WEBVTT 00:00:01.389 --> 00:00:04.169 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:04.269 --> 00:00:07.969 Why is it that some people seem to prosper and 00:00:07.969 --> 00:00:10.630 others don't? You know, those people that just 00:00:10.630 --> 00:00:13.970 seem God's favor in his hand upon them and their 00:00:13.970 --> 00:00:16.769 children and their business and their work. And 00:00:16.769 --> 00:00:18.969 even when they go through really difficult times, 00:00:19.030 --> 00:00:22.170 they have this almost weird contentment. What's 00:00:22.170 --> 00:00:25.449 the common denominator of these people who God 00:00:25.449 --> 00:00:28.510 prospers? You want to find out? Stick around. 00:00:30.580 --> 00:00:32.939 Imagine you're dying of thirst in the desert. 00:00:33.100 --> 00:00:36.280 You find a pump and a note instructing you to 00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:38.740 pour out your only jar of water to make it work. 00:00:39.140 --> 00:00:42.219 Sounds crazy, right? Yet this is exactly what 00:00:42.219 --> 00:00:45.500 God asks of us. Today on Living on the Edge, 00:00:45.659 --> 00:00:48.280 Chip Ingram reveals why the most counterintuitive 00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:51.380 financial decision you'll ever make is also the 00:00:51.380 --> 00:00:54.500 smartest. Let's be clear. God doesn't prosper 00:00:54.500 --> 00:00:57.340 us so we can upgrade our lifestyle. He blesses 00:00:57.340 --> 00:01:00.740 us so we can upgrade our impact. And as we near 00:01:00.740 --> 00:01:02.780 the conclusion of our series about the genius 00:01:02.780 --> 00:01:05.659 of generosity, I'm pleased to report that Living 00:01:05.659 --> 00:01:08.280 on the Edge has received an outpouring of donations 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:11.019 toward the December match in which your donation 00:01:11.019 --> 00:01:14.000 is multiplied by two. And before the deadline 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:16.900 tomorrow, you too can double your gift by going 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:20.659 to livingontheedge .org. But right now, let's 00:01:20.659 --> 00:01:23.400 continue Chip's message called God Prosperous 00:01:23.400 --> 00:01:28.290 Generous People. I have a little jar here. And 00:01:28.290 --> 00:01:30.530 I'd like you to think about this jar as your 00:01:30.530 --> 00:01:34.390 life. And all the water inside this jar is all 00:01:34.390 --> 00:01:37.069 the time, all the energy, all the talent, all 00:01:37.069 --> 00:01:41.030 the money, all the opportunity, your 401K, your 00:01:41.030 --> 00:01:44.170 car, your house. It's all that you have. And 00:01:44.170 --> 00:01:48.109 we have this ridiculous command of God that says, 00:01:48.310 --> 00:01:53.989 give. Pour it out. Trust me. Don't be afraid. 00:01:54.989 --> 00:01:58.659 Don't be so tight with your time. Don't be tight 00:01:58.659 --> 00:02:03.640 and guarded with your money. Trust me with your 00:02:03.640 --> 00:02:06.840 life, and as you give it away, you will never 00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:09.840 reflect my son more than as you're generous. 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:13.199 And then all the promises of Scripture are how 00:02:13.199 --> 00:02:17.020 smart that is. I want to give you four airtight 00:02:17.020 --> 00:02:20.870 facts. about generosity that are absolutely true 00:02:20.870 --> 00:02:23.990 that will help you and help me begin to take 00:02:23.990 --> 00:02:26.669 the kind of steps that will allow us by faith 00:02:26.669 --> 00:02:31.710 to say it's smart, it's wise to pour out our 00:02:31.710 --> 00:02:34.050 lives. In fact, Jesus is called, he poured out 00:02:34.050 --> 00:02:36.650 his life as a drink offering. Paul would use 00:02:36.650 --> 00:02:38.949 the same phrase when he talked about his life 00:02:38.949 --> 00:02:41.550 and his love for the Philippian church. So are 00:02:41.550 --> 00:02:43.930 you ready? Four facts that I think will give 00:02:43.930 --> 00:02:48.669 us faith. Fact number one, God, blesses generous 00:02:48.669 --> 00:02:51.729 people. Fact number two is that God provides 00:02:51.729 --> 00:02:55.069 clear criteria for becoming or knowing that you're 00:02:55.069 --> 00:02:57.710 a generous person. Characteristic number one, 00:02:57.770 --> 00:03:00.849 genuine generosity gives the first and the best 00:03:00.849 --> 00:03:06.090 to God. Second, genuine generosity is systematic 00:03:06.090 --> 00:03:11.969 and regular. Third criteria, genuine generosity 00:03:11.969 --> 00:03:15.389 is proportional to our income. Fourth characteristic 00:03:15.389 --> 00:03:18.620 of generous people, His genuine generosity is 00:03:18.620 --> 00:03:23.180 sacrificial. But only right now, about 2 .8 to 00:03:23.180 --> 00:03:26.259 3 % of all the people who claim to be born again 00:03:26.259 --> 00:03:28.939 in America are willing to say, I believe