WEBVTT 00:00:01.449 --> 00:00:04.190 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:04.250 --> 00:00:07.889 In these tough economic times, does it ever feel 00:00:07.889 --> 00:00:11.050 like God has abandoned you? Like you're left 00:00:11.050 --> 00:00:13.929 all alone? Well, if you feel like that today, 00:00:14.050 --> 00:00:16.989 I'm going to share an amazing spiritual secret 00:00:16.989 --> 00:00:21.030 that will help you get out of the spiritual doldrums. 00:00:21.030 --> 00:00:24.170 Stay with me. That's today on Living on the Edge. 00:00:26.120 --> 00:00:28.460 From Chip Ingram and all of us here at Living 00:00:28.460 --> 00:00:30.980 on the Edge, Merry Christmas. We're delighted 00:00:30.980 --> 00:00:33.179 you've joined us. You know, for most people, 00:00:33.219 --> 00:00:36.200 the holidays are filled with joy. But for many, 00:00:36.380 --> 00:00:39.479 it's a season that magnifies our problems. In 00:00:39.479 --> 00:00:41.780 our loneliness, when we're scrambling to make 00:00:41.780 --> 00:00:44.520 ends meet, sometimes we assume that God has abandoned 00:00:44.520 --> 00:00:47.710 us. Well, if you're feeling overlooked... You're 00:00:47.710 --> 00:00:49.969 about to hear biblical wisdom that'll challenge 00:00:49.969 --> 00:00:52.570 your assumptions. Today on Living on the Edge, 00:00:52.729 --> 00:00:55.170 Chip Ingram assures you of God's presence and, 00:00:55.229 --> 00:00:58.090 at the same time, rescues you from the exhausting 00:00:58.090 --> 00:01:01.310 treadmill of trying to earn his favor. And then 00:01:01.310 --> 00:01:03.490 after, Chip's message will explain how you can 00:01:03.490 --> 00:01:06.730 participate in a Double Your Impact match. Because 00:01:06.730 --> 00:01:08.989 of this match, every dollar you give today at 00:01:08.989 --> 00:01:12.209 livingontheedge .org is automatically doubled 00:01:12.209 --> 00:01:15.250 in size. But right now, let's enjoy the message 00:01:15.250 --> 00:01:18.189 from Chip called The Principle with Secret Power. 00:01:18.629 --> 00:01:20.609 I want to share a little part of my journey. 00:01:20.670 --> 00:01:23.010 I was very fortunate after I came to know Christ 00:01:23.010 --> 00:01:26.870 personally to have a bricklayer and an organization 00:01:26.870 --> 00:01:29.870 that was really helpful at teaching you to meet 00:01:29.870 --> 00:01:32.269 with God and not just go through the motions, 00:01:32.310 --> 00:01:34.030 but really understand that he wanted to talk 00:01:34.030 --> 00:01:36.370 to you in the morning. And I was a pretty slow 00:01:36.370 --> 00:01:38.969 learner. It was really hard to get up and learning 00:01:38.969 --> 00:01:41.170 to pray was pretty hard for me. I was a little 00:01:41.170 --> 00:01:44.349 slow there too. But after a couple years and 00:01:44.349 --> 00:01:46.170 begin to develop some really good habits and 00:01:46.170 --> 00:01:49.150 begin to grow spiritually, and then later, after 00:01:49.150 --> 00:01:51.689 I graduated from college, I found myself teaching 00:01:51.689 --> 00:01:56.890 and coaching basketball and then running a discipleship 00:01:56.890 --> 00:01:59.909 ministry on a college campus. And I lived behind 00:01:59.909 --> 00:02:02.250 the bricklayer. We both went there together to 00:02:02.250 --> 00:02:04.849 launch this ministry. And there was a garage 00:02:04.849 --> 00:02:07.269 apartment, so I had two roommates that I was 00:02:07.269 --> 00:02:10.030 discipling. And so... You know, I'm a school 00:02:10.030 --> 00:02:12.669 teacher. Imagine this, making $1 ,000 a month. 00:02:13.370 --> 00:02:15.409 It was a while ago, but it was not much money 00:02:15.409 --> 00:02:18.669 even back then. And I had a little Volkswagen 00:02:18.669 --> 00:02:20.530 Green Beetle. Do you remember those? It was my 00:02:20.530 --> 00:02:23.990 very first car. I bought it used. And, you know, 00:02:24.009 --> 00:02:26.490 it just ran like a little top. And so little 00:02:26.490 --> 00:02:28.909 by little, I was beginning to learn. And so I 00:02:28.909 --> 00:02:30.810 learned to give the first portion of my income. 00:02:30.889 --> 00:02:32.969 And this group was great. They weren't legalistic. 00:02:32.990 --> 00:02:34.909 They said, you know, a tenth is a good place 00:02:34.909 --> 00:02:36.409 to start. But if you want to go a percentage 00:02:36.409 --> 00:02:38.689 below or above, you know, make sure you keep 00:02:38.689 --> 00:02:40.930 your heart in the right place. And so as I began 00:02:40.930 --> 00:02:46.669 to grow, my OCD workaholic. tendencies that I 00:02:46.669 --> 00:02:49.250 grew up in, they sort of shifted into my spiritual 00:02:49.250 --> 00:02:51.229 life and I thought to myself, you know, if 10 00:02:51.229 --> 00:02:54.150 % is good, I don't have many expenses and they 00:02:54.150 --> 00:02:56.710 were teaching about proportional giving and not 00:02:56.710 --> 00:02:58.550 for all the right reasons that I decided, you 00:02:58.550 --> 00:03:00.069 know what, I'm going to double it and I'm going 00:03:00.069 --> 00:03:04.550 to go 20. You know, the few, the proud, the Marines, 00:03:04.710 --> 00:03:07.620 the Ingrams. And, you know, and I'm pretty proud 00:03:07.620 --> 00:03:09.460 of myself. And, you know, and if it slipped out 00:03:09.460 --> 