WEBVTT 00:00:01.449 --> 00:00:04.169 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:04.290 --> 00:00:07.049 See, the whole point of generosity, I mean, you 00:00:07.049 --> 00:00:09.369 know this intellectually. God really doesn't 00:00:09.369 --> 00:00:12.330 need your money. He owns everything. But steps 00:00:12.330 --> 00:00:16.350 of generosity are a part of his plan so that 00:00:16.350 --> 00:00:18.910 intimacy and relationship with him can increase. 00:00:19.210 --> 00:00:21.890 And the only way that intimacy ever happens with 00:00:21.890 --> 00:00:26.809 God is this mechanism called faith. Well, Happy 00:00:26.809 --> 00:00:29.339 New Year. We commend you for spending part of 00:00:29.339 --> 00:00:32.219 this holiday with Living on the Edge. Most people 00:00:32.219 --> 00:00:34.240 start the new year thinking about their finances, 00:00:34.520 --> 00:00:37.280 budgets, goals, maybe even charitable giving. 00:00:37.579 --> 00:00:40.420 But today, Chip Ingram poses a penetrating question. 00:00:40.740 --> 00:00:44.039 How does God really measure generosity? What 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:46.439 you'll discover might surprise you. Chip shows 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:49.159 us that generosity isn't primarily about money 00:00:49.159 --> 00:00:51.820 at all. It's about something far more profound. 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:54.960 By the way, if you're among those who contributed 00:00:54.960 --> 00:00:57.920 to the December match, thanks so much. We're 00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:00.799 deeply grateful for you. And now let's begin 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:04.060 Chip's message called, How Does God Measure Generosity? 00:01:04.739 --> 00:01:06.879 The Christmas story is very interesting where 00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:09.879 you have these probably Persian or Babylonian 00:01:09.879 --> 00:01:13.739 studies of the stars who see a star probably 00:01:13.739 --> 00:01:16.040 18 to 24 months before the baby was actually 00:01:16.040 --> 00:01:19.260 born. They see it and they go on a journey. And 00:01:19.260 --> 00:01:22.079 then you have these low -life kind of... actually 00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:25.680 sort of the disenfranchised social group of shepherds, 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:28.040 they get in the story. And then you have a teenage 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:31.239 girl, Mary, probably 15, 16 years old, and a 00:01:31.239 --> 00:01:35.060 blue -collar worker who's betrothed to her. Well, 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:37.000 they become a big part of the story. And then 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:40.180 pretty soon you have angels involved. And I just 00:01:40.180 --> 00:01:42.340 started thinking about, and I just laid the story 00:01:42.340 --> 00:01:47.299 out. And as I did, I thought, each step of each 00:01:47.299 --> 00:01:50.980 person introduced into the story, is a snapshot 00:01:50.980 --> 00:01:54.280 of what the Bible teaches about the heart of 00:01:54.280 --> 00:01:57.540 God and generosity. Now, normally I would have 00:01:57.540 --> 00:02:01.280 you get in those Bibles and follow passage to 00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:04.340 passage with me, but I want you to listen to 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:07.359 the story through the lens of generosity. We 00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:10.379 pick it up where far beyond money, the magi come 00:02:10.379 --> 00:02:13.180 and that's what they give. I think God introduces 00:02:13.180 --> 00:02:16.599 us to the magi. They know him the least and they 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:19.280 get the least clear revelation. But they respond 00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:22.099 to what they know. But after they respond to 00:02:22.099 --> 00:02:24.280 that, the next group is the shepherds. And you 00:02:24.280 --> 00:02:25.699 know the story of the shepherds, right? The sky 00:02:25.699 --> 00:02:30.000 lights up. It's a chorus. The sky lights up and 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:31.840 they're singing and you're going, what's this 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:35.620 about? We pick up the story. It says, when the 00:02:35.620 --> 00:02:37.300 angels had left them and went into heaven, the 00:02:37.300 --> 00:02:40.960 shepherds said to one another, let's go. Where? 