WEBVTT 00:00:01.449 --> 00:00:04.169 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:04.250 --> 00:00:07.530 Do you long to feel close to God? I mean, you 00:00:07.530 --> 00:00:10.289 know He loves you, but you're missing that emotional 00:00:10.289 --> 00:00:13.810 connection, that sense of His presence, and you 00:00:13.810 --> 00:00:15.570 don't know how to break out of it. Well, I'm 00:00:15.570 --> 00:00:19.329 going to share today a spiritual practice that 00:00:19.329 --> 00:00:23.510 God has designed to unlock your heart to create 00:00:23.510 --> 00:00:26.250 that intimacy or emotional connection with Him. 00:00:26.370 --> 00:00:28.390 So stay with me. You're not going to want to 00:00:28.390 --> 00:00:32.500 miss it. Well, Christmas Day has come and gone. 00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:35.799 Family has returned home. The emotional spike 00:00:35.799 --> 00:00:38.719 has subsided. And we're returning to a normal 00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:41.859 rhythm of life. So how do we avoid a post -holiday 00:00:41.859 --> 00:00:45.280 funk that sometimes follows Christmas Day? Well, 00:00:45.299 --> 00:00:47.460 there's a secret power that Jesus spoke about 00:00:47.460 --> 00:00:50.679 that transcends human wisdom. It's a doorway 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:53.500 into intimacy with God that cannot be accessed 00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:56.979 any other way. A friendship so rich, so adventurous, 00:00:57.320 --> 00:01:01.030 that it transforms everything we touch. On today's 00:01:01.030 --> 00:01:03.630 edition of Living on the Edge, Chip Ingram describes 00:01:03.630 --> 00:01:06.849 a powerful biblical principle that turns stewardship 00:01:06.849 --> 00:01:10.290 from burden into breathtaking adventure. And 00:01:10.290 --> 00:01:12.349 later in the program, Chip and I will explain 00:01:12.349 --> 00:01:14.849 how you can take advantage of the December match, 00:01:15.069 --> 00:01:17.870 allowing you to multiply the size and impact 00:01:17.870 --> 00:01:22.170 of your donation at livingontheedge .org. The 00:01:22.170 --> 00:01:24.870 deadline is quickly approaching on December 31st. 00:01:24.870 --> 00:01:27.689 But right now, let's resume our study about the 00:01:27.689 --> 00:01:31.349 principle with secret power. This is the principle 00:01:31.349 --> 00:01:35.030 that has secret power. I call it the oikonomia 00:01:35.030 --> 00:01:39.849 principle. Oikeo is a Greek word for house. You 00:01:39.849 --> 00:01:41.650 can almost hear the word. We get our word for 00:01:41.650 --> 00:01:46.230 economy. Literally, the word has to do with being 00:01:46.230 --> 00:01:48.969 a steward. It's translated of being a guardian. 00:01:49.310 --> 00:01:51.930 It's translated of being a manager. And the oikonomia 00:01:51.930 --> 00:01:54.769 principle simply stated is all that we are and 00:01:54.769 --> 00:01:58.829 all that we have belongs to God. And he is temporarily 00:01:58.829 --> 00:02:02.609 entrusted to us to manage according to his wishes. 00:02:03.870 --> 00:02:08.069 This phrase or this word or this concept of the 00:02:08.069 --> 00:02:12.110 oikonomia principle is way, way beyond money. 00:02:12.210 --> 00:02:16.349 Notice in Psalm 90, our time is a gift from God. 00:02:17.579 --> 00:02:19.740 Every good and perfect gift, everything you have, 00:02:19.819 --> 00:02:21.740 just in case we missed something, James 1, 17, 00:02:21.960 --> 00:02:23.939 every good and perfect gift comes from above, 00:02:23.979 --> 00:02:25.759 from the Father of lights, with whom there's 00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:29.080 no variation or shifting shadow. And so at the 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:30.800 heart of it, notice the passage there at the 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:33.659 bottom, 1 Corinthians 4, 1 and 2, here's the 00:02:33.659 --> 00:02:35.900 responsibility of a manager or of a steward. 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:38.400 Let a man regard us, the Apostle Paul says in 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:40.439 this manner, as servants of Christ and, here's 00:02:40.439 --> 00:02:43.900 our word, stewards of the mysteries of God. And 00:02:43.900 --> 00:02:45.939 then in the next verse, he gives the number one, 00:02:46.660 --> 00:02:50.139 priority with God of a steward. In this case, 00:02:50.139 --> 00:02:52.740 moreover, it is required of stewards that one 00:02:52.740 --> 00:02:55.879 be found, say it out loud with me, trustworthy. 00:02:56.080 --> 00:02:58.719 Circle it in your notes, will you? This is the 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:02.620 issue. This is the issue in your life. God has 00:03:02.620 --> 00:03:04.879 given you time and talent and people and money 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:08.659 and opportunity and leadership. And what he wants 00:03:08.659 --> 00:03:11.520 you to do is say, Lord, I want to be found trustworthy. 