WEBVTT 00:00:01.389 --> 00:00:04.169 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:04.269 --> 00:00:07.370 If there's one area people are struggling with 00:00:07.370 --> 00:00:11.330 right now, it's money. What does God say about 00:00:11.330 --> 00:00:13.750 money? I mean, I'm not talking about the giving 00:00:13.750 --> 00:00:17.250 side. I'm talking about just money in general. 00:00:17.370 --> 00:00:20.410 How do you handle it? How do you work your money 00:00:20.410 --> 00:00:24.010 in such a way where your life works? That's today. 00:00:26.089 --> 00:00:28.649 Want to know what truly matters to you? Well, 00:00:28.730 --> 00:00:31.100 just check your bank statement. For the Bible 00:00:31.100 --> 00:00:33.240 -believing Christian, we know this is important. 00:00:33.539 --> 00:00:36.259 After all, Jesus taught more about money than 00:00:36.259 --> 00:00:38.979 heaven and hell combined, because our finances 00:00:38.979 --> 00:00:42.380 reveal everything. Well, today on Living on the 00:00:42.380 --> 00:00:44.560 Edge, Chip Ingram poses penetrating questions 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:47.820 that most Christians avoid. In this study, he 00:00:47.820 --> 00:00:50.939 exposes how wealth deceives even sincere believers, 00:00:51.219 --> 00:00:54.000 and he reveals practical ways to teach those 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:57.579 you love to manage money as God's stewards, discovering 00:00:57.579 --> 00:01:01.000 freedom, joy, and eternal impact along the way. 00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:04.040 I'm pleased to report that our audience is already 00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:07.019 displaying giving hearts because we're receiving 00:01:07.019 --> 00:01:09.560 a generous outpouring to the December match. 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:12.700 Remember, every dollar you give will be matched 00:01:12.700 --> 00:01:16.329 dollar for dollar until December 31st. We'll 00:01:16.329 --> 00:01:18.849 give more details later on so that you can double 00:01:18.849 --> 00:01:21.230 your gift as well. But right now, let's continue 00:01:21.230 --> 00:01:24.010 Chip's message called Teach Them to Manage Their 00:01:24.010 --> 00:01:27.250 Wealth Wisely. My money reveals my priorities. 00:01:27.590 --> 00:01:30.790 My money reveals my values. My money reveals 00:01:30.790 --> 00:01:32.989 where my heart is. Imagine, if you will, your 00:01:32.989 --> 00:01:36.450 wallet or your 401k or your black credit card 00:01:36.450 --> 00:01:39.569 that you own or your purse. Imagine a chain connected 00:01:39.569 --> 00:01:42.370 to that into your heart. And wherever that money 00:01:42.370 --> 00:01:45.090 goes, that's the real reflection of my heart. 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:47.159 Let me give you a picture and then I'm going 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:50.599 to give you practical ways to pass this on. The 00:01:50.599 --> 00:01:53.459 two pictures are one, if you ever want to read 00:01:53.459 --> 00:01:56.200 about a man, one of my most favorite characters 00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:59.519 is Nehemiah in the Old Testament and Barnabas 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:02.379 in the New. And the story of Nehemiah very briefly 00:02:02.379 --> 00:02:04.560 is he's the right -hand man to the most powerful 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:07.579 man in the world. Basically, Nehemiah has the 00:02:07.579 --> 00:02:09.860 hottest chariot, the greatest clothes, the most 00:02:09.860 --> 00:02:13.780 money, the best food. He is... a person of great 00:02:13.780 --> 00:02:17.319 influence and affluence. He's filthy rich and 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:20.500 he lives in a palace and doesn't feel guilty 00:02:20.500 --> 00:02:24.680 about it. He's got a Rolex Sundial. God deposited 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:29.360 that in Nehemiah for a window of opportunity. 00:02:30.280 --> 00:02:33.319 And he wasn't a prophet and he wasn't a pastor. 00:02:33.460 --> 00:02:36.419 And if you studied all of God's agenda for his 00:02:36.419 --> 00:02:40.340 people, you would find out that man was the linchpin 00:02:40.340 --> 00:02:44.860 between all of God's prophecy going in the tubes 00:02:44.860 --> 00:02:49.560 and Israel being restored. He sent Ezra back. 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:51.860 It didn't work. He sent Zerubbabel back to rebuild. 00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:55.599 It wasn't until Nehemiah, the business guy. The 00:02:55.599 --> 00:02:58.199 guy with position, the guy with power, the guy 00:02:58.199 --> 00:03:00.780 with leadership gift who could mobilize everyone 00:03:00.780 --> 00:03:04.960 to turn everything around. Stewardship isn't 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:07.340 feeling guilty for having money and position 00:03:07.340 --> 00:03:10.500 and power and brains. Stewardship is understanding 00:03:10.500 --> 00:03:14.979 it's not yours. All you get is a verse that's 00:03:14.979 --> 00:03:18.060 hard to live with. To them, much given, much 00:03:18.060 --> 00:03:21.960 is required. And so when you make a lot of money 00:03:21.960 --> 00:03:24.219 and say, I tithe, God is not impressed nor is 00:03:24.219 --> 00:03:27.759 anyone else. I mean, how hard is it to tithe 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:30.379 when you're six figures or seven figures or beyond? 