WEBVTT 00:00:11.529 --> 00:00:14.210 Would you like to make this year the best year 00:00:14.210 --> 00:00:16.510 of your life, no matter what happens over the 00:00:16.510 --> 00:00:19.469 next 12 months, to be able to look back and see 00:00:19.469 --> 00:00:22.170 real positive change? Well, we're going to look 00:00:22.170 --> 00:00:25.309 at how to get a grip on all those demands in 00:00:25.309 --> 00:00:27.969 your life and make this year one you'll look 00:00:27.969 --> 00:00:33.009 back on and say, thank you, Lord. Welcome to 00:00:33.009 --> 00:00:35.850 this weekend edition of Living on the Edge with 00:00:35.850 --> 00:00:38.380 Chip and Greg. The mission of this daily program 00:00:38.380 --> 00:00:40.859 is to intentionally disciple Christians through 00:00:40.859 --> 00:00:42.979 the insightful Bible teaching of Chip Ingram. 00:00:43.560 --> 00:00:45.979 A few days ago, we kicked off our popular series, 00:00:46.219 --> 00:00:48.939 Balancing Life's Demands. Over the next handful 00:00:48.939 --> 00:00:51.979 of days, Chip will continue speaking to the overwhelmed, 00:00:52.259 --> 00:00:54.579 over -scheduled, and stressed out, providing 00:00:54.579 --> 00:00:57.479 some biblical remedies to live a joyful and peace 00:00:57.479 --> 00:01:00.439 -filled life. Today, we're revisiting the first 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:03.020 program in this series titled, The Peace and 00:01:03.020 --> 00:01:06.049 Power of a Prioritized Life. So if you're ready, 00:01:06.329 --> 00:01:08.590 grab your Bible and notes as we settle in for 00:01:08.590 --> 00:01:11.790 Chip's talk. Well, as we get started, we're going 00:01:11.790 --> 00:01:14.769 to talk about balancing life's demands and we're 00:01:14.769 --> 00:01:17.030 going to talk about biblical priorities. We're 00:01:17.030 --> 00:01:19.849 going to talk about aligning your life and your 00:01:19.849 --> 00:01:22.950 priorities, doing what's important in a way that 00:01:22.950 --> 00:01:26.650 God says for two purposes. One, so that you fulfill 00:01:26.650 --> 00:01:29.290 his purposes and bring glory to him. And second, 00:01:29.569 --> 00:01:31.790 because when you do that, it is good for you. 00:01:32.010 --> 00:01:35.629 His highest and best is achieved and accomplished 00:01:35.629 --> 00:01:38.310 when there is an alignment of your priorities 00:01:38.310 --> 00:01:41.250 with the way He has designed you and designed 00:01:41.250 --> 00:01:44.609 life to work. And when your priorities get out 00:01:44.609 --> 00:01:47.489 of whack, when the balance gets out of whack, 00:01:47.810 --> 00:01:51.469 it produces some painful things in you, in relationships, 00:01:51.670 --> 00:01:54.489 and often significant damage. Everyone needs 00:01:54.489 --> 00:01:58.049 to stop and look and evaluate at your priorities. 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:01.420 Is your life in balance? Is it being lived the 00:02:01.420 --> 00:02:03.939 way God wants it to, for His glory and your good? 00:02:04.700 --> 00:02:06.560 And so to do that, here's the format that we're 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:08.840 gonna use. I'm gonna give a little diagnosis. 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:11.080 I'm gonna give you six warning signs, just see 00:02:11.080 --> 00:02:13.800 those, of misplaced priorities. So I'm just gonna 00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:15.500 go through, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, and 00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:18.360 you're gonna say, hey, you know, I think my priorities 00:02:18.360 --> 00:02:20.900 are here, good, good, good, mm, better check 00:02:20.900 --> 00:02:22.900 that one. So let's jump in together, and let 00:02:22.900 --> 00:02:26.879 me give you the six. symptoms of misplaced priorities. 00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:29.800 The first symptom is busyness. You can write 00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:34.699 that word in. Busyness, but barren of fruit. 00:02:36.060 --> 00:02:38.620 If your life is characterized where you're hurrying 00:02:38.620 --> 00:02:44.050 all the time, you're rushing. Busyness. I call 00:02:44.050 --> 00:02:46.870 it the activity trap. Dawson Trotman, the founder 00:02:46.870 --> 00:02:49.969 of The Navigator said, emotion is no substitute 00:02:49.969 --> 00:02:54.289 for action and action is no substitute for productivity. 00:02:55.349 --> 00:02:59.430 Sometimes we get very, very active, very, very 00:02:59.430 --> 00:03:03.430 busy. I believe it's the new worldliness. We 00:03:03.430 --> 00:03:05.530 are important because we're busy, we're on the 00:03:05.530 --> 00:03:08.210 move. I gotta do this, I gotta do that, I'm involved 00:03:08.210 --> 00:03:12.330 in this. Second is emotional stress and pressure. 