WEBVTT 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:14.179 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:17.660 There are few things in all the world that will 00:00:17.660 --> 00:00:21.339 put more pressure on your marriage than debt. 00:00:21.620 --> 00:00:26.000 There are so many pressures that come with owing 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:29.879 other people money. So what do you do? How do 00:00:29.879 --> 00:00:31.980 you get peace when you're overwhelmed with debt? 00:00:32.219 --> 00:00:36.950 That's today. Stay with me. Welcome to Living 00:00:36.950 --> 00:00:39.789 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. I'm Dave Drewy, 00:00:39.789 --> 00:00:42.030 and today we're concluding our series, Choosing 00:00:42.030 --> 00:00:45.009 Love, with a message that gets intensely practical. 00:00:45.509 --> 00:00:48.289 Last time, Chip taught us that God owns it all. 00:00:48.390 --> 00:00:51.670 We're just stewards. Today, he shows how to actually 00:00:51.670 --> 00:00:54.530 live that out. You'll discover why money problems 00:00:54.530 --> 00:00:57.710 are rarely about needing more income, why tracking 00:00:57.710 --> 00:01:00.530 your spending for just 30 days changes everything, 00:01:00.710 --> 00:01:03.789 and how to develop a financial plan you both 00:01:03.789 --> 00:01:06.719 can agree on. Well, now here's Chip Ingram continuing 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:09.459 his message, Managing Your Finances Together. 00:01:10.180 --> 00:01:14.200 Let me give you a very brief overview of biblical 00:01:14.200 --> 00:01:16.340 finances. And I mean, I'm going to go really 00:01:16.340 --> 00:01:18.939 quick. So what the Bible teaches, and I mean, 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:23.420 quick overview, is that God owns it all. Second, 00:01:23.540 --> 00:01:25.680 we're stewards, managers, and trustees, Luke 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:29.340 16. I'm a steward, and a steward or a manager 00:01:29.340 --> 00:01:32.060 is someone who is entrusted with certain things 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:34.810 to make good use of them for their master. And 00:01:34.810 --> 00:01:37.109 that's what I just realized. Whatever I've got 00:01:37.109 --> 00:01:38.750 in my pocket, whatever I've got in the bank account, 00:01:38.989 --> 00:01:41.790 whatever kind of car, whatever I have, it's yours 00:01:41.790 --> 00:01:44.170 and I'm going to give an account for it. Money 00:01:44.170 --> 00:01:47.689 is powerful and deceptive. And the subtlety and 00:01:47.689 --> 00:01:51.930 deception of money is it takes you down a path. 00:01:52.439 --> 00:01:54.620 It's like being in water where you go out, if 00:01:54.620 --> 00:01:56.180 you've ever been at the beach, you know, and 00:01:56.180 --> 00:01:58.879 you're having fun, and you've got the sand, and 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:00.239 if you have a family, you've got a couple kids 00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:01.680 here, and you've got the blankets, and you're 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:03.480 going to have lunch and stuff, and they go out 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:05.819 and play, and you're playing, and then you're 00:02:05.819 --> 00:02:08.520 playing, and you're playing, and nothing happened, 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:10.180 but the current's doing this, and you look up 00:02:10.180 --> 00:02:12.240 and you realize, my lands, how did we get that? 00:02:12.379 --> 00:02:16.000 I mean, hey, where's mom and dad? That's what 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:18.969 happens to us with regard to money. Money is 00:02:18.969 --> 00:02:21.330 the other God, according to Jesus. We can't serve 00:02:21.330 --> 00:02:24.189 both, Matthew 6. Giving is God's antidote to 00:02:24.189 --> 00:02:28.069 greed and the dangers of idol worship. We're 00:02:28.069 --> 00:02:31.090 commanded, instruct those who are rich in this 00:02:31.090 --> 00:02:32.770 present world, and biblically, that's all of 00:02:32.770 --> 00:02:36.370 us, not to be conceited or fix their hope on 00:02:36.370 --> 00:02:40.770 the uncertainty of money or wealth. Notice that's 00:02:40.770 --> 00:02:43.169 the reason, because it's uncertain. He wants 00:02:43.169 --> 00:02:46.770 to protect us. Debt is dangerous and to be avoided. 00:02:47.619 --> 00:02:50.620 I think the best counselors I know say, you know, 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:54.620 it's not wrong to have some debt, appreciable 00:02:54.620 --> 00:02:57.819 items. It's way better not to have any. And we're 00:02:57.819 --> 00:03:00.800 to be accurately aware of our financial condition. 