Latest / Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast / Understanding the Journey

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Understanding the Journey · Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast

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Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
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Did you know that the happiest, healthiest, and
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most fulfilled people in the world all have one
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thing in common? Today we're going to learn what
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that is and how we can make it a part of our
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lives. Welcome to Living on the Edge. I'm Dave
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Drewy. You know, most of us were never taught
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to think of generosity as a spiritual journey.
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let alone one with measurable rewards. But Chip
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Ingram is here to make the case that living generously
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may be the single most logical, most rewarding
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way to arrange your entire life. From the science
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of what generosity does to your brain, to what
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Moses asked God to show him on the mountain.
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Today's lesson will challenge everything you
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thought you knew about giving. And later, Chip
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will share something important about our mid
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-year match you don't want to miss. But first,
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here's Chip Ingram with his message titled, Understanding
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the Journey. So I was a brand new pastor, super
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nervous. And it was my first Easter. And so we
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knew that the little church at 35 would probably
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mushroom to 50 people. And I was just, I mean,
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beside myself. I couldn't sleep all night and
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I'd worked on the message and it still wasn't
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very good. And so I went into the office about
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4 a .m. And 5 .30 or so, the sun was coming up
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and probably wasn't a really good plan, but I
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so wanted to do a good job. And then across the
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street was a small African -American church where
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we've made some friends. And I heard a car door
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slam and I thought, it's dawn, I wonder what's
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going on. And I saw a yellow, bright Cadillac
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pull up. And then I saw a man that I recognized
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who was the chairman of our board. He's a guy
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who came to Christ late. His name was John. And
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I watched he and his wife got out in the pre
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-dawn hours. And all along, there was all these
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steps, probably 25 steps. And they put baskets
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of fruit and all kind of different things all
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across. And then a little bit later, those people
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came to church. And it was, well, my lads, who
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brought this? Did you do this, sister? And they
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can't figure out what's going on. And I just
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watched it grow and grow and grow. And then people
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came over and said, well, did you all do this?
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Where did this come from? And people were just
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so excited and blessed. And pretty soon they're
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picking it up and sharing it with one another.
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And I never, I dared not say a word. And of course,
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I never told John. I saw who did it. generosity,
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going out of our way to love people is at the
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heart of worship. Jesus said it was more blessed
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to give than to receive. I don't think you turn
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on a faucet and you become generous overnight.
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And so I want to ask and answer five questions
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because what I realized when I grew up, if you
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would have asked me, am I generous? I think I
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would have said yes. And yet when I look back,
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I don't think I was generous at all because I
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didn't understand it. And so first let's ask
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question number one is, what's it mean to be
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generous? So a definition, this is Webster's.
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It's showing a readiness to freely give or share
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money or other valuable things. Notice providing
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more than the amount needed or normal. It's giving
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in abundance, ample, showing kindness and concern
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for others. And sometimes, you know, when you
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get a definition, I like to ask, so what are,
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get your arms around it, what are some synonyms?
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People that are generous or liberal, lavish,
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magnanimous, open -handed, free -handed, bountiful,
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unselfish, ungrudging, benevolent, charitable,
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big -hearted, free, noble, honorable, good. I
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don't know about you, I would love To have some
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people drinking coffee and talking about me and
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using just some of those words, wouldn't you?
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I mean, aren't those the kind of words you would
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just long for someone to say, oh man, she's so
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big hearted. They're so magnanimous. They're
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so generous. They're so unselfish. Another way
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to get your arms around a concept is to ask,
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so what's the opposite? Antonyms. The opposite
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of being generous is mean, stingy, selfish, meager,
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miserly, unwilling to share, cheap, greedy, tight,
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unkind, thrift, and self -seeking. Now, you don't
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need to raise your hand. Anybody like that to
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be how people would characterize you? Right?