you 00:03:28.939 --> 00:03:32.259 to the point that I would pour out the first 00:03:32.259 --> 00:03:34.879 portion of even my income, let alone my time, 00:03:34.939 --> 00:03:38.879 and trust that your supernatural supply will 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:41.419 meet all my needs. And the theory goes, well, 00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:44.000 someday when I get enough or someday when things 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:46.360 turn around or when I can get this or get that, 00:03:46.379 --> 00:03:50.599 that's not how it works. Out of their deep poverty 00:03:50.599 --> 00:03:54.460 and severe trial. That's sacrificial. That's 00:03:54.460 --> 00:03:57.479 generosity. The final characteristic of generosity 00:03:57.479 --> 00:03:59.419 is not simply the first and the best and not 00:03:59.419 --> 00:04:02.039 just systematically or proportional or sacrificial, 00:04:02.139 --> 00:04:05.199 but genuine generosity is thoughtful, voluntary, 00:04:05.460 --> 00:04:08.939 and worshipful. Genuine generosity isn't just, 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:11.819 you know, hearing a series or having a, I call 00:04:11.819 --> 00:04:13.699 it a God moment. And I've had them and I want 00:04:13.699 --> 00:04:15.520 to have more. But where you're just compelled 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:17.720 and you give and it sort of does this emotional 00:04:17.720 --> 00:04:22.040 thing, you go, wow. See, genuine generosity isn't 00:04:22.040 --> 00:04:23.639 just thinking with your heart, it's with your 00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:26.560 mind. And it's an act of worship. Notice what 00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:29.079 Paul writes later in this same discussion with 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:31.139 this church. He says, I thought it was necessary 00:04:31.139 --> 00:04:33.259 to urge you brothers to visit you in advance 00:04:33.259 --> 00:04:35.319 and finish the arrangements for the generous 00:04:35.319 --> 00:04:37.750 gift that you'd promised. So they said, we want 00:04:37.750 --> 00:04:39.850 to help those Jews that are really going through 00:04:39.850 --> 00:04:42.370 it and there's a famine. And hey, Paul, last 00:04:42.370 --> 00:04:43.930 visit, we're going to help them. And Paul says, 00:04:44.009 --> 00:04:47.410 hey, I'm coming to collect the gift. And so he 00:04:47.410 --> 00:04:49.870 says, then I'm going to come early and I just 00:04:49.870 --> 00:04:51.290 want to warn you and kind of give you a little 00:04:51.290 --> 00:04:54.110 heads up so it'll be ready as a generous gift 00:04:54.110 --> 00:04:57.050 and not grudgingly. Because Paul knows human 00:04:57.050 --> 00:04:58.930 nature. I mean, I don't know about you, but I've 00:04:58.930 --> 00:05:01.050 made commitments and I prayed about it and God 00:05:01.050 --> 00:05:03.490 showed me. And I made it at a right moment when 00:05:03.490 --> 00:05:05.689 I was really in fellowship with God. And then 00:05:05.689 --> 00:05:07.430 it came around time to give the gift. And I'm 00:05:07.430 --> 00:05:09.709 going, oh, you know, maybe I didn't really hear 00:05:09.709 --> 00:05:13.350 God. Maybe we could, right? Don't you all do 00:05:13.350 --> 00:05:15.810 this stuff? And so Paul knows that's what's happening. 00:05:15.870 --> 00:05:17.810 So he says, hey, let me just, I want it to be 00:05:17.810 --> 00:05:20.769 right from the heart. So little heads up, I'll 00:05:20.769 --> 00:05:23.750 be there, who knows, a couple weeks. And then 00:05:23.750 --> 00:05:25.769 he gives them this thoughtful suggestion. He 00:05:25.769 --> 00:05:27.689 says, remember this, as you're sort of weighing 00:05:27.689 --> 00:05:30.410 in the balance about being faithful to what you 00:05:30.410 --> 00:05:33.769 said. Whoever sows sparingly reaps also sparingly. 00:05:33.790 --> 00:05:37.170 And whoever sows generously will reap also generously. 00:05:37.810 --> 00:05:40.810 And so it's an agricultural world. He just brings 00:05:40.810 --> 00:05:42.290 them back like farmers. He goes, look, you know, 00:05:42.310 --> 00:05:43.970 if you put five seeds in the ground, you're going 00:05:43.970 --> 00:05:46.689 to have five stalks come up. You put 5 ,000 seeds 00:05:46.689 --> 00:05:48.470 in the ground, you have 5 ,000 stalks. And on 00:05:48.470 --> 00:05:50.310 each stalk, there'd be hundreds, if not thousands 00:05:50.310 --> 00:05:52.670 of other seeds. So if you sow a little, a little 00:05:52.670 --> 00:05:54.889 comes back. If you sow a lot. So he's getting, 00:05:54.990 --> 00:05:58.689 it's thoughtful. But notice then it's voluntary 00:05:58.689 --> 00:06:01.610 and worshipful. He goes, each man should give 00:06:01.610 --> 00:06:04.810 what he has decided in his heart to give, not 00:06:04.810 --> 00:06:07.930 reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves 00:06:07.930 --> 00:06:11.230 a cheerful or literally a hilarious giver. It's 00:06:11.230 --> 00:06:13.389 thoughtful. It's based on the law of harvest. 