00:03:01.819 --> 00:03:03.659 Now, this would be interesting. I will not do 00:03:03.659 --> 00:03:05.280 this because I would not want to embarrass anyone. 00:03:05.819 --> 00:03:08.400 But if I could, if you all lined up and I could 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:09.900 meet with couples, couples, couples, couples, 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:12.879 and then I would just, okay, separate, you know, 00:03:12.900 --> 00:03:15.840 earphones. She couldn't hear, he couldn't hear. 00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:19.199 And I would ask the man, in general, how much 00:03:19.199 --> 00:03:21.379 debt do you have? How much money do you have 00:03:21.379 --> 00:03:24.419 in savings? What I would find in most couples, 00:03:24.539 --> 00:03:26.740 one person would have a vague idea and the other 00:03:26.740 --> 00:03:29.379 would be like, he takes care of all that or she 00:03:29.379 --> 00:03:31.979 takes care of all that. Or they would both fumble 00:03:31.979 --> 00:03:34.080 around a lot and not have a very accurate. The 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:36.240 Bible says, know well the condition of your flock. 00:03:36.919 --> 00:03:40.280 You need to know this is our level of debt. Currently, 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:42.139 right now, this is how much we've set aside for 00:03:42.139 --> 00:03:44.560 an emergency. This is a fund that we've developed 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:47.580 for. We're saving for the next car that we're 00:03:47.580 --> 00:03:49.979 going to buy because we want to pay cash. This 00:03:49.979 --> 00:03:52.020 is what we're doing in terms of long -term and 00:03:52.020 --> 00:03:54.680 investment or retirement. And you kind of know 00:03:54.680 --> 00:03:59.020 where you're at. And by the way, the reason you're 00:03:59.020 --> 00:04:01.719 feeling the way you're feeling is because of 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:05.180 the deceitfulness of riches. Do you realize 50 00:04:05.180 --> 00:04:09.259 % of all the people that graduate from college, 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:12.729 I read a statistic, file bankruptcy? You know, 00:04:12.770 --> 00:04:14.449 you go to college, they give you a t -shirt, 00:04:14.509 --> 00:04:16.810 here's a credit card. But by the time they're 00:04:16.810 --> 00:04:19.589 out, there's literally, we have a whole generation, 00:04:19.870 --> 00:04:22.009 some Christian, some non -Christian, that they 00:04:22.009 --> 00:04:25.110 think this is money. I remember one of my grandkids, 00:04:25.209 --> 00:04:27.189 we were taking them out for something and we're 00:04:27.189 --> 00:04:28.910 having a pizza or something like that. You know, 00:04:28.930 --> 00:04:31.730 they're 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 at the time. And we were 00:04:31.730 --> 00:04:34.230 here and, oh, do you want to get something like 00:04:34.230 --> 00:04:38.899 that? I said, oh, I don't have my wallet. I said, 00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:41.060 I don't know what to do. And one of my, I forget, 00:04:41.100 --> 00:04:42.720 one of my grandkids says, oh, just use one of 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:45.480 those cards. In other words, it wasn't, you don't 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:47.860 need money. There was no connection between money 00:04:47.860 --> 00:04:52.639 and a card. But here's, okay, okay. Now I'm gonna 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:56.459 be really, really gentle here. If you wanna get 00:04:56.459 --> 00:04:59.540 hold of your life, if you wanna get hold of your 00:04:59.540 --> 00:05:02.139 values, if you wanna get hold of your future, 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:06.519 you have to get a hold of your money and your 00:05:06.519 --> 00:05:10.910 time. In your thought life. If you do not get 00:05:10.910 --> 00:05:13.350 a hold of your money. It will get a hold of you. 00:05:13.829 --> 00:05:16.509 And despite your best intentions. It will take 00:05:16.509 --> 00:05:20.810 you places. You do not want to go. If you don't 00:05:20.810 --> 00:05:22.910 get a hold of your thought life. You can intend. 00:05:23.209 --> 00:05:26.149 You can try. You can want to. You can plead. 00:05:26.470 --> 00:05:30.250 But you are the product of your thoughts. It's 00:05:30.250 --> 00:05:33.810 how God made us. Your emotions are a response 00:05:33.810 --> 00:05:37.009 to your thoughts. Much of your behavior, instead 00:05:37.009 --> 00:05:39.350 of being intellectually based, oh, this is logical. 