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I mean, that is ugly, right? So here's what I
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want you to get. We all have thoughts and words
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and time and stuff and money and influence to
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share with others. You don't have to be rich
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to be generous. In fact, the research tells us
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that the poorest people are far more generous
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than the wealthiest people. We all have words.
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We all have positive thoughts. We all have time.
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We all have some level of money. We all have
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some influence. And to be generous is to be generous.
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ready and willing to share, to be kind, to be
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concerned for others. Now, I'm going to do something
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that's really dangerous for me. I'm going to
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give you 10 specific reasons, both biblically
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and one scientific fact. of why being generous
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is so absolutely important. It's important for
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your relationships. It's important for your eternity.
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It's important for your relationship with God.
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It's important about your money. It's important
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about your friendships. And I'm gonna give you
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10 reasons, but what I want you to see is to
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step back and go, wow. The Bible says a lot about
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being generous. In fact, common sense says a
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lot about it. But why is it so important to live
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generously? Number one, generosity is commanded
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by God. The Apostle Paul will write, instruct
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those who are rich in this present world not
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to be conceited or fix their hope on the uncertainty
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of riches, but on God who richly supplies us,
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notice, with all things to enjoy. In other words,
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he's saying, hey, instruct people that are wealthy.
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And by the way, in the context, historically,
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if you had enough food both for today and tomorrow,
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you were wealthy. Most people would go to work
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and then, that's why if you didn't pay people
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their wages, they wouldn't eat that night. And
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then notice he goes on. He says, instruct them
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to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous,
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to be ready to share. Notice the focus, storing
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up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation
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for the future so they can take hold of the life,
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which is life indeed, or literally the word is,
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so they can take hold of the life that is truly
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life. So if for no other reason, God commands
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us to be generous so we invest in what's gonna
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count so we can take hold of life and we can
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store up treasure for ourselves. Second, generosity
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is the antidote to idolatry. In your notes, it
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says Luke 1 through 15. It's the story of the
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unrighteous steward. And at the end of it, Jesus
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said you can't serve God and mammon. God and
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money. And so he tells them generosity can break
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idolatry in our lives. Third, generosity today
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determines the harvest for tomorrow. All through
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scripture, Old Testament, New Testament, the
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Proverbs, there's this picture of sowing and
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reaping. And it's an agricultural picture. Jesus
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would say in Luke 6, 38, give and it'll be given
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unto you. Good measure, press down, shaken together,
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running over, back into your lap. For whatever
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size measure that you give, it'll be given back
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unto you. Paul would say in 2 Corinthians, he
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would say this, now this I say, he who sows sparingly
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will also reap sparingly and he who sows bountifully
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will reap also bountifully. Each one must do
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his purpose in his heart, not grudgingly for
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God loves a cheerful giver. All I want you to
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know is think of your time and your words and
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your money and your influence like seeds. And
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if you plant a lot of them, there's a harvest.
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And if you plant good ones and there's a harvest,
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if you plant just a few, you get a few back.
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And so there's this law of reciprocity in scripture
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that your future relationships, your future connection,
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your future positivity, if you will. And I don't
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mean that in the thing, you know. positive and
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wonderful things happen. I'm talking about there's
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a law of sowing and reaping with your time, your
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energy, your words, and your money. That as you
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sow, the Bible's really clear, there's a harvest.
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Fourth, it's the way generosity expresses God's
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love and kindness to others. Let your light so
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shine before men that they might see your good
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works and glorify your Father who's in heaven.
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The young gal or the child that gets pulled out
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of the sex trade, the kindness at work, the school
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that gets remodeled. Just the generosity is how
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you express God's love. Fifth is generosity results
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in joy to the giver. And sixth, generosity results
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in praise and thanksgiving to God by the recipients.
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2 Corinthians says you will be enriched in every
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way and generous in every way. which through
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us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the
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ministry of this service, speaking of giving,
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is not only supplying the needs of the saints,
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but also overflowing in thanksgiving to God.
