WEBVTT 00:00:01.449 --> 00:00:04.150 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:04.230 --> 00:00:08.449 God loves all people equally, but he does not 00:00:08.449 --> 00:00:12.890 bless all people equally. Some people he prospers 00:00:12.890 --> 00:00:16.230 for a very specific reason. If you want to find 00:00:16.230 --> 00:00:18.589 out what that is, stay with me. That's today 00:00:18.589 --> 00:00:23.589 on Living on the Edge. The anticipation, the 00:00:23.589 --> 00:00:26.870 joy of Christmas is a glimpse of how we're wired. 00:00:27.129 --> 00:00:29.890 We were designed to give lavishly to those we 00:00:29.890 --> 00:00:32.420 love. Yet when it comes to supporting our church 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:35.460 or the ministries that feed us spiritually, sometimes 00:00:35.460 --> 00:00:38.859 we hesitate, we calculate, we wait for a better 00:00:38.859 --> 00:00:41.740 time. But according to the Bible, generosity 00:00:41.740 --> 00:00:44.340 is the smartest financial decision we'll ever 00:00:44.340 --> 00:00:47.340 make. Today on Living on the Edge, Chip Ingram 00:00:47.340 --> 00:00:50.299 explains why God blesses generous people and 00:00:50.299 --> 00:00:52.659 how giving to kingdom work unleashes something 00:00:52.659 --> 00:00:55.420 far more valuable than a bigger bank account. 00:00:55.929 --> 00:00:58.310 Before we begin his message, I'll remind you 00:00:58.310 --> 00:01:00.509 that Living on the Edge is making headway on 00:01:00.509 --> 00:01:03.149 the December match that concludes midnight on 00:01:03.149 --> 00:01:05.969 Wednesday. But in order to reach our goal, we 00:01:05.969 --> 00:01:08.390 invite you to join us. We'll share more details 00:01:08.390 --> 00:01:10.629 about the match later. Right now, let's begin 00:01:10.629 --> 00:01:13.750 Chip's message titled, Why God Prosperous Generous 00:01:13.750 --> 00:01:16.450 People. I want to begin with a little parable 00:01:16.450 --> 00:01:19.230 that I ran across. It was very interesting. Imagine, 00:01:19.329 --> 00:01:22.310 if you will, the scene. Once there was a man 00:01:22.310 --> 00:01:26.510 lost in desert near death from thirst. He wandered 00:01:26.510 --> 00:01:28.810 aimlessly throughout the burning sand for many 00:01:28.810 --> 00:01:33.109 days, growing weaker by the moment. At long last, 00:01:33.170 --> 00:01:37.810 he saw an oasis in the distance, palm trees indicating 00:01:37.810 --> 00:01:41.390 there'd be water. He stumbled forward feverishly, 00:01:41.390 --> 00:01:44.069 fell beneath the shade of the trees. Finally, 00:01:44.069 --> 00:01:47.170 he might quench his thirst. But he noticed something 00:01:47.170 --> 00:01:50.349 strange about this particular oasis. Instead 00:01:50.349 --> 00:01:54.290 of a pool of water or a bubbling brook, it was 00:01:54.290 --> 00:01:58.239 odd. There was a pump, and next to the pump was 00:01:58.239 --> 00:02:02.060 a jar of water. And next to the jar of water 00:02:02.060 --> 00:02:06.780 was a small parchment with handwritten note. 00:02:07.340 --> 00:02:09.919 The note explained that the leather gasket within 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:12.419 the pump must be saturated with the water for 00:02:12.419 --> 00:02:15.900 the pump to work. Within the jar was just enough 00:02:15.900 --> 00:02:19.280 water for this purpose. The note also warned 00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:21.780 the reader, do not drink from the jar. Every 00:02:21.780 --> 00:02:25.020 drop must be poured down into the pump in the 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:27.580 opening so the base of the pump can be soaked, 00:02:27.719 --> 00:02:30.439 the hard leather becomes softened, and as the 00:02:30.439 --> 00:02:33.319 leather is softened and expanded, an unlimited 00:02:33.319 --> 00:02:36.979 supply of sweet water would be available. The 00:02:36.979 --> 00:02:39.639 parchment's final instructions were simply to 00:02:39.639 --> 00:02:43.039 refill the jar for the next traveler. The man 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:46.719 faced a dilemma. He was dying of thirst. And 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:50.259 there wasn't much water, but he found some. Probably 00:02:50.259 --> 00:02:53.340 not enough water to save his life, but it seemed 00:02:53.340 --> 00:02:56.620 like the height of folly to take the little bit 00:02:56.620 --> 00:02:59.560 of water that he had and pour it down the base 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:06.180 of a pump. And so, what do you do? On the one 00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:10.560 hand, if the note is true and he pours it down, 00:03:10.740 --> 00:03:13.819 he has all the water that he needs. On the other, 00:03:13.939 --> 00:03:17.219 if he drinks what he has, temporarily quenches 00:03:17.219 --> 00:03:20.900 thirst, but find himself in an oasis and die. 