00:05:39.410 --> 00:05:41.970 This is what I ought to do. Is that what we do? 00:05:42.069 --> 00:05:44.230 Like, I'm feeling kind of down. I'm feeling kind 00:05:44.230 --> 00:05:46.310 of blue. Oh, it's really logical. Don't go to 00:05:46.310 --> 00:05:50.889 the refrigerator. So I won't. What do we do? 00:05:51.470 --> 00:05:57.810 We eat. We spend. We shop. We go. We vacation. 00:05:58.230 --> 00:06:01.410 There are only five uses of money. I got this 00:06:01.410 --> 00:06:04.949 from Ron Blue. You can give it away, you can 00:06:04.949 --> 00:06:08.269 pay taxes with it, you can save it, you can pay 00:06:08.269 --> 00:06:11.850 off debt, or you can live off of it. And when 00:06:11.850 --> 00:06:15.209 I say savings, I mean savings as in short -term 00:06:15.209 --> 00:06:18.589 emergency fund, which I find most people don't 00:06:18.589 --> 00:06:21.470 have. But then there's sort of a mid -range savings 00:06:21.470 --> 00:06:25.930 where we set aside X amount so that when we get 00:06:25.930 --> 00:06:28.399 the tax bill, we don't go, oh. So, you know, 00:06:28.399 --> 00:06:30.199 every paycheck, a little bit goes in for the 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:34.300 tax. We have a game plan. At our age and our 00:06:34.300 --> 00:06:36.699 stage, we wanted to help our grandkids. So we 00:06:36.699 --> 00:06:39.639 set aside some where we started a little fund 00:06:39.639 --> 00:06:43.800 for their college. We wanted to visit our grandkids 00:06:43.800 --> 00:06:45.500 and stay connected. And when they all grow and 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:48.699 go different places, about 15 years ago, we called 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:52.519 it a kid fund. Because, you know, and by the 00:06:52.519 --> 00:06:54.360 way, it's not like we had a lot of money to put 00:06:54.360 --> 00:06:57.180 in these things. But the discipline of creating 00:06:57.180 --> 00:07:00.220 where you want your money to go creates an intention. 00:07:01.339 --> 00:07:07.579 But the point is, do you plan and do you segment 00:07:07.579 --> 00:07:10.939 your dollars so that what I knew was at the end 00:07:10.939 --> 00:07:15.480 of the day, what's going to be valuable? I want 00:07:15.480 --> 00:07:18.240 to be connected to my grown kids. I want to have 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:21.240 at least every two years a window of time where... 00:07:21.709 --> 00:07:23.949 Those little kids grow up and they remember being 00:07:23.949 --> 00:07:26.730 on the boat with granddad and grandma and aunts 00:07:26.730 --> 00:07:29.629 and uncles and cousins. Did it cost a lot of 00:07:29.629 --> 00:07:32.649 money? Yeah. But I saved for it for two years. 00:07:33.310 --> 00:07:35.829 I don't have a ton of money in retirement, but 00:07:35.829 --> 00:07:39.129 I've got a plan that lines out that, well, at 00:07:39.129 --> 00:07:40.949 65 I said, I don't have anything in the Bible 00:07:40.949 --> 00:07:45.089 about retirement. I want to be used by God. I'm 00:07:45.089 --> 00:07:48.689 not trying to figure out. I've met these guys 00:07:48.689 --> 00:07:51.259 that their whole life was. Boy, maybe by 56, 00:07:51.439 --> 00:07:54.500 I can retire and play golf. Now, personally, 00:07:54.600 --> 00:07:58.980 I like to play golf. But I think pleasure is 00:07:58.980 --> 00:08:04.060 a great vacation. It's a bad vocation. Pleasure 00:08:04.060 --> 00:08:07.699 is a great tour guide. It's a great tour guide. 00:08:07.819 --> 00:08:12.639 Ah, let's have some fun. It is a terrible destination. 00:08:13.660 --> 00:08:17.899 It can't deliver. Financial freedom requires, 00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:21.480 and please don't laugh, spending less than one's 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:25.819 income. If you add up all your expenses this 00:08:25.819 --> 00:08:30.420 month or in the last year, are your expenses 00:08:30.420 --> 00:08:33.940 more than the money that came in? And if so, 00:08:34.100 --> 00:08:36.159 do you understand that's a fundamental problem? 00:08:36.460 --> 00:08:40.659 The government can do that. You can't. I mean, 00:08:40.679 --> 00:08:42.840 they can just say, hey, let's print some more 00:08:42.840 --> 00:08:46.149 money. Unfortunately, we will all end up paying 00:08:46.149 --> 00:08:50.470 for all that one way or another. And so the lie 00:08:50.470 --> 00:08:53.289 is that what we need is we need more income. 