00:06:13.649 --> 00:06:16.870 It's voluntary. It's not compulsive or manipulative, 00:06:16.930 --> 00:06:19.949 and it's worshipful. It brings joy to God's heart. 00:06:20.689 --> 00:06:23.310 I don't know if you've ever been to a fundraising 00:06:23.310 --> 00:06:25.709 event by a really good Christian organization 00:06:25.709 --> 00:06:28.370 before, but if not, I hope you go to one someday. 00:06:28.899 --> 00:06:32.019 A number of years ago, I was invited to one, 00:06:32.139 --> 00:06:35.079 and the presentations often go like this, and 00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:37.259 I've actually given these, so there's no criticism 00:06:37.259 --> 00:06:39.779 whatsoever. I thought it was really great. They 00:06:39.779 --> 00:06:42.300 showed a film of the great work. I believed in 00:06:42.300 --> 00:06:43.779 the work. That's why I went. I had supported 00:06:43.779 --> 00:06:46.620 him financially in the past. I think the head 00:06:46.620 --> 00:06:49.319 of the organization gave a short but powerful 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:51.079 speech about the impact of the organization. 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:53.439 And I was sitting there just thinking about, 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:55.740 you know, how much stretch, how much risk, how 00:06:55.740 --> 00:06:58.100 much could I give? And then a guy came up who 00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:00.139 was sort of the emcee, and he was a little slicker 00:07:00.139 --> 00:07:01.879 than I liked. You ever been in one of those meetings 00:07:01.879 --> 00:07:03.860 where, you know, someone's just a little too, 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:07.519 I don't know what you call it, but just slick? 00:07:08.689 --> 00:07:11.970 And so then he came back up and he said, and 00:07:11.970 --> 00:07:14.670 now it's that time where we all get to be a part 00:07:14.670 --> 00:07:16.490 of. You know, that sort of smiley thing that 00:07:16.490 --> 00:07:18.850 makes me a little crazy. He goes, will you please 00:07:18.850 --> 00:07:20.949 take the envelopes from the middle and get them 00:07:20.949 --> 00:07:24.759 around the table? Like this, you know. And, you 00:07:24.759 --> 00:07:26.639 know, now, I don't want anyone to do anything, 00:07:26.740 --> 00:07:29.160 but please pull out a pen. Will you, before we 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:31.120 even make any decision, write and fill out your 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:33.339 name. And, you know, and I'm watching everyone 00:07:33.339 --> 00:07:34.899 look around like, you know, I'm not, you know, 00:07:34.920 --> 00:07:36.519 I want to give, but I'm not so sure about this 00:07:36.519 --> 00:07:39.379 deal. No, please, please. And, you know, he created 00:07:39.379 --> 00:07:42.259 an atmosphere of peer pressure where you felt 00:07:42.259 --> 00:07:44.779 like a dummy if you didn't do what he said. And 00:07:44.779 --> 00:07:46.800 he was very good at it. And so we fill it out. 00:07:46.839 --> 00:07:48.800 Now, notice there's box number two, box number 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:50.899 three, box number four. Can you give the biggest? 00:07:51.079 --> 00:07:53.100 And all of a sudden, a little light went on. 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:56.160 And I like this organization, and I'd given to 00:07:56.160 --> 00:08:00.319 them before. And I was sitting there, and I just 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:03.459 realized this guy was trying to manipulate. And 00:08:03.459 --> 00:08:05.300 whatever I was going to give, I was going to 00:08:05.300 --> 00:08:07.560 give out of compulsion. And I felt guilty about 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:11.040 it. And I looked at everybody else. And I don't 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:13.199 know if it was a Holy Spirit sort of combined 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:15.519 with a little bit of boldness. And I just got 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:18.459 up and excused myself. And I took my envelope, 00:08:18.519 --> 00:08:19.699 and I had it in my, it was one of those where 00:08:19.699 --> 00:08:21.860 you dress up, so I actually do have a suit. I 00:08:21.860 --> 00:08:24.139 wore the suit that time. And I put it in my coat 00:08:24.139 --> 00:08:27.819 jacket, and I went into the men's restroom, washed 00:08:27.819 --> 00:08:30.980 my hands, pulled out the envelope, tore it in 00:08:30.980 --> 00:08:35.980 half, dropped it in the trash, and left. And 00:08:35.980 --> 00:08:39.379 I suggest to you that whenever or wherever you 00:08:39.379 --> 00:08:42.240 feel like people are trying to manipulate or 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:45.480 there's compulsion or there's agenda to try to 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:47.860 get your money to get you to give to something, 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:52.179 that you might follow that example. Generosity 00:08:52.179 --> 00:08:54.620 is a matter from the heart. It's an act of worship. 