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:43.199 To Bethlehem. And see this thing that has happened 00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:45.400 which the Lord has told us about. So they hurried 00:02:45.400 --> 00:02:47.300 off and they found Mary and Joseph and the baby 00:02:47.300 --> 00:02:49.520 who was lying in the manger. And when they had 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:53.979 seen him, they didn't just worship by giving 00:02:53.979 --> 00:02:56.900 a gift. They spread the word concerning what 00:02:56.900 --> 00:02:59.439 had been told them about this child. These shepherds 00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:01.759 probably didn't have anything to give. They didn't 00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:04.419 have any money to give. Shepherds get to give 00:03:04.419 --> 00:03:08.180 their time. For most of you, not for all, but 00:03:08.180 --> 00:03:09.979 for most of you, your time's more valuable than 00:03:09.979 --> 00:03:12.520 your money. When we're talking about generosity, 00:03:12.740 --> 00:03:15.280 please don't think writing a check, as good and 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:17.340 wonderful that is, is that my question would 00:03:17.340 --> 00:03:19.780 be, how are you doing in your growth of generosity 00:03:19.780 --> 00:03:23.080 of giving your time? I want you to know money 00:03:23.080 --> 00:03:25.819 is the training wheels. When you begin to say, 00:03:25.900 --> 00:03:27.879 God, I want to give you the best of my time. 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:29.360 I don't know what that looks like for you. It's 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:31.500 the early morning for me. I want to give you 00:03:31.500 --> 00:03:34.080 the best of my time. And if you're like me, you're 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:35.580 going to get a call from someone, and it shows 00:03:35.580 --> 00:03:37.879 up on your phone. And I have about three people 00:03:37.879 --> 00:03:39.879 in my life, when their name comes up, it's like, 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:42.979 this is not a short conversation. It's never 00:03:42.979 --> 00:03:45.319 a short conversation. But you know what I've 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:49.439 realized is, Jesus made time for people that 00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:51.919 most of us don't want to make time for. And what 00:03:51.919 --> 00:03:54.139 I'm really saying, see, what generosity is, it 00:03:54.139 --> 00:03:57.699 breaks your pride. Generosity says, this person, 00:03:57.699 --> 00:03:59.819 with this dysfunction, with this conversation, 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:02.960 with this baggage, matters to God, so they matter 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:05.240 to me because he lives inside of me, and giving 00:04:05.240 --> 00:04:07.340 my money is a pretty high control. I can do it 00:04:07.340 --> 00:04:12.120 on my terms. I give my time. It gets messy. The 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:14.659 shepherds left work. It's one thing to write 00:04:14.659 --> 00:04:16.740 a check, but, I mean, to leave work early and 00:04:16.740 --> 00:04:19.959 other people get ahead while I... Yeah, it takes 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:23.620 faith, doesn't it? Are you starting to see time? 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:27.959 Is way more valuable. But it goes beyond that. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:30.160 The Christmas story then introduces a new character. 00:04:30.279 --> 00:04:34.779 And we get Joseph who's engaged. Now just. You 00:04:34.779 --> 00:04:37.339 talk about your reputation. Alright guys. Think 00:04:37.339 --> 00:04:39.720 about way way back. For some of you when you 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:42.459 were engaged. And your girlfriend comes to you 00:04:42.459 --> 00:04:45.379 and says. Hey I just want you to know. I've never 00:04:45.379 --> 00:04:48.100 been with another man. But I'm pregnant. And 00:04:48.100 --> 00:04:52.519 you say well. How can this be? And she says well. 00:04:53.139 --> 00:04:59.790 It's God. Oh, really? Yeah, it's God. Angel told 00:04:59.790 --> 00:05:06.790 me. I mean, yeah, okay, so let's get now, you 00:05:06.790 --> 00:05:09.730 have an angelic visit. And this angel, literally, 00:05:09.850 --> 00:05:10.829 I mean, in the middle of the night, you have 00:05:10.829 --> 00:05:12.910 this dream and he speaks to you and says, it's 00:05:12.910 --> 00:05:14.850 okay. And then he says, this is the savior of 00:05:14.850 --> 00:05:17.370 the world. The Messiah is coming. Mary told you 00:05:17.370 --> 00:05:19.410 the truth. This is the real deal. I want you 00:05:19.410 --> 00:05:22.550 to do it. Now sometimes we read these Bible stories 00:05:22.550 --> 00:05:25.310 like Joseph, some wind -up religious robot. Oh 00:05:25.310 --> 00:05:26.990 yes, God said it, I will do it. God said it, 00:05:27.029 --> 00:05:29.810 I will do it. He's a guy. He's thinking, now 00:05:29.810 --> 00:05:32.949 wait a second. I mean, this is when the sexual 00:05:32.949 --> 00:05:35.689 mores were way different than they are now. I 00:05:35.689 --> 00:05:38.470 mean, you could get stoned for adultery. You 00:05:38.470 --> 00:05:41.389 don't have babies out of wedlock. So now Joseph 00:05:41.389 --> 00:05:44.509 is going to marry a girl that's pregnant? What 00:05:44.509 --> 00:05:47.970 are the guys down at the bar going to say? Joseph, 00:05:47.970 --> 00:05:50.310 you fool. Joseph, you idiot. Can you believe 00:05:50.310 --> 00:05:53.569 that? I mean, all of his life, the suspect, the 00:05:53.569 --> 00:05:57.209 suspicion. How in the world could any man marry 00:05:57.209 --> 00:05:59.269 some woman who's pregnant with someone else's 00:05:59.269 --> 00:06:06.470 kid in that day? His reputation, gone. Let me 00:06:06.470 --> 00:06:08.910 ask you, when you start thinking about money 00:06:08.910 --> 00:06:11.509 or time or reputation, what's the most valuable? 