00:03:11.560 that I was giving 20 % of my income, that sounds 00:03:11.560 --> 00:03:13.780 like a lot. But if you're only making $1 ,000, 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:15.759 it may not be all that much, but it sounded good. 00:03:16.620 --> 00:03:19.740 And so I did that for a while. And then I thought, 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:22.000 you know, if only my expenses were like 120 or 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:24.900 50 a month. And so I still had margin and, you 00:03:24.900 --> 00:03:26.520 know, saved a little bit of money, kind of learning 00:03:26.520 --> 00:03:29.919 the basics of, you know, give, save, and invest 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:33.539 a little, investing real small. And so 20 % was 00:03:33.539 --> 00:03:35.400 good and God kept blessing. So I'm going 30. 00:03:36.399 --> 00:03:38.879 And so I was giving 30 % of my income away and 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:41.500 I'm coaching and teaching. And unfortunately, 00:03:41.819 --> 00:03:44.099 the Pharisee in me was growing. You know, more 00:03:44.099 --> 00:03:46.680 and more I thought, you know, if you give 10%, 00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:48.900 God loves you this much. If you give 20%, I bet 00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:51.199 he loves you this much. And man, go 30, who knows? 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:54.460 And I was in this performance orientation where 00:03:54.460 --> 00:03:58.460 I was learning to give, but I was not at all 00:03:58.460 --> 00:04:01.780 generous. And so I'm driving my little Volkswagen. 00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:03.860 I had a little commute of about 40 minutes where 00:04:03.860 --> 00:04:06.860 I coached and taught. And so I'm in my little 00:04:06.860 --> 00:04:09.400 green Volkswagen, and it's early in the morning, 00:04:09.460 --> 00:04:12.080 and I hear this voice literally in my head, and 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:13.599 I don't know much. I'm a pretty new Christian, 00:04:13.659 --> 00:04:15.419 so I don't know when it's God or when it's the 00:04:15.419 --> 00:04:17.660 Holy Spirit, what's going on, or whether I'm 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:19.740 having an illusion. So I hear this little voice 00:04:19.740 --> 00:04:23.120 in my head say, Chip, whose car is this? And 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:24.240 I'm thinking, I don't know where that's coming 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:26.000 from. The next morning driving to work, Chip, 00:04:26.100 --> 00:04:29.149 whose car is this? Third morning. Fourth morning, 00:04:29.269 --> 00:04:32.029 I realized I think this might be God. And I didn't 00:04:32.029 --> 00:04:33.410 want to answer because I thought he might have 00:04:33.410 --> 00:04:36.269 a plan for it other than the plan I had. Because 00:04:36.269 --> 00:04:38.490 I'd recently married Teresa and we were going 00:04:38.490 --> 00:04:41.590 to pack everything that we had and go to... Dallas 00:04:41.590 --> 00:04:44.149 to go to seminary. And so she had a car and I 00:04:44.149 --> 00:04:46.329 had a car and hers was newer and nicer. And so 00:04:46.329 --> 00:04:48.730 I'm going to sell this little car, but the gas 00:04:48.730 --> 00:04:51.790 prices had started to go up and the value just 00:04:51.790 --> 00:04:54.029 skyrocketed. It was worth more six years later 00:04:54.029 --> 00:04:56.110 than when I bought it. And so every, I was actually 00:04:56.110 --> 00:04:58.149 thinking, you know, I bet I can get this for 00:04:58.149 --> 00:04:59.370 it. And then the next day I would drive, no, 00:04:59.410 --> 00:05:01.230 I bet I can get this for it. And then, you know, 00:05:01.269 --> 00:05:03.589 even before Craigslist, I bet I can get this 00:05:03.589 --> 00:05:06.670 for it. And so as my greed inside my mind over 00:05:06.670 --> 00:05:09.110 here is working and I give 30%, you know, it 00:05:09.110 --> 00:05:10.860 was a, you know, godly, godly. man, of course. 00:05:11.699 --> 00:05:15.060 God, like morning number five, he says, whose 00:05:15.060 --> 00:05:17.959 car is this? And I say, well, it's yours, Lord. 00:05:18.540 --> 00:05:21.060 Oh, good, Chip. I'm glad you know that. Because 00:05:21.060 --> 00:05:23.199 you know Nancy, the girl in the ministry? Yeah. 00:05:23.660 --> 00:05:25.519 Well, you know how she's going to go with Wycliffe 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:27.839 Bible Translators, and she's going to go to a 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:31.420 remote tribe there in Thailand? Well, yeah. Well, 00:05:31.480 --> 00:05:34.240 you have two cars, right? Yeah. How many does 00:05:34.240 --> 00:05:37.379 she have? And I thought, this is not good. This 00:05:37.379 --> 00:05:40.870 is going in a totally bad direction. And I said, 00:05:40.910 --> 00:05:43.149 none. She said, well, she's going to be traveling 00:05:43.149 --> 00:05:45.970 all over America to raise support and translate 00:05:45.970 --> 00:05:48.589 the Bible for those people. I want you to give 00:05:48.589 --> 00:05:51.329 your car to