if you're honest, go 00:23:56.089 --> 00:23:58.490 to that front page and see how many of the things 00:23:58.490 --> 00:24:02.250 in the right -hand column that I listed are about 00:24:02.250 --> 00:24:05.269 all the demands you feel that you got to do. 00:24:06.049 --> 00:24:08.650 And at the heart of it is what you desperately 00:24:08.650 --> 00:24:11.049 need is to be loved. And you think, and I believe, 00:24:11.150 --> 00:24:13.789 and we've been brainwashed to believe. that we 00:24:13.789 --> 00:24:16.589 can find it in those things. But you're smart 00:24:16.589 --> 00:24:18.849 people. If you could find it in those things, 00:24:18.910 --> 00:24:23.549 you'd found it by now. My recommendation? Take 00:24:23.549 --> 00:24:29.329 a big step. You're listening to Living on the 00:24:29.329 --> 00:24:31.970 Edge with Chip Ingram and the message you just 00:24:31.970 --> 00:24:34.710 heard. What the world needs now is love, sweet 00:24:34.710 --> 00:24:37.930 love, is from our series, Spiritual Simplicity. 00:24:38.329 --> 00:24:40.970 chip will join us in studio to share some insights 00:24:40.970 --> 00:24:44.170 from today's talk in just a minute have you ever 00:24:44.170 --> 00:24:46.369 felt like there's never enough time in the day 00:24:46.369 --> 00:24:49.990 for yourself the people you love even god if 00:24:49.990 --> 00:24:52.490 you can relate don't miss this series chip's 00:24:52.490 --> 00:24:54.710 going to challenge the unrealistic standards 00:24:54.710 --> 00:24:58.289 and expectations we all feel pressured by join 00:24:58.289 --> 00:25:00.630 us as we learn how to break free from this demanding 00:25:00.630 --> 00:25:03.509 cycle and discover the simpler more fulfilling 00:25:03.509 --> 00:25:06.450 life god has in store for us I hope you'll be 00:25:06.450 --> 00:25:09.269 with us for every part of this study. Well, our 00:25:09.269 --> 00:25:11.509 Bible teacher, Chip Ingram, is with me now. And 00:25:11.509 --> 00:25:14.269 Chip, you know, we receive a ton of emails and 00:25:14.269 --> 00:25:16.349 calls all the time about how series like this 00:25:16.349 --> 00:25:19.549 one are changing people's lives. So take a minute, 00:25:19.569 --> 00:25:21.930 if you would, and explain the ways teaching God's 00:25:21.930 --> 00:25:24.410 Word through this broadcast fits into the mission 00:25:24.410 --> 00:25:27.269 of this ministry. Sure, Dave. At Living on the 00:25:27.269 --> 00:25:30.490 Edge, we do three things for three groups for 00:25:30.490 --> 00:25:34.650 one purpose. One, we teach God's Word to as many 00:25:34.650 --> 00:25:37.289 people as possible through radio, small group 00:25:37.289 --> 00:25:40.410 resources, online tools like our app, and in 00:25:40.410 --> 00:25:42.690 partnerships internationally all around the world. 00:25:42.829 --> 00:25:45.869 Second, we train Christians to go deeper with 00:25:45.869 --> 00:25:48.829 teaching resources and small group studies. And 00:25:48.829 --> 00:25:52.230 three, we develop tools for leaders, for pastors 00:25:52.230 --> 00:25:55.509 and business leaders to help them impact their 00:25:55.509 --> 00:25:58.349 worlds and beyond. We do all these things for 00:25:58.349 --> 00:26:01.460 one purpose, to help Christians live. like Christians. 00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:04.200 Now, here's my question. If you were impacted 00:26:04.200 --> 00:26:06.900 today by the ministry of Living on the Edge, 00:26:07.099 --> 00:26:10.500 would you be willing to partner with us? We can't 00:26:10.500 --> 00:26:12.500 do this without the support of partners like 00:26:12.500 --> 00:26:16.019 you. And as you do, we will change lives. We 00:26:16.019 --> 00:26:18.440 will spread God's truth around the world, and 00:26:18.440 --> 00:26:20.740 we will help Christians live like Christians. 00:26:21.099 --> 00:26:24.200 Here's my question. Would you join us? Thanks, 00:26:24.220 --> 00:26:26.660 Chip. If Living on the Edge is ministering to 00:26:26.660 --> 00:26:29.119 you, and you've not yet partnered with us financially, 00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:31.740 would you prayerfully consider doing that today? 00:26:31.980 --> 00:26:34.539 It takes a team to do what God's called us to 00:26:34.539 --> 00:26:37.319 do. So we invite you to join us as we encourage 00:26:37.319 --> 00:26:39.819 Christians everywhere to live like Christians. 