00:06:11.610 --> 00:06:15.250 What's the hardest to give? I'm going to guess 00:06:15.250 --> 00:06:19.389 that Group this size, we have people that probably 00:06:19.389 --> 00:06:23.689 give your money faithfully. And I bet there's 00:06:23.689 --> 00:06:26.509 people in this room that actually are pretty 00:06:26.509 --> 00:06:30.089 willing to give your time. But I bet there's 00:06:30.089 --> 00:06:34.189 some of us that as relatives come in or when 00:06:34.189 --> 00:06:37.040 a topic comes up at work. And it's one of those 00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:39.160 black and white issues. And you know the Bible 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:41.420 says this, and it's really clear, and your personal 00:06:41.420 --> 00:06:43.680 convictions are here. But you know if you would 00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:46.019 fly your flag and verbalize that, they would 00:06:46.019 --> 00:06:47.959 think you're one of those Bible -thumping, anti 00:06:47.959 --> 00:06:51.120 -intellectual, evangelical weirdos. And you know 00:06:51.120 --> 00:06:56.959 what you do? You don't say anything. Because 00:06:56.959 --> 00:06:59.360 what people think of you matters more than what 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:03.500 God thinks of you. And how you appear and it 00:07:03.500 --> 00:07:05.199 might impact your career and it might impact 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:08.040 the future, right? You tell people you go to 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:10.459 church here and they look at you like, so you're 00:07:10.459 --> 00:07:12.600 just not smart or what? You're not a thinking 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:16.639 person? You're not an intellectual? Are you willing 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:19.040 to give God your reputation? Are you willing 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:20.560 to kind of go out there on the limb and say, 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:22.180 you know, Lord, and by the way, I don't mean 00:07:22.180 --> 00:07:24.800 be stupid. I don't mean be argumentative. I mean, 00:07:24.819 --> 00:07:27.060 there's a lot of Christians that please, you 00:07:27.060 --> 00:07:31.870 know, act in ways that actually hurt. God's reputation. 00:07:32.449 --> 00:07:35.009 I'm talking about, you know those areas when 00:07:35.009 --> 00:07:37.529 the Spirit of God is prompting you to step up 00:07:37.529 --> 00:07:41.370 and verbalize and model what you really believe 00:07:41.370 --> 00:07:44.910 and all this pressure that you're so afraid of 00:07:44.910 --> 00:07:50.269 what people think. Generous people. Joseph gave 00:07:50.269 --> 00:07:52.709 his reputation. For Mary, it was beyond her reputation. 00:07:53.110 --> 00:07:56.649 I mean, her reputation was ruined, but she gave 00:07:56.649 --> 00:07:59.829 her future. We pick the story up in Luke chapter 00:07:59.829 --> 00:08:03.350 one. It's in the sixth month. God sent the, now 00:08:03.350 --> 00:08:07.410 notice the angel, Gabriel. He's the great messenger 00:08:07.410 --> 00:08:10.589 of God who announces the greatest announcements 00:08:10.589 --> 00:08:13.829 in scripture. Gabriel goes to Nazareth to a town 00:08:13.829 --> 00:08:15.709 of Galilee to a virgin pledged to be married 00:08:15.709 --> 00:08:17.829 to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. 00:08:18.129 --> 00:08:20.550 The virgin's name was Mary and the angel went 00:08:20.550 --> 00:08:22.810 to her and said, greetings, you're highly favored. 00:08:22.910 --> 00:08:25.879 The Lord is with you. I mean, I just, I don't 00:08:25.879 --> 00:08:27.839 know how or where this happened, but I just picture 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:29.819 it had to be in a private place and, you know, 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:31.740 maybe Mary was just getting ready for bed or 00:08:31.740 --> 00:08:34.379 maybe she couldn't sleep that night and all of 00:08:34.379 --> 00:08:36.940 a sudden, an angel's in the room. I mean, light 00:08:36.940 --> 00:08:39.639 emanating out of him. He starts to speak to her. 00:08:39.700 --> 00:08:42.519 Her response is, Mary was greatly troubled at 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:44.980 his words and wondered what kind of greeting 00:08:44.980 --> 00:08:48.639 this might be, wouldn't you? But the angel said, 00:08:48.899 --> 00:08:51.559 do not be afraid, Mary. You've found favor with 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:54.769 God. You will be with child and give birth to 00:08:54.769 --> 00:08:56.990 a son and you're to give him his name Jesus. 