00:08:53.610 --> 00:08:55.750 And so often, well, it's a second job or we'll 00:08:55.750 --> 00:08:57.610 do this, we'll do this. Well, then your priorities 00:08:57.610 --> 00:08:59.889 get out of whack. Now, are there times for a 00:08:59.889 --> 00:09:04.769 second job? Man, of course. But by and large, 00:09:04.970 --> 00:09:08.350 your need is not more money. Your need is to 00:09:08.350 --> 00:09:11.460 adjust your spending to your income. And your 00:09:11.460 --> 00:09:15.299 income needs to flow out of not what are all 00:09:15.299 --> 00:09:17.860 the things that we think we need. But see, you 00:09:17.860 --> 00:09:20.480 got to go back to this is who we want to be. 00:09:20.759 --> 00:09:23.759 This is God's call on our life. This is what's 00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:26.159 important for our marriage. This is what's important 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:28.759 if you have children or grandchildren. These 00:09:28.759 --> 00:09:31.600 are our goals. And then, okay, we're going to 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:33.500 give first and foremost because we're going to 00:09:33.500 --> 00:09:36.480 declare that money will not be our God. Before 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:38.659 we do anything else, I'm going to make my offering 00:09:38.659 --> 00:09:42.070 to God. Second is I'm going to obey the government, 00:09:42.190 --> 00:09:43.710 so I'm going to set aside, I'm going to pay my 00:09:43.710 --> 00:09:47.029 taxes. Then I'm going to say, what do we need, 00:09:47.049 --> 00:09:49.750 you know, to live on? But before we do, even 00:09:49.750 --> 00:09:51.789 if it's small, we're going to set aside some 00:09:51.789 --> 00:09:54.909 money to save. And then you're saying, if I do 00:09:54.909 --> 00:09:56.629 all that, I'm not going to have much left. You're 00:09:56.629 --> 00:10:01.549 right. So do you need to lease a car that's $500 00:10:01.549 --> 00:10:06.350 a month? Do you need cable and Netflix and this 00:10:06.350 --> 00:10:09.539 and that? Do you need to eat out seven, eight, 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:13.000 nine times a month? That's just what happens. 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:18.500 Now you're thinking, gosh, you're talking about 00:10:18.500 --> 00:10:21.639 a completely altered lifestyle. It's called freedom. 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:30.879 It's called joy. The borrower is always a slave 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:34.039 of the lender. And you just get into bondage. 00:10:34.519 --> 00:10:38.220 And it starts small and then it mushrooms. And 00:10:38.220 --> 00:10:41.539 so all I'm saying is that that's the principle. 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:48.419 You have to spend less than what comes in. You're 00:10:48.419 --> 00:10:51.000 listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:53.940 and we'll continue in just a moment. Today's 00:10:53.940 --> 00:10:56.639 teaching is available for listening anytime over 00:10:56.639 --> 00:11:00.279 on our website, livingontheedge .org. Whether 00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:02.399 you want to listen again or share it with someone 00:11:02.399 --> 00:11:04.879 who needs encouragement, you'll find this message 00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:08.090 and hundreds more online. Plus discover small 00:11:08.090 --> 00:11:11.029 group resources and practical relationship tools 00:11:11.029 --> 00:11:14.490 designed to help you choose love daily. Check 00:11:14.490 --> 00:11:18.830 it all out at livingontheedge .org. Now let's 00:11:18.830 --> 00:11:21.690 get back to Chip's message. Often money is not 00:11:21.690 --> 00:11:23.870 the problem as we talked about. It's often just 00:11:23.870 --> 00:11:28.809 the symptom. Money solves emotional and relational 00:11:28.809 --> 00:11:33.259 problems short term by compensation. A lot of 00:11:33.259 --> 00:11:35.159 parents buy stuff for their kids because they 00:11:35.159 --> 00:11:36.960 feel guilty they're not spending quality time 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:40.080 with them. We buy gifts for one another or we 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:42.460 say silly things like, you know, it's really 00:11:42.460 --> 00:11:44.419 been a rocky time in our marriage, so let's just 00:11:44.419 --> 00:11:48.480 go to Hawaii. I mean, we're only $60 ,000 in 00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:52.980 debt. What's another 10? I mean, the logic goes 00:11:52.980 --> 00:11:56.120 like that. There's a way that seems right to 00:11:56.120 --> 00:12:00.559 a man. Proverbs 14, 12. There's a way that seems 00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:07.299 right to a woman. But the end thereof is death. 