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So there's this weird thing that happens. When
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you're generous, there's a joy that you experience,
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but as you're generous to this person, it's like
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the people who have those baskets of fruits.
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Thank you, Lord. I just saw a couple of those
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ladies. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. I didn't
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have any food. John, got the joy of giving, but
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they thanked and praised God, and that's what
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happens. Reason number seven, generosity is God's
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method to fund his kingdom work. 1 Corinthians
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16 says that on the first day of the week, each
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Christian should set aside money from whether
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it's a little or a lot, depending on what God
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gave you, to support God's kingdom work. Number
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eight, generosity requires us to put our finances
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and our priorities in order. It's interesting,
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if you give God the first and the best instead
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of what's left over, then sometimes you gotta
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get on a budget and sometimes you have to figure
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out, wait a second, we're gonna offer ourselves
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first to God. Here's his promise, seek ye first
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the kingdom of God and his righteousness and
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all these things. And in the context, it's food,
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shelter, clothes, whatever you need, they'll
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be given to you. The ninth reason generosity
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is important, it grows our faith and develops
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our intimacy with Christ. As you study the Sermon
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on the Mount, it's so interesting as he talks
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about walking with God and then he talks about
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giving and giving privately and praying privately.
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He gives this radical thought, when your father,
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that was a radical thought then, when your father
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sees what you do in secret, he will reward you.
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Generosity is one of the ways that your heart
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and God's heart, because he's generous, and when
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you become the conduit, he actually draws you
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to himself. Number nine, generosity grows our
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faith and develops our intimacy with Christ.
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And then number 10, generosity is a prerequisite
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to claiming God's promise to meet all our needs.
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That promise is for people who are generous with
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their resources. And so, Those are just 10 reasons
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just from Scripture. Dr. Stephen Post did a longitudinal
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study. He picked it up from a group that started
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the study in 1920. And so he did a study to find
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out what was the impact of generous people. The
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impact of generous people, habitually we're generous,
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they are happier, they have deeper relationships,
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and they literally live longer. Is that amazing?
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I guess it's not. I mean, if God designed us
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and wired us, and if his kingdom practices and
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purposes because he's generous, is he wants us
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to be generous, and it gives us life when we're
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generous, it only makes sense that when we're
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miserly and living the opposite of the way God
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wants, that it would have negative impact. And
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it has positive impact. In fact, the research
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now is when we're generous and when we give you
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the same endorphins that go off when you're working
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out really hard, Or like when you eat food or
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when you have sex, the same things are happening
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in your brain when you're a giver. God literally
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has wired us to be generous people. And here's
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the amazing thing. That may be true, but it doesn't
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come naturally, does it? I mean, whether it's
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two little kids or two older people, you know,
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left to ourselves, if there's only one of something
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and there's two people, You know, sometimes we're
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polite about it, but your human nature and my
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human nature is, I want that for me. I want more
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time. I want things for me. And so all I want
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you to know, it's a journey in generosity. Now,
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logically, if all these things are true, and
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I think they are, they're true practically, they're
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true scientifically, they're certainly true biblically.
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Here's the summary. Living generously is the
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most logical, wise, and rewarding way to arrange
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our lives and resources. So pause, okay? I'm
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done with my quick run through the Bible. Living
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generously, lean back, lean back, look at me
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for a second, is the most logical, wisest, rewarding
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way to arrange your life and resources. At least
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intellectually, would you sign off on that? Right?
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Your relationships would be better. Idols come
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down. You're arranging your finances. As you
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give, you know, when you give away friendship,
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you get friends. When you give love, you get
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love back. When you give away money, God multiplies
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it. So here's the question. If generosity is
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this good, it's designed by God and it's even
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commanded. Why are so few Christians generous?
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Do you know of all the Christians in America
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that 50 % of all Christians give nothing to their
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church, give nothing to any charitable cause?