00:08:57.210 --> 00:08:59.230 This is really good because at least Joseph gets 00:08:59.230 --> 00:09:01.730 a dream that says Jesus is the name and Mary 00:09:01.730 --> 00:09:03.350 gets a visit that says Jesus is the name. So 00:09:03.350 --> 00:09:04.750 when they talk together, they're on the same 00:09:04.750 --> 00:09:08.230 page. Then notice, he will be great and be called 00:09:08.230 --> 00:09:11.789 the son of the most high. The Lord God will give 00:09:11.789 --> 00:09:14.330 him the throne of David and he will reign over 00:09:14.330 --> 00:09:16.629 the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will 00:09:16.629 --> 00:09:19.889 never end. Mary understood what was going on 00:09:19.889 --> 00:09:24.080 here. The throne of David, his kingdom. Later 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:26.600 in the same book, she has this prayer, this magnificent 00:09:26.600 --> 00:09:29.559 prayer, and she talks about how God is faithful 00:09:29.559 --> 00:09:32.980 to the humble, and she quotes 12 to 15 different 00:09:32.980 --> 00:09:36.539 parts of Old Testament passages. This young girl 00:09:36.539 --> 00:09:39.860 was godly, maybe 15, 16 years old. Knew God, 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:44.029 loved God, found favor. Those words, the throne 00:09:44.029 --> 00:09:46.070 of David, he'll be called the son of God. She 00:09:46.070 --> 00:09:50.190 understood the long awaited Messiah, God visiting 00:09:50.190 --> 00:09:52.629 the earth, fully God, fully man, is going to 00:09:52.629 --> 00:09:56.629 take up residence inside my body. And I will 00:09:56.629 --> 00:09:59.950 give physical birth to the son of God and I will 00:09:59.950 --> 00:10:04.070 be the mother of the Messiah. But she sort of 00:10:04.070 --> 00:10:07.370 had a methodology question. And so her response 00:10:07.370 --> 00:10:13.419 is, how can this be? Since I'm a virgin. And 00:10:13.419 --> 00:10:15.100 the angel said, the Holy Spirit will come upon 00:10:15.100 --> 00:10:17.360 you and the power of the Most High will overshadow 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:19.940 you so that the Holy One to be born will be called 00:10:19.940 --> 00:10:23.539 the Son of God. And then almost as though, can 00:10:23.539 --> 00:10:26.299 you imagine a little 15, 16 -year -old girl trying 00:10:26.299 --> 00:10:28.720 to take all this in? And it's like the angel 00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:30.340 said, you know, by the way, let me give you a 00:10:30.340 --> 00:10:31.860 little touch of reality. You know Elizabeth, 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:34.879 your aunt? Yeah. You know the old lady who can't 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:36.940 have kids? Yeah. I mean, way past childbearing? 00:10:37.019 --> 00:10:41.700 Yeah. Right now, she's six months pregnant. And 00:10:41.700 --> 00:10:43.919 what we find is after this, Mary goes and visits 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:45.480 her and I think it was a great encouragement 00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:47.299 to her faith, especially when she walked in the 00:10:47.299 --> 00:10:50.379 room. And John the Baptist would leap inside 00:10:50.379 --> 00:10:54.379 of Elizabeth in recognition of this is the mother, 00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:58.299 the savior of the world. And he says, for nothing's 00:10:58.299 --> 00:11:01.440 impossible with God. And then I love her response. 00:11:03.960 --> 00:11:07.860 Because now I want to talk to you ladies. And 00:11:07.860 --> 00:11:09.480 I don't know much about this except I have one 00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:12.960 daughter. and one wife. And I talked to my wife 00:11:12.960 --> 00:11:15.200 a lot about the dreams she had someday and what 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:17.340 the wedding would look like and this guy that 00:11:17.340 --> 00:11:19.080 she was going to marry and the kind of person 00:11:19.080 --> 00:11:21.139 he would be and maybe, you know, two or three 00:11:21.139 --> 00:11:25.159 kids or, you know, when you're a young girl, 00:11:25.220 --> 00:11:27.659 don't you have dreams about your future and what 00:11:27.659 --> 00:11:29.600 it's going to look like and who he might be and, 00:11:29.620 --> 00:11:32.120 you know, where are you going to live? And, you 00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:33.320 know, back then, I don't think they had white 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:35.980 picket fences, but, you know, Mary gave her future 00:11:35.980 --> 00:11:41.789 away. Her life was never normal. And her response 00:11:41.789 --> 00:11:47.190 was, I am the servant of the Lord. Be it unto 00:11:47.190 --> 00:11:51.610 me according to your word. Before we continue, 00:11:51.769 --> 00:11:54.029 we want to thank those who gave to our year -end 00:11:54.029 --> 00:11:57.210 match before the December 31st deadline. God 00:11:57.210 --> 00:11:59.870 has blessed Living on the Edge through your generosity. 