00:03:13.210 --> 00:03:16.469 anxiety. People whose priorities are out of whack 00:03:16.469 --> 00:03:20.449 have symptoms like a uptightness. They sometimes 00:03:20.449 --> 00:03:22.889 have chest pains, migraine headaches, trouble 00:03:22.889 --> 00:03:26.629 sleeping. You have this uneasy feeling. You feel 00:03:26.629 --> 00:03:29.430 restless a lot. It's hard to sit still. You wish 00:03:29.430 --> 00:03:31.930 you could get your mind to slow down. Sometimes 00:03:31.930 --> 00:03:35.990 you find yourself going, I just need to take 00:03:35.990 --> 00:03:39.729 a deep breath. because the RPMs inside your head, 00:03:39.770 --> 00:03:42.210 you're multitasking about everything all the 00:03:42.210 --> 00:03:47.129 time. There's no windows of real rest. The third 00:03:47.129 --> 00:03:51.650 is what I call low -grade nagging guilt. You 00:03:51.650 --> 00:03:54.990 feel bad about yourself. Again, it's not just 00:03:54.990 --> 00:03:57.430 the restless feeling, but it's not fulfilled. 00:03:57.490 --> 00:03:59.370 There's a lot of things that you know you're 00:03:59.370 --> 00:04:01.610 supposed to do. In fact, you did them in the 00:04:01.610 --> 00:04:04.789 past. You actually tell other people they should 00:04:04.789 --> 00:04:07.729 do them, but you don't do them anymore. The fourth 00:04:07.729 --> 00:04:12.930 is financial debt, financial problems. God speaks 00:04:12.930 --> 00:04:16.689 through your money. Jot down just in your notes, 00:04:16.870 --> 00:04:20.279 Habakkuk 1, verses 1 to 10. God speaks to the 00:04:20.279 --> 00:04:22.079 prophet, and here's a paraphrase of those 10 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:24.699 verses. Because they were building their own 00:04:24.699 --> 00:04:27.259 homes and their paneled houses and neglected 00:04:27.259 --> 00:04:30.259 the house of the Lord, God put holes in their 00:04:30.259 --> 00:04:34.040 purses. They made money, but it seemed to evaporate. 00:04:34.259 --> 00:04:36.639 God was lovingly trying to get their attention. 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:39.379 You can't figure it out. You know, we're making 00:04:39.379 --> 00:04:41.019 this much money. We're making more money than 00:04:41.019 --> 00:04:45.879 we ever have, but it just seems like, oh, it 00:04:45.879 --> 00:04:51.839 seems like God puts holes. in our finances. That's 00:04:51.839 --> 00:04:55.339 because he loves you. He's trying to get your 00:04:55.339 --> 00:04:59.740 attention. The fifth symptom of misplaced priorities 00:04:59.740 --> 00:05:02.240 is prayerlessness or leakage in the devotional 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:05.420 life. If the truth is known and you hope the 00:05:05.420 --> 00:05:08.089 truth doesn't get known. but your deepest times 00:05:08.089 --> 00:05:11.149 in prayer are in the car by yourself. Most of 00:05:11.149 --> 00:05:13.410 your prayers are very quick. Mostly the best 00:05:13.410 --> 00:05:15.750 times are with other people. You have a hard 00:05:15.750 --> 00:05:17.709 time concentrating by yourself because it's been 00:05:17.709 --> 00:05:21.290 a very long time since you had an extended, honest, 00:05:21.689 --> 00:05:24.509 repentant, tearful cleaning of the slate with 00:05:24.509 --> 00:05:27.550 you and God. The final was escapism behavior. 00:05:28.370 --> 00:05:30.689 For us good Christians, it's just a lot of excessive 00:05:30.689 --> 00:05:35.120 TV and a lot of time on email. And a lot of time 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:37.639 doing things that make us feel like we're accomplishing 00:05:37.639 --> 00:05:39.459 something because down deep we don't know where 00:05:39.459 --> 00:05:43.120 we're going and Our North Star feels like it's 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:46.360 moved and you don't know is there any way out? 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:50.160 And I wish that did not describe an awful lot 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:52.720 of believers lives But I will tell you as we 00:05:52.720 --> 00:05:55.199 get thousands upon thousands of emails. I hear 00:05:55.199 --> 00:05:59.750 it over and over and over and over In conclusion, 00:05:59.910 --> 00:06:01.910 these symptoms are always in our minds. They're 00:06:01.910 --> 00:06:04.170 temporary, they're just small concessions. I 00:06:04.170 --> 00:06:06.050 mean like one or two of those sayings, it doesn't 00:06:06.050 --> 00:06:08.350 mean you're like out to lunch and you don't love 00:06:08.350 --> 00:06:10.250 God anymore, you're ready for a divorce next 00:06:10.250 --> 00:06:12.370 week. They all start as just a little thing and 00:06:12.370 --> 00:06:14.250 you're gonna fix them next week and as soon as 00:06:14.250 --> 00:06:17.250 this season's over, when this, you know, but 00:06:17.250 --> 00:06:20.730 here's what I want you to hear. They all begin 00:06:20.730 --> 00:06:26.069 a process. The big falls always start with little 00:06:26.069 --> 00:06:29.220 things like this. and one or two that you