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:24.599 As I thought of this, I have a little jar here. 00:03:25.780 --> 00:03:29.099 And it has a little note. And it's a note a lot 00:03:29.099 --> 00:03:32.139 like what he had. And I'd like you to think about 00:03:32.139 --> 00:03:36.500 this jar as your life. And all the water inside 00:03:36.500 --> 00:03:39.620 this jar is all the time, all the energy, all 00:03:39.620 --> 00:03:42.280 the talent, all the money, all the opportunity, 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:46.569 your 401k, your savings account. your car, your 00:03:46.569 --> 00:03:49.710 house. It's all that you have. And we have this 00:03:49.710 --> 00:03:57.050 ridiculous command of God that says, give. Pour 00:03:57.050 --> 00:04:03.250 it out. Trust me. Don't be afraid. Don't be so 00:04:03.250 --> 00:04:06.330 tight with your time. Don't be so tight with 00:04:06.330 --> 00:04:10.389 your talent. Don't be tight and guarded with 00:04:10.389 --> 00:04:16.069 your money. Trust me. with your life, and as 00:04:16.069 --> 00:04:19.189 you give it away, you will never reflect my son 00:04:19.189 --> 00:04:23.430 more than as you're generous. And then all the 00:04:23.430 --> 00:04:25.730 promises of Scripture are how smart that is. 00:04:26.790 --> 00:04:30.209 It's not noble or holy or wonderful to say, wow, 00:04:30.430 --> 00:04:32.870 I'm going to pour this down so I can have an 00:04:32.870 --> 00:04:36.610 unlimited supply. It's smart. But it requires 00:04:36.610 --> 00:04:41.329 one thing, doesn't it? That note better be true. 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:45.920 And that pump better have water. I want to give 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:50.420 you four airtight facts about generosity that 00:04:50.420 --> 00:04:53.579 are absolutely true that will help you and help 00:04:53.579 --> 00:04:56.100 me begin to take the kind of steps that will 00:04:56.100 --> 00:05:00.399 allow us by faith to say, it's smart, it's wise 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:03.860 to pour out our lives. In fact, Jesus is called, 00:05:03.939 --> 00:05:06.899 he poured out his life as a drink offering. Paul 00:05:06.899 --> 00:05:08.779 would use the same phrase when he talked about 00:05:08.779 --> 00:05:11.040 his life and his love for the Philippian church. 00:05:11.759 --> 00:05:14.360 So are you ready? Four facts that I think will 00:05:14.360 --> 00:05:19.879 give us faith. Fact number one, God blesses generous 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:22.980 people. Some of you have been around. Do not 00:05:22.980 --> 00:05:25.699 get nervous as I share these verses because some 00:05:25.699 --> 00:05:27.379 of you are going to come to some conclusions 00:05:27.379 --> 00:05:29.540 like, what's he saying? Is he taking us in this? 00:05:29.620 --> 00:05:32.660 Just listen. And what I want you to do is I read 00:05:32.660 --> 00:05:35.060 these verses. I just want you to ask and answer 00:05:35.060 --> 00:05:38.860 the question, does the Bible teach that God blesses 00:05:38.860 --> 00:05:42.110 generous people or not? I've got Old Testament, 00:05:42.290 --> 00:05:44.629 New Testament, the wisest man in the world, and 00:05:44.629 --> 00:05:48.990 Jesus himself. Follow along. First Acts 20, 35. 00:05:49.310 --> 00:05:52.029 In everything I did, Luke writes, I showed you 00:05:52.029 --> 00:05:54.569 that by this kind of hard work, we must help 00:05:54.569 --> 00:05:57.370 the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus 00:05:57.370 --> 00:06:02.850 himself. It is more blessed to give than to receive. 00:06:03.910 --> 00:06:08.089 Luke 6, 38, from the lips of Jesus. Give. Why? 00:06:08.250 --> 00:06:11.199 And it'll be given unto you. Well, how? Good 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:13.120 measure, pressed down, shaken together, running 00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:15.699 over, will be poured into your cup. For with 00:06:15.699 --> 00:06:18.000 the measure or the size that you use, it will 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:21.399 be measured or given back to you. Solomon, the 00:06:21.399 --> 00:06:24.540 wisest man in the world, Proverbs 22, 9. A generous 00:06:24.540 --> 00:06:28.500 man will himself be blessed, for he shares his 00:06:28.500 --> 00:06:30.680 food with the poor. Are you getting the drift? 00:06:31.540 --> 00:06:34.139 Pretty strong argument. Solomon, Proverbs 19, 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:38.560 17. He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord. 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:41.639 And what does God do? When people are kind to 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:43.720 the poor, he will reward him for what he has 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:47.459 done. Deuteronomy, Moses writes, when you're 00:06:47.459 --> 00:06:50.699 out harvesting your field and you overlook a 00:06:50.699 --> 00:06:52.920 sheaf, you know, you're harvesting your field 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:55.360 and oh boy, we forgot that one back there. Notice 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:57.839 what he says. Do not go back and get it. Leave 00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:00.459 it for the alien, for the fatherless and the 00:07:00.459 --> 00:07:05.649 widow. Why? so that the Lord your God may bless 00:07:05.649 --> 00:07:09.509 you in all the work of your hands. Turn the page, 00:07:09.550 --> 00:07:12.310 if you will, Proverbs 3, 9, and 10. He says, 00:07:12.370 --> 00:07:15.529 honor the Lord with what? Honor God. What's it 00:07:15.529 --> 00:07:17.990 look like? Honor God with all your wealth. How? 00:07:18.209 --> 00:07:20.850 With the very first fruits of your crops. You 00:07:20.850 --> 00:07:23.410 give the first and the best. What's the result? 00:07:23.649 --> 00:07:25.709 Then your barns will be filled with overflowing. 