00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:13.059 And what is common for other people is death 00:12:13.059 --> 00:12:17.159 for you. The fact that they do it is the fact 00:12:17.159 --> 00:12:20.879 that you're going to see people whose marriages 00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:24.940 don't work, whose kids are entitled, whose trajectory 00:12:24.940 --> 00:12:27.120 of their life is the opposite of what you want. 00:12:27.259 --> 00:12:31.360 And yet, if you did some real hard evaluation, 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:35.899 at some level, or maybe more than you would like, 00:12:36.059 --> 00:12:38.299 or maybe you're in the deep end of the pool, 00:12:38.440 --> 00:12:41.740 and you just realize this money thing is really 00:12:41.740 --> 00:12:44.580 the thing that's causing the pressure. How do 00:12:44.580 --> 00:12:46.539 you solve the money problem? It has to begin 00:12:46.539 --> 00:12:49.059 with, it's our problem that we will solve, right? 00:12:49.820 --> 00:12:52.639 We're going to do this together. Because once 00:12:52.639 --> 00:12:55.259 the pressure happens, what do we do? It's her. 00:12:55.720 --> 00:12:57.899 Or whoever is the spender, especially, right? 00:12:58.120 --> 00:13:01.000 It's him. You know, I can't believe he bought 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:03.320 new golf clubs. I can't believe she went shopping 00:13:03.320 --> 00:13:05.220 and did this, blah, blah, blah. I can't believe, 00:13:05.379 --> 00:13:11.240 blah, blah, blah. And so you blame. You either 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:14.360 win -win or lose -lose. Second, then assessment 00:13:14.360 --> 00:13:19.220 instead of blaming. You will need to get prayed 00:13:19.220 --> 00:13:22.820 up and then say, let's sit down and see where 00:13:22.820 --> 00:13:28.240 we're at financially. So we both know. This is 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:31.200 how much actually comes in. This is how much 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:34.120 we pay in taxes. This is how much total debt 00:13:34.120 --> 00:13:36.360 we have in every area, long -term, short -term, 00:13:36.379 --> 00:13:42.539 credit card. This is how much we give. I've done 00:13:42.539 --> 00:13:45.279 this many times in season of marriage. For 30 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:47.600 days, and it's easier on your phone. There's 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:50.159 probably apps that do it now. For 30 days, Teresa 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:52.899 and I would say, we're going to track every dollar 00:13:52.899 --> 00:13:55.580 we spend for 30 days just to find out. And spend 00:13:55.580 --> 00:13:58.970 would just be normal. Just track it. It's crazy. 00:13:59.070 --> 00:14:01.129 Just by tracking it, you start spending less. 00:14:01.830 --> 00:14:04.450 And then you track it and you find, okay, this 00:14:04.450 --> 00:14:06.769 is how much on groceries. This is how much on 00:14:06.769 --> 00:14:09.529 going out to eat. This much on recreation. This 00:14:09.529 --> 00:14:12.210 much on clothes. And all of a sudden what you 00:14:12.210 --> 00:14:14.889 see is, in your mind, it's we don't have enough 00:14:14.889 --> 00:14:17.409 money to get by. And when you see where it actually 00:14:17.409 --> 00:14:22.629 goes, you'll go, can you believe we spend $142 00:14:22.629 --> 00:14:26.529 on Starbucks? I'm just telling you, we have patterns. 00:14:26.950 --> 00:14:32.409 And here, God's not mad. But those patterns, 00:14:32.649 --> 00:14:37.669 right? Those paths, there's a destination. And 00:14:37.669 --> 00:14:39.950 I just want you to know, the destination that 00:14:39.950 --> 00:14:42.049 a great majority of Christians, and maybe a lot 00:14:42.049 --> 00:14:44.730 of you are on, it's not where you want to be. 00:14:46.009 --> 00:14:49.889 So you sit down, and you'll notice the worksheet. 00:14:50.830 --> 00:14:52.690 is I've just kind of taken what other really 00:14:52.690 --> 00:14:56.309 smart people in finance, you know, in an honest 00:14:56.309 --> 00:15:00.029 appraisal, and there's a confession. Say, here's 00:15:00.029 --> 00:15:02.450 where you start. Lord, we are messed up with 00:15:02.450 --> 00:15:06.629 our money. Correction, Lord, we are messed up 00:15:06.629 --> 00:15:10.090 with your money. And since it's your money, we're 00:15:10.090 --> 00:15:12.889 going to repent. And then second, we want to 00:15:12.889 --> 00:15:16.830 have a clear conscience. We want... Not just 00:15:16.830 --> 00:15:18.850 our words, not just our thoughts, not just our 00:15:18.850 --> 00:15:21.610 actions. We want our money to be a reflection 00:15:21.610 --> 00:15:24.169 that we're living in a way that's pleasing to 00:15:24.169 --> 00:15:27.610 you. You do. You do understand. God longs to 00:15:27.610 --> 00:15:30.669 bless you. And then there's principles here, 00:15:30.789 --> 00:15:33.029 you know, about a budget and how to do it and 00:15:33.029 --> 00:15:35.529 do it together and