00:03:31.460 --> 00:03:33.400 The most generous people in the world right now 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:37.580 are the poor. And when things go down, the people 00:03:37.580 --> 00:03:39.500 who stop giving first by all the research is 00:03:39.500 --> 00:03:44.719 us rich. And Nehemiah, he's this model of what 00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:46.719 it looks like to be godly and to be wealthy. 00:03:47.180 --> 00:03:50.139 and to be generous. In fact, he decided, no personal 00:03:50.139 --> 00:03:53.879 expenses for me. Barnabas is another one, very 00:03:53.879 --> 00:03:57.060 wealthy man. He owned property on Cyprus. He 00:03:57.060 --> 00:03:59.300 was the key. We would have never heard of the 00:03:59.300 --> 00:04:02.180 Apostle Paul if it wasn't for Barnabas. Barnabas 00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:03.620 was the one who had the courage to say, hey, 00:04:03.639 --> 00:04:06.479 he's legit, guys. I mean, he really is a Christian. 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:08.020 I know he's been killing all the Christians, 00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:10.580 but I've seen him, I've met him, he's legit. 00:04:10.740 --> 00:04:16.500 And he introduces Paul to the 12. And then when 00:04:16.500 --> 00:04:18.860 Christianity launches into the Gentile world, 00:04:18.980 --> 00:04:20.600 they say Barnabas is the leader in the church. 00:04:21.060 --> 00:04:22.560 Barnabas, we want you to go down there and disciple 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:25.019 those new Gentiles. And the text says in Acts, 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:28.600 so he went down to Paul's hometown, gets Paul 00:04:28.600 --> 00:04:31.220 and says, hey, let's partner on this thing. The 00:04:31.220 --> 00:04:33.300 first missionary journey, read the text. It's 00:04:33.300 --> 00:04:35.360 not Paul and Barnabas, it's Barnabas and Paul. 00:04:37.459 --> 00:04:39.459 Until you keep reading and then it's Paul and 00:04:39.459 --> 00:04:43.300 Barnabas. He was a wealthy man. who had leadership 00:04:43.300 --> 00:04:48.120 gift, who God used. It's a stewardship. It's 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:51.319 a stewardship. God has given you what he wants 00:04:51.319 --> 00:04:53.439 you to have and he wants you to manage your money 00:04:53.439 --> 00:04:56.060 as a steward. Biggest lesson I learned all this 00:04:56.060 --> 00:04:58.040 and it's a picture and it'll help the rest play 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:02.100 out. I was a young pastor and 28 years old, had 00:05:02.100 --> 00:05:04.139 no idea what I was doing. I'd been through the 00:05:04.139 --> 00:05:06.220 parachurch so I knew how to make disciples and 00:05:06.220 --> 00:05:09.000 I was learning how to teach. And after a couple 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:10.899 years, the chairman of our board, he owned a 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:15.939 CPA firm in downtown Dallas. And he said, you 00:05:15.939 --> 00:05:18.279 know something, we're out in a rural area. You're 00:05:18.279 --> 00:05:21.079 connected to all these hurting people. And I 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:22.920 have a heart for the poor and I have a heart 00:05:22.920 --> 00:05:24.920 for people with needs. You have opportunity, 00:05:25.139 --> 00:05:26.939 I have money. And he said, I want you to come 00:05:26.939 --> 00:05:28.800 down and let's eat lunch together. So I end up, 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:31.420 you know, in this high rise, beautiful place, 00:05:31.420 --> 00:05:34.060 you know, really nervous going up to the... something, 00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:36.319 something floor. We have a great lunch. And then 00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:39.100 he pulls out a little brown checkbook and he 00:05:39.100 --> 00:05:41.420 puts it and he says, Chip, this is for you. I 00:05:41.420 --> 00:05:44.199 said, what is it? He says, I'd like you to be 00:05:44.199 --> 00:05:46.220 my money manager. I said, well, what do you mean? 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:47.800 He said, well, you're a pastor. You know where 00:05:47.800 --> 00:05:49.839 the church is at. There's a lot of hurting people 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:52.540 and poor people, runaway teens, all kinds of 00:05:52.540 --> 00:05:55.339 struggles. I've put $5 ,000 in that account. 00:05:55.800 --> 00:05:58.740 And it says pastor's discretionary fund. Now 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:01.120 here's what I want you to do. once a quarter 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:03.459 or at least three times a year, I'm gonna bring 00:06:03.459 --> 00:06:04.980 you here and we're gonna have lunch together. 00:06:05.420 --> 00:06:06.980 But I want you to take this and I want you to 00:06:06.980 --> 00:06:08.879 stick it in your back pocket. And I want you 00:06:08.879 --> 00:06:12.100 to just think, John Saville is in my back pocket. 