00:07:26.170 --> 00:07:28.790 and your vats are burst out with new wine. And 00:07:28.790 --> 00:07:31.430 then finally, Solomon in Proverbs 11, 24, and 00:07:31.430 --> 00:07:36.029 5. I love this one. One man gives freely, yet 00:07:36.029 --> 00:07:39.430 gains all the more. Another withholds what is 00:07:39.430 --> 00:07:45.449 justly due, but comes only to poverty. A generous 00:07:45.449 --> 00:07:48.910 man will prosper, and he who refreshes others 00:07:48.910 --> 00:07:53.009 will himself be refreshed. Now listen very carefully. 00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:57.220 This is not a give to get, and this is not the 00:07:57.220 --> 00:08:00.199 prosperity gospel. This is not a formula where 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:02.600 you can figure out, oh, this is how God has set 00:08:02.600 --> 00:08:06.120 up life. I'm going to figure out how to use God 00:08:06.120 --> 00:08:08.540 and somehow give so I can get more. That's just 00:08:08.540 --> 00:08:12.519 being selfish. But what the Bible teaches from 00:08:12.519 --> 00:08:16.800 Jesus to Moses to Solomon to all through Scripture 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:21.740 is very, very simple. You have limited capacity. 00:08:23.740 --> 00:08:27.560 Limited time. You have limited money. You have 00:08:27.560 --> 00:08:30.300 limited opportunity. You have limited energy. 00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:33.879 You have limited talent. And God says to you, 00:08:33.980 --> 00:08:38.039 if you will take those limitations and you will 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:41.360 give the first and the best, and trust me, I 00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:44.679 have unlimited supply to help you fulfill my 00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:48.389 purpose in you and my purpose through you. The 00:08:48.389 --> 00:08:51.549 bright idea that comes out of this is this. Generous 00:08:51.549 --> 00:08:55.409 living produces emotional happiness, spiritual 00:08:55.409 --> 00:08:59.590 holiness, and as a general rule, material prosperity. 00:09:00.789 --> 00:09:06.370 No give to get. No playing games with God. But 00:09:06.370 --> 00:09:07.889 you know, people that are generous are happy. 00:09:07.970 --> 00:09:11.679 They're like anti -Scrooge. You know, when you 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:14.639 just can't wait for your husband or your wife 00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:17.179 or a close friend or one of your kids or a grandkid 00:09:17.179 --> 00:09:19.539 to open something, right? You know they want 00:09:19.539 --> 00:09:21.279 it. You know they want it. You've been thinking 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:22.799 about it. You checked it out on the internet. 00:09:22.940 --> 00:09:25.759 You bought it. You can't wait. You know what 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:28.519 that is? You're made to give and to bless others. 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:30.179 And when you do, what happens? It's more blessed 00:09:30.179 --> 00:09:34.840 to give than to receive. But God says this is 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:38.860 a way of life. There's an enemy to this, though. 00:09:39.870 --> 00:09:42.470 Left to ourself and in our flesh, I'm a selfish, 00:09:42.549 --> 00:09:45.110 greedy person. I mean, I want to appear generous, 00:09:45.129 --> 00:09:48.289 but protect me, right? Now, none of you are like 00:09:48.289 --> 00:09:50.929 that, but that's just left to myself. The only 00:09:50.929 --> 00:09:53.950 antidote to greed and selfishness and the power 00:09:53.950 --> 00:09:57.340 of money, the antidote is to give. It's when 00:09:57.340 --> 00:10:00.019 I give God the first, when I give him the best, 00:10:00.059 --> 00:10:03.159 it breaks the power of greed and that false belief 00:10:03.159 --> 00:10:05.039 that just a little bit more, just a little bit 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:07.879 more, that it can produce security and it'll 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:10.759 take care of me. And someday when I have then, 00:10:10.940 --> 00:10:14.399 that false belief. And then finally, what you 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:16.139 find is people that are generous with material 00:10:16.139 --> 00:10:18.340 things and generous with their time, generous 00:10:18.340 --> 00:10:20.259 with the talent, just the hand of God's blessing 00:10:20.259 --> 00:10:23.899 is upon them. We'll hear more from Chip Ingram's 00:10:23.899 --> 00:10:26.470 message in just a moment. First, we invite you 00:10:26.470 --> 00:10:29.029 to multiply your year in support of Living on 00:10:29.029 --> 00:10:31.750 the Edge through an exciting match that's active 00:10:31.750 --> 00:10:34.490 through December 31st. Every gift is matched. 