establishing. These are all 00:15:35.529 --> 00:15:38.490 the basic principles of finances. Resolving to 00:15:38.490 --> 00:15:42.580 get out of debt. developing a plan and a time 00:15:42.580 --> 00:15:45.740 frame. Many of you, just like in other areas, 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:49.720 you'll need someone from the outside, you know, 00:15:49.740 --> 00:15:52.500 a financial counselor. Lots of churches now are 00:15:52.500 --> 00:15:55.000 doing some really good things with this. And 00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:57.200 then explore creative means to reduce spending 00:15:57.200 --> 00:15:59.720 and living costs. And then just say, Lord, we 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:04.320 want to obey you. One of the things that we did 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:07.629 after we... you know, found out how much we were 00:16:07.629 --> 00:16:10.450 spending and all, then we developed, you know, 00:16:10.470 --> 00:16:13.450 a budget sounds so harsh, doesn't it? I mean, 00:16:13.450 --> 00:16:17.590 it just sounds like budgets. So what we did is 00:16:17.590 --> 00:16:19.509 when we came up with, okay, this is where we 00:16:19.509 --> 00:16:22.269 want to be. And this is what we can afford. I 00:16:22.269 --> 00:16:26.250 know. Okay. We gave, we paid our taxes. We saved 00:16:26.250 --> 00:16:28.769 at least just if mostly the principal probably 00:16:28.769 --> 00:16:30.149 won't do a whole lot of good, but we started 00:16:30.149 --> 00:16:32.710 there and it kept growing. Now we have this much 00:16:32.710 --> 00:16:35.470 money left. Then what we did is we said, okay, 00:16:35.610 --> 00:16:40.409 groceries, literally. We went to the bank. We 00:16:40.409 --> 00:16:45.549 got cash. Okay, a family of six. Okay, $320. 00:16:45.809 --> 00:16:47.730 Put that in an envelope that says groceries. 00:16:48.450 --> 00:16:50.230 Recreation. We do want to go out a little bit. 00:16:50.309 --> 00:16:52.149 We want to do this. We want to do that. Right 00:16:52.149 --> 00:16:56.090 now, $80 for this month. That goes in another 00:16:56.090 --> 00:16:59.049 envelope. And we had like five envelopes, and 00:16:59.049 --> 00:17:04.480 you'll see how to do that. When the envelopes 00:17:04.480 --> 00:17:09.019 were empty, guess we're not going to Starbucks. 00:17:09.160 --> 00:17:12.039 Guess we're not going out to eat. And so we lived 00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:16.119 on a cash basis. And it can be different amounts, 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:20.380 but you would be shocked how your debt will come 00:17:20.380 --> 00:17:24.119 down, your freedom will go, and God will allow 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:26.799 you to get a hold of your finances. And then 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:31.220 notice what action step to begin the process. 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:35.200 And this is one where it's, in most couples, 00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:37.440 it's either a default, we don't think about it 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:41.599 a lot, or it's really an issue where there's 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:46.220 a lot of sparks. This is one of those, let's 00:17:46.220 --> 00:17:49.980 agree, let's not blame anybody. We've done that, 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:53.900 right? Second, let's not argue. That's no fun 00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:58.900 either. Let's work through this worksheet together. 00:18:00.319 --> 00:18:05.279 And let's come up with just a plan that we both 00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:08.400 agree on. And what I can tell you, I've watched 00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:12.339 this just like spiritual intimacy. When couples 00:18:12.339 --> 00:18:15.299 get on the same page in finances, and then can 00:18:15.299 --> 00:18:18.799 I just warning, warning, you know, caution light, 00:18:19.019 --> 00:18:22.440 you know, yellow, now it's red. In about two 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:24.279 or three weeks, one of you won't stick to the 00:18:24.279 --> 00:18:29.500 budget. And it's probably the spender. And one 00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:31.559 of you is like really organized, followed through, 00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:33.279 details, and the other is a little bit more big 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:35.460 picture. That's the culprit. Watch that guy. 