00:03:12.599 --> 00:03:17.590 I want to spend my time, my money, in a way that 00:03:17.590 --> 00:03:21.090 I realize it's really not mine. It's your time. 00:03:21.389 --> 00:03:24.770 It's your money. It's your opportunity. And I 00:03:24.770 --> 00:03:26.610 want to honor you in it. And here's the thing, 00:03:26.629 --> 00:03:29.569 as we do that, God's promise is he's a heavenly 00:03:29.569 --> 00:03:32.430 father. He wants the very best for you. And so 00:03:32.430 --> 00:03:35.090 the real issue when it comes to this, the real 00:03:35.090 --> 00:03:39.009 issue is not stuff. The real issue is not what 00:03:39.009 --> 00:03:44.159 percentage. The real issue is trust. The reason 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:47.139 some of us don't have opportunities, the reason 00:03:47.139 --> 00:03:49.539 some of us are not experiencing, even financially, 00:03:49.699 --> 00:03:51.919 all the things God wants for us, is you know 00:03:51.919 --> 00:03:54.620 what? We're not faithful with what he's given 00:03:54.620 --> 00:03:57.819 us. And you're a parent, right? You have one 00:03:57.819 --> 00:03:59.419 of your kids, they wrecked the car three times. 00:03:59.500 --> 00:04:00.800 Do you give them the keys to the next car or 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:04.039 not? No. Why? Because they've already demonstrated. 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:06.520 Until they demonstrate they can be faithful with 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:08.460 what you gave them here, you're not going to 00:04:08.460 --> 00:04:11.110 entrust them with... And so here's the question 00:04:11.110 --> 00:04:14.110 for believers, for followers of Christ. Can God 00:04:14.110 --> 00:04:16.629 trust you? Can he trust you with a big opportunity? 00:04:17.089 --> 00:04:19.709 Could God trust you with more financial resources? 00:04:19.990 --> 00:04:22.209 Could God trust you with a great friend that's 00:04:22.209 --> 00:04:24.889 gonna be loyal to you? Could God, when he looks 00:04:24.889 --> 00:04:26.949 at your life and your character, could he trust 00:04:26.949 --> 00:04:29.470 you with a spouse right now? Or would he know, 00:04:29.529 --> 00:04:32.730 you know what? The way you treat people now, 00:04:32.850 --> 00:04:34.949 I'm not gonna give a spouse in your life. You 00:04:34.949 --> 00:04:37.529 just produce pain in that person's life. Well, 00:04:37.610 --> 00:04:40.089 when all this issue of stewardship and trust 00:04:40.089 --> 00:04:42.910 came up, Jesus was speaking to the religious 00:04:42.910 --> 00:04:45.009 leaders. And unfortunately, the religious leaders 00:04:45.009 --> 00:04:47.990 in that day have exactly the same problem as 00:04:47.990 --> 00:04:49.990 a lot of religious leaders in our day. They loved 00:04:49.990 --> 00:04:53.709 money. They were warped. If you open your Bibles, 00:04:53.709 --> 00:04:57.529 turn to Luke chapter 16, and Jesus is going to 00:04:57.529 --> 00:05:00.430 give a corrective about money and about stewardship. 00:05:01.509 --> 00:05:03.829 And he's talking to the religious leaders and 00:05:03.829 --> 00:05:06.379 the disciples are there. And the religious leaders 00:05:06.379 --> 00:05:09.040 at the time, they had this false formula. It's 00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:11.220 actually been picked up by the prosperity gospel 00:05:11.220 --> 00:05:13.540 in our day. That, you know, if God really loves 00:05:13.540 --> 00:05:15.259 you, he blesses you with material things. And 00:05:15.259 --> 00:05:17.040 the more righteous you are, the more material 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:20.699 things. And it's a give to get mentality. Well, 00:05:20.759 --> 00:05:22.680 the Pharisees wanted to appear very righteous. 00:05:22.860 --> 00:05:25.600 And so they were very, very greedy. Jesus described 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:30.110 them as philogoria, lovers of money. And they 00:05:30.110 --> 00:05:32.089 would, I mean, they would tithe. Oh, man, they 00:05:32.089 --> 00:05:34.910 followed all the rules. But they would actually 00:05:34.910 --> 00:05:36.829 even change some of the rules and the traditions 00:05:36.829 --> 00:05:39.250 to get more money for themselves. So they felt 00:05:39.250 --> 00:05:41.050 like the more wealthy they could be, it would 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:42.829 indicate that they must be righteous and experience 00:05:42.829 --> 00:05:46.069 God's blessing. And Jesus is going to just cut 00:05:46.069 --> 00:05:47.889 through. And here's what he's going to ask and 00:05:47.889 --> 00:05:49.870 answer. Write in your notes where it says, can 00:05:49.870 --> 00:05:52.110 God trust you? You might write this question. 00:05:52.569 --> 00:05:56.649 And this question is, how do you become a wise 00:05:56.649 --> 00:05:59.569 steward? I mean, isn't that the $64 question? 00:06:00.269 --> 00:06:02.870 How do you become a wise steward? How do you 00:06:02.870 --> 00:06:06.089 become the kind of man or woman or student that 00:06:06.089 --> 00:06:07.790 God could look into your heart, because that's 00:06:07.790 --> 00:06:10.310 where he looks, and say, I can trust you with 00:06:10.310 --> 00:06:12.569 more time. I can trust you with more opportunity. 00:06:12.870 --> 00:06:15.209 I can trust you with more money. I can trust 00:06:15.209 --> 00:06:17.550 you with more leadership position. I can trust 00:06:17.550 --> 00:06:19.709 you with the souls of a handful of people. You'll 00:06:19.709 --> 00:06:22.529 be faithful. And what you're going to learn is 00:06:22.529 --> 00:06:27.250 in Luke 16, he's going to take The good example 00:06:27.250 --> 00:06:31.889 of a bad person to teach a timeless lesson. Here's 00:06:31.889 --> 00:06:34.209 the setting. Correction to the Pharisees and 00:06:34.209 --> 00:06:36.029 instruction of his disciples concerning wealth. 