00:06:13.139 --> 00:06:15.560 But Chip Ingram has the eyes and Chip Ingram 00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:17.579 is meeting the people. So every day I want you 00:06:17.579 --> 00:06:20.259 to get up and as you get up, you might see someone 00:06:20.259 --> 00:06:22.459 that has a need or someone needs a bus ticket 00:06:22.459 --> 00:06:24.300 or someone's electricity needs to be put on. 00:06:24.779 --> 00:06:26.860 And I just want you to pray and whatever you 00:06:26.860 --> 00:06:29.139 think God would have you do with this money, 00:06:29.660 --> 00:06:34.819 In my name, will you take care of it? I mean, 00:06:34.839 --> 00:06:37.699 he's chairman of the board. Yes. I'm thinking, 00:06:37.699 --> 00:06:39.019 I don't know what I'm doing. I'm thinking, this 00:06:39.019 --> 00:06:40.699 may not be a good deal. I'm going to mess up. 00:06:41.100 --> 00:06:44.060 So anyway, I take it, and I'm real nervous. So 00:06:44.060 --> 00:06:48.839 I lost my keys like 5 ,000 times until I was 00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:52.680 29. And it took me 29 years, and I decided right 00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:55.319 when I stand in the door, my keys, my wallet, 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:58.459 and everything in one little pile. Okay? It's 00:06:58.459 --> 00:07:01.160 this amazing thing that I learned. And then I 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:04.040 started putting that checkbook with it. So every 00:07:04.040 --> 00:07:06.459 day, everywhere I went, John, John, John, what 00:07:06.459 --> 00:07:08.680 would John want to do? So this lady, they're 00:07:08.680 --> 00:07:10.519 turning off her thing, and I qualified it, and 00:07:10.519 --> 00:07:11.879 it was a real need, and I write a check, and 00:07:11.879 --> 00:07:13.620 I pay her electricity. And then there's this 00:07:13.620 --> 00:07:15.839 kid's runaway from home from Oklahoma, and he's 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:17.680 been on drugs, and I know I'm not going to give 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:20.540 him money, so I buy him a ticket for the bus, 00:07:20.660 --> 00:07:22.079 and I do some counseling with him, and I get 00:07:22.079 --> 00:07:24.040 a Bible in his hands. And so then, you know, 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:25.860 four months later, John says, Chip, let's have 00:07:25.860 --> 00:07:29.040 lunch. So John is very quiet introvert, but with 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:31.740 the gift of evangelism. So he says, tell me what 00:07:31.740 --> 00:07:33.240 happened. And so I said, well, here's your checkbook. 00:07:33.500 --> 00:07:35.220 And so there was about four entries and I've 00:07:35.220 --> 00:07:36.540 written four checks. Tell me about this one. 00:07:36.579 --> 00:07:38.920 I tell him a story. And I mean, this is exclusive 00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:42.250 restaurant top. you know, level, real, you know, 00:07:42.269 --> 00:07:44.629 I'm very intimidated. And so I tell him the story, 00:07:44.750 --> 00:07:48.610 praise the Lord. I'm going, oh, John, oh man, 00:07:48.670 --> 00:07:51.370 dude, you are killing me. I mean, this is not, 00:07:51.470 --> 00:07:53.329 you know, you know, tell me another story. So 00:07:53.329 --> 00:07:55.089 I would tell him these stories and he would say, 00:07:55.129 --> 00:07:58.829 praise the Lord in very loud words. And so we 00:07:58.829 --> 00:08:03.189 did this and we did this for like seven years. 00:08:05.230 --> 00:08:08.009 And then I would give it away and then I would 00:08:08.009 --> 00:08:09.910 get, then I would notice I'd get my bank slip 00:08:09.910 --> 00:08:12.149 and oh, I guess someone put another $5 ,000 in. 00:08:12.269 --> 00:08:15.009 No matter how much I gave away and as I told 00:08:15.009 --> 00:08:17.810 stories, the money just kept, as I gave, it kept 00:08:17.810 --> 00:08:21.250 being put in. Now here's, there's a number of 00:08:21.250 --> 00:08:25.250 lessons here. One, John and I became really close 00:08:25.250 --> 00:08:28.389 friends. I brought unbelievable joy to his heart. 00:08:29.129 --> 00:08:31.610 I got to help people in ways I never dreamed 00:08:31.610 --> 00:08:33.990 I'd get to. In fact, it got from this burden 00:08:33.990 --> 00:08:36.340 to, You know, it's kind of, here's my keys, here's 00:08:36.340 --> 00:08:38.320 my wallet. John, I wonder what we're gonna do 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:40.480 today, baby, you know? I mean, just kind of, 00:08:40.500 --> 00:08:42.399 ooh, whoa, whoa, you know? You know, you just 00:08:42.399 --> 00:08:43.860 wonder, who are you gonna bless? I felt like 00:08:43.860 --> 00:08:45.960 Santa Claus sometimes, you know? Now, I knew 00:08:45.960 --> 00:08:48.220 I was gonna give an account for it, and I'm not 00:08:48.220 --> 00:08:51.480 real detail -oriented, so I'm keeping his checkbook 00:08:51.480 --> 00:08:55.039 better than mine. Why? Because I'm gonna go talk 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:58.259 to him, right? And I can't, it can't, first, 00:08:58.379 --> 00:09:00.620 nothing can bounce, but the other is, I actually 00:09:00.620 --> 00:09:05.480 need to add it up right. Why? Because it's his 00:09:05.480 --> 00:09:09.659 money, not mine. I'm his steward. I brought joy 00:09:09.659 --> 00:09:14.019 to his heart. Our hearts connected because I 00:09:14.019 --> 00:09:17.600 managed his resources. And I wasn't asking, who 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:20.700 do I think I should help? I was asking, I wonder, 00:09:20.820 --> 00:09:24.279 I mean, you know, I'm not stupid. If I gotta 00:09:24.279 --> 00:09:26.679 really praise the Lord and that was a really 00:09:26.679 --> 00:09:28.740 great one, I'm giving more money to that stuff. 