00:08:57.139 --> 00:08:59.279 Money needs to be raised for the kingdom of God, 00:08:59.399 --> 00:09:01.399 but it needs to be raised in a way where the 00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:04.299 vision is cast, the needs are made known as God 00:09:04.299 --> 00:09:07.220 leads, and people's heart alignment with the 00:09:07.220 --> 00:09:10.159 integrity of what's going on, and he moves people 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:12.299 by the power of the Holy Spirit, and it is an 00:09:12.299 --> 00:09:15.500 act of worship. When God sees people who give 00:09:15.500 --> 00:09:18.159 the first and the best, that's regular, systematic, 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:23.000 proportional, sacrificial, and thoughtful, voluntary, 00:09:23.100 --> 00:09:26.509 and it's an act of worship. From heaven he says, 00:09:26.669 --> 00:09:31.470 this child of mine is generous. And every promise 00:09:31.470 --> 00:09:35.250 that we read applies to that person. Fact number 00:09:35.250 --> 00:09:37.870 one, God blesses generous people. Fact number 00:09:37.870 --> 00:09:41.070 two, God gives us clear criteria to know whether 00:09:41.070 --> 00:09:43.870 you're generous or not. Fact number three is 00:09:43.870 --> 00:09:47.950 our breakthrough concept. Generosity, breakthrough 00:09:47.950 --> 00:09:51.250 concept number three is God prospers me not to 00:09:51.250 --> 00:09:53.750 raise my standard of living, but to raise my 00:09:53.750 --> 00:09:57.820 standard of giving. I got that from Randy Alcorn. 00:09:57.919 --> 00:09:59.700 It's in a little book called The Treasure Principle. 00:09:59.720 --> 00:10:01.220 You'll see the notes on the bottom. That's a 00:10:01.220 --> 00:10:04.399 great line. God prospers me to raise my standard 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:09.860 of giving, not just my standard of living. When 00:10:09.860 --> 00:10:12.080 I was in seminary, I had this kind of unusual 00:10:12.080 --> 00:10:15.419 job because I had very few hours and I had to 00:10:15.419 --> 00:10:17.259 figure out in very few hours how to support my 00:10:17.259 --> 00:10:19.679 family. So I took a number of tests and got a 00:10:19.679 --> 00:10:22.240 license to sell a couple things and also some 00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:25.559 investments. And so I went in all over and I, 00:10:27.280 --> 00:10:29.059 I had about three or four hours a night, and 00:10:29.059 --> 00:10:30.580 I could do this three or four nights a week and 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:33.279 make $1 ,000 a month, and that's what I needed 00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:35.669 to live on. And so I sold to people that had 00:10:35.669 --> 00:10:37.470 low incomes. And then I remember going out to 00:10:37.470 --> 00:10:40.129 North Dallas, very exclusive area, and middle 00:10:40.129 --> 00:10:42.470 incomes and then very high incomes. And I remember 00:10:42.470 --> 00:10:44.210 sitting across the kitchen table from a man. 00:10:44.269 --> 00:10:46.009 And, you know, he had the picture of the very 00:10:46.009 --> 00:10:47.629 latest Porsche. And he was telling me, now that's 00:10:47.629 --> 00:10:49.610 my, you know, that's what I'm going to get. And 00:10:49.610 --> 00:10:52.330 it was a huge, beautiful house. And I laid out 00:10:52.330 --> 00:10:54.250 the presentation. It was pretty much a no -brainer. 00:10:54.269 --> 00:10:55.750 I could take this money and put it over here. 00:10:55.870 --> 00:10:58.350 We could invest the difference over here. And 00:10:58.350 --> 00:10:59.710 he looked at me and goes, that is really great. 00:10:59.750 --> 00:11:04.079 I'd love to do it. I just can't afford it. And 00:11:04.079 --> 00:11:06.539 now help me because I grew up kind of naive. 