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Of all the Christians in America, only 3 % to
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5 % give what's called a tithe or 10 % of their
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income. Think of that. I mean, We'll talk about
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that as we go on. But long before there was a
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law, Abraham gives to Melchizedek 10 % just as
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an offering to say thank you. And then that was
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a part of the Mosaic law. When the harvest would
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come in, they would give, you know, when the
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first grapes came or the first wheat, they'd
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just take the first 10 % as an offering to say
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thank you. And then later at the very end of
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the harvest, they would bring, you know, 10 %
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when it's all full to say thank you. It was just
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a personal offering. I did a little research
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once. This is a completely unscientific, anecdotal,
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but it's been repeatable. I've done this a couple
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times. I go to like a little, like a mall or
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try not to act too weird. And I just, I have
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a little. clipboard and I act like, you know,
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I'm taking a survey and I've gone, I've just
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asked people, excuse me, sir, would you consider,
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just, hey, what are you doing? Just one question,
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just yes or no. Would you consider yourself to
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be a generous person? Yes or no? Excuse me, ma
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'am, would you consider yourself to be a generous
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person? Yes or no? You know what it comes out
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every time? 80%. I don't know whether people
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were Christians or non -Christians, but I can
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tell you that 80 % of all the people that you
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ever meet, probably including the person sitting
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in your seat, we think we're generous. We do.
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And that presents a problem because if we think
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we're generous, but we're really not, then we're
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not sort of asking God to help us be more generous
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or learning how to be generous, correct? So we're
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gonna go on a journey of generosity. And some
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of you, just lighten up, okay? There's no big
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ask coming. There's no big project coming. You
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know what I want you to get? I want you to experience
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the joy of generosity. I want the kindness and
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the love of God to start trickling in your families.
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I want your neighborhoods to say, what happened
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to Joe? What happened to Mary? I want people
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at your work going, what in the world are you
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learning at that church? You're bringing us coffee
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here. You signed up for extra work here. You
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took care of me here. How come you're being nice
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to me now? Forgive me over there. Because generous
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people change the world. The most generous person
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in the world was Jesus. He gave his life. Actually,
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he's the second most generous person. As difficult
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as that was, the Father gave his son. And the
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Holy Spirit and the Godhead. together came and
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just said, we love you all. So if you want to
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learn to be generous, this is, if you're expecting
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a guilt trip and a lot of statistics and get
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with the program and why don't you give more,
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sorry. At best, I can pump you up for two weeks
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and you'll fall right back to your old way of
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thinking. I want you to learn. how to experience
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generosity, and it just gets birthed inside your
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heart where you'll get so excited, you'll start
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saying, you know, are we going overboard on this?
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And what you'll learn is you can't go overboard.
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So how? How do you become more generous? Here's
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our first steps toward living a generous life.
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Number one, recognize it's a journey. You know,
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if you wanted to be a classical guitar player,
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a great athlete, no one went from putting on
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the skates to doing one of those dances. And
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no one just put on some skis and then, you know,
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went like 7 million miles up in the air and landed.
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You know, it's a journey. So what I want you
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to really think about is what would it look like
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for you personally to say wherever you're at
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on a scale of one to 10 or one to 100, if I'm
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here, what would it look like to move toward
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becoming more generous? And you might even at
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this moment whisper, God, I'd like to be more
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generous. Would you help me be more generous?
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Second, reevaluate your view of God. This is
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where it all really begins. In Exodus 32, after
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all God's grace, deliverance, Moses goes up to
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get the Ten Commandments and they get Aaron to
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build a golden calf and they're worshiping a
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golden calf. Moses comes down, takes care of
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the situation. And then in chapter 33, he has
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this personal talk with God and says, you know,
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If we're gonna keep going, you gotta go with
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me. If you're not gonna go with me, I don't wanna
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go. And he stands in the gap for the Israelites
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and they're forgiven. And then he's seen God's
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power. He's seen the Red Sea. He's seen the fire
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at night and the cloud by day. He's seen manna
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come out on, I mean, he's seen all these miracles,
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but his big prayer is show me your glory. I wanna
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know you as you really are. And in chapter 33,
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God says, no man can see my face and live. But
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here's what I'm gonna do. I'll pass by and I'll
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let you get a glimpse. I'll let all my goodness
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pass before you. It's a very interesting Hebrew
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word. And J .I. Packer has a great observation.