00:09:28.980 --> 00:09:30.899 And if it's, oh, that's nice, Chip. I'm not gonna 00:09:30.899 --> 00:09:32.620 give as much money to that stuff, right? Because 00:09:32.620 --> 00:09:40.100 it's his money. You are God's money manager. 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:43.899 And one of the most powerful, important gifts 00:09:43.899 --> 00:09:46.059 that you will pass on to those you love the most, 00:09:46.460 --> 00:09:51.360 those first in your home, kids, those you disciple, 00:09:51.539 --> 00:09:56.379 later grandkids for some of you, fellow church 00:09:56.379 --> 00:10:00.279 members, is to help them manage their wealth 00:10:00.279 --> 00:10:04.700 wisely. Now I want to shift gears and say, how? 00:10:05.480 --> 00:10:09.360 What would that look like specifically? Now, 00:10:09.419 --> 00:10:15.340 there's Dave Ramsey, Crown Ministry, lots of 00:10:15.340 --> 00:10:18.379 people that go in depth on these areas and can 00:10:18.379 --> 00:10:20.860 give you 10 times what I'm gonna give you. I'm 00:10:20.860 --> 00:10:23.539 gonna give you the mountain peak summary of what 00:10:23.539 --> 00:10:25.580 I think you need to pass on. And then there's 00:10:25.580 --> 00:10:29.179 tons of great resources to get you there. How 00:10:29.179 --> 00:10:33.200 are you managing your wealth currently? If God 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:37.659 gave you a report card, on how you're presently 00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:40.100 managing your wealth in light of what you've 00:10:40.100 --> 00:10:43.100 heard from his word, would you get an A, a B, 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:50.159 a C, a D, or an F? Because you can't pass on 00:10:50.159 --> 00:10:55.120 what you don't have in you. You can't ask those 00:10:55.120 --> 00:10:57.820 people you're helping to do what we're going 00:10:57.820 --> 00:11:01.519 to talk about if it's not true of you. And even 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:03.899 if you never talk to them about it, if you actually 00:11:03.899 --> 00:11:07.639 do it, they'll catch tons of it from you. So 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:12.500 where are you at? We'll hear more from Chip Ingram's 00:11:12.500 --> 00:11:14.980 message in just a moment. First, we're inviting 00:11:14.980 --> 00:11:17.779 you to multiply your year -end donation through 00:11:17.779 --> 00:11:20.519 an exciting match that's active right now. Because 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:23.080 of the match, your donation will be matched dollar 00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:25.379 for dollar in the month of December. And when 00:11:25.379 --> 00:11:28.399 you support this match, you're not funding yesterday's 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:31.139 methods. You're investing in a discipleship strategy 00:11:31.139 --> 00:11:34.279 that actually reaches the smartphone generation 00:11:34.279 --> 00:11:38.240 right where they are. Will you give to the next 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:41.320 generation? Double the impact of your gift at 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:45.580 livingontheedge .org. From a series called Leaving 00:11:45.580 --> 00:11:49.159 a Legacy That Lasts Forever. and our Bible teacher, 00:11:49.399 --> 00:11:54.500 Chip Ingram. What I know is since in the quote, 00:11:54.580 --> 00:11:57.720 born again evangelical community, the average 00:11:57.720 --> 00:12:02.580 believer gives 2 .5 % of their income to the 00:12:02.580 --> 00:12:09.279 Lord's work. That's saying to God, I don't really 00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:11.639 believe your word. I don't trust you for the 00:12:11.639 --> 00:12:14.200 future. I think it's my money and I'm going to 00:12:14.200 --> 00:12:18.649 do with my money what I think. I think God would 00:12:18.649 --> 00:12:22.250 say if he could speak through Dr. Phil. So how's 00:12:22.250 --> 00:12:28.990 that working for you? I mean, people are upside 00:12:28.990 --> 00:12:31.830 down. There's huge debt. They live above their 00:12:31.830 --> 00:12:34.549 means. See, when you give God the first portion, 00:12:34.690 --> 00:12:37.070 as we'll talk about in the middle, it just causes 00:12:37.070 --> 00:12:39.250 a domino effect of, wow, what are we gonna do 00:12:39.250 --> 00:12:41.629 with the rest and how do we do it? And there 00:12:41.629 --> 00:12:46.370 is a correlation of God blessing. Okay, there's 00:12:46.370 --> 00:12:48.549 been some real misteaching and some bad teaching 00:12:48.549 --> 00:12:51.070 and some heretical teaching about, you know, 00:12:51.070 --> 00:12:53.370 sort of how money and God and those things go 00:12:53.370 --> 00:12:55.669 together. There is no give to get mentality. 