00:12:00.210 --> 00:12:02.789 And because of your faithful giving, we'll be 00:12:02.789 --> 00:12:05.789 able to accelerate our impact in our 30th anniversary 00:12:05.789 --> 00:12:10.049 year, 2026. Your partnership means pastors will 00:12:10.049 --> 00:12:12.750 be equipped, families strengthened, and believers 00:12:12.750 --> 00:12:16.600 around the world discipled. Thank you. Now let's 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:19.279 get back to today's teaching from a series called 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:22.200 The Genius of Generosity. Again, our Bible teacher, 00:12:22.460 --> 00:12:27.299 Chip Ingram. Here's what you got to grab. God, 00:12:27.299 --> 00:12:30.200 who actually made all that there is, wants to 00:12:30.200 --> 00:12:32.960 do things in you and through you beyond your 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:36.330 wildest imagination. But he doesn't have your 00:12:36.330 --> 00:12:39.090 heart and can't start to guide you until you 00:12:39.090 --> 00:12:41.289 can demonstrate you trust him. And you say, Lord, 00:12:41.330 --> 00:12:43.309 I'll trust you with the training wheels of my 00:12:43.309 --> 00:12:46.070 money. And then you begin to say, I'll give you 00:12:46.070 --> 00:12:49.009 the best of my time. And then it's your reputation. 00:12:49.350 --> 00:12:52.929 And then here's, a lot of people get there and 00:12:52.929 --> 00:12:54.649 what they say is, now God, here's what I want 00:12:54.649 --> 00:12:57.649 you to know. Inside this box for my future, as 00:12:57.649 --> 00:13:00.110 long as I work at this kind of job, marry this 00:13:00.110 --> 00:13:03.429 kind of person, never get geographically beyond 00:13:03.429 --> 00:13:06.049 where I am, You know, I just want you to know 00:13:06.049 --> 00:13:08.389 inside this box, you can do whatever you want 00:13:08.389 --> 00:13:11.070 with my life. And you know what God does with 00:13:11.070 --> 00:13:13.970 most people's lives? He does exactly what you 00:13:13.970 --> 00:13:16.289 led him to inside that little box. And you can 00:13:16.289 --> 00:13:18.570 go to church and you can write your first check 00:13:18.570 --> 00:13:21.149 to the Lord and you can read your Bible and you 00:13:21.149 --> 00:13:23.250 can go to a little Bible study now and then and 00:13:23.250 --> 00:13:25.429 even share your faith now and then and feel like, 00:13:25.529 --> 00:13:27.970 but God's been tapping on your shoulder and say, 00:13:28.009 --> 00:13:32.009 what about your future? What about your future? 00:13:32.450 --> 00:13:38.360 You willing to go anywhere? 80 % of all the people 00:13:38.360 --> 00:13:41.740 in America have a job they hate, but they won't 00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:47.159 leave it because the economic income is greater 00:13:47.159 --> 00:13:50.980 than doing what they were made to do. See, I 00:13:50.980 --> 00:13:53.980 mean, it's a scary, you're starting to get generous 00:13:53.980 --> 00:13:56.779 when you say, God, I want to do with your future 00:13:56.779 --> 00:14:01.639 anything you want done in my future. And that 00:14:01.639 --> 00:14:03.559 usually requires some sort of step of faith. 00:14:04.220 --> 00:14:06.919 And then people that we interview or people that 00:14:06.919 --> 00:14:09.100 you know that have this sort of winsome, attractive 00:14:09.100 --> 00:14:12.120 love for God that oozes out of them and it's 00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:14.279 the kind of Christians we all someday kind of 00:14:14.279 --> 00:14:16.559 want to be, I will tell you what, they've... 00:14:16.779 --> 00:14:18.980 given their future to God. And they're doing 00:14:18.980 --> 00:14:20.879 some things and experiencing things they never 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:22.519 dreamed would ever happen. They thought it only 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:24.240 happened to, quote, really spiritual people or 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:26.460 really smart people, really holy people. And 00:14:26.460 --> 00:14:28.960 what I will tell you is the Bible is filled with 00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:32.620 only ordinary people through whom God does extraordinary 00:14:32.620 --> 00:14:35.519 things. And their prerequisite isn't gift or 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:39.360 talent or smarts or heritage or background. Their 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:44.340 prerequisite is trust and availability. And that's 00:14:44.340 --> 00:14:47.500 why the Christmas story is a graduate level in 00:14:47.500 --> 00:14:52.440 generosity because it's unlikely people who God 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:56.360 does improbable, impossible, amazing things as 00:14:56.360 --> 00:14:59.019 increasing levels of generosity. And she gives 00:14:59.019 --> 00:15:01.059 her future, and then Jesus does what? He gives 00:15:01.059 --> 00:15:04.080 his life. Mark 10, 45, for even the Son of Man 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:06.980 came not to be served, but to serve and give 00:15:06.980 --> 00:15:12.169 his life. For many. The word for there means 00:15:12.169 --> 00:15:15.370 in the place of. It's a substitute for. And you 00:15:15.370 --> 00:15:17.730 can kind of see, I sort of picture, you know, 00:15:17.750 --> 00:15:21.769 down here they see a star. A little bit of revelation, 00:15:21.909 --> 00:15:24.409 they respond to it. They get an angelic visit. 