WEBVTT 00:00:01.390 --> 00:00:04.169 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:04.269 --> 00:00:07.929 Are you tired of hearing about all the bad financial 00:00:07.929 --> 00:00:10.390 news? Well, I've got news for you. For the next 00:00:10.390 --> 00:00:12.810 two weeks, we're going to go on a journey. We're 00:00:12.810 --> 00:00:14.529 going to talk about how to live in a way that's 00:00:14.529 --> 00:00:17.109 smart with your money, smart with your time, 00:00:17.210 --> 00:00:20.649 smart in a way that brings joy and life and encouragement. 00:00:20.890 --> 00:00:23.489 And we're going to hear from the wisest financial 00:00:23.489 --> 00:00:27.589 counselor in all the universe to help you personally. 00:00:27.690 --> 00:00:32.240 Stay with me. Does money consume your thoughts? 00:00:32.380 --> 00:00:35.219 The worry, the hoarding, the endless chase for 00:00:35.219 --> 00:00:38.439 more, more, and more? It's exhausting. What if 00:00:38.439 --> 00:00:41.039 God has a plan to liberate you from the tyranny 00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:43.880 of financial gain? Today on Living on the Edge, 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:46.420 Chip Ingram describes a lifestyle that frees 00:00:46.420 --> 00:00:48.979 our hearts and transforms our relationship with 00:00:48.979 --> 00:00:52.259 God. Drawing from the wisdom of Jesus in Matthew 00:00:52.259 --> 00:00:55.320 chapter 6, he'll show us why smart people spend 00:00:55.320 --> 00:00:59.189 carefully, wise people save regularly, but genius 00:00:59.189 --> 00:01:02.789 people give extravagantly. And along those lines, 00:01:02.869 --> 00:01:04.890 I'm pleased to report that our audience is already 00:01:04.890 --> 00:01:08.129 displaying the genius of generosity because we're 00:01:08.129 --> 00:01:10.969 receiving an outpouring of response to the December 00:01:10.969 --> 00:01:13.829 match in which your donation is matched dollar 00:01:13.829 --> 00:01:16.090 for dollar. And you can double your gift right 00:01:16.090 --> 00:01:20.010 now by going to livingontheedge .org. More later. 00:01:20.290 --> 00:01:23.150 But right now, the message from Chip. Why it's 00:01:23.150 --> 00:01:26.829 genius to be generous. Until my probably late 00:01:26.829 --> 00:01:30.420 20s, The word generosity, I thought, was reserved 00:01:30.420 --> 00:01:33.939 for two very special groups of people. People 00:01:33.939 --> 00:01:36.540 that were very, very rich. They should be generous 00:01:36.540 --> 00:01:39.620 because they have a lot. Or people that are very, 00:01:39.719 --> 00:01:43.280 very holy because they're so holy, God will do 00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:46.260 special things for them. I'm serious. So, I mean, 00:01:46.280 --> 00:01:48.040 it's not like I wanted to be, like, selfish. 00:01:48.140 --> 00:01:52.159 I thought I should be moderately generous. But 00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:55.980 I mean to be open, lavish, kind. I mean, over 00:01:55.980 --> 00:01:58.939 the top, being willing every day in every way 00:01:58.939 --> 00:02:01.439 to just share with people. I thought, if I win 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:04.079 the lotto, if I start my own business, if I make 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:07.519 it Major League Baseball, someday then, you know, 00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:10.520 it's something to aspire to, to be really generous. 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:14.250 But I don't have a lot of money. So, you know, 00:02:14.250 --> 00:02:16.909 generosity would be like graduate level Christianity. 00:02:17.650 --> 00:02:19.509 Someday, you know, like the few, the proud, the 00:02:19.509 --> 00:02:24.069 Marines, someday if I get really holy, then maybe 00:02:24.069 --> 00:02:26.509 I'll be generous. But for right now, you know, 00:02:26.509 --> 00:02:27.969 I don't want to be greedy and selfish because 00:02:27.969 --> 00:02:29.330 that wouldn't look good and I don't think God 00:02:29.330 --> 00:02:31.389 would like it. So I would just sort of like to 00:02:31.389 --> 00:02:34.689 be a little generous. And that's sort of how 00:02:34.689 --> 00:02:37.930 I looked at things until I met a man named John 00:02:37.930 --> 00:02:42.080 Saville. Now, John, you have to know is, He was 00:02:42.080 --> 00:02:45.060 75 years old, had come to Christ in his 60s and 00:02:45.060 --> 00:02:48.379 had been gone broke a couple times and lived 00:02:48.379 --> 00:02:50.539 a life that in some ways he thought, boy, he 00:02:50.539 --> 00:02:52.840 really had wasted. And so he'd been a Christian 00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:54.939 about 10 years and had this sense of urgency. 00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:58.900 In fact, had just this heart to share and love 00:02:58.900 --> 00:03:02.710 people. And so he's 75 years old and I'm... the 00:03:02.710 --> 00:03:04.949 pastor of this mini church. We got 35 people. 00:03:05.229 --> 00:03:07.710 And I'm 28, and I'm the new young pastor, and 00:03:07.710 --> 00:03:09.849 I'm filled with zeal and not very much knowledge. 00:03:09.969 --> 00:03:12.689 And he's filled with lots of knowledge and not 00:03:12.689 --> 00:03:16.389 very much zeal. And he's the chairman of the 00:03:16.389 --> 00:03:19.150 elders. And so I've never been an elder. I've 00:03:19.150 --> 00:03:21.009 never been a pastor. I told them I was too young 00:03:21.009 --> 00:03:22.770 to be an elder, but they said, well, the Constitution 00:03:22.770 --> 00:03:24.610 says you're one, so you just have to figure it 00:03:24.610 --> 00:03:27.360 out along the way. I said, okay. And so, but 00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:29.300 John and I sort of, we would go to meetings. 