00:06:36.329 --> 00:06:39.089 And here's the story. We pick up the story, Luke 00:06:39.089 --> 00:06:42.709 16, verses 1 and 2. A mismanagement occurs and 00:06:42.709 --> 00:06:46.689 the steward or the manager is going to get fired. 00:06:47.209 --> 00:06:50.370 Now, he was also saying to the disciples, there 00:06:50.370 --> 00:06:53.259 was a rich man who had a manager. And this manager 00:06:53.259 --> 00:06:55.319 was reported to him as squandering his possessions. 00:06:55.899 --> 00:06:58.519 And he called him in and he said to him, what 00:06:58.519 --> 00:07:00.759 is this I hear about you? Give an account of 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:02.939 your management for you can no longer be my manager. 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:05.519 So as you're following along in your Bible, your 00:07:05.519 --> 00:07:07.459 iPad or mobile device, whatever you're using, 00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:10.079 you know, just understand this is a guy who was 00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:13.420 given oversight like Joseph and he was squandering 00:07:13.420 --> 00:07:15.500 it. He wasn't a good manager and he's going to 00:07:15.500 --> 00:07:17.660 get fired. Now, the second thing that's going 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:19.040 to happen, he's going to say, so what are my 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:21.579 options? He's going to come up with two options, 00:07:21.639 --> 00:07:23.959 decide neither of those are very good, and then 00:07:23.959 --> 00:07:26.600 he comes up with a very creative third option. 00:07:27.300 --> 00:07:30.800 Picking it up in verse 3. The manager said to 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:33.639 himself, what shall I do since my master is taking 00:07:33.639 --> 00:07:36.560 my management away from me? Option number one, 00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:38.339 I'm not strong enough to dig. In other words, 00:07:38.339 --> 00:07:42.100 I can't do just labor. I'm ashamed to beg, option 00:07:42.100 --> 00:07:44.339 number two, can't do that one. I know what I 00:07:44.339 --> 00:07:47.759 shall do so that when I am removed from the management, 00:07:47.860 --> 00:07:50.660 people will welcome me into their homes. And 00:07:50.660 --> 00:07:52.459 he summoned each one of his master's debtors 00:07:52.459 --> 00:07:54.240 and he began saying to the first, how much do 00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:56.279 you owe my master? And he said, 100 measures 00:07:56.279 --> 00:07:58.379 of oil. And he said to him, take your bill, sit 00:07:58.379 --> 00:08:01.639 down quickly and write 50. Then he said to another, 00:08:01.819 --> 00:08:04.699 how much do you owe? And he said, 100 measures 00:08:04.699 --> 00:08:07.860 of wheat. And he said to him, take your bill, 00:08:07.899 --> 00:08:10.980 write in 80. And his master praised the unrighteous 00:08:10.980 --> 00:08:13.879 manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the 00:08:13.879 --> 00:08:16.000 sons of this age are more shrewd in relation 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:18.980 to their own kind than the children of light. 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:22.720 And then he makes an application. And I say to 00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:24.699 you, make friends for yourselves by means of 00:08:24.699 --> 00:08:27.680 wealth of unrighteousness so that when it fails, 00:08:27.800 --> 00:08:31.639 they will receive you into eternal dwellings. 00:08:34.090 --> 00:08:38.009 The commendation is not that he's a crook. Here's 00:08:38.009 --> 00:08:40.049 the spiritual principle. I put it in a box so 00:08:40.049 --> 00:08:41.990 that we wouldn't miss it because this passage 00:08:41.990 --> 00:08:46.009 has been often very poorly interpreted. The dishonest 00:08:46.009 --> 00:08:48.450 manager used his present temporal opportunity, 00:08:48.750 --> 00:08:51.669 his stewardship, with a view of receiving future 00:08:51.669 --> 00:08:55.389 reward. This made good business sense, and according 00:08:55.389 --> 00:09:01.110 to Jesus, it makes good spiritual sense. Jesus 00:09:01.110 --> 00:09:03.950 is saying is, here's someone who realized I'm 00:09:03.950 --> 00:09:06.110 only going to have this job for a little bit 00:09:06.110 --> 00:09:10.090 more time. So I'm going to do in this limited 00:09:10.090 --> 00:09:12.830 time something that will allow me once I get 00:09:12.830 --> 00:09:16.309 fired to have these guys. His boss apparently 00:09:16.309 --> 00:09:19.669 was in commodities, olive oil and wheat. And 00:09:19.669 --> 00:09:21.870 he says, then they'll be indebted to me. And 00:09:21.870 --> 00:09:23.529 I can say, hey guys, you know, I need some money 00:09:23.529 --> 00:09:25.490 or I need a place to live. Remember what I did 00:09:25.490 --> 00:09:28.779 for you? In fact, if you don't. Remember, I could 00:09:28.779 --> 00:09:31.340 maybe let my master know what you did. And so 00:09:31.340 --> 00:09:33.419 he's just operating. He's shrewd. He's saying, 00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:35.139 I'm going to take