00:11:07.259 --> 00:11:09.820 I grew up thinking that if you had like really 00:11:09.820 --> 00:11:12.379 nice cars and a really nice house and a really 00:11:12.379 --> 00:11:16.240 nice job, you had money. And here's what I learned 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:18.539 in that three years that I did that job. People 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:21.659 who made this little window of money spent just 00:11:21.659 --> 00:11:24.159 a little bit more than that window. And then 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:27.429 people who made this amount of money. like three 00:11:27.429 --> 00:11:29.990 times that, they spent just a little bit more 00:11:29.990 --> 00:11:32.190 than that window. And then I met with people 00:11:32.190 --> 00:11:35.029 that had made this kind of money, and you know 00:11:35.029 --> 00:11:37.090 what they did? They found out they needed other 00:11:37.090 --> 00:11:39.029 things, and the toys got more expensive, and 00:11:39.029 --> 00:11:40.950 the trips got more expensive, and the extra this 00:11:40.950 --> 00:11:43.230 and that. They spent more. He couldn't afford 00:11:43.230 --> 00:11:46.570 it. We'll hear more from Chip Ingram's message 00:11:46.570 --> 00:11:49.220 in just a moment. First, we invite you to multiply 00:11:49.220 --> 00:11:52.240 your year in support of Living on the Edge through 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:54.659 an exciting match that's active through December 00:11:54.659 --> 00:11:58.960 31st. Every gift is matched. Every dollar multiplied 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:03.279 by two. Every investment maximized for kingdom 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:06.919 impact. Double the impact of your gift at livingontheedge 00:12:06.919 --> 00:12:11.440 .org. From a series called The Genius of Generosity, 00:12:11.639 --> 00:12:15.049 again, our Bible teacher, Chip Ingram. See, the 00:12:15.049 --> 00:12:18.350 unconscious assumption that we operate on is 00:12:18.350 --> 00:12:20.970 when we are prospered by God and he gives us 00:12:20.970 --> 00:12:23.590 more, we just think it means a bigger, nicer, 00:12:23.610 --> 00:12:25.750 better. He gives us more. Well, that means bigger, 00:12:25.850 --> 00:12:28.330 nicer, better. Now, you should enjoy the bigger, 00:12:28.429 --> 00:12:30.710 nicer, better when that's God's will. But listen 00:12:30.710 --> 00:12:33.309 to what the Apostle Paul says. He says, God is 00:12:33.309 --> 00:12:36.009 able, 2 Corinthians 9, verses 8 and 9, he continues 00:12:36.009 --> 00:12:38.629 the story. God is able to make all grace abound 00:12:38.629 --> 00:12:42.259 to you. Why? So that in all things, at all times, 00:12:42.279 --> 00:12:44.580 having all you need, you can abound in every 00:12:44.580 --> 00:12:46.840 good work. In other words, God wants to bless, 00:12:46.960 --> 00:12:48.340 bless, bless. In other words, there's a pump. 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:50.159 There's a pump, there's a pump, there's a pump. 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:52.700 As you take these steps and pour it out, all 00:12:52.700 --> 00:12:56.000 grace at all times to abound in every good work. 00:12:56.059 --> 00:12:58.299 This isn't financial. This is your whole life. 00:12:58.860 --> 00:13:01.200 And then notice what he says. As it's written, 00:13:01.340 --> 00:13:03.200 he scattered abroad his gifts to the poor. His 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:06.000 righteousness endures forever. Now he, speaking 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:09.440 of God, who gives seed to the sower. And bread 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:14.360 for food will also supply and increase your store 00:13:14.360 --> 00:13:16.860 of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your 00:13:16.860 --> 00:13:19.360 righteousness. And so he's got this agricultural 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:22.320 picture. God provides the seed, the original, 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:25.220 great, okay. He provides that some of the seed, 00:13:25.299 --> 00:13:27.080 what happens after the harvest is you eat it, 00:13:27.100 --> 00:13:29.059 turn it into food and bread, and then he gives 00:13:29.059 --> 00:13:32.460 you extra abundance, more than you need, so that 00:13:32.460 --> 00:13:34.019 you can reinvest it in the next year's harvest. 00:13:35.850 --> 00:13:37.889 He says, that's the picture I want you to understand. 00:13:37.990 --> 00:13:42.370 When God gives you more than you need, he gives 00:13:42.370 --> 00:13:44.909 you more than you need. So if there's people 00:13:44.909 --> 00:13:46.850 that have needs over here, God's purposes over 00:13:46.850 --> 00:13:49.309 here, he could flow it through you to help them. 00:13:49.870 --> 00:13:53.570 Then notice what he says. You will be made rich. 00:13:55.269 --> 00:13:57.250 And then underline the next line, will you? In 00:13:57.250 --> 00:14:01.129 every way. Not your finances. It may be finances, 00:14:01.129 --> 00:14:03.789 but you'll be made rich when you operate this 00:14:03.789 --> 00:14:07.029 way. First, regular, voluntary, loving, kind, 00:14:07.190 --> 00:14:09.269 from the heart. He says you'll be made rich in 00:14:09.269 --> 00:14:12.629 every way. Then put a little box around so that. 00:14:14.009 --> 00:14:18.070 God increases or prospers your life to make you 00:14:18.070 --> 00:14:21.210 rich in every way so that and read it. What's 00:14:21.210 --> 00:14:26.950 it say? So you can be what? Win. So you can be 00:14:26.950 --> 00:14:31.250 generous on every occasion. then look at the 00:14:31.250 --> 00:14:33.629 spiritual result. Look what happens here. And 00:14:33.629 --> 00:14:36.649 through your generosity will result in thanksgiving 00:14:36.649 --> 00:14:40.070 to God. Do you see the circle? You take this 00:14:40.070 --> 00:14:43.169 step of faith and you say, oh God, you know what? 00:14:43.330 --> 00:14:45.429 It's a little hard financially right now. I don't 00:14:45.429 --> 00:14:47.429 have very much time right now. Boy, my talent 00:14:47.429 --> 00:14:51.090 and treasure, I need to just invest. By faith. 