00:03:29.379 --> 00:03:31.500 And once a month, I'd see him. I'd see him in 00:03:31.500 --> 00:03:34.000 church. We had nothing in common. He wasn't into 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:37.500 sports. He owned a CPA firm in downtown Dallas 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:42.780 called Savin Dodgel. And, you know, it's just 00:03:42.780 --> 00:03:44.879 like, he was a really nice, neat old guy. He 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:48.020 was a little kooky. Honestly. You know, I was 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:50.939 pretty into, had to be a cool Christian and something 00:03:50.939 --> 00:03:53.020 good would happen and John would rear back in 00:03:53.020 --> 00:03:55.419 a meeting and go, praise the Lord. And I would 00:03:55.419 --> 00:03:57.520 go, oh brother, please don't do that one in public, 00:03:57.560 --> 00:04:01.020 you know. And so it was about a year and John 00:04:01.020 --> 00:04:02.780 gave me a call and he said, Chip, I'd like you 00:04:02.780 --> 00:04:04.780 to come down to Dallas and have lunch with me. 00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:06.259 I'd like to talk to you. I said, okay, sounds 00:04:06.259 --> 00:04:08.259 good. And he said, now you need to wear a tie. 00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:09.680 Where we're going to go, you have to have a tie. 00:04:09.759 --> 00:04:11.759 In fact, you have to have a coat. And I thought, 00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:14.139 oh, brother, I own two ties and one coat, so 00:04:14.139 --> 00:04:16.839 okay. And so I got in my beat -up car, and I 00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:18.800 drove down downtown Dallas, got to the address, 00:04:18.899 --> 00:04:21.360 and it's an all -glass building with all the 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:23.839 other glass buildings, and find a place to park 00:04:23.839 --> 00:04:26.060 and go up like the 38th floor or something, and 00:04:26.060 --> 00:04:28.980 the doors open, and it's all wood, and, you know, 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:32.240 it says Saville, Dodge, you know, CPA firm, big 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:35.019 firm, and they had this whole floor, and Mr. 00:04:35.460 --> 00:04:37.879 Savva, we'll see you now. And I walked back to 00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:39.360 his office. Hey, Chip, how are you doing? He 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:41.660 put his arm around me and we walked over to here 00:04:41.660 --> 00:04:44.459 and we went to this glass elevator and he punched 00:04:44.459 --> 00:04:45.980 it and it opened and we went all the way to the 00:04:45.980 --> 00:04:48.699 top floor and it opened and there was this restaurant 00:04:48.699 --> 00:04:51.480 and then racquetball courts all made out of glass 00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:53.740 and you could see all over the city and we sat 00:04:53.740 --> 00:04:56.259 down and someone with a white towel came here 00:04:56.259 --> 00:04:58.379 and someone with a towel was over here and they 00:04:58.379 --> 00:05:00.980 gave me a menu and I'd never seen a menu like 00:05:00.980 --> 00:05:04.069 this because there was no prices on it. I said, 00:05:04.110 --> 00:05:05.389 how would you know what to order? There's no 00:05:05.389 --> 00:05:08.389 prices on it. I mean, it was like very upper, 00:05:08.470 --> 00:05:10.889 upper, upper. And John said, oh, I really want 00:05:10.889 --> 00:05:12.550 you to get something you really like, Chip. The 00:05:12.550 --> 00:05:15.389 filet is great here. Well, thank you, Mr. Savile. 00:05:15.410 --> 00:05:18.470 No, no, it's John. Come on. So we sat down and 00:05:18.470 --> 00:05:21.860 we had this lunch. As we got done with lunch, 00:05:21.939 --> 00:05:23.860 he said, let's get some coffee, and it sort of 00:05:23.860 --> 00:05:26.740 cleared out a little bit, and John had this little 00:05:26.740 --> 00:05:28.660 white box, and he put it in front of me, and 00:05:28.660 --> 00:05:31.379 he opened the white box, and then he pulled out 00:05:31.379 --> 00:05:34.120 a brownish kind of looking checkbook, and he 00:05:34.120 --> 00:05:36.220 handed it to me, and he said, open that up, and 00:05:36.220 --> 00:05:39.399 so I opened it up, and it said, pastor's discretionary 00:05:39.399 --> 00:05:43.439 fund, and he said, look at the stubs in the back, 00:05:43.540 --> 00:05:45.759 and so I went to the back, and it had deposit, 00:05:45.939 --> 00:05:52.019 5 -0 -0 -0, $5 ,000. He said, Chip, here's what 00:05:52.019 --> 00:05:53.620 I'd like to do. I've been watching you for a 00:05:53.620 --> 00:05:56.319 year, and I think I can trust you. I want to 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:58.639 have a secret pact. You can't tell anyone about 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:02.360 this. I said, well, what's this all about? He 00:06:02.360 --> 00:06:05.980 said, I'm not going to live that much longer, 00:06:06.079 --> 00:06:08.740 and I have a real heart for people that are hurting 00:06:08.740 --> 00:06:13.680 and people that are poor. And so you, every day, 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:16.259 are touching people that are hurting and poor. 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:18.430 Where we lived, it was a... A little bit of a 00:06:18.430 --> 00:06:21.230 depressed area out in the rural area of Texas. 00:06:21.990 --> 00:06:24.769 And so what I'd like you to do is I'd like you 00:06:24.769 --> 00:06:26.269 to take this checkbook and I'd like you to put 00:06:26.269 --> 00:06:29.170 it in your back pocket every day. And any time 00:06:29.170 --> 00:06:31.970 you feel God prompting you to meet the need of 00:06:31.970 --> 00:06:34.410 a poor person or a hurting person or some sort 00:06:34.410 --> 00:06:36.629 of ministry that you think would bring joy to 00:06:36.629 --> 00:06:39.009 my heart and glory to God, I want you to take 00:06:39.009 --> 00:06:42.389 care of it. And just do it in my name. Don't 00:06:42.389 --> 00:06:44.310 tell anybody it's me, but all I want you to do 00:06:44.310 --> 00:06:47.519 is... And so you'll notice on the front of your 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:50.300 notes, I actually put this. It says, John had 00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:52.879 a desire, help poor and hurting people. I had 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:55.079 an opportunity. I interacted with a lot of poor 00:06:55.079 --> 00:06:58.379 and hurting people. And so we made a deal. And 00:06:58.379 --> 00:07:00.339 then what he said is like every three or four 00:07:00.339 --> 00:07:02.540 months, I'll give you a call and we'll have lunch 00:07:02.540 --> 00:07:05.079 like this. And I mean, it was a lavish lunch 00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:07.480 and it was, and I would sit down about every 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:10.019 four months and I would tell John stories about 00:07:10.019 --> 00:07:12.819 what I did with his money. And early on, you 00:07:12.819 --> 00:07:14.339 know, like the first, I