juggle, 00:06:29.339 --> 00:06:33.019 and then pretty soon there's three or four. He 00:06:33.019 --> 00:06:34.959 who is faithful in a very little thing will be 00:06:34.959 --> 00:06:37.180 faithful also in much, and he who is unrighteous 00:06:37.180 --> 00:06:39.860 in a very little thing, Luke 16, 10, will be 00:06:39.860 --> 00:06:43.579 unrighteous also in much. And we're gonna get 00:06:43.579 --> 00:06:45.360 reconnected as a couple when, and the family 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:46.899 will start some of that devotional stuff again, 00:06:46.899 --> 00:06:48.259 and we'll get our finances in order, and I'll 00:06:48.259 --> 00:06:50.779 be able to give like I used to, and I know we 00:06:50.779 --> 00:06:52.959 need to have a budget, but I mean, those credit 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:55.019 cards, hey, you know what, everyone has a window 00:06:55.019 --> 00:06:58.720 like this, but it's real temporary because, and 00:06:58.720 --> 00:07:04.759 yeah, it's not a life or death deal. But 2 Samuel 00:07:04.759 --> 00:07:07.660 11, verses one and two says, at the time when 00:07:07.660 --> 00:07:14.110 kings went out to battle. Priority issue. After 00:07:14.110 --> 00:07:18.709 great success, at the time when kings went out 00:07:18.709 --> 00:07:22.649 to battle, when a king did what a good king's 00:07:22.649 --> 00:07:26.709 supposed to do, David decided he'd stay home. 00:07:27.829 --> 00:07:31.750 And then Bathsheba and Uriah get pinned in his 00:07:31.750 --> 00:07:35.689 autobiography. These symptoms start to weave 00:07:35.689 --> 00:07:38.029 into your life and you get vulnerable and you 00:07:38.029 --> 00:07:41.230 get hurt and you just want some relief and you 00:07:41.230 --> 00:07:43.569 never think it's possible for someone who loves 00:07:43.569 --> 00:07:46.129 God the way you love God for any of that to ever 00:07:46.129 --> 00:07:47.829 happen, but the right place at the right time 00:07:47.829 --> 00:07:49.649 in a weak moment with these things happening, 00:07:49.750 --> 00:07:54.250 bang. And all of a sudden, you're the feature 00:07:54.250 --> 00:07:59.939 film in your own nightmare. Those... are the 00:07:59.939 --> 00:08:02.500 symptoms? And it raises a very important question 00:08:02.500 --> 00:08:06.819 then. If those are the symptoms, then what are 00:08:06.819 --> 00:08:10.800 the right priorities? I mean, God, help! What 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:14.540 are the right priorities? And I like to say that 00:08:14.540 --> 00:08:16.699 I would like you to turn in your Bibles to First 00:08:16.699 --> 00:08:21.899 Priorities 1 -9. But I don't have that, you know. 00:08:22.620 --> 00:08:24.220 But there's two books that were written about 00:08:24.220 --> 00:08:25.939 the same time. They're called The Twin Epistles, 00:08:25.959 --> 00:08:28.519 and I put a chart in your notes. In the Twin 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:32.759 Epistles, one is written to say, church, first 00:08:32.759 --> 00:08:35.659 three chapters, this is what Christ has done 00:08:35.659 --> 00:08:38.600 for you. Last three chapters of Ephesians, this 00:08:38.600 --> 00:08:42.220 is how to live it out. Colossians, church, this 00:08:42.220 --> 00:08:45.379 is the preeminence of who Jesus is, and this 00:08:45.379 --> 00:08:48.039 is how he wants you to live. Last two chapters, 00:08:48.200 --> 00:08:50.679 and this is how you live it out. Written about 00:08:50.679 --> 00:08:53.779 the same time. Now what I want you to see is 00:08:53.779 --> 00:08:57.200 sometimes the structure of a book. can tell you 00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:00.100 as much as the content. And so the first half 00:09:00.100 --> 00:09:04.379 of both those books are all doctrine. This is 00:09:04.379 --> 00:09:06.559 who Jesus is. This is your relationship with 00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:08.700 Him. This is who you are in Christ. This is your 00:09:08.700 --> 00:09:10.539 adoptance. This is your inheritance. This is 00:09:10.539 --> 00:09:13.039 what you actually possess. And then if you look 00:09:13.039 --> 00:09:16.139 at those charts, when they start talking about 00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:18.779 how to live it out, chapter four opens. I love 00:09:18.779 --> 00:09:21.240 chapter four, verse one. I, Paul, a prisoner 00:09:21.240 --> 00:09:25.059 of the Lord, what's he say? Urge you command 00:09:25.059 --> 00:09:28.539 you to walk in a manner worthy of your calling 00:09:28.539 --> 00:09:31.120 and that word for worthy is it's a if we get 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:35.080 our English word access and It's this idea of 00:09:35.080 --> 00:09:37.379 for three chapters. I've told you all that you 00:09:37.379 --> 00:09:41.840 possess beliefs now let your behavior bring it 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:44.700 into balance so that your beliefs and your behavior 00:09:44.700 --> 00:09:48.379 tell the same story and The whole rest of the 00:09:48.379 --> 00:09:51.679 book is how you do that and it's really interesting 00:09:51.789 --> 00:09:53.629 And this is why small groups are so important. 