00:10:34.730 --> 00:10:39.230 Every dollar multiplied by two. Every investment 00:10:39.230 --> 00:10:42.610 maximized for kingdom impact. Double the impact 00:10:42.610 --> 00:10:46.850 of your gift at livingontheedge .org. From his 00:10:46.850 --> 00:10:49.649 series called The Genius of Generosity, again, 00:10:49.690 --> 00:10:52.769 our Bible teacher, Chip Ingram. Now, you may 00:10:52.769 --> 00:10:54.610 be hearing what I'm saying and thinking, okay, 00:10:54.669 --> 00:10:59.090 now wait a second. Fact number one is God blesses 00:10:59.090 --> 00:11:01.750 generous people. And you might be saying, well, 00:11:01.830 --> 00:11:04.909 I think I'm pretty generous, but I'm not experiencing 00:11:04.909 --> 00:11:08.809 that kind of blessing. In fact, I got a lot of 00:11:08.809 --> 00:11:11.029 debt right now. I got a lot of pressure right 00:11:11.029 --> 00:11:14.090 now. I don't have enough time right now. I mean, 00:11:14.090 --> 00:11:16.750 how does this really work? Well, I did a little 00:11:16.750 --> 00:11:20.990 experiment. I thought to myself, I wonder if 00:11:20.990 --> 00:11:23.269 there's a difference between being truly generous 00:11:23.269 --> 00:11:26.529 and just assuming or thinking that you're generous. 00:11:26.789 --> 00:11:29.090 I went to a little strip mall where there was 00:11:29.090 --> 00:11:31.970 multiple little restaurants and a Starbucks. 00:11:32.889 --> 00:11:34.710 And I went from person to person to person. I 00:11:34.710 --> 00:11:37.309 said, I'm trying to find 100 people. I have one 00:11:37.309 --> 00:11:39.610 question. It's a survey. I just want a yes or 00:11:39.610 --> 00:11:43.090 no answer. No explanation. Yes or no. And I mean, 00:11:43.110 --> 00:11:45.549 I had young people, old people, all kind of ethnic 00:11:45.549 --> 00:11:48.070 backgrounds. And I walked around and I was scared 00:11:48.070 --> 00:11:50.230 at first, but it got to be fun. I said, excuse 00:11:50.230 --> 00:11:52.470 me. Two ladies are stopping. You know, hey, I 00:11:52.470 --> 00:11:53.830 don't want any money. I'm not going to do anything. 00:11:54.009 --> 00:11:56.210 It's a survey. Can I ask you this question? And 00:11:56.210 --> 00:11:59.049 I said, here it is. Do you consider yourself 00:11:59.049 --> 00:12:05.580 to be a generous person? Yes or no? Do you consider 00:12:05.580 --> 00:12:08.360 yourself to be a generous person? Yes or no? 00:12:08.440 --> 00:12:10.879 If I ask you that, just right now, don't raise 00:12:10.879 --> 00:12:12.840 your hand, don't do anything, but just your self 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:15.899 -talk. Do you consider yourself to be a generous 00:12:15.899 --> 00:12:19.840 person? Yes or no? Well, my very unscientific 00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:22.519 survey revealed that 80 % of the people at that 00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:25.320 strip mall consider themselves very quickly to 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:28.700 be generous people. Only two people said no. 00:12:30.350 --> 00:12:32.710 And so I couldn't resist. I had a follow -up 00:12:32.710 --> 00:12:34.909 question. So you don't think you're generous? 00:12:35.590 --> 00:12:38.570 No. Kind of like, I don't think I'm generous. 00:12:38.629 --> 00:12:40.450 I'm not trying to be generous, buddy. Just, you 00:12:40.450 --> 00:12:41.990 know, move on, you know. Get your own coffee 00:12:41.990 --> 00:12:51.809 or something. Now, here's... What if all the 00:12:51.809 --> 00:12:56.250 verses I talked about aren't for people who think 00:12:56.250 --> 00:13:00.769 they're generous? What if all the verses, I mean, 00:13:00.789 --> 00:13:03.710 these are the words of Jesus, the words of Solomon. 00:13:04.669 --> 00:13:09.809 What if God really has a standard or a criteria 00:13:09.809 --> 00:13:14.409 that if you fulfill that, you're generous and 00:13:14.409 --> 00:13:17.009 these promises apply to you, and if you just 00:13:17.009 --> 00:13:19.009 think you're generous, which I'm now learning 00:13:19.009 --> 00:13:23.669 80 % at least of the people think they are, then 00:13:23.669 --> 00:13:26.539 they really don't apply to you. And so let me 00:13:26.539 --> 00:13:28.440 give you fact number two. Fact number two is 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:31.580 that God provides clear criteria for becoming 00:13:31.580 --> 00:13:34.139 or knowing that you're a generous person. I mean, 00:13:34.139 --> 00:13:36.559 right out of the Bible, you know, you may have 00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:38.460 said yes, you may have said no, but I will tell 00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:40.759 you in about 10 minutes, you can know with absolute 00:13:40.759 --> 00:13:44.480 certainty from God's perspective whether he looks 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:47.539 at you as a generous person. The first two are 00:13:47.539 --> 00:13:51.019 review and the last three are new. Characteristic 00:13:51.019 --> 00:13:53.750 number one. Genuine generosity gives the first 00:13:53.750 --> 00:13:57.610 and the best to God. When God looks at people, 00:13:57.750 --> 00:14:01.409 when they get the first crops, the first of their 00:14:01.409 --> 00:14:04.570 paycheck, the first blessing, the first opportunity, 00:14:04.750 --> 00:14:07.850 they come to God and say, I recognize all I have 00:14:07.850 --> 00:14:09.750 belongs to you. I want to give you the first 00:14:09.750 --> 00:14:12.049 and the best. People who do that, from God's 00:14:12.049 --> 00:14:16.129 perspective, are generous. Second, genuine generosity 00:14:16.129 --> 00:14:21.269 is systematic and regular. So it's not just a 00:14:21.269 --> 00:14:23.850 ooey -gooey feeling or near Christmas or this 00:14:23.850 --> 00:14:25.850 person has a need and I gave them a couple hundred 00:14:25.850 --> 00:14:28.970 bucks or I helped this person over here. Genuinely 00:14:28.970 --> 00:14:33.110 generous people on a regular, systematic basis 00:14:33.110 --> 00:14:37.190 give. That 1 Corinthians 