remember driving back 00:07:14.339 --> 00:07:16.800 in my little un -air -conditioned car and thinking, 00:07:16.939 --> 00:07:18.980 oh man, what if I mess up and this is his money 00:07:18.980 --> 00:07:20.819 and who am I going to give it to and I don't 00:07:20.819 --> 00:07:22.560 know when and why. And I got real uptight for 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:24.240 like three or four days. And then I thought, 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:25.800 you know, what the heck? How bad can it be giving 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:28.240 people money away? And so I remember the first 00:07:28.240 --> 00:07:30.740 time I was in a grocery line and there was this 00:07:30.740 --> 00:07:33.060 young mom and, you know, have you ever been where 00:07:33.060 --> 00:07:34.480 someone has groceries and they don't have enough 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:35.800 money to pay and they're trying to figure out, 00:07:35.899 --> 00:07:38.949 you know, how much. take out of the basket? And, 00:07:39.029 --> 00:07:40.930 you know, well, she goes, I'm really sorry, but 00:07:40.930 --> 00:07:43.629 my husband, you know, he's kind of on a binge 00:07:43.629 --> 00:07:46.149 right now, and he's left us, and so I don't have, 00:07:46.189 --> 00:07:47.750 I'm going to drive to my mother's, but I don't 00:07:47.750 --> 00:07:50.629 have gas, and here's my three kids. And, you 00:07:50.629 --> 00:07:52.350 know, this was sort of like a no -brainer, and 00:07:52.350 --> 00:07:54.610 I said, excuse me, ma 'am, do you, like, need 00:07:54.610 --> 00:07:56.170 some more food to go? And she goes, well, I, 00:07:56.250 --> 00:07:58.230 and I checked it out, and it was for real, and 00:07:58.230 --> 00:07:59.490 I said, you know, why don't you get your basket 00:07:59.490 --> 00:08:01.889 and get what you really need? And she did, and 00:08:01.889 --> 00:08:04.509 she came back, and then I said, and I paid for 00:08:04.509 --> 00:08:06.069 that, and then I said, don't you need some gas? 00:08:06.209 --> 00:08:08.839 I heard she He goes, and the Safeway, 7 -Eleven 00:08:08.839 --> 00:08:10.120 was there. And I said, well, come on over here. 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:12.300 And I took care of that. And then pretty soon 00:08:12.300 --> 00:08:14.879 there was someone who's ice cold and was an elderly 00:08:14.879 --> 00:08:16.620 couple and they couldn't pay their electric bill. 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:18.620 And I took care of that. And, you know, it went 00:08:18.620 --> 00:08:20.680 from sort of like, oh, I'm afraid to mess up 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:25.519 to this is fun. I mean, I lost my keys about 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:27.560 20 times in the first three years of our marriage. 00:08:27.660 --> 00:08:30.120 And so finally, right next to where I went out 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:31.800 the door, there's a little ledge, and I put my 00:08:31.800 --> 00:08:35.139 wallet, my keys, and John's checkbook. And every 00:08:35.139 --> 00:08:38.399 day, it was just my ritual. Wallet, keys, checkbook. 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:40.799 And so every day, I'm walking around. Can you 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:42.840 imagine? Every day, I'm walking around thinking, 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:46.980 I wonder who God wants me to bless and love and 00:08:46.980 --> 00:08:50.139 help with John's money. And it got to be a blast, 00:08:50.139 --> 00:08:52.360 actually. It was really fun. And you got to see 00:08:52.360 --> 00:08:54.240 what would happen. And then so story after story 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:56.419 after story. And then John would call and say, 00:08:56.460 --> 00:08:58.019 how's it going? I said, great. He says, Chip, 00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:00.759 praise the Lord. Come on down and have lunch. 00:09:00.899 --> 00:09:02.960 So, you know, I'd go down. And pretty soon it 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:04.620 was like, hey, up the glass elevator, walk in. 00:09:04.659 --> 00:09:06.679 Hey, I'll see you what? Get Mr. Savile. We would 00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:08.779 go up. And sometimes we'd have a three -hour 00:09:08.779 --> 00:09:11.679 lunch. And I'd tell him story after story after 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:13.519 story. And then after a while, I noticed that. 00:09:13.950 --> 00:09:16.409 When I gave the money to certain ways with certain 00:09:16.409 --> 00:09:20.169 people, I got a real loud praise the Lord. And 00:09:20.169 --> 00:09:21.990 when I did other things, oh, praise the Lord. 00:09:22.649 --> 00:09:26.009 So I'm not dumb. I started looking to, I think 00:09:26.009 --> 00:09:27.590 I'd like to give the money more where it really 00:09:27.590 --> 00:09:30.490 fires him up. And three things happened. This 00:09:30.490 --> 00:09:32.309 is an amazing relationship. I did this for about 00:09:32.309 --> 00:09:36.360 six, seven years. later moved from that little 00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:38.740 church, and John later went home to be with the 00:09:38.740 --> 00:09:40.519 Lord. But three things happened. Number one, 00:09:40.580 --> 00:09:43.500 rarely a day went by that I didn't think of John. 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:46.279 Now think of that. I mean, before it was like 00:09:46.279 --> 00:09:49.100 once a month, elders meeting, or I might see 00:09:49.100 --> 00:09:51.259 him, but I never thought of John. I mean, we 00:09:51.259 --> 00:09:53.340 didn't work out together. We didn't have any 00:09:53.340 --> 00:09:56.100 common interest. But now that I'm spending his 00:09:56.100 --> 00:09:58.559 money every day, I'm thinking about John, asking 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:01.059 the question, I wonder what John would want me 00:10:01.059 --> 00:10:04.509 to do. Second thing that happened is I strangely 00:10:04.509 --> 00:10:07.149 became far more meticulous about balancing his 00:10:07.149 --> 00:10:10.049 checkbook than my own. And I'm a big picture 00:10:10.049 --> 00:10:14.149 person. I didn't really like details. And I never 00:10:14.149 --> 00:10:15.789 had that much money, so I didn't think it mattered. 