00:09:54.909 --> 00:09:57.009 He doesn't tell you right after that to go to 00:09:57.009 --> 00:10:01.710 church, read your Bible, or he starts with relational 00:10:01.710 --> 00:10:07.129 issues. Then he says, with all gentleness and 00:10:07.129 --> 00:10:11.230 humility, bearing with one another, with patience, 00:10:12.049 --> 00:10:15.610 making every effort to maintain the bond that 00:10:15.610 --> 00:10:19.769 you already have of peace. You're listening to 00:10:19.769 --> 00:10:22.230 Living on the Edge. Before we hear the rest of 00:10:22.230 --> 00:10:24.570 Chip's message, let me remind you that we are 00:10:24.570 --> 00:10:27.250 a listener -supported ministry. Your regular 00:10:27.250 --> 00:10:29.929 gifts help us create programs like this one, 00:10:30.190 --> 00:10:32.789 develop new resources, and encourage pastors 00:10:32.789 --> 00:10:35.870 globally. Prayerfully consider becoming a monthly 00:10:35.870 --> 00:10:39.570 partner today. Then go to livingontheedge .org 00:10:39.570 --> 00:10:42.429 to give a gift. Thanks so much for your support. 00:10:43.009 --> 00:10:46.009 Well, here again is Chip. And so what I want 00:10:46.009 --> 00:10:48.740 you to see is When he opens up each of those 00:10:48.740 --> 00:10:51.720 chapters, notice the topic, Colossians 3, how 00:10:51.720 --> 00:10:58.000 it starts. How it starts, you have God, mate, 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:03.559 family, work, ministry, and it's not in here, 00:11:03.639 --> 00:11:06.379 but implied elsewhere, is you have kind of recreation. 00:11:07.659 --> 00:11:10.299 You know, there's a need to get recharged. And 00:11:10.299 --> 00:11:12.019 so I think it's just interesting as you go through 00:11:12.019 --> 00:11:14.789 those passages, it's okay. In Ephesians 5, we're 00:11:14.789 --> 00:11:16.529 gonna learn that, hey, I need to be filled with 00:11:16.529 --> 00:11:18.129 the Spirit, my relationship with God. It goes 00:11:18.129 --> 00:11:20.090 from right there to my marriage, to my children, 00:11:20.350 --> 00:11:24.370 to my work, and then to my ministry. Now, the 00:11:24.370 --> 00:11:25.970 problem, I think, when we look at priorities, 00:11:26.009 --> 00:11:29.379 however, is we tend to view them linearly. You 00:11:29.379 --> 00:11:31.419 know what I mean? Like in a straight line. And 00:11:31.419 --> 00:11:32.799 so here's how I used to think about priorities. 00:11:33.220 --> 00:11:35.399 Problem is it didn't work. God is first in my 00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:38.200 life. Good. I love you, God. Okay, my wife is 00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:40.139 second. Teresa, okay, I love you. God, Teresa, 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:42.120 God, Teresa, I got that one down. Okay, hold 00:11:42.120 --> 00:11:44.299 on, what's it gonna say? Family, family, kids, 00:11:44.539 --> 00:11:46.919 kids, okay. God, Teresa, kids, that's good. Okay, 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:48.360 now what comes after that? Ministry? No, no, 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:51.419 no, it doesn't say it. What's it say? Work. Work? 00:11:51.580 --> 00:11:53.080 Yeah, because that's your first ministry. That's 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:55.120 where you spend 60, 70 % of your time. Okay. 00:11:55.840 --> 00:11:57.720 And then it would be like, well, wait a second, 00:11:57.960 --> 00:11:59.940 Teresa's sick, but Teresa, I would love to help 00:11:59.940 --> 00:12:02.440 you. I know you're vomiting on the couch, but 00:12:02.440 --> 00:12:04.539 God's more important. So I'm going to have my 00:12:04.539 --> 00:12:07.039 quiet time. See you later, honey. See, they don't 00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:10.320 work that way. Life's very confusing. It's very 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:12.559 demanding. You're pulled in different ways. And 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:15.259 so I put a picture. This is kind of a picture 00:12:15.259 --> 00:12:17.460 that's really, really helped me with priorities. 00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:21.279 It's a fountain. Okay, it's a multi -tiered fountain. 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:25.019 And here's what I want you to, let me read one 00:12:25.019 --> 00:12:28.759 verse and jot this passage because it's really 00:12:28.759 --> 00:12:31.139 powerful. Jesus is speaking to the woman at the 00:12:31.139 --> 00:12:35.460 well. And I'm in John four, I'll read both 13 00:12:35.460 --> 00:12:37.940 for context and 14. And he says to the woman 00:12:37.940 --> 00:12:40.379 at the well, everyone who drinks the water. This 00:12:40.379 --> 00:12:43.539 water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks 00:12:43.539 --> 00:12:47.019 the water I give him will never thirst again. 