16, verse 2, where Paul 00:14:37.190 --> 00:14:38.809 is writing to them and says, now on the first 00:14:38.809 --> 00:14:41.929 day of the week, I want you to prepare yourself 00:14:41.929 --> 00:14:45.779 and I want you to decide. In proportion to how 00:14:45.779 --> 00:14:48.700 God has blessed you on a regular, systematic 00:14:48.700 --> 00:14:51.759 way. In the New Testament times, most people 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:54.179 were paid daily. They were paid at the end of 00:14:54.179 --> 00:14:56.100 the day. Most of us get paid, you know, every 00:14:56.100 --> 00:14:58.539 two weeks or once a month or by commission. And 00:14:58.539 --> 00:15:01.620 so the issue is, when I get paid, do I regularly 00:15:01.620 --> 00:15:04.440 and systematically give the first and the best 00:15:04.440 --> 00:15:07.419 to God? So that would make us generous. If I 00:15:07.419 --> 00:15:09.840 don't do that, I can feel generous, but from 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:14.769 God's perspective, I'm not. Third criteria. Genuine 00:15:14.769 --> 00:15:18.250 generosity is proportional to our income. Notice 00:15:18.250 --> 00:15:21.529 that same passage, 1 Corinthians 16, 2. He says, 00:15:21.529 --> 00:15:23.389 let everyone decide on the first day of the week 00:15:23.389 --> 00:15:28.850 according to what? According to his income. Let 00:15:28.850 --> 00:15:31.350 me put it this way. Let's pretend that right 00:15:31.350 --> 00:15:35.090 now I could invite one of you up here and you 00:15:35.090 --> 00:15:37.190 were just very bold and we learned that you earn 00:15:37.190 --> 00:15:39.909 $30 ,000 a year and live in the Silicon Valley. 00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:42.759 And someone else was very bold and very open 00:15:42.759 --> 00:15:45.220 and vulnerable. And I had them come up and they 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:50.120 own 300, or they make $300 ,000 here in the Silicon 00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:55.419 Valley, okay? A, B. Both of them have maybe grown 00:15:55.419 --> 00:15:58.440 up in the church. Both of them love God. And 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:01.039 both of them have learned that tithing is important, 00:16:01.139 --> 00:16:04.019 giving the first 10%. But they've been taught 00:16:04.019 --> 00:16:06.879 that that's God's part and somehow unconsciously 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:08.639 believe the biggest lie in the church that the 00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:11.320 other 90 % is theirs. So you just give 10 % to 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:13.000 God and it's like, boy, I'm glad that bill is 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:15.419 taken care of. But they miss generosity completely. 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:20.980 So let's do a little bit of math. $30 ,000, give 00:16:20.980 --> 00:16:25.340 the first 10%, is $3 ,000. This person's going 00:16:25.340 --> 00:16:30.799 to live on $27 ,000 in the Silicon Valley. How 00:16:30.799 --> 00:16:34.820 sacrificial is $3 ,000? That's a lot, isn't it? 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:38.700 This person, by God's blessing and grace, makes 00:16:38.700 --> 00:16:42.259 $300 ,000. And by the way, don't read into good 00:16:42.259 --> 00:16:44.919 person, bad person. These people both love God 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:47.259 with all their heart. This just person makes 00:16:47.259 --> 00:16:49.980 less. This person makes more. They tithe and 00:16:49.980 --> 00:16:54.919 they give $30 ,000, the very first portion. But 00:16:54.919 --> 00:16:59.820 who's the most generous? I'm just going to go 00:16:59.820 --> 00:17:01.259 out on a limb. We have people from all kinds 00:17:01.259 --> 00:17:03.379 of incomes. I'm going to go on a limb, and a 00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:06.400 number of you would say, I could squeeze by on 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:08.839 $270 ,000 a year here in the Silicon Valley. 00:17:09.740 --> 00:17:11.279 I mean, it'll be tough. We'll have to really 00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:13.420 get a budget, but I'm going to figure out how 00:17:13.420 --> 00:17:17.059 to make it. Do you understand? What I want you 00:17:17.059 --> 00:17:22.839 to get is this jar represents yours, but some 00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:26.259 jars are bigger than other jars. For people that 00:17:26.259 --> 00:17:29.420 have small jars, what they give and how they 00:17:29.420 --> 00:17:32.119 give it, God never measures the amount that you 00:17:32.119 --> 00:17:34.140 give. God measures the amount of the sacrifice. 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:37.140 That's generosity. That's why when the widow 00:17:37.140 --> 00:17:39.779 would drop in the two small copper coins and 00:17:39.779 --> 00:17:43.000 the other people gave large gifts, he wasn't 00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:45.000 saying the large gifts were bad. In fact, the 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:46.859 temple couldn't run without the large gifts. 