00:10:16.190 --> 00:10:18.690 So if I had $400 or $500 and the bank statement 00:10:18.690 --> 00:10:21.690 come, if it was within $20, that was close enough 00:10:21.690 --> 00:10:24.429 for me. You know, the bank's probably right anyway. 00:10:25.210 --> 00:10:27.470 Well, this was not a good plan for my wife who's 00:10:27.470 --> 00:10:29.450 not made it all like that. She goes, we need 00:10:29.450 --> 00:10:31.610 to know exactly. Oh, well, you know, it's going 00:10:31.610 --> 00:10:33.789 to take me two hours or three hours to figure 00:10:33.789 --> 00:10:35.509 out because I wasn't very good at details then 00:10:35.509 --> 00:10:39.009 either. So what I realized, however, I couldn't 00:10:39.009 --> 00:10:42.850 tell Teresa about this. So I just somehow learned 00:10:42.850 --> 00:10:45.789 to get very meticulous. I mean, I'm going to 00:10:45.789 --> 00:10:48.409 give an account to an accountant. Are you kidding 00:10:48.409 --> 00:10:51.340 me? I mean, it's not like, well, hey, John, you 00:10:51.340 --> 00:10:53.480 know, I spent about $1 ,200, $1 ,400 in the last 00:10:53.480 --> 00:10:54.940 couple months, or, you know, I helped people, 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:58.639 $3 ,000. I mean, give or take $500. I mean, that's 00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:00.240 not going to work with John. So, I mean, I got 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:03.279 really good at keeping very clear track. The 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:05.840 third thing that happened, and this I never expected, 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:09.620 is John and I became best friends. Literally 00:11:09.620 --> 00:11:11.919 best friends. I started going to those prisons 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:16.350 with him. We hung out together. as he bought 00:11:16.350 --> 00:11:18.730 extravagant lunches and I told extraordinary 00:11:18.730 --> 00:11:22.250 stories of our quarterly celebrations. And what 00:11:22.250 --> 00:11:23.850 you need to hear, there was no sense of obligation. 00:11:24.610 --> 00:11:26.750 There was no sense that we were doing some big 00:11:26.750 --> 00:11:28.990 righteous thing. We weren't martyrs. We weren't 00:11:28.990 --> 00:11:32.350 saving the world. It was like an adventure, a 00:11:32.350 --> 00:11:35.529 celebration of taking someone else's money and 00:11:35.529 --> 00:11:38.009 his heart and being his representative and just 00:11:38.009 --> 00:11:42.309 having a blast. Does anyone here think there 00:11:42.309 --> 00:11:50.200 might be a parallel? See, generosity, the genius 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:53.500 of generosity, first, it has nothing to do with 00:11:53.500 --> 00:11:56.639 how much money you have or don't have. Zero. 00:11:57.200 --> 00:12:01.019 It has nothing to do with how holy you think 00:12:01.019 --> 00:12:04.899 you are or are not. It has everything to do with 00:12:04.899 --> 00:12:10.110 understanding God has given us all things. Time, 00:12:10.110 --> 00:12:13.049 energy, money, talent that belong to him. And 00:12:13.049 --> 00:12:15.730 every day is an adventure where he's bringing 00:12:15.730 --> 00:12:18.309 people across your path that he wants some of 00:12:18.309 --> 00:12:20.509 the time deposited in you to go over here and 00:12:20.509 --> 00:12:22.629 some of the talent to go over there and some 00:12:22.629 --> 00:12:24.350 of the money to go over there. And it's like, 00:12:24.370 --> 00:12:26.950 and by the way, when you give it out, here's 00:12:26.950 --> 00:12:29.149 what God promises. I'll make sure I fill up the 00:12:29.149 --> 00:12:31.710 account. Because after my lunches, John would 00:12:31.710 --> 00:12:33.769 never say a word, but I'd get my bank statement. 00:12:34.360 --> 00:12:37.200 So I'd spend $2 ,000 one quarter and maybe $3 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:39.679 ,000 another quarter and maybe only $1 ,100 another 00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:41.740 quarter. And then I'd get my bank statement and 00:12:41.740 --> 00:12:44.659 guess what? Boop, $5 ,000. He would just fill 00:12:44.659 --> 00:12:48.259 it up. And that's the way it is with God. The 00:12:48.259 --> 00:12:51.039 goal of generosity, the goal with our money and 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:55.000 our time and our talent, really, his heart is 00:12:55.000 --> 00:12:58.120 to build a relationship. His heart behind this 00:12:58.120 --> 00:12:59.840 is not that we just, quote, get things done. 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:02.200 It's not just that we're generous with our money. 00:13:02.700 --> 00:13:05.159 It's the gateway to intimacy. It's one of the 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:08.440 major ways God connects our heart with his heart. 00:13:08.580 --> 00:13:11.179 In fact, let me give you a definition of genius 00:13:11.179 --> 00:13:13.120 and of generosity, and I think you'll see why 00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:16.360 I named the series this. The word genius is from 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:20.480 the root word meaning to produce. To be a genius, 00:13:20.539 --> 00:13:23.019 actually, it's to produce something. It's the 00:13:23.019 --> 00:13:26.480 personification of quality. We call someone a 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:29.200 genius who has great natural ability for a particular 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:33.139 activity. And so Einstein is a genius in physics 00:13:33.139 --> 00:13:38.200 and Bill Walsh was a genius in terms of offense 00:13:38.200 --> 00:13:42.259 and football. Any person with a high intelligence, 00:13:42.340 --> 00:13:45.500 a high IQ, we call them a genius. The special 00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:47.779 ability. It's being wise. It's being a little 00:13:47.779 --> 00:13:50.750 bit beyond smart. Now, the word generosity comes 00:13:50.750 --> 00:13:53.169 from a root word. This was interesting. To be 00:13:53.169 --> 00:13:55.850 generous, the root word comes from noble birth 00:13:55.850 --> 00:13:58.830 or something that's excellent, generous, having 00:13:58.830 --> 00:14:01.870 qualities associated with being like a king or 00:14:01.870 --> 00:14:05.090 a queen or a prince or a princess. It's to be 00:14:05.090 --> 00:14:08.450 noble -minded and gracious, magnanimous. It has 00:14:08.450 --> 00:14:11.230 the underlying, a willingness at every moment 00:14:11.230 --> 00:14:14.899 of time to share. The Hebrew