00:12:47.299 --> 00:12:50.100 Indeed, the water that I give him will become 00:12:50.100 --> 00:12:54.080 in him a spring of water, welling up to eternal 00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:58.259 life. Welling up to eternal life. You might jot 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:01.340 down Proverbs 423. Solomon would say the same 00:13:01.340 --> 00:13:04.500 thing. Watch over your heart with all diligence 00:13:04.500 --> 00:13:08.320 for from it flow the issues of life. And so what 00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:10.580 I want you to see is I want you to imagine, you 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:14.120 know, that top rung where it has God. I would 00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:16.139 like you to imagine there's little slits in it, 00:13:16.299 --> 00:13:20.879 little V's. And each one of these, God, your 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:24.899 mate, your family, your work, your ministry, 00:13:25.379 --> 00:13:27.179 is I want you to imagine they have those little 00:13:27.179 --> 00:13:30.740 slits. And here's how priorities actually work. 00:13:31.940 --> 00:13:35.279 Living in you is the Spirit of God. In John 6, 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:38.019 he would say, the word that I speak to you is 00:13:38.019 --> 00:13:41.340 spirit and it is truth. And dwelling in you is 00:13:41.340 --> 00:13:43.659 the same power that raised Christ from the dead. 00:13:43.940 --> 00:13:46.500 And what our priorities are really all about 00:13:46.500 --> 00:13:50.159 is what do you need in your relationship with 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:53.559 Jesus and the Father and the Spirit so that you're 00:13:53.559 --> 00:13:56.440 full of Him, so that there is connection and 00:13:56.440 --> 00:14:00.059 abiding, so it can overflow into your relationship 00:14:00.059 --> 00:14:02.919 with your mate. And he'll show you what's it 00:14:02.919 --> 00:14:05.019 look like, how much time. I don't know what you 00:14:05.019 --> 00:14:07.960 need, but I know it's the word, it's prayer, 00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:10.480 it's the community of believers and its application. 00:14:10.820 --> 00:14:14.580 And you walk and abide with Christ. And then 00:14:14.580 --> 00:14:17.360 the overflow of that is you treat your mate empowered 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:20.059 by the Holy Spirit. And then that overflows to 00:14:20.059 --> 00:14:23.539 your kids. And that overflows to a high capacity, 00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:25.799 nurtured, loved husband or wife who walks through 00:14:25.799 --> 00:14:28.600 the door and goes to work. And then your work 00:14:28.600 --> 00:14:31.019 is done in the power of the Spirit with the support 00:14:31.019 --> 00:14:33.059 of those relationships. And people wish they 00:14:33.059 --> 00:14:36.139 had a boss like you or an employee like you because 00:14:36.139 --> 00:14:39.179 of who shows up. And then your work is a testimony 00:14:39.179 --> 00:14:41.960 and then your ministry in local church or kingdom 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:45.299 expansion. Do you see the difference? And so 00:14:45.299 --> 00:14:48.379 it's a fluid thing. And it's the Spirit of God 00:14:48.379 --> 00:14:50.659 leading and showing you in this situation on 00:14:50.659 --> 00:14:52.820 this day. Now, you develop certain structures 00:14:52.820 --> 00:14:54.759 we're gonna talk about. I mean, there's certain 00:14:54.759 --> 00:14:56.460 things I need to do with my time on a regular 00:14:56.460 --> 00:14:58.620 basis. Certain things I need to do, develop that 00:14:58.620 --> 00:15:01.419 with my wife, with my God, with my kids, in my 00:15:01.419 --> 00:15:04.480 work, and we'll talk about those. But don't think 00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:06.580 of them as just linear. It never works that way. 00:15:07.100 --> 00:15:11.080 Just a linear one, two, three, four. Think about 00:15:11.080 --> 00:15:15.210 it as what do you need in every relationship 00:15:15.210 --> 00:15:19.950 so that the Spirit of God can allow love that 00:15:19.950 --> 00:15:22.289 you possess in your relationship with Jesus to 00:15:22.289 --> 00:15:25.490 come out of you into that relationship. And so 00:15:25.490 --> 00:15:28.070 you, especially if you're married with your wife 00:15:28.070 --> 00:15:31.409 or husband, love in such a way that that flows 00:15:31.409 --> 00:15:35.210 into the life of your kids. And you know what? 00:15:35.250 --> 00:15:37.269 If it's not happening here, don't