00:14:53.210 --> 00:14:55.570 Okay, these instructions, if they're true, it's 00:14:55.570 --> 00:14:58.139 great. If they're not, I'm in trouble. By faith, 00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:01.519 Lord, here's my first, my best, my regular, my 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:05.620 systematic, from the heart, loving people. God 00:15:05.620 --> 00:15:08.519 has not prospered you to raise your standard 00:15:08.519 --> 00:15:12.399 of living, but to raise your standard of giving. 00:15:13.139 --> 00:15:17.779 Fact number four is the key to becoming habitually 00:15:17.779 --> 00:15:21.919 generous and experience habitual happiness. Are 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:32.100 you ready for this? F -A -I. T -H. It's faith, 00:15:32.279 --> 00:15:37.059 right? See, at the end of the day, either all 00:15:37.059 --> 00:15:40.080 those verses we read in fact number one are true 00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:47.220 or false. Your behavior and my behavior along 00:15:47.220 --> 00:15:51.700 the criteria is just a very simple test where 00:15:51.700 --> 00:15:54.120 you can now know whether you're generous or not. 00:15:55.820 --> 00:15:58.860 If you can answer yes to those five things, you're 00:15:58.860 --> 00:16:02.419 generous. And as you do that, God will meet your 00:16:02.419 --> 00:16:07.980 needs. If you say no, I want you to know that 00:16:07.980 --> 00:16:10.759 God is far more interested in your soul than 00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:14.779 any of your finances or your time. And one of 00:16:14.779 --> 00:16:17.620 the loving things God does to get our attention 00:16:17.620 --> 00:16:21.480 and why Jesus talks so much about finances was... 00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:25.240 He can really get us praying and thinking and 00:16:25.240 --> 00:16:28.740 reevaluating relationships and time and priorities 00:16:28.740 --> 00:16:31.379 and who's the Lord of your life when you're under 00:16:31.379 --> 00:16:36.500 financial pressure, right? And so at some point 00:16:36.500 --> 00:16:41.679 in time, you declare and you say, Lord, I believe. 00:16:41.820 --> 00:16:45.879 Help me in my unbelief. Lord, I'm afraid to step 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:50.299 out and trust you. My life's so busy to give 00:16:50.299 --> 00:16:54.519 time, to serve, to love. It just is so counterintuitive. 00:16:55.539 --> 00:16:58.720 But I'm gonna do it. And then you start to experience 00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:02.679 supernatural things. Faith says, refuse to chase 00:17:02.679 --> 00:17:06.599 the wind. And this is why a lot of us don't take 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:08.920 the step of faith. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 00:17:08.920 --> 00:17:12.259 2 .11, yet when I surveyed all my hands had done 00:17:12.259 --> 00:17:15.730 and what I toiled to achieve. Everything was 00:17:15.730 --> 00:17:18.089 meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Nothing 00:17:18.089 --> 00:17:20.250 was gained under the sun. This is a man that 00:17:20.250 --> 00:17:23.710 had the palaces, the women, the money, anything 00:17:23.710 --> 00:17:27.170 his heart desired. And what he says is, if accumulation, 00:17:27.329 --> 00:17:31.589 if prestige, if power, if stuff, if things could 00:17:31.589 --> 00:17:34.269 bring me security and significance and happiness 00:17:34.269 --> 00:17:39.109 and meaning and purpose, I've done it all. But 00:17:39.109 --> 00:17:41.710 the people that have the most stuff, The people 00:17:41.710 --> 00:17:44.309 that have achieved the highest peaks often find 00:17:44.309 --> 00:17:48.769 themselves empty and lonely and discouraged and 00:17:48.769 --> 00:17:52.210 a lot like Scrooge. Because at the end of the 00:17:52.210 --> 00:17:54.890 day, it's your relationship with God and your 00:17:54.890 --> 00:17:57.470 relationship with people that matter. And so 00:17:57.470 --> 00:18:00.950 I would say, refuse to chase the wind. Refuse 00:18:00.950 --> 00:18:03.710 to live out of control lives. Refuse to work 00:18:03.710 --> 00:18:07.390 70 and 80 hours. Just refuse it. What really 00:18:07.390 --> 00:18:10.259 matters? And what happens is when you make some 00:18:10.259 --> 00:18:12.460 