this little window of time 00:09:35.139 --> 00:09:39.159 and set myself up for the future. And Jesus' 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:42.299 application is, if you could understand eternity 00:09:42.299 --> 00:09:46.139 and you could understand that this tiny little 00:09:46.139 --> 00:09:49.179 dot called time and inside that tiny dot is a 00:09:49.179 --> 00:09:51.679 microscopic little dot of your life that's maybe 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:55.190 70 to 90 years max. He said, you want to take 00:09:55.190 --> 00:09:57.970 this present temporal little opportunity and 00:09:57.970 --> 00:10:00.429 the wealth that God gives you, and what you want 00:10:00.429 --> 00:10:03.769 to do is you want to leverage that so that after 00:10:03.769 --> 00:10:05.970 you die and there is a real heaven and there 00:10:05.970 --> 00:10:08.129 is a real hell and there is a real thing called 00:10:08.129 --> 00:10:11.330 rewards, that you will be like John Savile, who 00:10:11.330 --> 00:10:14.730 right now, I'm sure, has hundreds if not thousands 00:10:14.730 --> 00:10:17.529 of people saying, John, I was that teenage girl 00:10:17.529 --> 00:10:19.870 and I met that chip guy and, you know, he wrote 00:10:19.870 --> 00:10:21.429 that check. I didn't know you're the one who 00:10:21.429 --> 00:10:23.009 did it. Thank you. I wouldn't be here except 00:10:23.009 --> 00:10:26.480 for you. That's what Jesus is saying. He's saying, 00:10:26.539 --> 00:10:30.379 use this temporal management opportunity to invest 00:10:30.379 --> 00:10:33.720 wisely. Now, notice what he goes on and says, 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:36.259 however. The teaching is faithfulness with material 00:10:36.259 --> 00:10:39.759 wealth is the prerequisite to being trusted with 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:43.299 spiritual wealth and rewards. Notice the axiom, 00:10:43.299 --> 00:10:46.639 verse 10. He was faithful in a very little thing, 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:49.639 is faithful also in much. Now, that's true of 00:10:49.639 --> 00:10:52.629 finances. But that's also, that's axiom, that's 00:10:52.629 --> 00:10:55.509 a timeless principle. He who is faithful in a 00:10:55.509 --> 00:10:58.850 very little thing is faithful also in much. That's 00:10:58.850 --> 00:11:02.269 what people who look into the lives of stewards. 00:11:02.450 --> 00:11:04.269 If you're faithful in this, God entrusts you 00:11:04.269 --> 00:11:05.909 with more. You're faithful in that, he'll entrust 00:11:05.909 --> 00:11:07.929 you with more. And whether it's money or whether 00:11:07.929 --> 00:11:09.330 it's time or whether it's your gifts, whether 00:11:09.330 --> 00:11:12.269 it's your talents, but he was unfaithful in a 00:11:12.269 --> 00:11:15.090 very little thing will be unfaithful in much. 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:39.299 Now notice the commentary to the group. Now the 00:11:39.299 --> 00:11:42.159 Pharisees were lovers of money. And they were 00:11:42.159 --> 00:11:45.639 listening to all these things and they were scoffing 00:11:45.639 --> 00:11:48.740 at him or literally they were sneering. He's 00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:50.860 talking about, see, they've got this religious 00:11:50.860 --> 00:11:56.179 pretense like I had, 30%. I wasn't generous. 00:11:56.700 --> 00:11:59.279 I thought I owned that car. I thought I owned 00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:01.720 my gifts. I thought I owned my future. I thought 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:04.019 I owned my dreams. I thought I was in control. 00:12:04.220 --> 00:12:06.039 And I'm gonna figure out a little way to use 00:12:06.039 --> 00:12:07.700 the religious system that I was understanding 00:12:07.700 --> 00:12:14.419 to promote me. And God didn't want to take away 00:12:14.419 --> 00:12:17.580 a car. God wanted to take away an idol. And the 00:12:17.580 --> 00:12:19.860 only way God gets a hold of the idols in our 00:12:19.860 --> 00:12:22.340 life often is he asks you to surrender them. 00:12:23.179 --> 00:12:25.039 The only way you know whether it's really his 00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:27.259 or not is he taps you on the shoulder and says, 00:12:27.299 --> 00:12:29.039 you know something? I want you to give that away. 00:12:29.679 --> 00:12:32.220 Or I want you to relocate. Or I'll tell you what, 00:12:32.259 --> 00:12:33.799 I want you to cross a boundary and invite that 00:12:33.799 --> 00:12:36.179 neighbor and I want you to love him. Or I want 00:12:36.179 --> 00:12:38.559 you to take a risk over here. Your time isn't 00:12:38.559 --> 00:12:40.480 your own. It's not your reputation. It's my reputation. 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:44.720 You're my child. And he says here, they were 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:47.620 scoffing. And then this last line, this is a 00:12:47.620 --> 00:12:50.100 verse I memorized that some of you, you might 00:12:50.100 --> 00:12:52.860 want to jot down. This is what Jesus said to 00:12:52.860 --> 00:12:55.500 those of us that tend to have that bent toward 00:12:55.500 --> 00:12:58.299 legalism, that bent toward performance. And he 00:12:58.299 --> 00:13:00.340 said to them, you are those who justify yourselves 00:13:00.340 --> 00:13:02.539 in the sight of men, but God knows your heart 00:13:02.539 --> 00:13:05.360 for that which is highly esteemed among men. 00:13:06.499 --> 00:13:10.019 is detestable on the side of God. I wrote that 00:13:10.019 --> 00:13:11.980 on a card, memorized that, and reviewed it for 00:13:11.980 --> 00:13:14.980 years and years and years and just kept asking 00:13:14.980 --> 00:13:18.139 God for that which is highly esteemed among men. 