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:40.200 And then you're going to have an argument. And 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:42.500 guess what you'll do? You'll bear with one another. 00:18:42.720 --> 00:18:45.079 You'll define the problem. You'll initiate a 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:48.460 time to talk. You have a way to solve the problem. 00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:53.619 You'll forgive one another. You'll repent. Your 00:18:53.619 --> 00:18:55.980 Starbucks is down to $4. No, I'm just kidding. 00:18:57.319 --> 00:19:04.140 Do you get it? This is one that doesn't feel 00:19:04.140 --> 00:19:07.839 like, oh, wow, what a wonderful difference it 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:14.960 will make. I will tell you, this will impact 00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:20.519 almost every area in your children. Man, it will 00:19:20.519 --> 00:19:22.799 so help them. What do you mean we can't have 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:24.900 that? What do you mean we can't buy that? Everyone, 00:19:24.980 --> 00:19:27.619 you'll have so many teachable moments when you 00:19:27.619 --> 00:19:32.500 begin to live in a way where you are wise stewards 00:19:32.500 --> 00:19:37.859 of his money and his time, of the home that you 00:19:37.859 --> 00:19:44.220 either own or rent as his steward with the income 00:19:44.220 --> 00:19:50.470 that you have. And as you do that, Venture capitalists, 00:19:50.490 --> 00:19:53.029 they look for who's the right person, the right 00:19:53.029 --> 00:19:56.029 idea, the right concept, the right need, and 00:19:56.029 --> 00:20:00.130 we want to fund it. And the ultimate venture 00:20:00.130 --> 00:20:03.849 capitalist in the universe is God. He's looking 00:20:03.849 --> 00:20:06.170 for someone that would be a good manager, that 00:20:06.170 --> 00:20:09.569 has an open heart, that would use the resources 00:20:09.569 --> 00:20:12.470 that would bring honor and glory to him, and 00:20:12.470 --> 00:20:16.990 he would really like as a byproduct. To have 00:20:16.990 --> 00:20:19.930 you really enjoy it and make you happy and probably 00:20:19.930 --> 00:20:22.089 provide some things that you would never dream. 00:20:23.269 --> 00:20:26.529 But we live in a world where I want the things 00:20:26.529 --> 00:20:34.269 now for me. And I neglect my business partner, 00:20:34.490 --> 00:20:38.289 my venture capitalist, the funder, the provider. 00:20:39.589 --> 00:20:41.750 Because, you know, no matter how much you have, 00:20:41.809 --> 00:20:44.430 haven't we learned? Man, your small business 00:20:44.430 --> 00:20:45.970 is thriving. Guess what? You're out of business. 00:20:47.529 --> 00:20:50.190 I talk with people. I spent 33 years building 00:20:50.190 --> 00:20:55.890 this company. It's gone. It's gone. So what you 00:20:55.890 --> 00:20:57.630 want is you want a financial partner that will 00:20:57.630 --> 00:21:00.690 never leave you, never forsake you. And no matter 00:21:00.690 --> 00:21:02.549 what happens or when you fail, you can always 00:21:02.549 --> 00:21:06.049 go back. And Lord, he's near to the brokenhearted. 00:21:06.130 --> 00:21:11.069 He wants to help you. This is Living on the Edge 00:21:11.069 --> 00:21:13.650 with Chip Ingram. And we're wrapping up our series, 00:21:13.829 --> 00:21:16.990 Choosing Love. Today, Chip gave us nuts and bolts 00:21:16.990 --> 00:21:19.630 guidance for becoming wise stewards of God's 00:21:19.630 --> 00:21:22.549 resources. Chip will share a final word in just 00:21:22.549 --> 00:21:25.609 a moment. Looking for more insight into biblical 00:21:25.609 --> 00:21:28.829 love? Chip's latest book, I Choose Love, takes 00:21:28.829 --> 00:21:31.170 everything we've covered in this series even 00:21:31.170 --> 00:21:34.250 deeper. The central message is simple, but life 00:21:34.250 --> 00:21:37.630 -changing. Love is a choice, not just an emotion 00:21:37.630 --> 00:21:40.829 you experience. Through Philippians chapter 2, 00:21:41.029 --> 00:21:44.289 Chip explores agape love. God's kind of love 00:21:44.289 --> 00:21:46.869 that operates completely differently than what 00:21:46.869 --> 00:21:49.789 our culture promotes. It's sacrificial. It's 00:21:49.789 --> 00:21:52.450 intentional. It puts the other person first, 00:21:52.589 --> 00:21:55.690 even when it costs you something. When you make 00:21:55.690 --> 00:21:58.289 the choice to love this way, everything shifts. 00:21:58.690 --> 00:22:02.470 Order your copy at livingontheedge .org and start 00:22:02.470 --> 00:22:05.650 experiencing the transformation in every relationship. 