export it. 00:15:37.699 --> 00:15:40.100 See, what people do is they get the flow in their 00:15:40.100 --> 00:15:42.740 relationship with God, and maybe, but often not 00:15:42.740 --> 00:15:44.639 with their mate. And then, you know, since you 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:47.240 get a lot more strokes at work, then they take 00:15:47.240 --> 00:15:50.480 all that energy and take it to work. Or what 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:53.840 a lot of women tend to do is they may have it 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:56.279 with God, and pretty soon, there's all these 00:15:56.279 --> 00:15:57.840 needs, and there's such fulfillment, and mommy, 00:15:57.860 --> 00:15:59.519 I love you, and I need you, and you helped my 00:15:59.519 --> 00:16:00.620 need, and you did this, and you helped me with 00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:01.960 my homework, you're the most wonderful person, 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:06.029 and that nurturing, and pretty soon. Her second 00:16:06.029 --> 00:16:10.129 priority becomes the kids. So he goes to work, 00:16:10.730 --> 00:16:13.309 she loves the kids, and they reconnect after 00:16:13.309 --> 00:16:16.190 25 years of marriage. And that's why, other than 00:16:16.190 --> 00:16:18.809 the first five years of marriage, the most dangerous 00:16:18.809 --> 00:16:23.350 zone of divorce is about 20 to 25, or 25 to 27 00:16:23.350 --> 00:16:24.970 years, depending on when your kids leave the 00:16:24.970 --> 00:16:29.950 nest. Priorities are about walking in the spirit, 00:16:29.990 --> 00:16:32.889 and you can see a clear structure, but you don't 00:16:32.889 --> 00:16:39.039 necessarily do them. One, two, three, four. Dwight 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:42.279 Eisenhower made an interesting comment as president. 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:46.500 He said, the urgent is rarely important and the 00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:51.159 important is rarely urgent. The things that matter 00:16:51.159 --> 00:16:54.120 most, the things that will just take you down 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:56.740 the road and help you become the person you long 00:16:56.740 --> 00:16:59.240 to be, there's no gun to your head that says 00:16:59.240 --> 00:17:01.759 develop a deep, intimate relationship with God. 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:05.420 Study his word. when there's 15 emails or 150 00:17:05.420 --> 00:17:10.279 emails to answer. Well, how do you get ahold 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:13.779 of them? I mean, how do you get a grip on it? 00:17:14.180 --> 00:17:17.059 We've looked at six ways that say, you know what, 00:17:17.539 --> 00:17:20.039 these are indicators. These are like six lights 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:23.480 on the dashboard of your life telling you what's 00:17:23.480 --> 00:17:26.059 going on in your soul. And you know what, if 00:17:26.059 --> 00:17:28.059 you got two or three of those flashing, God's 00:17:28.059 --> 00:17:31.220 saying, hey, time out. And by the way, something 00:17:31.220 --> 00:17:34.269 I want you to hear, It will require, this is 00:17:34.269 --> 00:17:36.990 not one of those issues that you say, oh, I heard 00:17:36.990 --> 00:17:39.069 from God. I'm going to start tomorrow and everything 00:17:39.069 --> 00:17:41.690 will be fine. You didn't get your priorities 00:17:41.690 --> 00:17:44.269 where they are that affects so many relationships 00:17:44.269 --> 00:17:47.769 like overnight. They don't change overnight. 00:17:49.170 --> 00:17:53.750 Someone has said significant lasting change never 00:17:53.750 --> 00:17:59.589 occurs without serious prolonged thinking. The 00:17:59.589 --> 00:18:03.849 issue is not tweaking something. I'm not an expert, 00:18:04.069 --> 00:18:05.650 but I can just tell you, this is a smart group 00:18:05.650 --> 00:18:08.890 of people. If tweaking your priorities worked, 00:18:09.450 --> 00:18:11.819 they would already be fixed. Because you're smart 00:18:11.819 --> 00:18:14.359 people. I'm telling you, for many of you, what 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:17.000 you have to realize is, what is my purpose? Why 00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:19.619 am I here? What season am I in? And it's not 00:18:19.619 --> 00:18:21.900 tweaking. It's saying, I've got all these things 00:18:21.900 --> 00:18:23.759 on my plate. That doesn't belong on my plate. 