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:20.879 Let me ask you, what's highly esteemed among 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:25.580 men? What's your drive? What's your zip code 00:13:25.580 --> 00:13:29.159 number is? What's your portfolio? How many zeros? 00:13:29.539 --> 00:13:31.679 How many letters behind your name? Who you know? 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:34.850 Drop a name here and there. How you look, how 00:13:34.850 --> 00:13:39.929 you appear, your body, right? That which is highly 00:13:39.929 --> 00:13:43.950 esteemed among men is detestable in the sight 00:13:43.950 --> 00:13:49.259 of God. When God gives you nice things, when 00:13:49.259 --> 00:13:52.600 he entrusts you with position and power and wealth 00:13:52.600 --> 00:13:55.080 and opportunity, and if he gives you a wonderful 00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:57.200 and nice body and you're on a good diet and all 00:13:57.200 --> 00:13:58.740 those, and when as a steward you're thinking, 00:13:58.899 --> 00:14:00.940 oh God, thank you. I can't believe how generous 00:14:00.940 --> 00:14:02.759 you've been. And by the way, I just want you 00:14:02.759 --> 00:14:04.539 to know, anytime, any way you want to use any 00:14:04.539 --> 00:14:08.039 of this, I just, it's in your hands. See, those 00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:09.519 kind of people, you know what God does? He just 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:11.659 keeps pouring more in. He keeps pouring more 00:14:11.659 --> 00:14:13.799 in because he's like one of those venture capitalists. 00:14:13.940 --> 00:14:15.779 You know, we invested some money with that group 00:14:15.779 --> 00:14:17.419 and they made us $100 million. They're coming 00:14:17.419 --> 00:14:19.139 back. What do you think we ought to do? I think 00:14:19.139 --> 00:14:22.220 we should invest some more. Next time out, they 00:14:22.220 --> 00:14:24.139 win us a billion dollars. Well, they got another 00:14:24.139 --> 00:14:25.679 great idea. What should we do? I think we'll 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:28.600 invest some more. What Jesus is saying is if 00:14:28.600 --> 00:14:31.240 you could understand that there isn't scarcity, 00:14:31.379 --> 00:14:34.860 that God owns everything, and that true spiritual 00:14:34.860 --> 00:14:38.460 wealth It's not about money or things, but it's 00:14:38.460 --> 00:14:41.919 about relationships. But the symptom, the symptom 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:44.100 that tells you where you're at in relationship 00:14:44.100 --> 00:14:46.299 to God and how much you trust Him is your money. 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:50.080 We'll hear more from Chip Ingram's message in 00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:52.480 just a moment. First, we invite you to multiply 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:55.519 your year in support of Living on the Edge through 00:14:55.519 --> 00:14:57.940 an exciting match that's active through December 00:14:57.940 --> 00:15:02.220 31st. Every gift is matched. Every dollar multiplied 00:15:02.220 --> 00:15:06.559 by two. Every investment maximized for kingdom 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:10.200 impact. Double the impact of your gift at livingontheedge 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:14.720 .org. From his series called The Genius of Generosity, 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:18.159 again our Bible teacher, Chip Ingram. There's 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:21.039 a young man that I was spending some time with 00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:23.970 in Atlanta. And just gifted, he was an artist 00:15:23.970 --> 00:15:27.470 and a photographer and just had all these dreams 00:15:27.470 --> 00:15:29.870 and wanted to start this ministry and he was 00:15:29.870 --> 00:15:32.470 trying this and trying that and he did an art 00:15:32.470 --> 00:15:34.309 exhibit and got with other artists in Atlanta 00:15:34.309 --> 00:15:37.470 area and everything he tried, it was just like 00:15:37.470 --> 00:15:40.169 there was no air in the balloon. Just failure, 00:15:40.370 --> 00:15:43.289 flat, flat. And I met with a guy and he had a 00:15:43.289 --> 00:15:45.649 heart for God and he was gifted and the stuff 00:15:45.649 --> 00:15:48.169 was amazing. And I just, it was one of those 00:15:48.169 --> 00:15:52.059 times where you just thought, You know, it's 00:15:52.059 --> 00:15:54.039 like playing basketball with a guy that has a 00:15:54.039 --> 00:15:56.360 40 -inch vertical and he can't dunk. And he goes, 00:15:56.379 --> 00:15:59.320 there's something wrong here. And so I went to 00:15:59.320 --> 00:16:01.399 Starbucks one day and I said, hey, Josh, let's, 00:16:01.399 --> 00:16:04.419 because he said, what's wrong? Why is God not 00:16:04.419 --> 00:16:06.620 blessing this? And I said, you know, I don't 00:16:06.620 --> 00:16:09.279 know. But I read through Luke 16 with him out 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:11.860 loud. And I said, I don't know. And I don't want 00:16:11.860 --> 00:16:13.419 to mess with your interior life. I don't know 00:16:13.419 --> 00:16:15.820 you all that well. But just let me ask you, what, 00:16:15.940 --> 00:16:19.139 like, where are you at in your finances? You 00:16:19.139 --> 00:16:21.100 know, and the story comes out, he really hadn't 00:16:21.100 --> 00:16:22.559 worked full -time anywhere for two and a half, 00:16:22.580 --> 00:16:24.860 three years, was living off credit cards, had 00:16:24.860 --> 00:16:26.940 amazing amounts of debt, wasn't giving a dime 00:16:26.940 --> 00:16:30.000 to God in any way. And I said, Josh, do you think 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:32.360 it would be wise for God to entrust a ministry 00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:35.539 to you and people's lives to you and maybe even 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:38.080 give you a position of credibility to tell people 00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:41.159 about Christ when actually you haven't even been 00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:44.669 faithful with the little thing, money? And, you 00:16:44.669 --> 00:16:46.309 know, he's got on a plan to get out of debt. 00:16:46.470 --> 00:16:48.490 And, you know, it was just an amazing story to 00:16:48.490 --> 00:16:52.230 watch him turn things around. But see, the test, 00:16:52.529 --> 00:16:55.009 there's two tests. We'll talk more about these 00:16:55.009 --> 00:16:56.809 things a little bit later. But just, you know, 00:16:56.830 --> 00:16:59.710 here's two financial tests that are just crystal 00:16:59.710 --> 00:17:02.169 clear that can let us know if our priorities, 00:17:02.330 --> 00:17:06.289 if, in fact, God really were trustworthy. Test 00:17:06.289 --> 00:17:08.789 number one is generous stewards give the first 00:17:08.789 --> 00:17:13.019 and the best to God. There's an Old Testament 00:17:13.019 --> 00:17:15.079 passage here and it's all through the New Testament. 00:17:15.220 --> 00:17:18.859 It says, honor the Lord with all your wealth 00:17:18.859 --> 00:17:22.940 and with the first portion of your produce or 00:17:22.940 --> 00:17:26.769 your crops. So he says, you know. The first fruits 00:17:26.769 --> 00:17:29.710 would be like the harvest comes in or the grapes 00:17:29.710 --> 00:17:32.329 just come off the vine. You take the best and 00:17:32.329 --> 00:17:34.990 the first and you bring it to the temple. And 00:17:34.990 --> 00:17:36.549 you say, I'm not sure how many grapes are coming. 00:17:36.710 --> 00:17:38.109 I don't know how big the harvest is going to 00:17:38.109 --> 00:17:39.809 be. I don't know if it's going to be a tenfold 00:17:39.809 --> 00:17:41.650 or a twentyfold or a thirtyfold. I don't know. 00:17:41.710 --> 00:17:44.269 But God, I want you to know the very first and 00:17:44.269 --> 00:17:47.589 the very best is yours. And you are the one that's 00:17:47.589 --> 00:17:50.490 responsible and I'm a steward. You give your 00:17:50.490 --> 00:17:53.569 first and your best to God. And then what's the 00:17:53.569 --> 00:17:56.660 second half of that say? Honor the Lord with 00:17:56.660 --> 00:17:58.759 all your wealth and the first fruits of your 00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:02.180 produce or your crops. Then your barns will be 00:18:02.180 --> 00:18:06.740 filled to overflowing and your vats will burst 00:18:06.740 --> 00:18:09.759 forth with new wine. See, there's no scarcity. 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:13.539 When God sees us trust him like that, he says, 00:18:13.619 --> 00:18:17.500 hey, the blessing of my hand will be upon you. 00:18:18.339 --> 00:18:20.339 But you know, there's this faith thing, isn't 00:18:20.339 --> 00:18:22.380 it? See, when you're not sure how much harvest 00:18:22.380 --> 00:18:24.240 is coming in, giving the first and the best is 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:27.259 a little, risky unless God is really real. The 00:18:27.259 --> 00:18:31.000 second test is that generous stewards give regularly 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:34.039 and systematically. Apostle Paul would write 00:18:34.039 --> 00:18:36.299 to the church, it says, on the first day of every 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:38.420 week, each one of you should set aside a sum 00:18:38.420 --> 00:18:43.559 of money. Notice how much. What's it say? In 00:18:43.559 --> 00:18:46.140 keeping with his income. It means rather than 00:18:46.140 --> 00:18:49.640 looking at just a percentage as, hmm, I've given 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:52.940 that, I'm okay. I mean, I've had... Somehow God's 00:18:52.940 --> 00:18:54.799 linked me with some people that have been extraordinarily 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:58.980 wealthy and very blessed. And I know one friend 00:18:58.980 --> 00:19:02.480 and, you know, he's just so smart and so gifted 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:05.500 and really loves God. And yet he kind of has 00:19:05.500 --> 00:19:08.619 this attitude that, and I mean he's worth, well, 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:10.660 he's got one piece of property that's worth $10 00:19:10.660 --> 00:19:12.640 million. It's just an empty lot. I won't tell 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:14.559 you where it is. And he's got about four different 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:19.089 houses. And as we talk, it's like, oh, yeah, 00:19:19.190 --> 00:19:20.690 I want to be faithful to God. And, you know, 00:19:20.730 --> 00:19:22.750 whatever God brings in, I give the first 10%. 