her because you have two and she 00:05:51.329 --> 00:05:53.209 doesn't have any. You know, like one of those 00:05:53.209 --> 00:05:56.069 verses you memorize that, 1 John, where it says 00:05:56.069 --> 00:05:58.689 that if you know someone in need and you have 00:05:58.689 --> 00:06:00.610 more than you need and you don't give it, how 00:06:00.610 --> 00:06:02.930 can the love of God be in you? And I'm thinking, 00:06:02.930 --> 00:06:06.220 I wish I wouldn't have memorized that one. And 00:06:06.220 --> 00:06:08.019 I'll be honest with you, it was just one of those 00:06:08.019 --> 00:06:10.399 times where I mean reluctant, reluctant. So, 00:06:10.459 --> 00:06:12.259 of course, I tell Teresa and she goes, oh, that's 00:06:12.259 --> 00:06:15.439 great. Thanks, dear, you know. So, eventually, 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:17.399 I mean, this is not, I want you to hear, you 00:06:17.399 --> 00:06:20.360 can give without being generous at all. I begrudgingly, 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:22.160 out of obedience, decide, okay, I'm going to 00:06:22.160 --> 00:06:24.660 give my car. It's yours, God. I understand it. 00:06:24.680 --> 00:06:29.589 I'll do it. And so, I'm out in the garage. This 00:06:29.589 --> 00:06:31.449 was the day, this will date some of you, but 00:06:31.449 --> 00:06:33.610 in the old days, they didn't have nice stereos 00:06:33.610 --> 00:06:35.850 in cars and you could buy these stereos and I'd 00:06:35.850 --> 00:06:37.910 saved up and you put them in your car and you 00:06:37.910 --> 00:06:42.170 can unlock them and pull them out. And so I'm 00:06:42.170 --> 00:06:44.189 out and the doors of the little Volkswagen are 00:06:44.189 --> 00:06:46.250 out and I've got my knee down and I finally, 00:06:46.370 --> 00:06:47.769 you know, I've got it all out of there and I 00:06:47.769 --> 00:06:49.670 pull it out like this and Teresa walks out and 00:06:49.670 --> 00:06:51.569 she goes, what are you doing? I said, what do 00:06:51.569 --> 00:06:53.410 you mean, what am I doing? She goes, what are 00:06:53.410 --> 00:06:55.670 you doing? I said, I'm getting the stereo out 00:06:55.670 --> 00:06:57.290 of my car. God said the car, he didn't say the 00:06:57.290 --> 00:07:02.519 stereo. And many of you men who are married, 00:07:02.680 --> 00:07:08.620 do you remember this pose? You know, and you're 00:07:08.620 --> 00:07:11.180 just shamed into, oh, you think the stereo goes 00:07:11.180 --> 00:07:13.720 with the car? You know, I stuck it back in there. 00:07:14.259 --> 00:07:17.379 Now, if you'll open your teaching notes, there's 00:07:17.379 --> 00:07:20.959 some real truth from these stories that I want 00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:24.379 you to get. And I'm really a little embarrassed 00:07:24.379 --> 00:07:27.600 to share those. But I want you to know that you 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:32.000 can give but not be generous. When I told you 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:34.379 early on, this is not about money. Money is always 00:07:34.379 --> 00:07:38.259 probably the most pressing symptom. But I was 00:07:38.259 --> 00:07:42.160 giving 30 % of my income and I wasn't generous. 00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:46.199 I gave it begrudgingly. In fact, I sat down earlier 00:07:46.199 --> 00:07:49.220 this week and I wrote down my motivations and 00:07:49.220 --> 00:07:53.240 what was going on in my heart. Giving is an action. 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:57.490 Generosity is a matter of the heart. See, you 00:07:57.490 --> 00:08:00.009 can give and not be generous, but you can't be 00:08:00.009 --> 00:08:03.250 generous without giving. When I was giving, I 00:08:03.250 --> 00:08:06.290 was self -righteous. I was proud. I had a works 00:08:06.290 --> 00:08:08.310 orientation. I thought God was going to, you 00:08:08.310 --> 00:08:11.370 know, do better for me if I, you know, could 00:08:11.370 --> 00:08:17.050 give more. I was negotiating with God. I felt 00:08:17.050 --> 00:08:19.269 superior when I heard of other people and what 00:08:19.269 --> 00:08:20.949 they gave. I thought I was better than they were. 00:08:21.589 --> 00:08:24.730 I was rigorously religious but relationally challenged. 00:08:26.319 --> 00:08:28.220 So what I want you to know is that you can actually 00:08:28.220 --> 00:08:31.720 give and totally miss the boat. See, stewardship 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:36.000 is not an obligation to fulfill, but an opportunity 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:39.919 to seize. Now, from a strict theological standpoint, 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:42.340 it certainly is an obligation, and we're going 00:08:42.340 --> 00:08:44.980 to learn why because of who actually owns what's 00:08:44.980 --> 00:08:48.019 been entrusted to us. But what I find is, is 00:08:48.019 --> 00:08:51.639 that when I hear the word generosity, I think 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:53.980 of adventure. I think of joy. I think of something 00:08:53.980 --> 00:08:56.200 winsome. When I see generous people, I want to 00:08:56.200 --> 00:08:57.580 hang out with them. They're the kind of people 00:08:57.580 --> 00:08:59.720 that, you know, life's exciting. When I hear 00:08:59.720 --> 00:09:04.559 the word stewardship, are you a good steward? 