00:12:56.690 --> 00:12:59.330 But I will tell you this, when your priorities 00:12:59.330 --> 00:13:04.009 are in line and God can find what I think some 00:13:04.009 --> 00:13:07.309 people wisely have called a stream instead of 00:13:07.309 --> 00:13:11.230 a dam. Then he will keep placing resources and 00:13:11.230 --> 00:13:13.710 people whose hearts are tender to spread it and 00:13:13.710 --> 00:13:17.169 give it to the places that he wants it. You who 00:13:17.169 --> 00:13:19.389 water others will yourself be watered according 00:13:19.389 --> 00:13:23.389 to scripture. And when our finances aren't in 00:13:23.389 --> 00:13:26.230 order, you know, read Habakkuk chapter one, the 00:13:26.230 --> 00:13:28.289 first 10 verses. He'll put a hole in your purse. 00:13:29.070 --> 00:13:32.960 He'll blow on your business deals. I mean, God 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:37.480 uses money to align our hearts with him. And 00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:39.399 when our priorities are out of whack, I will 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:43.240 tell you, you know, you keep working harder, 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:46.659 but it seems to come to nothing, he says. He 00:13:46.659 --> 00:13:49.980 will allow your financial situation to get you 00:13:49.980 --> 00:13:52.460 to a point of dependency where you say, you know 00:13:52.460 --> 00:13:54.820 something, I better get this aligned correctly. 00:13:56.340 --> 00:13:58.600 And then there's just very often the correlation 00:13:58.600 --> 00:14:02.450 as you do that. He chooses to bless in that area 00:14:02.450 --> 00:14:05.129 as well as others. Well, personal application. 00:14:05.230 --> 00:14:07.330 Now let's talk about how to help those to pass 00:14:07.330 --> 00:14:12.090 it on. One, help them recognize the three purposes 00:14:12.090 --> 00:14:16.710 of money are giving, saving, and spending. And 00:14:16.710 --> 00:14:18.070 if there's, you know, I don't know if you ever 00:14:18.070 --> 00:14:20.289 memorize scripture. And if you don't, I encourage 00:14:20.289 --> 00:14:22.649 you to. But if there's ever a little passage, 00:14:22.690 --> 00:14:25.070 singular, if you could only pass one passage 00:14:25.070 --> 00:14:29.129 on money, I would memorize 1 Timothy 6, 17 through 00:14:29.129 --> 00:14:32.639 19. And it says, encourage those that are rich 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:34.860 in this present world not to be conceited or 00:14:34.860 --> 00:14:36.960 fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches. 00:14:37.940 --> 00:14:39.840 They're uncertain, aren't they? And so it's a 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:41.879 protection. God's not down on money. Encourage 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:43.440 those that are rich in this present world, that's 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:45.879 us, not to fix your hope on the uncertainty of 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:47.679 riches. Oh, we're gonna do this when this happens. 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:51.679 But on God who richly supplies us with all things 00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:54.500 to enjoy. So there's three things you do with 00:14:54.500 --> 00:14:57.230 money. You can give it. You can save it. You 00:14:57.230 --> 00:14:59.330 can spend it. If you grew up in my home, there 00:14:59.330 --> 00:15:03.210 were three jars on your dresser. And on one jar, 00:15:03.350 --> 00:15:06.360 it said giving. Another said spending. Another 00:15:06.360 --> 00:15:08.940 said saving. And since, yes, there's proportional 00:15:08.940 --> 00:15:11.000 giving, and we'll learn all about that later, 00:15:11.100 --> 00:15:14.139 but you get 10 dimes. One dime goes into the 00:15:14.139 --> 00:15:16.740 giving jar. One dime goes into the saving jar. 00:15:16.940 --> 00:15:19.379 And eight of them go into the spending jar. And 00:15:19.379 --> 00:15:21.139 you can dream and think and pray about what you 00:15:21.139 --> 00:15:23.000 want to do to spend with that. And remember that 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:25.620 all 10 of those dimes are God's, right? Because 00:15:25.620 --> 00:15:27.720 we give it to that one first. And by the way, 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:29.460 you need to be smart, so make sure you save. 00:15:30.590 --> 00:15:33.049 Americans don't save and Americans don't give. 00:15:33.250 --> 00:15:35.590 And I think I don't even need to talk about where 00:15:35.590 --> 00:15:39.929 we're at financially as a country. We've modeled 00:15:39.929 --> 00:15:42.169 it from the home through the federal government 00:15:42.169 --> 00:15:45.070 and we're in a mess. You can't violate God's 00:15:45.070 --> 00:15:47.370 principles with a lot of pain. So that's a big 00:15:47.370 --> 00:15:50.450 one. Second, encourage them to commit to honor 00:15:50.450 --> 00:15:54.590 God with the first fruits of every paycheck to 00:15:54.590 --> 00:15:57.769 remind them that it's God's money and not their 00:15:57.769 --> 00:16:02.509 own. Proverbs chapter three, verses nine and 00:16:02.509 --> 00:16:06.309 10 says, honor the Lord with your first fruits. 00:16:09.110 --> 00:16:12.789 Give God the very first portion and then the 00:16:12.789 --> 00:16:15.490 promises, then your barns will be filled with 00:16:15.490 --> 00:16:17.990 plenty and your vats where they would create 00:16:17.990 --> 00:16:20.809 kind of the wine and a picture of overflow will 00:16:20.809 --> 00:16:24.269 be overflowing. And so you wanna teach them early 00:16:24.269 --> 00:16:28.309 on. And not so much the rule, the rigidity. This 00:16:28.309 --> 00:16:30.210 is not like, okay, you've got to pay your bills. 