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He says, within the cluster of God's moral perfections,
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there is one in particular to which the term
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goodness points. The quality which God especially
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singled out from the whole when proclaiming all
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his goodness to Moses. He spoke of himself as
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abundant in goodness and truth. This is the quality
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of, are you ready? Generosity. Packer says that
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generosity expresses the simple wish that others
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would have what they need to make them happy.
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Could you even for a moment fathom what would
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happen if when you thought about God, you thought
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he's generous? And he would like you to have
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what would make you happy. That he's for you.
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He's not down on you. That it's not a transaction.
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It's if you do this, he'll do that. He loves
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you. And then he introduces himself. It's really
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interesting. He introduces himself to Moses.
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He says, the Lord, the Lord, compassionate and
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gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and
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faithfulness. Do you realize that little phrase
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in chapter 34 is repeated 13 different times,
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either directly eight or paraphrased another
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five? So what's God really like? The Lord, the
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Lord, he's compassionate. It's a word of he feels
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what you feel and he wants to bond with you.
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He's gracious. It means he just wants to give,
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not because you've done anything, but just because
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there's something in him. He wants, he's compassionate
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and gracious. Contrary to popular belief, he's
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not angry. He's slow to anger. The word literally
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means it takes something for a long, long time
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to heat up. He's so patient with you. He's kind.
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He's generous. He's faithful. If you and I would
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begin to see and understand who God is, we would
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just be humbled by his generosity towards you.
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In Abraham's life, in Genesis 12, verses 1 through
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3, He calls this man out to leave and it says
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he obeyed him and he followed and he didn't know
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where he was going. And then this is God's promise.
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The Lord said to Abraham, leave your country,
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your people, and your father's house and go to
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the land that I will show you. By the way, generosity
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sometimes means leaving your country, your people,
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and your family. It's positioning yourself in
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obedience. I will make you into a great nation.
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and I will bless you, and I will make your name
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great, and you will be a blessing. And I will
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bless those who bless you, and whoever curses
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you, I will curse. And all the peoples of the
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earth will be blessed through you. There's only
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three verses, and the word bless or bless comes
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five times. Who is Abraham? He's the father of
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the faith. God wants us to trust him. Are you
23:40
ready for this? As you trust, Trust him with
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your time. Trust him with your future. Trust
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him with your relationships. Trust him at work.
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Trust him with your money. Here's the God that
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you serve. He wants to bless you. He wants to
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do good. You know, some of you are parents, right?
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Don't you kind of feel happy inside when your
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kids are doing well? Don't you at times wish
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you had a little bit more energy or time or money
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or you know there's something on their heart
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that you would want to give them? Where do you
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think you get that? That's how God feels about
24:18
you. He longs to bless you. God is a blesser
24:23
and he's eager to bless your life. Write that
24:26
down, will you? He's a blesser. He wants to bless
24:31
your life. And by the way, don't read into that,
24:34
you know, you're gonna get a G5 tomorrow. Or
24:38
you're gonna own three houses. He wants to bless
24:42
your life. You know what he knows about you?
24:44
Everything. And you know what? Someone who knows
24:47
everything, he knows what will bring the greatest,
24:49
deepest joy for the longest possible time. And
24:53
if it were a thing, he'll probably give you a
24:55
thing. But if things filled you up, then the
24:57
richest people in the world would be the happiest.