word for generous 00:14:14.899 --> 00:14:17.820 literally means overflowing with water. It's 00:14:17.820 --> 00:14:20.179 a picture of not just meeting people's needs, 00:14:20.299 --> 00:14:23.120 but soaking it and overflowing and water being 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:25.659 a picture of that which gives life. The Greek 00:14:25.659 --> 00:14:29.259 word for generosity is the word for ready at 00:14:29.259 --> 00:14:32.019 any moment to distribute, ready to share, ready 00:14:32.019 --> 00:14:35.799 to give. And all I want you to know is we're 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:38.820 going to talk about being beyond smart, beyond 00:14:38.820 --> 00:14:41.690 wise. about being genius. Do you see the bright 00:14:41.690 --> 00:14:44.570 idea on the top of your notes? It says to be 00:14:44.570 --> 00:14:47.029 smart, and you should be smart, you should spend 00:14:47.029 --> 00:14:50.309 carefully. To be wise, and you should be wise, 00:14:50.330 --> 00:14:53.730 you should save regularly. But to be genius, 00:14:53.950 --> 00:14:58.330 you should give extravagantly. That's what I 00:14:58.330 --> 00:15:00.850 got to do with John's money. And it taught me 00:15:00.850 --> 00:15:03.769 a lot about how God, my father, has entrusted 00:15:03.769 --> 00:15:07.070 things to me, and he wants me to be smart, and 00:15:07.070 --> 00:15:09.320 he wants me to be wise. but he wants them to 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:13.080 be a genius. We'll hear more from Chip Ingram's 00:15:13.080 --> 00:15:15.659 message in just a moment. First, we invite you 00:15:15.659 --> 00:15:18.200 to multiply your year in support of Living on 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:20.940 the Edge through an exciting match that's active 00:15:20.940 --> 00:15:23.679 through December 31st. Every gift is matched. 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:28.419 Every dollar multiplied by two. Every investment 00:15:28.419 --> 00:15:31.799 maximized for kingdom impact. Double the impact 00:15:31.799 --> 00:15:35.919 of your gift at livingontheedge .org. from a 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:38.840 series called The Genius of Generosity. Again, 00:15:38.899 --> 00:15:41.919 our Bible teacher, Chip Ingram. Let me give you 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:45.240 four reasons now why it is genius to be generous. 00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:48.259 Because I'm just going to guess, at least there's 00:15:48.259 --> 00:15:50.899 one or two people that maybe have my background. 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:53.679 And it's not like you want to be selfish, and 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:55.960 heaven forbid you don't want to be greedy. But 00:15:55.960 --> 00:15:58.659 the idea of being extravagantly generous is like 00:15:58.659 --> 00:16:00.759 fearful and like it might be for someone else. 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:04.519 So let me give you four specific reasons why. 00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:08.539 Generosity is, in fact, genius. Number one, generosity 00:16:08.539 --> 00:16:13.940 changes our lives. Generosity changes our lives. 00:16:14.059 --> 00:16:17.799 It blesses our lives. It enriches our lives. 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:21.279 It makes life better. The very last words we 00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:23.919 ever hear in the Bible from Jesus are this, and 00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:26.360 they're not in the Gospels. It's a quote from 00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:29.909 Acts. Where the Apostle Paul quotes Jesus and 00:16:29.909 --> 00:16:33.090 says, Jesus said, it's more blessed to give than 00:16:33.090 --> 00:16:34.570 to receive. The word blessed, you know what it 00:16:34.570 --> 00:16:39.009 means? Happy, welfare, good, uplifting, encouraging. 00:16:39.509 --> 00:16:41.830 People who give are more blessed even than those 00:16:41.830 --> 00:16:44.230 who give receive. I mean, this is the ultimate 00:16:44.230 --> 00:16:47.570 win -win proposition. When you give and when 00:16:47.570 --> 00:16:49.610 you're generous, a good feeling comes inside. 00:16:50.330 --> 00:16:52.610 Well, guess what? Here's the win -win. You get 00:16:52.610 --> 00:16:55.659 a good feeling by giving. The people who receive 00:16:55.659 --> 00:16:57.899 what you give, they get a good feeling by receiving. 00:16:58.379 --> 00:17:01.820 And God says, when I find people that are liberal 00:17:01.820 --> 00:17:04.480 and generous, I will fill up their account again. 00:17:04.980 --> 00:17:06.859 Because I'm looking for people that will be a 00:17:06.859 --> 00:17:09.059 stream. I'm looking for people that I can drop 00:17:09.059 --> 00:17:11.400 things in the stream and it goes and they can 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:13.460 use whatever they need and then it goes on and 00:17:13.460 --> 00:17:16.049 they love people. But a lot of people are a dam. 00:17:16.349 --> 00:17:19.430 God drops it in and hits the dam. Well, you never 00:17:19.430 --> 00:17:21.609 know. Rainy day, a lot of difficult things. And 00:17:21.609 --> 00:17:24.009 so they just keep saving, saving, hoarding, hoarding. 00:17:24.130 --> 00:17:27.029 And even when they share, they kind of share 00:17:27.029 --> 00:17:30.910 with this, well, I feel obligated. I guess if 00:17:30.910 --> 00:17:33.369 I'm supposed to help out with this. But what's 00:17:33.369 --> 00:17:35.210 it like when you're around someone who says, 00:17:35.250 --> 00:17:38.849 hey, I got the bill this time? People are winsome 00:17:38.849 --> 00:17:41.069 and attractive and people that are generous with 00:17:41.069 --> 00:17:43.049 their time. People say, hey, I know you're moving. 00:17:43.109 --> 00:17:46.319 Does anyone like to move? No, I'll be over Saturday 00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:48.380 moon. I'll help you out. What do you think about 00:17:48.380 --> 00:17:50.680 those kind of people? Those are the kind of people 00:17:50.680 --> 00:17:52.839 you want to be around. Generous people have friends. 00:17:53.480 --> 00:17:55.720 Generous people are attractive. Generous people 00:17:55.720 --> 00:17:58.420 are happier. What's the opposite of being generous? 00:18:00.500 --> 00:18:03.900 Miserly. We say, oh, he's an old miser. I mean, 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:05.940 how many people this year are saying, I want 00:18:05.940 --> 00:18:10.180 to be like Scrooge? I mean, he's no one's hero. 