decisions about your finances, pretty soon you've 00:18:12.460 --> 00:18:14.279 got to budget your money and budget your time 00:18:14.279 --> 00:18:17.180 and make some hard decisions. And you'll see 00:18:17.180 --> 00:18:20.640 God provide. Second, on the balancing side is 00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:23.730 faith says enjoy God's provision. I think when 00:18:23.730 --> 00:18:25.990 people start talking about generosity and the 00:18:25.990 --> 00:18:28.390 word stewardship, you start thinking, well, okay, 00:18:28.450 --> 00:18:30.490 I'm never going to have anything nice. And I'm 00:18:30.490 --> 00:18:32.170 never going to get to enjoy life. And I'll never 00:18:32.170 --> 00:18:34.289 go on a good vacation. And anything nice you 00:18:34.289 --> 00:18:36.430 have, oh, you know, gosh, I should tell people 00:18:36.430 --> 00:18:38.930 that I got this Lexus on sale. And, you know, 00:18:38.950 --> 00:18:40.769 that swimming pool, it was just for baptisms. 00:18:40.789 --> 00:18:42.910 We really didn't want a swimming pool, you know. 00:18:42.990 --> 00:18:44.849 And, you know, that trip, you know, when we went 00:18:44.849 --> 00:18:46.650 down, you know, to Mexico and great and took 00:18:46.650 --> 00:18:48.609 everyone with us. And it was so fun. It was really 00:18:48.609 --> 00:18:50.769 great. Well, it was really a missionary trip 00:18:50.769 --> 00:18:52.430 in the Hyatt. There's a lot of up and outers 00:18:52.430 --> 00:18:55.750 that we. really want to reach. You know what 00:18:55.750 --> 00:18:59.190 the Bible says? Instruct or command those. 1 00:18:59.190 --> 00:19:02.250 Timothy 6, 17 to 19. Instruct or command those 00:19:02.250 --> 00:19:05.490 that are rich in this present world not to be 00:19:05.490 --> 00:19:08.569 conceited or fix their hope on the uncertainty 00:19:08.569 --> 00:19:11.890 of riches, but to fix their hope on God. And 00:19:11.890 --> 00:19:14.230 underline in your Bible somewhere the next line. 00:19:14.609 --> 00:19:17.829 Who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 00:19:18.730 --> 00:19:20.869 If your priorities are right and you're a generous 00:19:20.869 --> 00:19:23.170 person, you just drive that Lexus and have fun, 00:19:23.329 --> 00:19:26.029 okay? If you love a pool and your priorities 00:19:26.029 --> 00:19:28.109 are right and he gives you a pool, you know what? 00:19:28.150 --> 00:19:30.650 Get in it. Invite your friends. Have some fun. 00:19:30.809 --> 00:19:36.509 If you can go on a nice vacation, enjoy it. But 00:19:36.509 --> 00:19:39.029 if those things are in your life and those five 00:19:39.029 --> 00:19:42.259 things aren't, then the person you're worshiping 00:19:42.259 --> 00:19:45.160 is you, not God. And who you're trusting to bring 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:47.700 significance and fulfillment and joy and satisfaction 00:19:47.700 --> 00:19:49.880 is a lot of little idols instead of the king 00:19:49.880 --> 00:19:53.859 of the universe. And you'll come up empty. And 00:19:53.859 --> 00:19:55.859 that's why he says instruct them or command them. 00:19:56.339 --> 00:19:58.799 Don't put your stuff there. Don't chase the wind. 00:19:58.940 --> 00:20:02.640 But as I give it to you, enjoy it. You just might 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:04.980 find when God finds people he can pass things 00:20:04.980 --> 00:20:09.089 through, he often blesses them greatly. And the 00:20:09.089 --> 00:20:10.750 closer you get to them, what they'll tell you 00:20:10.750 --> 00:20:13.950 is money is the smallest of the blessings. What's 00:20:13.950 --> 00:20:17.769 a rich marriage worth? What's a great relationship 00:20:17.769 --> 00:20:20.529 with your kids worth? What's a friendship that's 00:20:20.529 --> 00:20:24.710 heart -to -heart worth? Faith says God rewards 00:20:24.710 --> 00:20:30.410 those who step out and trust him. You want to 00:20:30.410 --> 00:20:32.670 please God, being religious, keeping the rules, 00:20:32.890 --> 00:20:36.109 even giving, quote, money or time that is sort 00:20:36.109 --> 00:20:39.519 of all in the safe zone? Here's what God says, 00:20:39.640 --> 00:20:43.960 Hebrews 11, 6. Without faith, it's not hard, 00:20:44.039 --> 00:20:47.900 it's impossible to please God. Think of that. 00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:51.380 Because see, the highest compliment you ever 00:20:51.380 --> 00:20:56.400 give to God is this. Lord, this is very limited. 00:20:56.460 --> 00:21:00.900 This is me. But I believe that as I would give 00:21:00.900 --> 00:21:07.279 and trust my limited, you, my Father, have unlimited. 