24:59
Unfortunately, they're not. Summary, we do not
25:05
own or deserve, write the word, anything. The
25:10
beginning step of really becoming generous is
25:15
sort of a coin with two sides. One side of the
25:17
coin is God wants to bless me. The other side
25:21
of the coin is he owns everything. So when he's
25:24
asking us to be generous with time, who gave
25:28
you the time? When he's asking us to be generous
25:31
with our money, guess what? Get the word our
25:34
out of it. It's not yours. It's his. So all this
25:40
stuff about percentages, if you give 20%, 30%,
25:44
40%, guess what? God owns it all and he holds
25:47
us responsible for all of it. What he wants you
25:50
to know is, It's an amazing thing that switches
25:53
when you say, you know what? I don't own anything.
25:56
Are you ready for this? Anti -entitlement. You
25:59
don't deserve anything. And neither do I. See,
26:04
we act like I deserve this. I work hard. Well,
26:07
who gave you the job? Well, you know, I thought
26:09
this through. Well, who gave you the brain? I
26:10
mean, you know, we can go there. I got you, right?
26:13
I got you. In fact, the Apostle Paul says, what
26:18
do you have that you haven't received? I'm not
26:20
telling you that you haven't worked hard. I'm
26:22
not telling you you haven't applied yourself.
26:24
But I'm telling you there's a sovereign, all
26:26
-knowing, all -powerful God who has created every
26:30
blessing, every good and perfect gift, James
26:33
would say. Don't be deceived. Every good and
26:36
perfect gift comes from above. That's where it
26:40
comes from. From the father of light with whom
26:42
there's no variation or shifting shadow. In other
26:45
words, he doesn't change. In the Old Testament,
26:48
he says it the same way. The Lord God, Psalm
26:50
84, 11, the Lord God is a son and a shield, unlimited
26:54
provider and protector. The Lord gives grace
26:57
and glory. In other words, what we don't deserve
26:59
and he wants to lift us up. And verse, that last
27:02
part, no good thing will he withhold from those
27:05
who walk uprightly. The challenge is walking
27:09
uprightly. The challenge is aligning our lives
27:12
in such a way. Most Christians' lives, unfortunately,
27:16
you're not blessable. You're not blessable. You
27:21
got all these, you know, imagine, remember when
27:23
we were kids and we did fights and someone would
27:25
get a squirt gun out and then someone would get
27:27
the hose? And what was the only way to stop the
27:30
person with the hose, right? You got down and
27:32
you picked up the hose and you cranked it, right?
27:38
So many Christians, you're hoes. God wants to
27:41
pour blessing into your life and you're hoes,
27:44
it's cranked. And it's with selfishness or with
27:47
an addiction or with an unforgiving attitude
27:49
or your finances are just, you know, in moments
27:53
of weakness and sometimes it was just ignorance,
27:55
but you got all this debt. There's just all kind
27:59
of things that have happened and your heavenly
28:02
father goes, I want to bless you. So we're gonna
28:05
go on a journey to position yourself so you can
28:08
receive what God wants to give you and when he
28:12
gives it to you, he wants you to recognize, oh,
28:14
by the way, this really is yours and you can
28:16
keep passing it on. What keeps us from living
28:21
generously? I've alluded to a couple, but first
28:25
and foremost, human nature, right? We've all
28:27
sinned and fall short of the glory of God. You
28:30
know, I have a number of small little grandchildren.
28:34
No one had to teach them. That's mine, right?
28:39
And we get sophisticated, but that same that's
28:41
mine is in your heart and mine. And so it's hard
28:45
to be generous. The second reason is I just call
28:48
it delusional thinking. I mean, we just, because
28:52
we sort of, we always compare like this. We always
28:54
compare like, well, this person is sort of an
28:57
ax murderer and I haven't killed anyone. I must
28:59
be a pretty nice person. You know, or, you know,
29:03
I'm, I give a dollar, I helped a homeless person
29:06
once, or I smile. Instead of, wait a second,
29:12
are you giving the first and the best of your
29:14
time to the Lord? Are you, is your antenna up
29:18
and do you find yourself giving kind words, kind
29:22
thoughts? Do you find yourself secretly providing
29:26
for people? And whether it's food or... Whether
29:30
it's money. I used to say this and there was
29:37
always a little edge. You know, pastors are people
29:39
too. So we do stuff that's not that great. And
29:42
I had a message that I used to speak a number
29:45
of years ago on giving. And when I really wanted
29:48
to bring it home, man, I really wanted to kind
29:50
of sing it to you. Because it frustrates me because
29:53
I know what you're missing. And then part of
29:55
it, it just frustrates me. And so I would say
29:59
something like this. You ready for the zinger?