00:16:30.389 --> 00:16:33.490 Bill, bill, bill, bill, God, 10%. No, no, no, 00:16:33.490 --> 00:16:36.090 no. You want to teach them the heart behind it 00:16:36.090 --> 00:16:38.970 and your love for God. And I think when they 00:16:38.970 --> 00:16:41.009 get older, you want to teach them, how do you 00:16:41.009 --> 00:16:42.610 give over and above that? How do you become a 00:16:42.610 --> 00:16:45.830 generous person? You know, the word miserable 00:16:45.830 --> 00:16:47.730 comes from a root word. Do you know what the 00:16:47.730 --> 00:16:52.309 root word is? Miser. I mean, I've done a lot 00:16:52.309 --> 00:16:54.529 of work. We did a series on the genius of generosity. 00:16:54.529 --> 00:16:57.309 I did a lot of work and research on just generous 00:16:57.309 --> 00:16:59.970 people. Forget Christians, just generous people. 00:17:00.649 --> 00:17:02.990 Generous people live longer. Generous people 00:17:02.990 --> 00:17:05.329 are happier. Generous people have better relationships. 00:17:05.970 --> 00:17:08.809 Generous people are liked by other people. Generous 00:17:08.809 --> 00:17:11.930 people have an emotional altitude that's better 00:17:11.930 --> 00:17:14.750 than the rest of us. The most generous being 00:17:14.750 --> 00:17:17.390 in the entire universe is God. He gave his son. 00:17:18.509 --> 00:17:21.190 So you want to be generous. You want to be winsomely 00:17:21.190 --> 00:17:25.609 generous. Miserly people, stingy people, the 00:17:25.609 --> 00:17:28.789 Scrooges of the world don't have as many friends. 00:17:28.970 --> 00:17:30.730 They're always worried about someone taking their 00:17:30.730 --> 00:17:33.250 stuff. They have higher levels of anxiety. They're 00:17:33.250 --> 00:17:35.630 not very happy campers and they try and control 00:17:35.630 --> 00:17:39.269 everything. Giving breaks the power of greed 00:17:39.269 --> 00:17:41.569 and all of us in our flesh are greedy people. 00:17:42.009 --> 00:17:45.710 We all are. So giving is a tool given by God, 00:17:45.829 --> 00:17:48.569 not to take something from us, but to help us 00:17:48.569 --> 00:17:51.769 remember, look, hey, Chip, it's not your checkbook. 00:17:52.450 --> 00:17:55.630 It's not your money. That's John's. Spend John's 00:17:55.630 --> 00:17:57.670 money or give John's money in a way that makes 00:17:57.670 --> 00:18:00.269 John happy. And by the way, you know, I didn't 00:18:00.269 --> 00:18:01.970 tell you this, but there was a time we were in 00:18:01.970 --> 00:18:04.750 a little small church and they had the gift of 00:18:04.750 --> 00:18:06.390 not paying me much at all. In fact, I worked 00:18:06.390 --> 00:18:08.430 part -time in seminary and made more money than 00:18:08.430 --> 00:18:12.400 when I pastored the church. And there was a time 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:16.240 where we really had a need. And John was asking 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:20.140 me some questions at one of our lunch. And I 00:18:20.140 --> 00:18:22.220 forget, it was a washer, a dryer, you know, some 00:18:22.220 --> 00:18:23.859 big thing that for us was like astronomical. 00:18:24.099 --> 00:18:26.700 And he was praising the Lord, everything. And 00:18:26.700 --> 00:18:29.200 then he asked me about me. And I told him, he 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:33.180 goes, give me that checkbook. So he takes his 00:18:33.180 --> 00:18:35.359 checkbook. He writes out a check to me. He goes, 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:37.500 hey, you're the guy. Sign this one. It's in your 00:18:37.500 --> 00:18:41.079 name. See, the whole deal is God doesn't want 00:18:41.079 --> 00:18:44.299 you. He's not trying to get your stuff. He loves 00:18:44.299 --> 00:18:49.339 you. He's for you. But he wants to free you. 00:18:50.140 --> 00:18:53.380 And so pass on. Encourage him to honor God with 00:18:53.380 --> 00:18:57.839 the first fruits. Three, make time with God their 00:18:57.839 --> 00:19:00.579 number one priority so they know how to invest 00:19:00.579 --> 00:19:03.619 their time, talent, and treasure that's entrusted 00:19:03.619 --> 00:19:07.779 to them. I've had seminary professors. I got 00:19:07.779 --> 00:19:10.259 to learn three years of Greek and two years of 00:19:10.259 --> 00:19:13.059 Hebrew. And I've had business guys who know so 00:19:13.059 --> 00:19:14.720 much more. They've taken me under their wing. 00:19:14.900 --> 00:19:17.700 The greatest gift God has ever given me in all 00:19:17.700 --> 00:19:20.500 my life that's paid the biggest dividends was 00:19:20.500 --> 00:19:22.200 from a bricklayer with a high school education 00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:25.180 who met me on Tuesday mornings when I was a Christian 00:19:25.180 --> 00:19:27.220 about three or four months old. I didn't want 00:19:27.220 --> 00:19:29.599 to get up. I didn't want to go to church. And 00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:32.859 sometimes I pretended I was asleep. And he would 00:19:32.859 --> 00:19:36.019 knock on the door. And I just got, I'm just not 00:19:36.019 --> 00:19:39.000 getting up. But the next Tuesday, he'd knock 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:42.519 on the door. And I was a reluctant learner. And 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:45.359 I will tell you what that man did is that he 00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:47.039 would open the Bible and we would go into the 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:49.099 little kitchenette on the floor and we would 00:19:49.099 --> 00:19:51.099 read the Bible together and he taught me to meet 00:19:51.099 --> 00:19:55.099 with God. He taught me no Bible, no breakfast. 