00:09:05.460 --> 00:09:08.240 That word has a lot of emotional baggage with 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:10.740 it. I've heard a lot of sumerans that as soon 00:09:10.740 --> 00:09:14.960 as people start talking about stewardship, it 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:19.039 feels heavy. Like... You're spending too much. 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:21.379 You're not giving enough. You could be doing 00:09:21.379 --> 00:09:24.299 more. You don't measure up. And that sounds like 00:09:24.299 --> 00:09:26.360 getting poked in the eye with a sharp stick. 00:09:27.299 --> 00:09:30.120 And what I think is we've got a lot of misperceptions 00:09:30.120 --> 00:09:33.039 about stewardship and what the meaning of it 00:09:33.039 --> 00:09:36.279 is because it's a beautiful word too. I learned 00:09:36.279 --> 00:09:38.919 about stewardship from John Saville. He was that 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:41.399 mid -70s man and I was a 28 -year -old young 00:09:41.399 --> 00:09:43.980 pastor and he brought me down to his office and 00:09:43.980 --> 00:09:46.730 he owned this company, CPA. Firm down in downtown 00:09:46.730 --> 00:09:48.850 Dallas. And if you remember, he gave me this 00:09:48.850 --> 00:09:51.330 checkbook. And it said, Pastor's Discretionary 00:09:51.330 --> 00:09:54.009 Fund. And he put $5 ,000 in it. And for five 00:09:54.009 --> 00:09:56.590 years, I put that in my back pocket every morning. 00:09:56.669 --> 00:09:59.070 And I walked around. And my only goal was to 00:09:59.070 --> 00:10:03.149 figure out who had a need that John Saville wanted 00:10:03.149 --> 00:10:05.929 to meet. And I was his steward. It was his money. 00:10:06.049 --> 00:10:08.529 And I just played Santa Claus for five years. 00:10:08.950 --> 00:10:10.870 I mean, way better than Santa Claus. It was God. 00:10:11.609 --> 00:10:14.190 Loving and caring and, you know, writing a check 00:10:14.190 --> 00:10:16.370 to get a bus ticket back for some young runaway 00:10:16.370 --> 00:10:18.809 teen or writing a check that someone gets their 00:10:18.809 --> 00:10:21.049 electric bill paid or an elderly couple that 00:10:21.049 --> 00:10:24.070 had their house infested with all these rodents 00:10:24.070 --> 00:10:27.149 and time after time after time. And then I would 00:10:27.149 --> 00:10:29.250 go down and have a lunch and then we would laugh 00:10:29.250 --> 00:10:31.870 and John would lean back and go, praise the Lord, 00:10:31.990 --> 00:10:35.649 and I would be embarrassed. And I was a steward 00:10:35.649 --> 00:10:39.759 and it was a blast. It was an adventure. And 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:42.120 what I want you to understand is when we start 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:44.259 talking about the smartness or the genius of 00:10:44.259 --> 00:10:47.860 generosity, it's having the same attitude with 00:10:47.860 --> 00:10:50.899 what God's given you that I had with John Savile. 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:53.480 It wasn't my money. I wasn't uptight about where 00:10:53.480 --> 00:10:55.259 it went. I mean, I had to give an account for 00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:58.000 it and I wanted to make him happy and we did 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:01.159 become best friends. But I mean, when I gave 00:11:01.159 --> 00:11:02.519 it away, I wasn't worried like I'm not gonna 00:11:02.519 --> 00:11:05.419 eat today or not. It's his money. And every time 00:11:05.419 --> 00:11:07.500 after we would meet, it was an amazing thing. 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:09.360 I'd get a bank statement and he would just fill 00:11:09.360 --> 00:11:12.399 it back up. So what you need to see, here's the 00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:15.460 bright idea. The bright idea is stewardship is 00:11:15.460 --> 00:11:18.899 the path. That's a path. We are stewards and 00:11:18.899 --> 00:11:22.000 we'll talk about it and why. But generosity is 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:25.690 the adventure. Generosity is a whole new way 00:11:25.690 --> 00:11:27.769 of living and it's way beyond money and it's 00:11:27.769 --> 00:11:29.870 even way beyond your time and way beyond your 00:11:29.870 --> 00:11:32.490 talents. It's like this winsome, amazing adventure 00:11:32.490 --> 00:11:35.110 where you start walking around with this breakthrough 00:11:35.110 --> 00:11:40.889 concept. Everything I have is a gift to me from 00:11:40.889 --> 00:11:44.629 God and I'm his money manager. It's like my life 00:11:44.629 --> 00:11:48.350 is like a checkbook and God fills it and he's 00:11:48.350 --> 00:11:51.070 given me time and talent and brains and opportunity 00:11:51.070 --> 00:11:54.029 and people and friends and every single thing 00:11:54.029 --> 00:11:57.190 I have is a gift from him. And what he wants 00:11:57.190 --> 00:12:00.789 me to do is spend it or invest it or use it in 00:12:00.789 --> 