30:01
And I'll tell you the switch of motives. I would
30:05
say the average Christian is far more committed
30:07
to making sure they live 10 or 15 or 20 % at
30:12
a table to a waiter or a waitress than they are
30:15
to the God that died and rose from the dead for
30:18
them. How many times have you gone out to dinner
30:21
at a decent place and just stiffed the waiter
30:24
or waitress? I ain't giving you anything. None.
30:30
Right? I bet there's not a hand that would go
30:33
up. And so that really made a point because I
30:37
thought, wow, that'll help. It never has. But
30:43
why? You know why? Because you get to know them
30:50
as they're serving you and you're thinking partly,
30:54
what would they think? By the way, Christians
30:56
by and large, I've known some waiters and waitresses,
30:59
Sunday afternoons, it's terrible. Yeah, they
31:01
come in, they bow their head, they pray, and
31:02
they're the worst tippers. That's not a good
31:04
testimony. But what I realize is when you get
31:08
to know that person, what you realize, that tip
31:10
is going to an actual person. They have eyes.
31:15
They have hair. You might find out, you know,
31:18
she has a little girl. You might find out that
31:20
he's in school. And see, what I think has happened
31:24
with giving in church, somehow you think it's
31:26
like some law that God brought down. When you
31:30
give, you give to a person. You give to Jesus.
31:34
Giving is a love action. And I think the reason
31:38
we don't stiff waitresses and waiters is because
31:41
it's a real person. And somehow, we think God's
31:44
the force. He's a real person with feelings.
31:49
And he wants us, To give for our benefit and
31:53
so that we can help others. I think the biggest
31:55
one, however, is I just call it irrational fear.
32:00
I mean, it's just irrational. And it goes like
32:03
this. If I give, and let's get to the heart.
32:06
Some of you feel better about time, which is
32:08
really harder to give than money. But, you know,
32:11
if you're not doing well with money, time's even
32:13
harder. So, think of the logic. God, I know that
32:18
you're going to provide my salvation, and when
32:20
I die, I believe with all my heart you've provided
32:23
a way that you've paid for my sin, you've prepared
32:25
a way for me, and I know for sure I'm going to
32:27
heaven. I just don't think I could live on 90
32:31
or 80 or whatever percent that you lead me. I
32:34
just don't think you could help me pay my bills.
32:38
Come on now, really. God, you can deliver me
32:42
from death. God, I've seen you intervene and
32:45
heal cancer. I've seen you pull a marriage back
32:48
together. I've seen you take one of my kids and
32:50
turn them around. I've seen you do things at
32:52
work I never dreamed. But I really don't think
32:55
you could give me enough money to pay for the
32:58
groceries. It's just irrational. And the enemy
33:02
plays on it. And finally, this is, you know,
33:05
we get the ugly stuff out of the way. We are
33:08
people and sometimes it's just greed and pride.
33:12
Just greed and pride. No one is immune. But notice,
33:19
living generously requires wisdom, honesty, practice,
33:27
faith, and humility. And I didn't just pick those
33:32
words out. You need wisdom to understand its
33:35
human nature. You need honesty to overcome your
33:38
delusional thinking. You need practice because
33:40
some people, you just don't know the Bible. You're
33:43
not, it's not a bad person. I didn't know the
33:45
Bible taught this. And then you need faith to
33:49
overcome your irrational fears and then humility.