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:15.440 Are you ready? The root word for a miser? Same 00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:19.839 root word as miserable. Selfish, greedy, non 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:23.660 -generous people are alone, isolated, and miserable. 00:18:24.839 --> 00:18:27.839 Now, in Christian circles, what happens is we 00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:30.539 work at appearing generous and can be miserly 00:18:30.539 --> 00:18:33.539 in our heart. Because we want to appear like 00:18:33.539 --> 00:18:35.420 we're caring. We want to appear like we're generous. 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:37.839 We want to appear like we're loving. But real 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:40.099 generosity comes out of the heart where you really 00:18:40.099 --> 00:18:42.519 want to help others. You're willing to share 00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:44.559 knowing that as you give it away, God will take 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:49.819 care of you. Second reason is generosity connects 00:18:49.819 --> 00:18:54.099 us with others. A generous man will prosper and 00:18:54.099 --> 00:18:56.500 he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. 00:18:57.460 --> 00:19:00.619 Proverbs 11, 25. A generous, literally that word 00:19:00.619 --> 00:19:03.420 prosper, a generous man will be fat. It doesn't 00:19:03.420 --> 00:19:05.619 mean, you know, like. You need to go to Jenny 00:19:05.619 --> 00:19:07.779 Craig or Weight Watchers, but it's this idea 00:19:07.779 --> 00:19:10.220 that you'll prosper, you'll have more than you 00:19:10.220 --> 00:19:13.200 need, and he who refreshes others, when you give 00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:15.180 and are kind to others, will himself be refreshed. 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:17.480 When you give and when you're generous of your 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:19.180 time and generous of your talent and generous 00:19:19.180 --> 00:19:21.500 with your money, generous with your stuff, let 00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:23.339 people use your car, let them use your house, 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:25.720 let them use this, when you're generous, it connects 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:28.579 you with people. I'll never forget, I learned 00:19:28.579 --> 00:19:30.940 this in a graphic way when I was pastoring in 00:19:30.940 --> 00:19:34.019 Santa Cruz. You know, I had four kids under the 00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:36.859 roof, and I had to get my part done early. And 00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:40.000 the way I worked it is I just got up real early 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:43.480 so I could get my sermon and my time done. And 00:19:43.480 --> 00:19:45.839 we were at a real rapidly growing time, and I 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:47.700 had a lot of people reporting to me. So I knew 00:19:47.700 --> 00:19:50.579 that by 8 .30 in the morning or 9 when I came 00:19:50.579 --> 00:19:52.700 in, if I didn't have my work done for the day, 00:19:52.819 --> 00:19:55.839 I was in trouble. So there was a little, actually 00:19:55.839 --> 00:19:58.700 called a donut shop. They make bagels. And it 00:19:58.700 --> 00:20:01.119 was a Cambodian family that came to the States. 00:20:01.789 --> 00:20:04.029 And the whole family did it, and it was sort 00:20:04.029 --> 00:20:06.329 of a hole in the wall, and they would start those 00:20:06.329 --> 00:20:09.109 bagels like at 3 .30, 4 in the morning. And so 00:20:09.109 --> 00:20:11.089 I'd get there about 4 .30, and they would put 00:20:11.089 --> 00:20:13.329 on a couple pots of coffee, and there was a little 00:20:13.329 --> 00:20:16.009 table in the corner, and about 4 .30, I'd get 00:20:16.009 --> 00:20:18.450 some coffee, and I would study from 4 .30 to 00:20:18.450 --> 00:20:21.990 about 8, 8 .30. And when I came by, usually then 00:20:21.990 --> 00:20:24.309 a guy came in, his name was Mike, and he sat, 00:20:24.509 --> 00:20:26.869 and he was a homeless guy. And he sat, and he, 00:20:26.869 --> 00:20:28.329 I guess, had enough money for just one cup of 00:20:28.329 --> 00:20:30.289 coffee. And if you've ever seen people who've 00:20:30.289 --> 00:20:32.529 done really heavy -duty drugs, I mean, they're 00:20:32.529 --> 00:20:35.029 etched, and he was always really, really dirty, 00:20:35.109 --> 00:20:37.589 and he looked scary. Have you seen people that 00:20:37.589 --> 00:20:39.930 look scary? And every day, he would sit there 00:20:39.930 --> 00:20:43.849 like this. And, hi, I mean, I didn't know his 00:20:43.849 --> 00:20:46.869 name. I mean, you know, just walked by, and he 00:20:46.869 --> 00:20:49.190 was just in a stupor. And this went on for, like, 00:20:49.210 --> 00:20:51.170 over a year. And so I'd be in the corner, and 00:20:51.170 --> 00:20:54.289 then at 6 .30, a bunch of guys, every day they 00:20:54.289 --> 00:20:55.970 would come, 6 .00, 7 .00, they would talk until 00:20:55.970 --> 00:20:58.170 about 8 .00. The 8 .30 group would come in. It 00:20:58.170 --> 00:21:00.369 was just my little corner, you know. And one 00:21:00.369 --> 00:21:03.170 day I just thought, I was actually studying about 00:21:03.170 --> 00:21:05.869 generosity, and I said, hey, Mike, can I buy 00:21:05.869 --> 00:21:08.910 you a cup of coffee? No, no, no, I mean it. You 00:21:08.910 --> 00:21:11.809 know, want a bagel too? And he kind of turned 00:21:11.809 --> 00:21:15.730 his head, and he goes, yeah. So I got him a cup 00:21:15.730 --> 00:21:17.069 of coffee. You take anything in it? And I brought, 00:21:17.130 --> 00:21:20.000 hmm. I mean, I'm just thinking maybe he can't 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:22.480 talk. And so I bring a cup of coffee and he didn't 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:26.759 want a bagel. And okay, great. You know, so much 00:21:26.759 --> 00:21:29.220 for that. Hey, Lord, I was really generous. I 00:21:29.220 --> 00:21:31.259 don't know what I was expecting. And about five 00:21:31.259 --> 00:21:33.680 minutes later, he turned around because people 00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:36.099 