00:15:24.909 --> 00:15:27.429 Over here, wow, he gets a dream with an angel 00:15:27.429 --> 00:15:31.610 of the Lord. She gets a visit from Gabriel. Jesus, 00:15:31.649 --> 00:15:36.029 before the foundations of the earth, looks through 00:15:36.029 --> 00:15:39.320 the portals of time and the eternal now. And 00:15:39.320 --> 00:15:41.879 who for the joy, not reluctantly, who for the 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:44.840 joy. Was it hard? Yes. Did he anguish in his 00:15:44.840 --> 00:15:47.740 soul? Yes. Was it in the garden? Was it a struggle? 00:15:47.879 --> 00:15:50.559 Completely. I like that because it is for me 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:54.759 too. But when he gave his life, it wasn't a reluctant. 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:58.679 It was who for the joy set before him endured 00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:01.740 the cross, despising the shame, offering himself 00:16:01.740 --> 00:16:06.419 so he could pay for you. and you and me and you 00:16:06.419 --> 00:16:11.720 and you and whosoever would believe in him. The 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:14.759 father goes beyond that. The father gave his 00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:18.279 son. In that window, in that moment of time when 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:20.759 Jesus hung upon the cross for the first time 00:16:20.759 --> 00:16:24.000 in eternity, the Father would turn away from 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:27.539 the Son and the just wrath of God, your sin and 00:16:27.539 --> 00:16:29.679 my sin and the sins of all people of all time 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:31.940 would be placed on him as a sin offering and 00:16:31.940 --> 00:16:34.139 so he would cry, my God, my God, why have you 00:16:34.139 --> 00:16:37.980 forsaken me? And he would take on your sin and 00:16:37.980 --> 00:16:42.779 mine and the Father would give. And for some 00:16:42.779 --> 00:16:46.179 of us, as you learn to become generous and God 00:16:46.179 --> 00:16:49.279 uses you, there's an Isaac in your life. That's 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:52.580 why that picture's in the Old Testament. There's 00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:54.360 been times when one of my kids has been an idol 00:16:54.360 --> 00:16:56.539 in my life and God, are you willing to let him 00:16:56.539 --> 00:17:00.340 loose and go away and pursue this career that 00:17:00.340 --> 00:17:01.940 I thought he's never gonna make any money, he's 00:17:01.940 --> 00:17:03.460 never gonna have a life and it's probably not 00:17:03.460 --> 00:17:07.299 gonna work out. And it's a long way from here. 00:17:07.380 --> 00:17:10.339 Yes, Lord. Or letting your kid go to a mission 00:17:10.339 --> 00:17:12.559 field. There's another time in my life when my 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:15.380 wife was an idol. And she would tell you now, 00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:18.420 that's one of the hardest, most difficult times. 00:17:19.099 --> 00:17:25.640 But what God did in and then through. What precious 00:17:25.640 --> 00:17:29.680 possession, what are you hanging on to that God 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:31.859 just wants to pry your little fingers off of 00:17:31.859 --> 00:17:36.099 so he could let you experience his love? Last 00:17:36.099 --> 00:17:37.460 night at the end of the service, there was a 00:17:37.460 --> 00:17:42.400 guy waiting around for quite a while. I thought, 00:17:42.440 --> 00:17:45.000 what's up? And he said, I just came here to thank 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:47.740 you. I said, what for? He said, well, I've been 00:17:47.740 --> 00:17:50.559 kind of involved in ministry and 29 years old, 00:17:50.599 --> 00:17:53.240 I'm in a graduate program now and I do some teaching 00:17:53.240 --> 00:17:55.460 in my church and I've told people all kind of 00:17:55.460 --> 00:17:58.200 stuff for lots of years. But in the last two 00:17:58.200 --> 00:18:00.000 weeks, three of the biggest things happened that 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:03.289 just shattered my life. And he said, you know 00:18:03.289 --> 00:18:04.750 something, there were two or three things that 00:18:04.750 --> 00:18:06.849 I've always held back, even though I was involved 00:18:06.849 --> 00:18:09.190 in ministry and read the Bible. Two or three 00:18:09.190 --> 00:18:11.470 things that were just, mm -mm, God, I'm not trusting 00:18:11.470 --> 00:18:14.430 you with those. And I, for the first time in 00:18:14.430 --> 00:18:17.490 my life, told God, I'm all in. And I surrendered 00:18:17.490 --> 00:18:19.529 