00:18:23.839 --> 00:18:26.119 That's not God's will. That's expectations. That 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:28.119 doesn't belong on my plate. That was for the 00:18:28.119 --> 00:18:30.339 last season, but now this doesn't belong on my 00:18:30.339 --> 00:18:32.740 plate. Wait, this does, but I've got to make 00:18:32.740 --> 00:18:34.779 room. But that's really good, and I've always 00:18:34.779 --> 00:18:36.200 done it, and I love it. And people give me so 00:18:36.200 --> 00:18:40.920 many lordship. OK, Lord, this does. Sort of take 00:18:40.920 --> 00:18:45.740 time to think to ponder Priorities and balancing 00:18:45.740 --> 00:18:48.819 your life really have to do with getting really 00:18:48.819 --> 00:18:52.140 clear on who you are What God wants you to do 00:18:52.140 --> 00:18:55.059 and then getting a sense of holy urgency and 00:18:55.059 --> 00:19:02.279 realizing life is passing And you're gonna die 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:07.599 and I'm gonna die and this unconscious human 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:10.440 thought that we had that You know, I'm gonna 00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:13.319 kinda work on that next week. You know, you gotta 00:19:13.319 --> 00:19:15.920 stop. I mean, that's why coaches, I mean, they 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:18.180 just call time out. The momentum's going this 00:19:18.180 --> 00:19:19.859 way. They've scored three times in a row. Hey, 00:19:20.019 --> 00:19:21.579 I don't know what we're doing, but it's not the 00:19:21.579 --> 00:19:26.779 right thing. And some of us, we have those misplaced 00:19:26.779 --> 00:19:28.859 priorities and some of you have four or five 00:19:28.859 --> 00:19:32.299 of those symptoms. And instead of stopping and 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:35.980 saying, whoa, I gotta really reevaluate, we go 00:19:35.980 --> 00:19:43.740 faster. I'll multitask more. This is Living on 00:19:43.740 --> 00:19:46.180 the Edge with Chip Ingram, and you've been listening 00:19:46.180 --> 00:19:48.559 to part one of Chip's message, The Peace and 00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:51.539 Power of a Prioritized Life from our series, 00:19:51.859 --> 00:19:54.740 Balancing Life's Demands. Chip will be back shortly 00:19:54.740 --> 00:19:57.200 to share some helpful application for us to think 00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:00.049 about. Are you overwhelmed by the pressure to 00:20:00.049 --> 00:20:03.130 do more, have more, and achieve more? In this 00:20:03.130 --> 00:20:05.910 10 -part series, Chip provides practical biblical 00:20:05.910 --> 00:20:09.049 steps to help you move your life from chaos to 00:20:09.049 --> 00:20:12.049 contentment. Discover how to align your priorities 00:20:12.049 --> 00:20:15.210 around God's vision for your life and the discipline 00:20:15.210 --> 00:20:17.829 to not only put first things first, but keep 00:20:17.829 --> 00:20:19.869 them there. You're not going to want to miss 00:20:19.869 --> 00:20:23.210 a single program of this series. Well, Chip's 00:20:23.210 --> 00:20:25.829 back in studio with me now. And Chip, with summertime 00:20:25.829 --> 00:20:28.609 ending and fall routine settling back in, this 00:20:28.609 --> 00:20:30.630 is a time when a lot of people rethink their 00:20:30.630 --> 00:20:33.089 schedules and priorities. So why do you think 00:20:33.089 --> 00:20:35.210 it's so difficult for us to balance the many 00:20:35.210 --> 00:20:38.470 demands on our lives? Well, I think it's always 00:20:38.470 --> 00:20:41.589 been hard. And we live in a world that a great 00:20:41.589 --> 00:20:45.779 majority of people are overwhelmed. overcommitted 00:20:45.779 --> 00:20:49.480 and exhausted unless you identify where you're 00:20:49.480 --> 00:20:53.539 at, Dave. Unless you begin to think about who 00:20:53.539 --> 00:20:57.039 do I want to become and what's a strategy and 00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:59.640 a plan that aligns with our calendar and our 00:20:59.640 --> 00:21:02.730 schedules. but it really got to get a hold of 00:21:02.730 --> 00:21:06.170 some key things like your time, your energy, 00:21:06.529 --> 00:21:11.849 your money, and rethink those first so that what 00:21:11.849 --> 00:21:15.289 gets played out in terms of our family, our calendars, 00:21:15.289 --> 00:21:18.650 and our work just doesn't multiply the way it 00:21:18.650 --> 00:21:23.089 is. I mean, I am guilty of trying to accomplish 00:21:23.089 --> 00:21:26.029 more in a week, more in a day, more in a year 00:21:26.029 --> 00:21:31.160 than I can. As people listened, To this message, 00:21:31.359 --> 00:21:33.619 I think they heard a number of symptoms. They'll 00:21:33.619 --> 00:21:36.819 think, oh my, how could anyone ever know about 00:21:36.819 --> 00:21:39.599 these things? Well, it's because I've lived them. 00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:43.140 And what I long for people to do is be able to 00:21:43.140 --> 00:21:46.799 break out of this cycle. I still struggle, but 00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:49.759 I've really broken out of it in major ways. And 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:53.059 I have to recalibrate. Sometimes it's every six 00:21:53.059 --> 00:21:56.259 or eight months. Sometimes it's a big recalibration. 