came in and I'd say hi to him. He says, your 00:21:36.099 --> 00:21:40.759 name Chip? I said, yeah. Chip, did you see the 00:21:40.759 --> 00:21:43.589 sunrise this morning? And, you know, I didn't 00:21:43.589 --> 00:21:45.690 notice. He goes, look. And there was glass next 00:21:45.690 --> 00:21:48.630 to us. And it was beautiful. I mean, pink, like 00:21:48.630 --> 00:21:51.170 you just couldn't hardly imagine. And then he 00:21:51.170 --> 00:21:53.329 pointed. He says, you see that bright star right 00:21:53.329 --> 00:21:56.470 there? I said, yeah. He says, that's Venus. It's 00:21:56.470 --> 00:21:58.230 only going to be like that two, maybe three more 00:21:58.230 --> 00:22:01.589 days. And I don't know why I said, hey, guys 00:22:01.589 --> 00:22:02.950 who are over there, come look at this. And we 00:22:02.950 --> 00:22:04.849 looked at all these guys and we're looking at 00:22:04.849 --> 00:22:07.190 the sunrise and the star. And I'm thinking, how 00:22:07.190 --> 00:22:10.400 does this guy know this? And then I just sat 00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:12.380 down with him. It cost me a dollar and a half 00:22:12.380 --> 00:22:17.319 to buy a guy, and I found out why and how his 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:20.200 children were gone, what he'd been through, where 00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:22.240 he'd been double -crossed, why he was on the 00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:25.200 streets, why he slept in the car. He was a master 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:28.019 craftsman. He was actually a very, very smart 00:22:28.019 --> 00:22:31.559 guy. We actually became friends. In fact, even 00:22:31.559 --> 00:22:33.660 after I left Santa Cruz, when I would come back 00:22:33.660 --> 00:22:35.960 and visit, I would get up real early and go over, 00:22:36.019 --> 00:22:37.700 and there'd Mike, and I mean the guy, would hug 00:22:37.700 --> 00:22:43.490 me. And it cost me a dollar and a half. Generosity 00:22:43.490 --> 00:22:47.849 connects you to people. Generosity is the smartest, 00:22:48.029 --> 00:22:52.430 wisest, best way to live. Third, generosity helps 00:22:52.430 --> 00:22:59.970 us invest in what matters most. I mean, you just 00:22:59.970 --> 00:23:03.049 need to mark this down. Every one of us worships 00:23:03.049 --> 00:23:07.339 something or someone. Okay? I mean, you might 00:23:07.339 --> 00:23:10.359 write that in your notes. Every one of us worships 00:23:10.359 --> 00:23:15.559 something or someone. Where your money goes tells 00:23:15.559 --> 00:23:18.900 you who or what you worship. In other words, 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:22.990 Jesus is just real clear. Every one of us has 00:23:22.990 --> 00:23:26.170 something or someone that we think that deserves 00:23:26.170 --> 00:23:28.930 my energy, that deserves my time, that deserves 00:23:28.930 --> 00:23:31.930 my money. And what I'm expecting is that is going 00:23:31.930 --> 00:23:34.369 to produce security and significance and happiness. 00:23:34.769 --> 00:23:37.269 Everyone on the face of the earth worships something. 00:23:37.410 --> 00:23:39.450 And some people worship success and some work 00:23:39.450 --> 00:23:41.309 and some golf and some of their kids and some 00:23:41.309 --> 00:23:44.910 of their mate and some Jesus. And so Jesus is 00:23:44.910 --> 00:23:47.789 going to be like a wise investment counselor 00:23:47.789 --> 00:23:50.369 in the Sermon on the Mount. And he's going to 00:23:50.369 --> 00:23:53.109 say, Don't invest over here because it won't 00:23:53.109 --> 00:23:55.809 turn out bad ROI. But I do want you to invest 00:23:55.809 --> 00:23:58.490 over here, very positive ROI. And by the way, 00:23:58.529 --> 00:24:01.990 here's why. Look at it. There's a negative command 00:24:01.990 --> 00:24:05.190 and there's a positive command. And then he gives 00:24:05.190 --> 00:24:07.750 the reason. And this is sort of investment counseling. 00:24:08.190 --> 00:24:10.589 He says, do not store up for yourselves treasure 00:24:10.589 --> 00:24:13.150 on earth where moth and rust destroy and where 00:24:13.150 --> 00:24:15.869 thieves break in and steal. And would you underline 00:24:15.869 --> 00:24:18.960 the word for yourselves? Now, the way that you 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:21.200 would accumulate wealth was through fine clothing, 00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:24.920 precious metals, and grains. And so, even that 00:24:24.920 --> 00:24:27.039 word rust has the idea not just of metals, but 00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:29.539 maybe of varmints getting in and eating your 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:32.180 grain and ruining it. And so, basically, the 00:24:32.180 --> 00:24:38.400 grammar here is stop investing solely on earth. 00:24:38.680 --> 00:24:40.920 And the reason is because you can suffer great 00:24:40.920 --> 00:24:44.599 loss. All those are temporal. On a bad day, a 00:24:44.599 --> 00:24:46.700 thief comes in or the rats get into your grain 00:24:46.700 --> 00:24:49.680 or someone steals it. Now, by the way, he's not 00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:51.859 saying it's wrong to save because the scripture 00:24:51.859 --> 00:24:54.259 tells us elsewhere to save. He's not saying that 00:24:54.259 --> 00:24:56.559 it's wrong to prepare for the future. You know, 00:24:56.599 --> 00:24:58.619 the writer of Proverbs says you need to make 00:24:58.619 --> 00:25:00.119 provision and think about what's going to come. 00:25:00.220 --> 00:25:02.599 And it's not wrong to have something nice. We're 00:25:02.599 --> 00:25:05.099 actually commanded in Scripture to enjoy the 00:25:05.099 --> 00:25:07.660 good things God gives us. This is a prohibition 00:25:07.660 --> 00:25:10.799 against selfish, greedy hoarding that you think 00:25:10.799 --> 00:25:13.279 that this is now and I'm going to have it and 00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:16.259 my life, my success, my power, my happiness is 00:25:16.259 --> 00:25:18.859 going to come from investing my time and energy 00:25:18.859 --> 00:25:23.059 in the right now, in temporal stuff. Then he 00:25:23.059 --> 00:25:25.039 gives the other advice. He says, but store up. 00:25:25.140 --> 00:25:28.799 Now, would you underline why? For yourselves. 