00:19:22.750 --> 00:19:25.089 And it's like, hey, you know, like I wrote the 00:19:25.089 --> 00:19:28.650 bill. So that's it, right? And I'm thinking, 00:19:28.750 --> 00:19:32.470 oh, man, you really don't get it at all. It doesn't. 00:19:32.970 --> 00:19:36.430 It says, let each on the first day of the week 00:19:36.430 --> 00:19:39.509 set aside a sum of money in keeping with your 00:19:39.509 --> 00:19:43.869 income. Those that have a lot give a lot. Those 00:19:43.869 --> 00:19:47.630 that have a little just can give a little. saving 00:19:47.630 --> 00:19:50.150 it up so that when I come, the collections won't 00:19:50.150 --> 00:19:52.930 have to be made. And Paul's saying, I'm coming. 00:19:52.930 --> 00:19:55.289 You agreed to help the poor there, and the Gentile 00:19:55.289 --> 00:19:56.710 church is going to help. There's a famine, and 00:19:56.710 --> 00:19:58.819 I just want you to know, no manipulation. Boy, 00:19:58.839 --> 00:20:00.619 the New Testament, when you feel pressured by 00:20:00.619 --> 00:20:02.759 people or you hear people making these outrageous 00:20:02.759 --> 00:20:04.660 promises, you know, on the radio, if you give 00:20:04.660 --> 00:20:06.859 this and God's going to do this, just forget 00:20:06.859 --> 00:20:08.880 all that stuff. The Bible's really clear. It's 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:11.319 an issue of the heart. He says, I want you to 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:13.700 get before God. I want you to decide in advance. 00:20:13.960 --> 00:20:15.720 I want it to be proportional to what God has 00:20:15.720 --> 00:20:18.319 given you so that when I come, there's no pressure. 00:20:18.380 --> 00:20:20.859 There's no manipulation. It's an act of worship. 00:20:22.539 --> 00:20:25.200 Because see, at the end of the day, the Lord 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:28.430 really just... Is wanting to increase the size 00:20:28.430 --> 00:20:31.150 of your heart. And your faith. That he's trustworthy. 00:20:32.089 --> 00:20:34.349 And he has a plan for you. And he wants you to 00:20:34.349 --> 00:20:38.170 know. If you'll be faithful in little things. 00:20:38.910 --> 00:20:43.250 I have lots of money. I have lots of time. I 00:20:43.250 --> 00:20:45.210 have all these positions and opportunities. That 00:20:45.210 --> 00:20:47.630 I'd like to put my children of light into. But 00:20:47.630 --> 00:20:49.940 some of them I can't put them in those. Because 00:20:49.940 --> 00:20:52.519 the position and the opportunity would increase 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:54.160 their wealth and their power and they would just 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:56.980 become proud and they would disgrace my name 00:20:56.980 --> 00:20:59.420 and they would ruin the situation. And so until 00:20:59.420 --> 00:21:01.259 you can be faithful in the little thing, the 00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:03.480 little responsibility, and the little thing starts 00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:05.039 with money, but it's just the training wheels. 00:21:05.640 --> 00:21:08.099 And then it's relationships. And then it's integrity. 00:21:08.519 --> 00:21:10.480 And when we're faithful in little things, he 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:13.799 gives more and more and more and more. Well, 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:15.740 on the very back, there's three questions that... 00:21:16.619 --> 00:21:19.220 I guess what I'd say is if there's someone safe, 00:21:19.380 --> 00:21:21.500 it might be your mate, it might be one of your 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:24.160 best friends, it might be your small group, but 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:26.380 I would encourage you to ask those three questions 00:21:26.380 --> 00:21:30.460 out loud. It's what wise stewards ask. Am I spending 00:21:30.460 --> 00:21:32.420 the owner, which is God's money in a way that 00:21:32.420 --> 00:21:35.180 he wishes? Am I keeping track of the owner's 00:21:35.180 --> 00:21:38.259 money? If I give 30%, I'm still responsible for 00:21:38.259 --> 00:21:43.359 the 70%. He owns it all, right? And am I becoming 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:46.579 best friends with the owner? If giving is, you 00:21:46.579 --> 00:21:48.480 know, like I was where, hey, you know, I got 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:51.059 that done. I'm so glad. It's an obligation. You 00:21:51.059 --> 00:21:55.140 may give, but you're missing what it means to 00:21:55.140 --> 00:22:00.200 be generous. What is it that God wants to do 00:22:00.200 --> 00:22:03.420 in your life to entrust to you so that you could 00:22:03.420 --> 00:22:05.660 experience the joy and the genius of generosity? 