my life. I mean, I've been a Christian for years, 00:18:19.609 --> 00:18:22.210 but I surrendered all that I am, all that I have. 00:18:22.269 --> 00:18:24.829 God, I want you to know I'm afraid, but I believe 00:18:24.829 --> 00:18:26.630 that you're good and you're kind. You're a sun 00:18:26.630 --> 00:18:28.589 and a shield. You give grace and glory. You won't 00:18:28.589 --> 00:18:31.210 withhold any good thing. But now I'm taking that 00:18:31.210 --> 00:18:34.759 step. And he said, I just can't tell you what's 00:18:34.759 --> 00:18:37.079 happened in my life and my heart. I've been a 00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:39.119 Christian most all my life, but the power and 00:18:39.119 --> 00:18:41.660 the experience of God and the love of God that 00:18:41.660 --> 00:18:43.740 I've heard about but never experienced came because 00:18:43.740 --> 00:18:47.599 I gave. Why? What's the scripture teach? Give. 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:50.579 And it'll be given, good measure, pressed down, 00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:52.559 shaken together, run over, back into your lap. 00:18:53.099 --> 00:18:56.359 But it's not about money. Money's the training 00:18:56.359 --> 00:18:58.480 wheels. Yeah, when you give, yeah. But time, 00:18:58.500 --> 00:19:02.279 same. Reputation, future, life. Precious possession. 00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:04.859 There's three little things I want you to fill 00:19:04.859 --> 00:19:07.420 in. I've shared these, but I want you to just 00:19:07.420 --> 00:19:10.940 jot down three observations about the Christmas 00:19:10.940 --> 00:19:13.740 story and graduate level generosity. Number one, 00:19:13.799 --> 00:19:17.799 generosity is not so much a virtuous act as it 00:19:17.799 --> 00:19:21.440 is a virtuous response. Each time it was God. 00:19:21.579 --> 00:19:26.539 God put the star. God sent the angels. God was 00:19:26.539 --> 00:19:30.700 in the dream. God appeared to Mary. He loves 00:19:30.700 --> 00:19:35.240 you. He's reaching. He's drawing you. So generosity 00:19:35.240 --> 00:19:38.940 isn't something great you do. You respond. Second, 00:19:38.980 --> 00:19:43.279 God doesn't measure generosity by the size of 00:19:43.279 --> 00:19:45.880 your gift, but the size of your sacrifice. And 00:19:45.880 --> 00:19:48.700 I would just ask you to begin to ponder what 00:19:48.700 --> 00:19:50.579 would it look like to go from the step that I'm 00:19:50.579 --> 00:19:54.920 on to the next step on this journey? There's 00:19:54.920 --> 00:19:58.339 a sacrifice, but not as some legalistic I've 00:19:58.339 --> 00:20:01.160 earned God's favor, I want to respond to God's 00:20:01.160 --> 00:20:05.339 love at a deeper level of love. And finally, 00:20:05.380 --> 00:20:07.920 increasing levels of generosity bring increasing 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:12.660 levels of reward and blessing. I mean, each time 00:20:12.660 --> 00:20:14.980 the blessing is greater and greater and greater 00:20:14.980 --> 00:20:19.900 and greater and greater. Because you give and 00:20:19.900 --> 00:20:25.900 God always gives back. And on this first day 00:20:25.900 --> 00:20:29.190 of a brand new year, Chip Ingram concludes this 00:20:29.190 --> 00:20:31.809 four -part teaching series called The Genius 00:20:31.809 --> 00:20:35.210 of Generosity. Generous living is joyful living. 00:20:35.589 --> 00:20:38.150 Stay with us because Chip will share a personal 00:20:38.150 --> 00:20:41.240 illustration in just a moment. As we enter the 00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:44.240 new year of 2026, you might be hunting for a 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:46.519 Bible study to share with your small group at 00:20:46.519 --> 00:20:49.319 church, or perhaps an interesting subject you 00:20:49.319 --> 00:20:52.359 can pursue in your daily times with God. Well, 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:54.500 Living on the Edge offers a robust collection 00:20:54.500 --> 00:20:57.299 of options, including the teaching series that 00:20:57.299 --> 00:21:00.039 concludes today on the genius of generosity. 00:21:00.700 --> 00:21:03.940 In this study, we discover the power, the freedom, 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:06.619 and the rewards of developing a generous heart. 00:21:07.309 --> 00:21:09.549 To hear the four messages in this countercultural 00:21:09.549 --> 00:21:14.210 series, go to livingontheedge .org and look for 00:21:14.210 --> 00:21:17.740 the study called The Genius of Generosity. Chip? 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:20.680 As we wrap up today's program and the whole series, 00:21:20.819 --> 00:21:22.759 I have to tell you something that I did, and 00:21:22.759 --> 00:21:26.599 it was so fun and so exciting. I taught through 00:21:26.599 --> 00:21:29.259 the generosity ladder. You know, I talked about 00:21:29.259 --> 00:21:31.460 your money with the Magi, your time with the 00:21:31.460 --> 00:21:34.160 shepherds, your reputation with Joseph, your 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:36.700 future with Mary, your life with Jesus, and then 00:21:36.700 --> 00:21:39.099 the most precious possession, how the Father 00:21:39.099 --> 00:21:42.339 gave the Son. And we had a big ladder up on stage. 