00:17:47.019 --> 00:17:50.220 He just was saying, comparatively, this woman 00:17:50.220 --> 00:17:53.259 has given more than them. Well, you've got to 00:17:53.259 --> 00:17:55.079 say, Jesus, your math is all wrong. No, they 00:17:55.079 --> 00:17:57.859 gave this much and she gave this much. Why would 00:17:57.859 --> 00:18:02.619 Jesus say she gave more? Because it was a greater 00:18:02.619 --> 00:18:07.200 sacrifice. Generosity is the first and the best. 00:18:07.539 --> 00:18:09.980 It's regular, it's systematic, and it's proportional. 00:18:10.759 --> 00:18:13.259 So it's not like you pay a bill. You're on a 00:18:13.259 --> 00:18:16.240 journey. As God blesses you more, you get to 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:18.160 give more. You get to be involved more. You get 00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:20.720 to stretch. You get to love. You get to expand. 00:18:21.769 --> 00:18:24.210 I've had times where I was given more, and then 00:18:24.210 --> 00:18:25.789 I had times where everything went down to here, 00:18:25.890 --> 00:18:28.170 and one of the most humbling times of my life 00:18:28.170 --> 00:18:30.529 was to say, I used to be able to give this. Now 00:18:30.529 --> 00:18:33.369 I can only give this. It's proportional. Fourth 00:18:33.369 --> 00:18:36.170 characteristic of generous people is genuine 00:18:36.170 --> 00:18:40.140 generosity is sacrificial. The same setting, 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:42.579 Paul writes a lot about generosity in 2 Corinthians 00:18:42.579 --> 00:18:44.799 chapter eight and nine. He says, now brothers, 00:18:44.900 --> 00:18:46.720 we want you to know about the grace that our 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:49.339 God has given the Macedonian church. He's writing 00:18:49.339 --> 00:18:51.140 to the Corinthians and he's talking about the 00:18:51.140 --> 00:18:53.619 Macedonian church. He says, out of their most 00:18:53.619 --> 00:18:56.519 severe trial, their overflowing joy and their 00:18:56.519 --> 00:18:59.380 extreme poverty, it welled up in rich generosity. 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:02.519 I underline those four things because I don't 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:05.039 think we think about generosity coming out of 00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:08.349 that, do you? I'm going to be generous when there's 00:19:08.349 --> 00:19:11.609 an extreme trial. I'm going to be generous when 00:19:11.609 --> 00:19:15.029 I'm under it. I'm going to be generous when I 00:19:15.029 --> 00:19:17.690 don't have much at all. In fact, poverty. He 00:19:17.690 --> 00:19:20.390 said, what welled out of them was rich generosity. 00:19:20.769 --> 00:19:23.450 Now notice what he says. He says, for I testify 00:19:23.450 --> 00:19:25.490 that they gave as much as they were able and 00:19:25.490 --> 00:19:28.609 even beyond their ability. And then notice the 00:19:28.609 --> 00:19:31.710 motivation. Entirely on their own, they urgently 00:19:31.710 --> 00:19:33.650 pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing 00:19:33.650 --> 00:19:36.130 in this service to the saints. And the service 00:19:36.130 --> 00:19:38.529 he's talking about is over here, these Jewish 00:19:38.529 --> 00:19:40.990 Christians, there was a famine and they didn't 00:19:40.990 --> 00:19:42.910 have any food. And these Christians over here 00:19:42.910 --> 00:19:45.009 said, Gentile Christians, they were new Christians 00:19:45.009 --> 00:19:47.009 and there used to be all this hostility, but 00:19:47.009 --> 00:19:49.869 Christ broke that wall and they said, we have 00:19:49.869 --> 00:19:51.630 and they don't have, so we're going to share. 00:19:51.849 --> 00:19:54.769 See, it's sacrificial. It's like that widow. 00:19:54.789 --> 00:19:57.829 I came across a email that I want to share with 00:19:57.829 --> 00:20:00.690 you. This is maybe one of the greatest pictures 00:20:00.690 --> 00:20:05.180 of generosity I've ever seen in my life. Let 00:20:05.180 --> 00:20:07.140 me read it to you. In fact, it's close to home 00:20:07.140 --> 00:20:09.720 because it's a dear friend. He says, 10 years 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:11.799 ago, I stopped to have my car washed at this 00:20:11.799 --> 00:20:15.480 brand new car wash at 87 and Capitol. A couple 00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:17.160 of friends, Chuck and Patty and his wife, had 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:18.720 spent the last couple of years developing the 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:21.000 property. It was a huge investment for them. 00:20:21.180 --> 00:20:23.160 As my car was being washed, I went up to the 00:20:23.160 --> 00:20:26.180 office just to say hello. After a brief chat, 00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:28.400 and I was about to leave, I asked Chuck, hey, 00:20:28.539 --> 00:20:31.099 what's your blood type? He said, that's an odd 00:20:31.099 --> 00:20:34.140 question. Why? He said, well, I need a kidney 00:20:34.140 --> 00:20:36.880 transplant. He said, that's interesting. And 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:42.259 he said, well, I have the right blood type. He 00:20:42.259 --> 00:20:44.859 said, I think maybe God wants me to give you 00:20:44.859 --> 00:20:48.200 my kidney. I said, don't make any quick decisions. 