00:22:06.250 --> 00:22:08.230 Hey, want more of Chip's teaching throughout 00:22:08.230 --> 00:22:10.779 your week? Connect with Living on the Edge on 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:14.119 social media. We share daily encouragement, powerful 00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:16.880 teaching clips, and biblical wisdom you can apply 00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:20.079 immediately. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:23.339 by searching for Living on the Edge with Chip 00:22:23.339 --> 00:22:26.000 Ingram. And then connect with us on YouTube by 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:28.640 subscribing to Chip Ingram's channel. We look 00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:31.259 forward to seeing you there. Also, make sure 00:22:31.259 --> 00:22:33.920 you've subscribed to the Living on the Edge podcast. 00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:37.619 Our new Chip Ingram sermon podcast feature gives 00:22:37.619 --> 00:22:40.799 you Chip's full unedited messages exactly as 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:43.460 preached. Well, now, once again, here's Chip 00:22:43.460 --> 00:22:46.119 with a final word for our study, Choosing Love. 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:49.740 As we wrap up the series, I had a great time 00:22:49.740 --> 00:22:52.539 getting to teach it to those couples at the Billy 00:22:52.539 --> 00:22:55.140 Graham Center. And then I got to hear what was 00:22:55.140 --> 00:22:57.759 going on in their life as they gave me feedback 00:22:57.759 --> 00:23:00.339 and talked about, you know what? We're taking 00:23:00.339 --> 00:23:03.160 steps for spiritual intimacy. We prayed together 00:23:03.160 --> 00:23:05.740 last night and someone else told me, you know 00:23:05.740 --> 00:23:08.990 something? we never even talked about money. 00:23:09.089 --> 00:23:11.890 My husband just took care of it all. I didn't 00:23:11.890 --> 00:23:14.289 even know what was going on. Or my wife took 00:23:14.289 --> 00:23:17.410 care of it all. We actually sat down and discussed 00:23:17.410 --> 00:23:20.509 our finances. Or for others, it was, you know, 00:23:20.529 --> 00:23:23.190 this series was awesome. That little acronym 00:23:23.190 --> 00:23:26.269 of diffuse about how to resolve conflict and 00:23:26.269 --> 00:23:28.410 that little tool you gave us on communication, 00:23:28.549 --> 00:23:32.059 having a conference. have been such a help of 00:23:32.059 --> 00:23:35.400 moving us closer together. We've gotten practical 00:23:35.400 --> 00:23:37.960 skills on how to have a marriage that's deeper, 00:23:38.039 --> 00:23:40.980 actually, in keeping our love alive. And maybe 00:23:40.980 --> 00:23:43.920 you missed one of the messages or what I'm talking 00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:46.200 about, you're thinking, wow, I'd love to get 00:23:46.200 --> 00:23:48.799 those notes or I'd like to listen to this. Let 00:23:48.799 --> 00:23:51.480 me encourage you to go to the website or there 00:23:51.480 --> 00:23:54.220 on the app and listen to these messages again. 00:23:54.660 --> 00:23:57.099 Download the notes. And here's the challenge. 00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:01.240 Who do you know? that needs to hear this series, 00:24:01.400 --> 00:24:03.480 that you could send it to, that you could pray 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:05.759 for, that you could say, hey, why don't we get 00:24:05.759 --> 00:24:08.619 together? You could listen to it again. And why 00:24:08.619 --> 00:24:11.099 don't we take these notes and have discussions 00:24:11.099 --> 00:24:13.880 with two or three other couples? Why don't we 00:24:13.880 --> 00:24:16.740 get committed not just to hear about a skill, 00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:20.279 but to actually put it in practice? There is 00:24:20.279 --> 00:24:24.160 nothing that will give you greater joy or sustain 00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:26.880 your life and the things that matter most than 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:30.440 building a strong marriage. Keeping love alive 00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:33.960 takes a lot of work. Go do it. You'll be glad 00:24:33.960 --> 00:24:36.859 you did. What does God's dream for your life 00:24:36.859 --> 00:24:39.220 look like? Well, tomorrow, Chip Ingram shifts 00:24:39.220 --> 00:24:42.259 gears to reveal what normal Christianity is really 00:24:42.259 --> 00:24:45.619 supposed to be. And it might surprise you. I'm 00:24:45.619 --> 00:24:48.259 Dave Drewy. Join us tomorrow as we begin a series 00:24:48.259 --> 00:24:51.119 called God's Dream for Your Life here on Living 00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:56.750 on the Edge. Today's program is produced and 00:24:56.750 --> 00:24:58.670 sponsored by Living on the Edge.