00:19:55.319 --> 00:19:57.980 Not legalistically, but Chip, feed your soul 00:19:57.980 --> 00:20:00.990 before you feed your mouth. Chip, do you understand 00:20:00.990 --> 00:20:04.029 this is the living and abiding word of God? Chip, 00:20:04.049 --> 00:20:06.490 do you understand the wisdom of God has been 00:20:06.490 --> 00:20:08.809 deposited here? You can know what to do in any 00:20:08.809 --> 00:20:13.150 situation. Chip, do you understand? David said, 00:20:13.230 --> 00:20:14.869 if his word had not been my delight, he would 00:20:14.869 --> 00:20:17.049 have perished in his affliction. Chip, this is 00:20:17.049 --> 00:20:20.359 your anchor. God will speak to you. The God who 00:20:20.359 --> 00:20:22.819 made everything there is, there is power. It's 00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:24.660 a living and active and sharper than any two 00:20:24.660 --> 00:20:26.339 -edged sword. It pierces as far as the division 00:20:26.339 --> 00:20:28.920 of soul and spirit and it cuts through the division 00:20:28.920 --> 00:20:31.259 right down to the core of who you are. It will 00:20:31.259 --> 00:20:33.279 reveal things to you. It'll show you how to do 00:20:33.279 --> 00:20:35.980 marriage, how to parent, how to live. Chip, this 00:20:35.980 --> 00:20:38.279 is the most important thing. It is your life. 00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:42.259 And a little habit got started a couple days 00:20:42.259 --> 00:20:44.019 a week and then finally I do it four or five 00:20:44.019 --> 00:20:46.519 days a week and then after about four or five 00:20:46.519 --> 00:20:49.190 years it became, not just drudgery and duty, 00:20:49.349 --> 00:20:52.430 but gosh, God speaking to me more often. And 00:20:52.430 --> 00:20:56.650 I didn't like to get up. I was a night owl. And 00:20:56.650 --> 00:20:58.849 years later, I remember just saying, God, this 00:20:58.849 --> 00:21:02.410 is, you just wake me up whenever. And I stopped 00:21:02.410 --> 00:21:05.190 watching the 11 o 'clock news. And God started 00:21:05.190 --> 00:21:08.529 waking me up earlier and earlier. And not, I 00:21:08.529 --> 00:21:10.430 didn't ever felt like if I missed my time, I 00:21:10.430 --> 00:21:13.319 didn't think God was mad at me. I just knew that 00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:15.400 I made a great cup of coffee and I got into a 00:21:15.400 --> 00:21:18.400 habit for about 25 years of meeting with God, 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:21.500 getting out a journal, sharing my concerns, asking 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:24.319 him my biggest questions, reading his word, asking 00:21:24.319 --> 00:21:26.720 him for wisdom, sitting quietly and hearing answers. 00:21:28.980 --> 00:21:32.700 Mark 135 says, after recording the busiest day 00:21:32.700 --> 00:21:36.079 of Jesus' life, he was pressed, there was demands. 00:21:36.299 --> 00:21:38.500 I mean, some of you right now, and it's like, 00:21:38.519 --> 00:21:40.279 this is overwhelming and there's money issues 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:42.099 and wisdom issues and what am I gonna do here 00:21:42.099 --> 00:21:44.019 and I've got this one son and some of my kids 00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:45.680 are already grown or I don't have any kids and 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:47.380 I'm trying to help this guy or I'm in this women's 00:21:47.380 --> 00:21:49.240 group and these three ladies are coming to my 00:21:49.240 --> 00:21:50.839 mind and I'm not sure what to do with all of 00:21:50.839 --> 00:21:55.759 this. Stop. And the greatest thing you can do 00:21:56.519 --> 00:22:00.019 is say, God, I want your discernment and your 00:22:00.019 --> 00:22:02.059 wisdom, and I'm going to meet with you first. 00:22:03.150 --> 00:22:05.589 And it says after this demanding day of teaching 00:22:05.589 --> 00:22:07.869 and preaching and healing and casting out demons 00:22:07.869 --> 00:22:10.369 and everybody wanting a piece of Jesus, I mean, 00:22:10.390 --> 00:22:13.210 I think he felt like, I think his emotions were, 00:22:13.289 --> 00:22:15.690 if he were today, he opened up his computer and 00:22:15.690 --> 00:22:18.250 there was 500 emails and then he looked at his 00:22:18.250 --> 00:22:21.950 PDA and there's 150 phone calls and there's people 00:22:21.950 --> 00:22:24.269 knocking at the door and the people closest to 00:22:24.269 --> 00:22:25.609 him said, by the way, by the way, by the way, 00:22:25.650 --> 00:22:27.470 we think you ought to do this. I think that's 00:22:27.470 --> 00:22:30.309 the emotion he felt. And it says a great while 00:22:30.309 --> 00:22:34.079 before dawn, he went to a lonely place. To get 00:22:34.079 --> 00:22:38.859 alone with his father and pray. Sometimes we're 00:22:38.859 --> 00:22:41.640 asking people to solve stuff or a book to solve 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:45.079 stuff. God wants to solve it. And if you will 00:22:45.079 --> 00:22:47.960 do that and model that, that's what you want 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:51.319 to pass on. You want to pass that on to those 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:55.599 you love the most. Life's message is, your life 00:22:55.599 --> 00:23:02.099 is a sacred stewardship. It's sacred. There is 00:23:02.099 --> 00:23:07.140 a creator who owns everything. And you are a 00:23:07.140 --> 00:23:13.519 creature. He is the master and we are the servant. 