00:12:03.029 a way that pleases him and as we do, we become 00:12:03.029 --> 00:12:05.710 best friends. And as we do, I get the joy of 00:12:05.710 --> 00:12:08.450 watching his resources flow through me and loving 00:12:08.450 --> 00:12:11.740 people. That's the breakthrough concept. The 00:12:11.740 --> 00:12:14.220 genius behind the in -depth relationship I enjoy 00:12:14.220 --> 00:12:17.799 with John Saville is what God wants for you and 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:20.080 me and every single follower of Christ on the 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:23.360 face of the earth. We'll hear more from Chip 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:25.899 Ingram's message in just a moment. First, we 00:12:25.899 --> 00:12:28.139 invite you to multiply your year and support 00:12:28.139 --> 00:12:30.799 of Living on the Edge through an exciting match 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:33.759 that's active through December 31st. Every gift 00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:38.360 is matched. Every dollar multiplied by two. Every 00:12:38.360 --> 00:12:42.039 investment maximized for kingdom impact. Double 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:45.559 the impact of your gift at livingontheedge .org. 00:12:46.059 --> 00:12:48.960 From a series called The Genius of Generosity, 00:12:49.159 --> 00:12:52.960 again, our Bible teacher, Chip Ingram. Now, what 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:57.000 I learned, even when I was giving 30 % of my 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:00.080 lavish income that I was getting, is that I didn't 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:03.019 believe God owned it all. That's when life really 00:13:03.019 --> 00:13:06.250 changes. See, I was giving thinking it's mine 00:13:06.250 --> 00:13:08.750 and I'm better than people because look how much 00:13:08.750 --> 00:13:13.830 I'm giving. Well, wait a second. If 100 % of 00:13:13.830 --> 00:13:16.250 it is God's and God says I'd like 30 % of it 00:13:16.250 --> 00:13:21.690 or 22 % of it or 9 % of it or 100 % of it, it's 00:13:21.690 --> 00:13:24.090 his, right? So you don't get any brownie points 00:13:24.090 --> 00:13:26.870 for just giving it where he says to give it. 00:13:27.590 --> 00:13:31.639 But when you begin to understand 100%, not just 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:33.779 of your money, but all that you are and all that 00:13:33.779 --> 00:13:37.980 you have is his, it completely changes. Instead 00:13:37.980 --> 00:13:40.600 of him having to pry it out of your hands and 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:43.159 you feeling all this anxiety and being uptight 00:13:43.159 --> 00:13:44.840 about this and about that and how you're gonna 00:13:44.840 --> 00:13:48.559 do it and the guilt, all of a sudden you realize, 00:13:48.659 --> 00:13:50.980 wait a second, this is yours. Where do you want 00:13:50.980 --> 00:13:53.159 your time to go today, Lord? Where do you want 00:13:53.159 --> 00:13:54.980 the money entrusted to me? Where do you want 00:13:54.980 --> 00:13:57.759 these relationships to go? How do you? In fact, 00:13:57.779 --> 00:13:59.720 notice what the scripture says. I actually put 00:13:59.720 --> 00:14:00.980 them right in your notes. It says, the earth 00:14:00.980 --> 00:14:03.419 is the Lord's and everything in it, the world 00:14:03.419 --> 00:14:06.200 and all who live in it. Do you live in the world? 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:11.799 So, you're the Lord's. It says, the world and 00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:14.120 all who live in it. Later in Haggai, he goes, 00:14:14.220 --> 00:14:16.379 silver is mine and gold is mine, declares the 00:14:16.379 --> 00:14:20.480 Lord Almighty. Deuteronomy 8, remember the Lord 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:22.460 your God, for it is he who gives you the ability 00:14:22.460 --> 00:14:24.710 to produce wealth. I mean, it's almost like God 00:14:24.710 --> 00:14:26.289 was thinking that some of us would be saying, 00:14:26.370 --> 00:14:28.210 well, yeah, you might say it's all yours, but 00:14:28.210 --> 00:14:29.590 I worked really hard for it. And he goes, yeah, 00:14:29.629 --> 00:14:31.110 well, who gave you the brains, the talent, and 00:14:31.110 --> 00:14:34.090 the opportunity? Oh, yeah, that's right, thanks. 00:14:35.970 --> 00:14:37.990 Even your body, it says you are not your own. 00:14:38.009 --> 00:14:39.950 You were bought with a price, 1 Corinthians 6, 00:14:40.029 --> 00:14:43.350 19 and 20. The summary here is what I call, this 00:14:43.350 --> 00:14:46.750 is the principle that has secret power. I call 00:14:46.750 --> 00:14:50.990 it the oikonomia principle. Oikeo is a Greek 00:14:50.990 --> 00:14:53.840 word for house. You can almost hear the word. 00:14:53.860 --> 00:14:57.080 We get our word for economy. Literally, the word 00:14:57.080 --> 00:15:00.980 has to do with being a steward. It's translated 00:15:00.980 --> 00:15:03.419 of being a guardian. It's translated of being 00:15:03.419 --> 00:15:05.120 a manager. It's the picture, if you remember 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:07.419 in the Old Testament, Joseph. We're in Potiphar's 00:15:07.419 --> 00:15:09.500 house. He put him over everything. He put him 00:15:09.500 --> 00:15:11.980 over his household workers. He put him over his 00:15:11.980 --> 00:15:14.620 money, put him over his crops. The only thing 00:15:14.620 --> 00:15:16.960 Potiphar said was, hey, you know, I'm married. 