00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:32.720 This is for your benefit. He's giving wise investment 00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:35.859 counseling, treasures in heaven where moth and 00:25:35.859 --> 00:25:37.779 rust do not destroy and where thieves can't break 00:25:37.779 --> 00:25:40.200 in and steal. In other words, it's a better investment 00:25:40.200 --> 00:25:42.339 because when you make this investment, 100 % 00:25:42.339 --> 00:25:45.470 return. And so all through the gospels, Jesus 00:25:45.470 --> 00:25:47.630 talks about what's it, so what would be like 00:25:47.630 --> 00:25:50.250 to invest treasure in heaven? Treasure in heaven 00:25:50.250 --> 00:25:53.930 in Luke 16 is you give your money and your time 00:25:53.930 --> 00:25:56.029 to help other people come to Christ. And when 00:25:56.029 --> 00:25:58.490 you get to heaven, they will welcome you because 00:25:58.490 --> 00:26:01.490 you gave. When you give a cup of cold water, 00:26:01.529 --> 00:26:03.809 when you provide relief and love in the name 00:26:03.809 --> 00:26:06.710 of Jesus, there'll be a reward. That's an eternal 00:26:06.710 --> 00:26:10.230 heavenly treasure. When you use your money to 00:26:10.230 --> 00:26:13.430 make disciples, when you use your money, to help 00:26:13.430 --> 00:26:15.869 the poor. You're lending to the Lord. All those 00:26:15.869 --> 00:26:20.049 things. He says, there's a bank account with 00:26:20.049 --> 00:26:23.289 your name on it with very specific reward in 00:26:23.289 --> 00:26:26.609 heaven that can't be touched by thieves or rust 00:26:26.609 --> 00:26:29.009 or moss. So he says, that's great. Then he gives 00:26:29.009 --> 00:26:32.210 you the reason. Look at verse 21. For where your 00:26:32.210 --> 00:26:36.490 treasure is, there your heart will be also. Literally 00:26:36.490 --> 00:26:38.970 meaning, it says, for where you treasure your 00:26:38.970 --> 00:26:41.230 treasure, that's where your heart will be. So 00:26:41.230 --> 00:26:43.869 what he's saying is, There's a relationship between 00:26:43.869 --> 00:26:46.769 what you worship. Don't make a bad investment 00:26:46.769 --> 00:26:49.650 where it'll be temporal, loss, can change overnight. 00:26:49.890 --> 00:26:52.069 Some of you know about that, right? Jesus is 00:26:52.069 --> 00:26:54.730 just saying. He's not saying you're more righteous, 00:26:54.789 --> 00:26:57.029 more holy, you're better than other people when 00:26:57.029 --> 00:26:58.950 you invest in the things that last. He's just 00:26:58.950 --> 00:27:01.250 saying there are smart investors and there's 00:27:01.250 --> 00:27:07.079 dumb investors. This is Living on the Edge with 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:09.460 Chip Ingram. And what you've heard today is the 00:27:09.460 --> 00:27:11.759 very first message in a practical teaching series 00:27:11.759 --> 00:27:15.180 called The Genius of Generosity. Generous living 00:27:15.180 --> 00:27:18.519 is joyful living. Now, don't go away. Chip has 00:27:18.519 --> 00:27:20.900 more to say on today's topic coming up in just 00:27:20.900 --> 00:27:23.839 a moment. Living on the Edge is celebrating 30 00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:26.549 years of God's blessing. And over these three 00:27:26.549 --> 00:27:28.950 decades, our commitment to the cause of Christ 00:27:28.950 --> 00:27:32.410 has only grown deeper. In fact, we're more determined 00:27:32.410 --> 00:27:35.170 to share a cold cup of water to those who are 00:27:35.170 --> 00:27:38.650 thirsty than ever before. Chip, each time Living 00:27:38.650 --> 00:27:41.369 on the Edge is broadcast to the world, Christians 00:27:41.369 --> 00:27:44.150 begin to discover the joy of living like Christians, 00:27:44.450 --> 00:27:48.349 even when life is hard. Sunday morning is easy. 00:27:48.470 --> 00:27:50.690 But what about Monday morning when you face a 00:27:50.690 --> 00:27:53.609 difficult boss? Or Tuesday afternoon when you 00:27:53.609 --> 00:27:56.740 get that diagnosis? or Wednesday night when your 00:27:56.740 --> 00:27:59.900 teenager is making choices that absolutely break 00:27:59.900 --> 00:28:02.900 your heart. This is where most Christians struggle, 00:28:03.059 --> 00:28:05.980 not with Sunday faith, but with everyday faith. 00:28:06.279 --> 00:28:08.900 And you know, Living on the Edge teaches believers 00:28:08.900 --> 00:28:12.339 how to think biblically about real life, how 00:28:12.339 --> 00:28:14.900 to handle their money God's way, how to navigate 00:28:14.900 --> 00:28:18.299 relationships with wisdom, and how to face suffering 00:28:18.299 --> 00:28:21.619 without losing hope. When you give to this match, 00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:25.079 You're equipping Christians to live out their 00:28:25.079 --> 00:28:28.900 faith in the real trenches of life and not just 00:28:28.900 --> 00:28:31.980 in the safety of a church service. We're committed 00:28:31.980 --> 00:28:36.380 to helping Christians live like Christians 24 00:28:36.380 --> 00:28:41.160 -7, 365, that literally as they walk with Jesus, 00:28:41.240 --> 00:28:43.920 it comes out of their life and their heart and 00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:47.339 their lips and impacts people around them. Three 00:28:47.339 --> 00:28:50.210 decades of God's provision. Point to one truth. 00:28:50.569 --> 00:28:53.609 He's not done yet. Living on the edge's greatest 00:28:53.609 --> 00:28:56.730 impact lies ahead. If there's ever been a day 00:28:56.730 --> 00:28:59.089 where we need Christians to live like Christians, 00:28:59.329 --> 00:29:02.009 it's now, and you're invited to be a part of 00:29:02.009 --> 00:29:05.369 it. Through this match, your gift doubles instantly. 00:29:05.849 --> 00:29:09.170 More pastors equipped, more families strengthened, 00:29:09.390 --> 00:29:13.230 more believers reached. Will you multiply your 00:29:13.230 --> 00:29:16.710 impact right now? You can respond to Chip right 00:29:16.710 --> 00:29:19.930 now by giving online at livingontheedge .org 00:29:19.930 --> 00:29:25.589 or call this number, 888 -333 -6003. To send 00:29:25.589 --> 00:29:27.690 your support in the mail, address your envelope 00:29:27.690 --> 00:29:32.029 to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, 00:29:32.269 --> 00:29:39.789 GA 30024. You can also call 888 -333 -6003 or 00:29:39.789 --> 00:29:44.380 visit us online at livingontheedge .org. I'm 00:29:44.380 --> 00:29:46.599 Dave Drury, inviting you to join us when Chip 00:29:46.599 --> 00:29:49.759 Ingram continues to describe the genius of generosity 00:29:49.759 --> 00:29:52.420 tomorrow on Living on the Edge.