00:23:16.259 --> 00:23:18.960 This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:21.420 He's been showing us how to teach our families 00:23:21.420 --> 00:23:24.630 about managing wealth with wisdom. And this teaching 00:23:24.630 --> 00:23:27.250 comes from the series called Leaving a Legacy 00:23:27.250 --> 00:23:30.089 That Lasts Forever, How to Give Your Kids and 00:23:30.089 --> 00:23:33.490 Grandkids What Money Can't Buy. Please stay with 00:23:33.490 --> 00:23:35.630 us because Chip has an important word about the 00:23:35.630 --> 00:23:38.549 next generation coming up in just a moment. Well, 00:23:38.569 --> 00:23:41.329 Living on the Edge is celebrating 30 years of 00:23:41.329 --> 00:23:44.200 God's faithfulness. and what started as one man's 00:23:44.200 --> 00:23:47.380 ministry on radio has blossomed into a full -blown 00:23:47.380 --> 00:23:50.299 movement of God. Last year alone, this daily 00:23:50.299 --> 00:23:53.319 program has been listened to more than 100 million 00:23:53.319 --> 00:23:56.660 times. It's staggering to see what God has done 00:23:56.660 --> 00:23:59.680 through His people. And today, our heart longs 00:23:59.680 --> 00:24:01.880 to reach the next generation with the timeless 00:24:01.880 --> 00:24:04.700 wisdom of the Bible, providing those young men 00:24:04.700 --> 00:24:07.519 and women with honest answers to tough questions. 00:24:07.799 --> 00:24:12.039 Chip? Picture this. It's 2 a .m., and a mom can't 00:24:12.039 --> 00:24:14.890 sleep. Her daughter has just come home from her 00:24:14.890 --> 00:24:17.650 first semester at college, and over dinner earlier 00:24:17.650 --> 00:24:19.950 in the day, she just casually mentioned that 00:24:19.950 --> 00:24:23.990 she's deconstructing her faith. The mom's mind 00:24:23.990 --> 00:24:26.049 is racing as she looks at the digital clock. 00:24:26.309 --> 00:24:29.390 Where did I go wrong? What do I say? How can 00:24:29.390 --> 00:24:32.140 I help her without pushing her away? Well, I 00:24:32.140 --> 00:24:33.740 want you to know Living on the Edge has heard 00:24:33.740 --> 00:24:36.359 that story from a lot of people, and we've become 00:24:36.359 --> 00:24:39.559 a lifeline for parents and grandparents in that 00:24:39.559 --> 00:24:42.500 exact situation. We're providing moms and dads 00:24:42.500 --> 00:24:44.980 with tools and language and a biblical framework 00:24:44.980 --> 00:24:48.119 to help meaningful conversations with their kids 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:52.019 about doubt and faith and truth. We did a series 00:24:52.019 --> 00:24:54.799 where we interview people like Rebecca McLaughlin 00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:57.819 or Sean McDowell, or we have teaching and resources 00:24:57.819 --> 00:25:01.099 about how to actually start conversations when 00:25:01.099 --> 00:25:03.319 your kids start down that path without pushing 00:25:03.319 --> 00:25:06.599 them away. Your gift to this match doesn't just 00:25:06.599 --> 00:25:09.619 reach the next generation directly. It equips 00:25:09.619 --> 00:25:11.880 parents to become spiritual leaders with their 00:25:11.880 --> 00:25:15.039 kids that are in desperate need. Would you help 00:25:15.039 --> 00:25:17.960 us reach the next generation by equipping moms 00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:21.740 and dads who can literally talk to their kids 00:25:21.740 --> 00:25:25.440 in a way that makes sense, that's biblical, that's 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:28.460 winsome, that's kind, and doesn't compromise 00:25:28.460 --> 00:25:31.000 the truth? You can respond to Chip right now 00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:35.059 by giving online at livingontheedge .org or call 00:25:35.059 --> 00:25:40.660 this number, 888 -333 -6003. Our collective gifts 00:25:40.660 --> 00:25:43.079 to Living on the Edge will accelerate the launch 00:25:43.079 --> 00:25:45.980 of critical new initiatives to reach a skeptical 00:25:45.980 --> 00:25:49.339 generation with the truth of the gospel. Together, 00:25:49.559 --> 00:25:52.220 let's make an impact by giving generously to 00:25:52.220 --> 00:25:54.940 the match that's active right now. Double the 00:25:54.940 --> 00:25:57.980 size and impact of your donation. To send your 00:25:57.980 --> 00:26:00.440 support in the mail, address your envelope to 00:26:00.440 --> 00:26:04.180 Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, 00:26:04.420 --> 00:26:11.259 Georgia, 30024. You can also call 888 -333 -6003 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:16.759 or visit us online at livingontheedge .org. How 00:26:16.759 --> 00:26:19.160 do we instill wisdom in our kids and grandkids? 00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:22.079 I'm Dave Drewy, inviting you to hear Chip Ingram 00:26:22.079 --> 00:26:25.059 provide a biblical answer tomorrow on Living 00:26:25.059 --> 00:26:25.819 on the Edge.