00:15:17.059 --> 00:15:19.120 You take care of everything else. I entrust it 00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:22.789 to you. That's this word. And the oikonomia principle 00:15:22.789 --> 00:15:25.690 simply stated is, all that we are and all that 00:15:25.690 --> 00:15:29.429 we have belongs to God. And he is temporarily 00:15:29.429 --> 00:15:33.210 entrusted to us to manage according to his wishes. 00:15:34.909 --> 00:15:38.970 That's a big thing to swallow. I mean, think 00:15:38.970 --> 00:15:42.309 about if you actually, if that went from an intellectual, 00:15:42.409 --> 00:15:44.470 I don't even know if I agree with it, to a intellectual, 00:15:44.649 --> 00:15:47.889 I agree with it, to a, I really believe this 00:15:47.889 --> 00:15:51.460 is true. Now, can you imagine what that would 00:15:51.460 --> 00:15:55.500 do? Everything I have and everything I am belongs 00:15:55.500 --> 00:15:59.600 to God. And he's temporarily entrusted it to 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:03.899 you to spend, invest according to his wishes 00:16:03.899 --> 00:16:07.539 with the promise that he loves you and he's good 00:16:07.539 --> 00:16:10.639 and he's kind. And what he really wants is to 00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:13.840 work in you and through you as he directs those 00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:17.120 things so you accomplish his purposes. This phrase 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:20.870 or this word or this concept, The oikonomia principle 00:16:20.870 --> 00:16:25.710 is way, way beyond money. Notice in Psalm 90, 00:16:25.789 --> 00:16:30.389 our time is a gift from God. If you're married, 00:16:30.470 --> 00:16:35.190 our spouse is a gift from the Lord. Your property 00:16:35.190 --> 00:16:39.769 in Luke 16 is a gift from God. Your spiritual 00:16:39.769 --> 00:16:42.129 gifts, it says they're given by grace. They've 00:16:42.129 --> 00:16:44.490 been entrusted to you. They're a gift from God. 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:47.940 God's truth. It says the gospel itself is a mystery 00:16:47.940 --> 00:16:52.240 entrusted to us. People in your life. Acts chapter 00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:55.500 20. God gives people in your life that they're 00:16:55.500 --> 00:16:58.360 entrusted to you. They're a gift. Some of them, 00:16:58.379 --> 00:16:59.980 they're a gift that you watch over them and you're 00:16:59.980 --> 00:17:02.820 responsible for. And others, they're people that 00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:05.079 they're just a gift that he wants to enrich your 00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:08.140 life. But you steward friendships and you steward 00:17:08.140 --> 00:17:11.180 people. Every good and perfect gift, everything 00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:13.079 you have, just in case we missed something, James 00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:15.539 1, 17, every good and perfect gift comes from 00:17:15.539 --> 00:17:17.640 above, from the Father of lights, with whom there's 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:21.160 no variation or shifting shadow. Every good thing 00:17:21.160 --> 00:17:24.299 that ever comes into my life, the hand of God 00:17:24.299 --> 00:17:26.740 is behind it to express his love and concern 00:17:26.740 --> 00:17:29.880 for you. And even your physical body. I mean, 00:17:29.900 --> 00:17:31.880 one of the strongest motivations for whether 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:34.700 it's right eating or exercise or what you put 00:17:34.700 --> 00:17:36.839 in your mind is that you're not your own, you've 00:17:36.839 --> 00:17:39.640 been bought with a price. So this isn't your 00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:41.599 body that you're deciding what to do with. This 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:44.880 is God's body who says, now, will you take good 00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:47.019 care of it? Because I have a great plan for you. 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:50.019 And so at the heart of it, notice the passage 00:17:50.019 --> 00:17:52.039 there at the bottom, 1 Corinthians 4, 1 and 2. 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:55.059 Here's the responsibility of a manager or of 00:17:55.059 --> 00:17:57.599 a steward. Let a man regard us, the apostle Paul 00:17:57.599 --> 00:17:59.759 says in this manner, as servants of Christ and, 00:17:59.819 --> 00:18:02.059 here's our word, stewards of the mysteries of 00:18:02.059 --> 00:18:04.839 God. And then in the next verse, he gives the 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:09.150 number one. Priority with God of a steward. In 00:18:09.150 --> 00:18:11.589 this case, moreover, it is required of stewards 00:18:11.589 --> 00:18:15.450 that one be found, say it out loud with me, trustworthy. 