00:21:42.400 --> 00:21:45.180 I mean, a really big ladder. And I had a friend 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:47.380 come. His name is Mark Green. And he and his 00:21:47.380 --> 00:21:50.470 family... own Hobby Lobby. And he went through 00:21:50.470 --> 00:21:52.750 each rung on the ladder. He actually stepped 00:21:52.750 --> 00:21:56.109 up on each step as he shared his testimony on 00:21:56.109 --> 00:21:58.849 each of those points. It was so powerful. And 00:21:58.849 --> 00:22:01.470 he talked about how his grandmother taught them 00:22:01.470 --> 00:22:04.410 to give money. And then how, as he got older, 00:22:04.450 --> 00:22:07.190 his father taught them about time. And then just 00:22:07.190 --> 00:22:09.450 Hobby Lobby, their reputation, where they said, 00:22:09.529 --> 00:22:12.190 you know, we are just not going to be open on 00:22:12.190 --> 00:22:15.490 a day. Our reputation matters. And then their 00:22:15.490 --> 00:22:18.410 future and how they took steps. faith. And then 00:22:18.410 --> 00:22:20.750 as they did that, it's very interesting. At Hobby 00:22:20.750 --> 00:22:23.829 Lobby, for the last three years, they have given, 00:22:23.910 --> 00:22:27.049 as they've prospered, all their employees a raise 00:22:27.049 --> 00:22:29.750 over the last three years because it was a season 00:22:29.750 --> 00:22:33.109 of prosperity, even though the economy was bad. 00:22:33.289 --> 00:22:35.210 And then on top of that, they take all their 00:22:35.210 --> 00:22:38.700 profits. And it's something ridiculous. 40 or 00:22:38.700 --> 00:22:42.700 50 percent of all their profits, they fund ministries 00:22:42.700 --> 00:22:46.079 all around the world in evangelism, discipleship, 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:49.039 feeding the poor. And it was just so cool to 00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:52.180 have him there because I taught it. And he climbed 00:22:52.180 --> 00:22:55.700 up and shared his story, how each rung of that 00:22:55.700 --> 00:22:58.900 ladder and how the increasing generosity developed 00:22:58.900 --> 00:23:01.880 greater intimacy in his own heart, in his family. 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:04.680 And then he talked about the game plan they've 00:23:04.680 --> 00:23:08.039 developed to teach his kids and later. grandkids 00:23:08.039 --> 00:23:10.720 about generosity. And I just thought, what a 00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:14.240 legacy. What's your legacy? What's it look like 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:17.140 to be generous beyond money? In this season, 00:23:17.240 --> 00:23:20.079 what will it look like for your time, your reputation, 00:23:20.420 --> 00:23:23.420 your future? In fact, your very life to be a 00:23:23.420 --> 00:23:26.599 gift back to God and let him use it however he 00:23:26.599 --> 00:23:29.119 wants. I can tell you from my time with Mart 00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:32.380 and his family, it is a powerful, precious thing 00:23:32.380 --> 00:23:36.180 to give away. Be generous. You will never regret 00:23:36.180 --> 00:23:39.299 it. Thanks, Chip. And as we close today's program, 00:23:39.539 --> 00:23:41.859 we want to thank those who gave generously to 00:23:41.859 --> 00:23:44.019 the December match in which your contributions 00:23:44.019 --> 00:23:47.099 to Living on the Edge were doubled in size and 00:23:47.099 --> 00:23:49.819 impact. We can't give a final report because 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:52.099 it's too soon to know the final amount that arrived. 00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:55.099 Mail is still coming in. But I can tell you this, 00:23:55.220 --> 00:23:57.920 the outpouring of support was remarkably strong. 00:23:58.180 --> 00:24:01.119 And because you participated so generously, we 00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:03.579 can step into the new year with boldness and 00:24:03.579 --> 00:24:06.599 confidence. Now, if you meant to send a contribution 00:24:06.599 --> 00:24:09.079 but didn't meet the match deadline last night, 00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:11.339 it's not too late to make an impact with your 00:24:11.339 --> 00:24:13.940 generosity. Here's where to address your letter, 00:24:14.099 --> 00:24:17.940 Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, 00:24:18.099 --> 00:24:22.880 Georgia, 30024. Our address again is P .O. Box 00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:28.960 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. Or give online 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:33.710 at livingontheedge .org. Need direction on how 00:24:33.710 --> 00:24:37.329 to make 2026 the best year ever? I'm Dave Drewy, 00:24:37.329 --> 00:24:39.309 inviting you to hear Chip Ingram's insightful 00:24:39.309 --> 00:24:42.049 answer tomorrow on Living on the Edge.