00:26:40.140 --> 00:26:42.680 Send in your gift or learn how to become a monthly 00:26:42.680 --> 00:26:46.660 partner by going to livingontheedge .org or by 00:26:46.660 --> 00:26:52.460 calling 888 -333 -6003. Again, that's 888 -333 00:26:52.460 --> 00:27:04.759 -6003 or visit livingontheedge .org. As we finish 00:27:04.759 --> 00:27:07.680 this message on what the world needs now is love, 00:27:07.819 --> 00:27:10.920 sweet love. Let me ask you a question. In what 00:27:10.920 --> 00:27:15.519 ways is your life too busy because you're settling 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:18.440 for pseudo love instead of real love? You know, 00:27:18.460 --> 00:27:21.190 I talked about that. I mean, in what ways? is 00:27:21.190 --> 00:27:23.490 just the pace of your life, the number of things 00:27:23.490 --> 00:27:27.170 you're doing, the superficiality of blowing and 00:27:27.170 --> 00:27:30.910 going the way you are. What has to happen so 00:27:30.910 --> 00:27:35.750 that you actually love people deeply, authentically? 00:27:35.890 --> 00:27:37.730 I mean, where do you need to slow up? What do 00:27:37.730 --> 00:27:39.809 you need to stop? You got it? And then now what 00:27:39.809 --> 00:27:41.390 I want to do is I want to give you some very 00:27:41.390 --> 00:27:43.910 specific ways, because for many of you, many 00:27:43.910 --> 00:27:46.809 of you, the answer to that question is, it's 00:27:46.809 --> 00:27:49.920 my family or my close friends. You know, I don't 00:27:49.920 --> 00:27:52.140 know how many times I talk to people and they 00:27:52.140 --> 00:27:54.759 have, quote, close friends. And I mean, all you 00:27:54.759 --> 00:27:56.859 do is text each other. I mean, I got news for 00:27:56.859 --> 00:27:59.799 you. A text is not a hug. You have to do what 00:27:59.799 --> 00:28:03.000 Jesus did. The way you communicate love. I zoomed 00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:05.220 through these, but it was like an epiphany for 00:28:05.220 --> 00:28:09.740 me. He talked with people. He walked with people 00:28:09.740 --> 00:28:13.180 unhurriedly. He ate with them. That was a very 00:28:13.180 --> 00:28:17.500 big one. He prayed with them. He played with 00:28:17.500 --> 00:28:19.480 them. I'm convinced that. You know, they had 00:28:19.480 --> 00:28:22.240 some time skipping stones and having fun. He 00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:24.660 suffered with them, but that meant he was with 00:28:24.660 --> 00:28:27.339 them and he was in the trenches with them and 00:28:27.339 --> 00:28:29.799 he taught them. There were teachable moments 00:28:29.799 --> 00:28:32.779 and then formal teaching. And then in the midst 00:28:32.779 --> 00:28:34.460 of all their hurts and ups and downs because 00:28:34.460 --> 00:28:37.319 they're people, he forgave them. You know, maybe 00:28:37.319 --> 00:28:39.799 you ought to just go to the internet, pull down 00:28:39.799 --> 00:28:42.640 these teaching notes or get the MP3 and say, 00:28:42.680 --> 00:28:45.059 you know, with my family or with one or two close 00:28:45.059 --> 00:28:48.440 friends. This week, I'm going to plan in my schedule 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:52.039 when I'm going to walk, talk, eat, play, and 00:28:52.039 --> 00:28:55.140 pray with them and see if a connection in your 00:28:55.140 --> 00:28:58.359 heart doesn't get deeper and better and those 00:28:58.359 --> 00:29:01.359 people feel really loved. Well, thanks, Chip. 00:29:01.480 --> 00:29:03.359 Well, if you'd like to get plugged in with any 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:07.019 of the resources Chip just mentioned, go to livingontheedge 00:29:07.019 --> 00:29:10.599 .org. Download Chip's message notes, catch up 00:29:10.599 --> 00:29:13.539 on any part of this series, and more. We want 00:29:13.539 --> 00:29:16.059 to help you grow in your walk with Jesus, so 00:29:16.059 --> 00:29:20.279 visit livingontheedge .org today. For Chip and 00:29:20.279 --> 00:29:22.759 the entire team here, this is Dave Drewy thanking 00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:25.160 you for listening to this edition of Living on 00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:27.799 the Edge, and I hope you'll join us again next 00:29:27.799 --> 00:29:28.099 time.