00:18:15.710 --> 00:18:18.329 Circle it in your notes, will you? This is the 00:18:18.329 --> 00:18:22.210 issue. This is the issue in your life. God has 00:18:22.210 --> 00:18:24.470 given you time and talent and people and money 00:18:24.470 --> 00:18:28.289 and opportunity and leadership. You live in a 00:18:28.289 --> 00:18:30.670 time of history that is, I mean. pregnant with 00:18:30.670 --> 00:18:34.069 possibilities. And he decided from eternity past 00:18:34.069 --> 00:18:37.430 to place you and me at this time, in this place, 00:18:37.450 --> 00:18:39.430 with this group of people, with what you have. 00:18:39.930 --> 00:18:42.650 And he's got a plan for you. And what he wants 00:18:42.650 --> 00:18:45.289 you to do is say, Lord, I want to fulfill that 00:18:45.289 --> 00:18:48.289 plan entrusted to me. I want to be found trustworthy. 00:18:49.410 --> 00:18:54.390 I want to spend my time, my money, in a way that 00:18:54.390 --> 00:18:57.809 I realize it's really not mine. It's your time. 00:18:58.170 --> 00:19:01.549 It's your money. It's your opportunity. And I 00:19:01.549 --> 00:19:03.410 want to honor you in it. And here's the thing, 00:19:03.430 --> 00:19:06.369 as we do that, God's promise is he's a heavenly 00:19:06.369 --> 00:19:09.250 father. He wants the very best for you. And so 00:19:09.250 --> 00:19:11.890 the real issue when it comes to this, the real 00:19:11.890 --> 00:19:15.809 issue is not stuff. The real issue is not what 00:19:15.809 --> 00:19:20.289 percentage. The real issue is trust. I mean, 00:19:20.309 --> 00:19:22.640 at the end of the day. I mean, if I would have 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:24.980 gone in to my friend John Saville and pulled 00:19:24.980 --> 00:19:27.220 out the checkbook and said, hey, John, I had 00:19:27.220 --> 00:19:29.259 a great time spending your money. Well, how much 00:19:29.259 --> 00:19:30.799 is left? I don't know. Where'd you spend it? 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:32.140 You know, I really didn't keep track of it this 00:19:32.140 --> 00:19:36.160 time. I don't know. I got a real strong feeling 00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:38.920 that when I left that lunch, my checkbook was 00:19:38.920 --> 00:19:43.559 not getting filled up again, right? Why? The 00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:47.140 wisest venture capitalist in all the universe 00:19:47.140 --> 00:19:53.190 is the God of all eternity. The reason some of 00:19:53.190 --> 00:19:55.890 us don't have opportunities, the reason some 00:19:55.890 --> 00:19:58.230 of us have relationships that break down, the 00:19:58.230 --> 00:20:00.390 reason some of us are not experiencing, even 00:20:00.390 --> 00:20:02.549 financially, all the things God wants for us, 00:20:02.589 --> 00:20:05.589 is you know what? We're not faithful with what 00:20:05.589 --> 00:20:09.589 he's given us. And you're a parent, right? You 00:20:09.589 --> 00:20:11.109 have one of your kids, they wrecked the car three 00:20:11.109 --> 00:20:12.490 times. Do you give them the keys to the next 00:20:12.490 --> 00:20:16.420 car or not? No. Why? Because they've already 00:20:16.420 --> 00:20:18.660 demonstrated. Until they demonstrate they can 00:20:18.660 --> 00:20:20.819 be faithful with what you gave them here, you're 00:20:20.819 --> 00:20:23.539 not going to entrust them with. And so here's 00:20:23.539 --> 00:20:25.779 the question for believers, for followers of 00:20:25.779 --> 00:20:32.160 Christ. Can God trust you? That's a convicting 00:20:32.160 --> 00:20:35.960 question, isn't it? Can God trust you? Can God 00:20:35.960 --> 00:20:39.240 trust me? This is Living on the Edge with Chip 00:20:39.240 --> 00:20:41.579 Ingram. Chip is presenting a practical teaching 00:20:41.579 --> 00:20:45.390 series called The Genius of Generosity. We're 00:20:45.390 --> 00:20:47.490 glad that you've set aside time to join us for 00:20:47.490 --> 00:20:50.289 today's teaching, even on Christmas Day. It's 00:20:50.289 --> 00:20:52.509 a good sign that you're committed to understanding 00:20:52.509 --> 00:20:55.329 the Bible and applying its wisdom to your daily 00:20:55.329 --> 00:20:58.390 life. In fact, after 30 years of sharing Living 00:20:58.390 --> 00:21:00.849 on the Edge, we've discovered that our listeners 00:21:00.849 --> 00:21:04.250 are learners. When today's culture seems divided, 00:21:04.509 --> 00:21:06.869 there's a growing hunger for knowing the truth 00:21:06.869 --> 00:21:10.119 about God and His Word. Chip? Thanks so much, 00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:12.400 Dave. You know, I'm so excited because we're 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:14.799 seeing something happen all across the country. 