00:22:08.299 --> 00:22:11.000 Giving to God's work isn't something to check 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:14.220 off our to -do list. It's an opportunity to experience 00:22:14.220 --> 00:22:17.799 the joy of generosity. You're listening to Living 00:22:17.799 --> 00:22:20.779 on the Edge with Bible teacher Chip Ingram. Chip, 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:22.640 there's not a day that passes without someone 00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:24.940 telling us what they gain from Living on the 00:22:24.940 --> 00:22:27.619 Edge. In fact, after 30 years of sharing Living 00:22:27.619 --> 00:22:30.039 on the Edge, we've discovered that our listeners 00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:33.440 are learners. When today's culture seems divided, 00:22:33.700 --> 00:22:36.079 there's a growing hunger for knowing the truth 00:22:36.079 --> 00:22:39.569 about God and His Word. Chip? Thanks so much, 00:22:39.609 --> 00:22:42.410 Dave. Here's the reality. A lot of Christians 00:22:42.410 --> 00:22:45.109 have been treading water in the shallow end of 00:22:45.109 --> 00:22:48.369 faith for years. They know enough of the Bible 00:22:48.369 --> 00:22:50.730 to get by, you know, a few favorite verses and 00:22:50.730 --> 00:22:54.130 some comforting promises. But when life really 00:22:54.130 --> 00:22:57.329 hits hard, when tragedy strikes, when doubt creeps 00:22:57.329 --> 00:23:00.410 in, They just don't have the depth to stand firm. 00:23:00.630 --> 00:23:03.089 They're sincere believers with shallow roots. 00:23:03.230 --> 00:23:06.569 And when that first big wind of a disappointment, 00:23:06.849 --> 00:23:10.750 a bankruptcy, a divorce, those things just knock 00:23:10.750 --> 00:23:13.269 them out or knock them over. And Living on the 00:23:13.269 --> 00:23:15.569 Edge exists to build spiritual roots that go 00:23:15.569 --> 00:23:19.259 deep so that nothing can uproot them. For 30 00:23:19.259 --> 00:23:21.559 years, we've been hearing from grateful listeners 00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:25.440 and they've told us, I've been swimming in the 00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:29.259 deep end of God's bottomless wisdom as I get 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:31.819 into God's word with Chip and Living on the Edge. 00:23:31.980 --> 00:23:35.539 That's 30 years of impact, all made possible 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:39.259 through faithful partners like you. Today, you 00:23:39.259 --> 00:23:41.599 can join them and your impact is going to be 00:23:41.599 --> 00:23:44.740 doubled through this match. Every gift is matched. 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:49.630 Every dollar multiplied by... too. Every investment 00:23:49.630 --> 00:23:53.529 maximized for kingdom impact. The opportunity 00:23:53.529 --> 00:23:58.829 is now. The need is urgent. Will you give your 00:23:58.829 --> 00:24:01.930 best gift today? Living on the Edge is uniquely 00:24:01.930 --> 00:24:04.529 postured to help listeners grow deeper in their 00:24:04.529 --> 00:24:08.049 faith. We're celebrating 30 years of God's faithfulness 00:24:08.049 --> 00:24:10.630 to Living on the Edge. Remember the first time 00:24:10.630 --> 00:24:13.150 you heard Chip's Bible teaching? Well, that moment 00:24:13.150 --> 00:24:15.289 was sponsored by someone you'll likely never 00:24:15.289 --> 00:24:18.519 meet. It was made possible by someone just like 00:24:18.519 --> 00:24:21.160 yourself who was given generously to support 00:24:21.160 --> 00:24:24.519 the ministry of Living on the Edge. Maybe today's 00:24:24.519 --> 00:24:27.119 the day you'll decide to do for some unsuspected 00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:29.740 listener what a generous stranger did for you. 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:33.140 All that to say, as you feel God nudging you 00:24:33.140 --> 00:24:36.480 to respond, please follow His leading. Whatever 00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:38.660 amount he places on your heart will be multiplied 00:24:38.660 --> 00:24:41.980 by two because of the match. To give right now, 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:45.799 go to livingontheedge .org or call us at 888 00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:50.579 -333 -6003. To send a check in the mail, write 00:24:50.579 --> 00:24:54.680 to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, 00:24:54.900 --> 00:24:59.529 Georgia 30024. Because of the match, your $100 00:24:59.529 --> 00:25:03.509 gift will become $200. A generous gift of $250 00:25:03.509 --> 00:25:07.869 becomes $500. Double the amount, twice the impact, 00:25:08.089 --> 00:25:10.950 until we reach the goal. And the deadline for 00:25:10.950 --> 00:25:13.470 receiving your match gift is midnight, December 00:25:13.470 --> 00:25:19.109 31st. Again, write to P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, 00:25:19.349 --> 00:25:26.470 Georgia, 30024. You can also call 888 -333 -6003 00:25:26.470 --> 00:25:31.309 or visit livingontheedge .org. Well, I'm Dave 00:25:31.309 --> 00:25:33.789 Drewy, grateful to have you along today and urging 00:25:33.789 --> 00:25:36.349 you to hear Chip Ingram describe the genius of 00:25:36.349 --> 00:25:39.430 generosity Monday on Living on the Edge.