00:21:56.799 --> 00:21:59.140 like I did just about two, three months ago, 00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:02.019 where I just said, I have to rethink my whole 00:22:02.019 --> 00:22:04.559 calendar and my whole focus for the next year. 00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:08.940 And so we want to give people God's word on how 00:22:08.940 --> 00:22:11.079 to do that. Well, thanks for that setup, Chip. 00:22:11.420 --> 00:22:13.420 Well, I hope you'll continue listening to this 00:22:13.420 --> 00:22:15.880 series. And even though we're about halfway through 00:22:15.880 --> 00:22:18.380 this study, encourage a few friends to listen 00:22:18.380 --> 00:22:20.579 with you, either through the Chip Ingram app 00:22:20.579 --> 00:22:23.539 or wherever you listen to podcasts. Well, with 00:22:23.539 --> 00:22:26.269 that, here again is Chip. You know, the older 00:22:26.269 --> 00:22:30.109 I get, I realize that life is lived in seasons. 00:22:30.789 --> 00:22:33.369 You know, there's different seasons and there's 00:22:33.369 --> 00:22:36.009 different priorities in different seasons. Whether 00:22:36.009 --> 00:22:38.369 you're kind of like young and a student, there's 00:22:38.369 --> 00:22:40.970 a set of priorities and, you know, life changes 00:22:40.970 --> 00:22:43.890 for many. You get married, you have kids, empty 00:22:43.890 --> 00:22:46.509 nester, grandparents. Some of you are grandparents 00:22:46.509 --> 00:22:51.150 raising kids again. Physical limitations, job 00:22:51.150 --> 00:22:55.220 and career changes. Every season of life demands 00:22:55.220 --> 00:22:59.240 that we stop, begin to ask ourselves, Lord, what 00:22:59.240 --> 00:23:02.759 season am I in? And are the priorities that I 00:23:02.759 --> 00:23:05.400 have right now the priorities that you want me 00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:08.119 to have? We're going to go on a journey about 00:23:08.119 --> 00:23:10.700 balancing life's demands. And let's face it, 00:23:10.700 --> 00:23:13.519 most of us, and at least everybody I know, we 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:15.859 try to take on too much. We're really busy. We 00:23:15.859 --> 00:23:18.799 feel overwhelmed. This series is about helping 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:22.869 you balance and align your life. But I just want 00:23:22.869 --> 00:23:26.289 to warn you, it takes courage to evaluate, what 00:23:26.289 --> 00:23:28.690 am I going to let go of? Because it almost always 00:23:28.690 --> 00:23:31.490 means that someone gets a little bit disappointed. 00:23:31.750 --> 00:23:34.829 But here's the good news. Your life is given 00:23:34.829 --> 00:23:37.289 to you by God. He's got a set of priorities. 00:23:37.569 --> 00:23:40.089 He wants you to richly enjoy it. And when you're 00:23:40.089 --> 00:23:42.609 doing what he wants you to do, it's not just 00:23:42.609 --> 00:23:45.309 good for you. It's best for everyone around you. 00:23:45.609 --> 00:23:47.690 Hope you'll stay with us for this entire series. 00:23:47.809 --> 00:23:49.269 I think it's going to be a great time together. 00:23:49.480 --> 00:23:51.720 Looking forward to learning more from this teaching 00:23:51.720 --> 00:23:54.420 chip. As we wrap up, I want to thank those of 00:23:54.420 --> 00:23:56.640 you who make this program possible through your 00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:59.460 generous financial support. Your gifts help us 00:23:59.460 --> 00:24:02.220 create programs, purchase airtime, and develop 00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:04.640 additional resources to help Christians live 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:06.920 like Christians. Now, if you've been blessed 00:24:06.920 --> 00:24:09.019 by the ministry of Living on the Edge, would 00:24:09.019 --> 00:24:11.480 you consider sending a gift today? You can do 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:15.220 that by visiting livingontheedge .org or by calling 00:24:15.220 --> 00:24:23.099 888 -333 -6003. That's 888 -333 -6003 or visit 00:24:23.099 --> 00:24:27.420 livingontheedge .org. App listeners, tap Donate. 00:24:27.549 --> 00:24:30.009 We want you to know how much we appreciate your 00:24:30.009 --> 00:24:32.390 support. You've been listening to a selected 00:24:32.390 --> 00:24:34.710 program that we wanted to share from this past 00:24:34.710 --> 00:24:37.529 week. To hear more from Chip's series, Balancing 00:24:37.529 --> 00:24:41.410 Life's Demands, go to livingontheedge .org or 00:24:41.410 --> 00:24:44.390 wherever you listen to podcasts. Until next time, 00:24:44.630 --> 00:24:46.869 I'm Dave Druy saying thanks for listening to 00:24:46.869 --> 00:24:49.470 this weekend edition of Living on the Edge.