00:21:08.589 --> 00:21:11.049 I believe it to the point of here's the best 00:21:11.049 --> 00:21:13.750 of my time. Here's the best of my money. Here's 00:21:13.750 --> 00:21:16.930 the best of my talent. Here's the concern for 00:21:16.930 --> 00:21:19.069 this person that doesn't have room in my schedule, 00:21:19.150 --> 00:21:21.690 but I'm giving it to them, and I believe that 00:21:21.690 --> 00:21:24.589 whatever I need, you'll take care of me. When 00:21:24.589 --> 00:21:27.150 God sees that, notice what the end of the verse 00:21:27.150 --> 00:21:30.150 says. It's impossible to please God. For those 00:21:30.150 --> 00:21:33.069 who come to God must do two things, believe he 00:21:33.069 --> 00:21:39.150 exists, and he's a rewarder. of those who diligently 00:21:39.150 --> 00:21:44.150 seek him. God wants to bless. He's a blesser. 00:21:44.150 --> 00:21:47.109 He's generous. He wants. Here's what he says. 00:21:47.750 --> 00:21:51.269 Be smart. You can either live outside of the 00:21:51.269 --> 00:21:53.970 resources in that little jar or you can trust 00:21:53.970 --> 00:21:56.490 me and you can tap into the unlimited resources 00:21:56.490 --> 00:22:02.299 I have for your good and my glory. This is what 00:22:02.299 --> 00:22:05.799 Chip Ingram calls the genius of generosity. When 00:22:05.799 --> 00:22:08.559 we trust God with our possessions, we tap into 00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:11.440 the unlimited resources He set aside for our 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:14.720 good and His glory. At Living on the Edge, we're 00:22:14.720 --> 00:22:17.519 trusting God to provide for our needs in 2026, 00:22:17.819 --> 00:22:20.539 and we believe He'll answer our prayers through 00:22:20.539 --> 00:22:23.759 generous friends like you. For 30 years, Living 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:26.339 on the Edge has built this ministry on the solid 00:22:26.339 --> 00:22:29.140 foundation of God's promises, and He's never 00:22:29.140 --> 00:22:32.559 failed us. Chip? One of the most famous stories 00:22:32.559 --> 00:22:36.380 that Jesus told, it was a story about two builders. 00:22:36.980 --> 00:22:40.799 One built on the sand, the other on the rock. 00:22:41.019 --> 00:22:44.660 When the storms came, only one home survived. 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:48.819 Here's my question. What are you building your 00:22:48.819 --> 00:22:52.000 life on? Good intentions? Positive thinking? 00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:55.140 Cultural values that shift with every generation? 00:22:56.039 --> 00:22:59.980 Or are you building on the solid rock? of God's 00:22:59.980 --> 00:23:04.079 Word. Gratefully, Living on the Edge has amassed 00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:08.019 an audience of men and women like you that truly 00:23:08.019 --> 00:23:11.059 want to build their house, their life, their 00:23:11.059 --> 00:23:14.279 relationships on the solid rock of God's Word. 00:23:14.980 --> 00:23:18.000 Living on the Edge exists to help Christians 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:21.140 live like Christians, and that means they build 00:23:21.140 --> 00:23:24.319 their lives in a way that lasts. Lives constructed 00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:27.559 on biblical truth that won't collapse when the 00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:31.230 storms come. And believe me, the storms will 00:23:31.230 --> 00:23:34.589 come. And so we provide teaching, resources, 00:23:34.849 --> 00:23:38.650 and tools for believers to construct an unshakable 00:23:38.650 --> 00:23:41.569 life. When you give to this match, you're helping 00:23:41.569 --> 00:23:45.210 people build something that will survive in this 00:23:45.210 --> 00:23:49.470 life and echo into eternity. You're investing 00:23:49.470 --> 00:23:52.470 in what truly matters. Let's do this together. 00:23:53.019 --> 00:23:55.539 Thank you, Chip. Several friends of Living on 00:23:55.539 --> 00:23:57.839 the Edge have banded together with this incredible 00:23:57.839 --> 00:24:00.960 match opportunity in order to inspire people 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:04.420 like you to give as well. And when you do, your 00:24:04.420 --> 00:24:07.619 contribution will be doubled in size, and it'll 00:24:07.619 --> 00:24:10.579 have twice the impact because of the match. The 00:24:10.579 --> 00:24:12.859 deadline for receiving your support is midnight 00:24:12.859 --> 00:24:16.420 tomorrow, December 31st. To give right now, go 00:24:16.420 --> 00:24:19.759 to livingontheedge .org or send a check in the 00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:24.720 mail to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, 00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:31.000 Georgia, 30024. Or visit livingontheedge .org. 00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:34.460 On a scale of 1 to 10, how generous are you? 00:24:34.839 --> 00:24:37.680 I'm Dave Drewy. Join us when Chip Ingram describes 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:41.440 the genius of generosity tomorrow on Living on 00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:41.920 the Edge.