00:20:48.940 --> 00:20:51.900 Think about it. Pray about it. By the way, I've 00:20:51.900 --> 00:20:53.599 got five or six brothers and sisters. They're 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:55.380 all being tested right now. Let's just see how 00:20:55.380 --> 00:20:58.200 it works out. The very next day, I got a phone 00:20:58.200 --> 00:21:03.019 call. Chuck said, Mike, I'm your man. God told 00:21:03.019 --> 00:21:06.160 me to do this. I want to do this. His only request 00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:07.980 was, could we make sure we get this done before 00:21:07.980 --> 00:21:12.299 hunting season? I couldn't believe it. As it 00:21:12.299 --> 00:21:14.259 turned out, all my siblings were eliminated for 00:21:14.259 --> 00:21:16.420 one reason or another. Chuck went through the 00:21:16.420 --> 00:21:18.799 testing. The results showed that it was a better 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:21.240 match than anyone else. We had an operation. 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:24.680 Chuck later gave his testimony about this experience 00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:27.539 several times, and importantly, he's met with 00:21:27.539 --> 00:21:31.059 multiple kidney donors and recipients. to encourage 00:21:31.059 --> 00:21:33.680 them to consider doing what he did. To date, 00:21:33.859 --> 00:21:37.059 five different people have received a kidney, 00:21:37.160 --> 00:21:39.500 and who knows how many indirectly because of 00:21:39.500 --> 00:21:42.180 Chuck's testimony. Even though they were unknowns, 00:21:42.519 --> 00:21:44.920 even though he was just getting his business 00:21:44.920 --> 00:21:49.220 off the ground, he chose to be generous. Consistently, 00:21:49.220 --> 00:21:53.880 Chuck says this, it's the best thing I've ever 00:21:53.880 --> 00:21:59.140 done. I'm so thankful God allowed me to do it. 00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:03.299 Kind of raises the stakes on what it means to 00:22:03.299 --> 00:22:06.519 give, doesn't it? I mean, most of us are sitting 00:22:06.519 --> 00:22:09.480 here, depending on where you're at, going, you 00:22:09.480 --> 00:22:11.539 know, I think God really wants me to get my finances 00:22:11.539 --> 00:22:13.900 in order and I got a lot of debt. Or, you know, 00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:15.519 gosh, when he used that illustration about the 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:17.779 10%, I've been giving 10 % for 22 years and I 00:22:17.779 --> 00:22:19.140 thought that was just God's and I would have 00:22:19.140 --> 00:22:21.960 to rethink my whole equation. And some guy was 00:22:21.960 --> 00:22:24.259 willing to lay on a table and let someone cut 00:22:24.259 --> 00:22:28.299 out half of what he owns. From all I can tell, 00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:29.700 kidneys are pretty important, and we do have 00:22:29.700 --> 00:22:33.019 two, but most of us want to have two. But he 00:22:33.019 --> 00:22:35.859 had a friend that didn't have any, and he gave 00:22:35.859 --> 00:22:38.779 one of his two. Are you starting to see? See, 00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:42.579 when God sees that, you know what the heart of 00:22:42.579 --> 00:22:46.220 God says? There's a generous man. There's a generous 00:22:46.220 --> 00:22:49.529 woman. There's a generous student. There's no 00:22:49.529 --> 00:22:52.390 give to get. There's no formula. It's the heart 00:22:52.390 --> 00:22:55.089 of a father saying, you know what? He's treating 00:22:55.089 --> 00:22:58.549 his friend the way I feel about him. He's loving 00:22:58.549 --> 00:23:02.470 him and he's giving and he's caring. And when 00:23:02.470 --> 00:23:05.670 God sees that in your heart as evidenced by your 00:23:05.670 --> 00:23:09.349 behavior, then God, guess what? He just, he's 00:23:09.349 --> 00:23:12.630 a father. He just wants to give whatever you 00:23:12.630 --> 00:23:15.400 need. You need more time? You need more resources. 00:23:15.579 --> 00:23:17.559 You need a greater opportunity. You need more 00:23:17.559 --> 00:23:21.740 money. God has unlimited supply. But only right 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:25.740 now, about 2 .8 to 3 % of all the people who 00:23:25.740 --> 00:23:28.019 claim to be born again in America are willing 00:23:28.019 --> 00:23:30.640 to say, I believe you to the point that I would 00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:35.059 pour out the first portion of even my income, 00:23:35.119 --> 00:23:38.460 let alone my time, and trust that your supernatural 00:23:38.460 --> 00:23:42.849 supply will meet all my needs. And the theory 00:23:42.849 --> 00:23:45.490 goes, well, someday when I get enough or someday 00:23:45.490 --> 00:23:47.910 when things turn around or when I can get this 00:23:47.910 --> 00:23:51.809 or get that, that's not how it works. Out of 00:23:51.809 --> 00:23:56.329 their deep poverty and severe trial, when he 00:23:56.329 --> 00:23:58.329 was starting a business, when it was the last 00:23:58.329 --> 00:23:59.930 thing you wanted to do in the world was put your 00:23:59.930 --> 00:24:02.869 life at stake, that's sacrificial, that's generosity. 