00:21:15.140 --> 00:21:17.920 More and more Christians are hungry for something 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:20.579 deeper. They're tired of skimming the surface, 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:22.740 and they want to really understand God's Word. 00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:25.480 They've tasted enough faith to know there's something 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:28.579 more substantial and available, and they're really 00:21:28.579 --> 00:21:31.259 ready to go deeper. And Living on the Edge comes 00:21:31.259 --> 00:21:33.599 alongside believers like this in those critical 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:36.180 moments when they're ready to, I mean, move from 00:21:36.180 --> 00:21:38.950 like being that casual Christian. to really get 00:21:38.950 --> 00:21:41.470 serious with the Lord. And I just have to tell 00:21:41.470 --> 00:21:45.309 you, it is so exciting. I get emails and letters. 00:21:45.410 --> 00:21:47.890 I mean, thousands of people who say, you know, 00:21:47.990 --> 00:21:50.410 I kind of heard a lot about God and I caught 00:21:50.410 --> 00:21:52.589 your program. I was driving across the country 00:21:52.589 --> 00:21:56.349 or someone sent me a podcast and I heard the 00:21:56.349 --> 00:22:00.410 message about surrender. And you know what? I've 00:22:00.410 --> 00:22:02.910 been a Christian for 20 years. And I realized 00:22:02.910 --> 00:22:05.569 what God really wanted was me. And they talk 00:22:05.569 --> 00:22:09.190 about this moment of saying to God, I'm all in. 00:22:09.589 --> 00:22:12.829 And then they begin to experience power and a 00:22:12.829 --> 00:22:15.670 life change. And they just say, thank you so 00:22:15.670 --> 00:22:18.650 much. And I just have to tell you, I think it's 00:22:18.650 --> 00:22:21.349 a message that, I mean, when Jesus said, follow 00:22:21.349 --> 00:22:24.809 me, the indication was we would walk with him 00:22:24.809 --> 00:22:27.869 and do what he does and follow him. And where 00:22:27.869 --> 00:22:30.779 did he go? To the cross. And you know something? 00:22:30.900 --> 00:22:33.500 Until we die, you don't experience resurrection. 00:22:33.859 --> 00:22:36.160 You don't become that person that has answers 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:39.299 to prayers and God really moves. And what I want 00:22:39.299 --> 00:22:42.319 you to know is that living on the edge is about 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:45.440 helping people come to the point and learn that 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:48.119 surrender is the channel through which God's 00:22:48.119 --> 00:22:51.890 biggest blessings flow. that we take up our cross, 00:22:52.009 --> 00:22:55.470 we follow him, and it's worth it. And thousands 00:22:55.470 --> 00:22:58.250 upon ten thousands of lives over the last 30 00:22:58.250 --> 00:23:01.230 years have experienced that message, met their 00:23:01.230 --> 00:23:04.160 Lord, seen their lives transformed. And that 00:23:04.160 --> 00:23:07.099 need is greater today than ever before. When 00:23:07.099 --> 00:23:10.519 you give to this match, you're propelling the 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:13.640 message of discipleship to God's people at a 00:23:13.640 --> 00:23:16.140 time when they desperately need it, especially 00:23:16.140 --> 00:23:18.960 all those young people coming to Christ. So as 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:21.740 you pray and think about this match, would you 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:24.819 join? Would you get on board? When you give, 00:23:24.819 --> 00:23:27.880 your gift is doubled. But far more important, 00:23:28.099 --> 00:23:31.279 your impact is doubled. Let's make a difference 00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:34.599 together. Thank you, Chip. Several friends of 00:23:34.599 --> 00:23:36.799 Living on the Edge have banded together with 00:23:36.799 --> 00:23:39.519 this incredible match opportunity in order to 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:42.460 inspire people like you to give as well. And 00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:44.660 when you do, your contribution will be doubled 00:23:44.660 --> 00:23:47.900 in size, and it'll have twice the impact because 00:23:47.900 --> 00:23:50.579 of the match. Because of the match, your gift 00:23:50.579 --> 00:23:54.859 of $100 becomes $200. A generous gift of $250 00:23:54.859 --> 00:23:58.480 becomes $500. But the deadline for receiving 00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:01.880 your support is midnight December 31st. To give 00:24:01.880 --> 00:24:05.160 right now, go to livingontheedge .org. To send 00:24:05.160 --> 00:24:07.759 a check in the mail, write to Living on the Edge, 00:24:07.940 --> 00:24:14.079 P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia 30024. One more 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:18.440 time, that's P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:23.720 30024. Here's our phone number again, 888 -333 00:24:23.720 --> 00:24:29.240 -6003, or give online at livingontheedge .org. 00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:33.099 How do we avoid a post -holiday funk that sometimes 00:24:33.099 --> 00:24:36.079 follows Christmas Day? Well, I'm Dave Drewy. 00:24:36.099 --> 00:24:38.380 Chip Ingram provides a time -tested solution 00:24:38.380 --> 00:24:41.579 from the Bible, tomorrow on Living on the Edge.