00:24:05.450 --> 00:24:07.990 We're midway through a message from Chip Ingram 00:24:07.990 --> 00:24:11.259 called Why God Prosperous Generous People. Stick 00:24:11.259 --> 00:24:13.539 around. Chip has an illustration he wants to 00:24:13.539 --> 00:24:15.559 share with you, and that's coming up in just 00:24:15.559 --> 00:24:18.200 a moment. But first, I'll remind you that Living 00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:20.440 on the Edge is in the final stretch of one of 00:24:20.440 --> 00:24:23.140 the largest match challenges in our 30 -year 00:24:23.140 --> 00:24:25.740 history. And the deadline for receiving your 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:28.500 gift is on or before this Wednesday, December 00:24:28.500 --> 00:24:32.299 31st. So for just a few more days, every dollar 00:24:32.299 --> 00:24:34.640 that's given toward reaching our goal will be 00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:37.640 multiplied by two, yielding twice the impact 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:39.900 on someone who's ready to deepen their walk with 00:24:39.900 --> 00:24:44.890 God. Chip? There is a massive difference between 00:24:44.890 --> 00:24:49.509 knowing about God and actually knowing God. You 00:24:49.509 --> 00:24:51.509 know, lots of Christians can tell you facts about 00:24:51.509 --> 00:24:54.450 God, but somehow there's a disconnect between 00:24:54.450 --> 00:24:56.789 their head knowledge and their heart experience. 00:24:57.190 --> 00:24:59.730 They believe intellectually the right things, 00:24:59.809 --> 00:25:02.450 but they're not experiencing the transforming 00:25:02.450 --> 00:25:05.640 power that Jesus promised. This has brought so 00:25:05.640 --> 00:25:09.599 home to me a few years ago as my back was hurting 00:25:09.599 --> 00:25:11.880 and I went to see this doctor and he was a friend. 00:25:11.940 --> 00:25:13.619 He went to our church. He says, I think I can 00:25:13.619 --> 00:25:16.079 help you. And in the conversation, I challenged 00:25:16.079 --> 00:25:19.420 him to read the Romans 12 book, True Spirituality. 00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:22.000 And we met the next time and he said, hey, I 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:24.380 got to tell you something. I said, what? He goes, 00:25:24.500 --> 00:25:28.710 um. I surrendered to Christ. I said, great. And 00:25:28.710 --> 00:25:30.690 he was a former college athlete. And so he gets 00:25:30.690 --> 00:25:32.690 in the Bible every single day. And I go back 00:25:32.690 --> 00:25:34.690 for all the checkups. And three months later, 00:25:34.910 --> 00:25:38.369 he's saying, man, my life is completely changing. 00:25:38.549 --> 00:25:41.950 I mean, how I see my family, how I see everything 00:25:41.950 --> 00:25:45.190 I do at work. He goes, there's a big difference 00:25:45.190 --> 00:25:48.450 between a church -centered Christian and a word 00:25:48.450 --> 00:25:52.559 -centered Christian. And he was the... picture, 00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:55.799 the snapshot of what I see happening and how 00:25:55.799 --> 00:25:58.759 God uses living on the edge. You know, so many 00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:02.059 people, and with good intentions, it's basically 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:04.500 in your head and you believe a set of things. 00:26:05.240 --> 00:26:07.400 But there's not transformation in how you live 00:26:07.400 --> 00:26:09.519 and how you spend your money and what comes out 00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:11.839 of your mouth and how you treat your mate or 00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:15.359 how you go to work. Living on the edge was made 00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:18.420 by God to bridge that gap. We help people move 00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:21.799 from information to transformation, from knowing 00:26:21.799 --> 00:26:25.680 about God to walking with God daily in intimate 00:26:25.680 --> 00:26:28.819 fellowship that changes their life and then changes 00:26:28.819 --> 00:26:32.519 others. Your support of this match helps Christians 00:26:32.519 --> 00:26:36.079 discover. that faith isn't just a set of beliefs 00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:39.779 to hold. It's a vibrant relationship to live. 00:26:40.039 --> 00:26:42.619 As you sense that God is stirring you to respond, 00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:45.519 please follow his prompting. Whatever amount 00:26:45.519 --> 00:26:47.920 he places on your heart will be multiplied by 00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:50.900 two because of this match. To give right now, 00:26:50.940 --> 00:26:54.480 go to livingontheedge .org or call us at 888 00:26:54.480 --> 00:26:59.220 - 333 -6003. To send a check in the mail, write 00:26:59.220 --> 00:27:03.200 to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, 00:27:03.420 --> 00:27:07.740 Georgia 30024. Because of the match, your gift 00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:11.420 of $100 will become $200. A generous gift of 00:27:11.420 --> 00:27:15.839 $250 becomes $500. Double the amount, twice the 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:18.779 impact, until we reach the goal. And the deadline 00:27:18.779 --> 00:27:21.480 for receiving your match gift is midnight New 00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:28.000 Year's Eve. Call 888 -333 -6003 or visit livingontheedge 00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:32.319 .org. Why is it that some people seem to prosper 00:27:32.319 --> 00:27:35.119 and others don't? I'm Dave Drewy, inviting you 00:27:35.119 --> 00:27:37.160 to hear Chip Ingram's biblical answer tomorrow 00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:38.880 on Living on the Edge.