33:53
At the heart of giving, it's just always starts
33:56
with humility. You've given this to me and I'm
33:59
gonna trust and I wanna share this time, this
34:03
word, this thought, this influence with someone
34:05
else. Let me give you some action steps. How
34:10
do you become a more generous one? Take daily
34:12
baby steps with words, thought, time, stuff,
34:17
money, and can I encourage you, record them.
34:20
I don't care if you've never done a journal.
34:22
Just get a little spiral notebook at least for
34:24
30 days. Just, and I mean, you don't have to
34:27
write but three or four lines. But take a baby
34:30
step. I'm gonna say positive words to the people
34:32
at work. I'm gonna just, you know, I'm gonna
34:35
look for one person to help. I'm gonna take an
34:37
extra $5. I don't care what you do. Do something
34:41
and then write down. Second, celebrate daily
34:45
God's blessings and record them. So I think,
34:48
I think. God does all kind of things, and we
34:51
don't, we just don't recognize it. I mean, just
34:56
sit up in bed, turn on that little light, and
34:59
you only have to write two or three lines, but
35:00
just what, where did God bless me today? And
35:04
just, I mean, if you don't like to write it out,
35:06
bullet point, bullet point, bullet point. And
35:08
just do it for 30 days. I'm telling you, your
35:11
awareness of God will skyrocket. And then finally,
35:14
give your first and your best portion back to
35:17
God. Each payday. Just, I mean, just say, wow,
35:22
by faith, and biblically, and we're not gonna
35:25
get into tithing and gross and net and all that,
35:28
but biblically, just 10 % before the law, during
35:31
the law, Jesus said something, is probably a
35:33
good place to start. But here's, for some of
35:36
you, that might be like, you know, Mount Everest.
35:38
So you might wanna go for a base camp. Here's
35:42
what would be for everyone. Give a percentage.
35:47
Make the percentage. And this is between you
35:49
and God. Lord, I'm going to start giving 2 .5%.
35:53
I'm going to give 6%. I'm going to give 7%. But
35:56
do something where you begin to build a track
35:59
record where you're acting on the truth at whatever
36:03
level of faith you have and just see what God
36:06
does. Just see what He does. You've been listening
36:12
to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram and the
36:15
conclusion of a message titled Understanding
36:17
the Journey, part of our series, The Jesus Revolution.
36:20
Join the movement. Chip has a final word to share
36:23
in a moment, so don't go anywhere. And by the
36:26
way, you can follow Chip on Facebook and Instagram
36:28
at Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. And for
36:32
the full uncut version of Chip's messages, subscribe
36:35
to the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast, available
36:38
wherever you listen to podcasts. Well, sometimes
36:41
there's a gap between what we believe and how
36:43
we actually live. And Chip doesn't let us off
36:46
the hook for it. You say you trust God with your
36:49
eternal soul, but do you trust him with 10 %
36:52
of your income? You've seen him heal, intervene,
36:55
and provide, but you don't believe he can help
36:58
you pay for the groceries if you give first?
37:00
Chip calls that what it is, irrational fear.
37:03
And he gives us something better. Not a guilt
37:06
trip, but a starting point. Pick a percentage,
37:09
any percentage, build a track record, and watch
37:12
what God does. And on that note of trusting God
37:16
enough to give, Chip has a word for us about
37:18
the mid -year match and why today and tomorrow
37:21
are the final days to act. The Ethiopian official
37:24
in Acts 8 had been reading the prophet Isaiah
37:27
for who knows how long. He was searching. He
37:30
had questions he couldn't answer. And then Philip
37:33
sat down next to him and said, Do you understand
37:36
what you're reading? Maybe that's you. You've
37:39
been listening to these messages and something
37:41
is stirring. You're not sure what to make of
37:44
it, but you can't shake it. Here's what I want
37:46
you to know. Those questions aren't a problem.
37:49
They're an invitation. Jesus meets seekers right
37:53
where they are. It reminds me of the story of
37:55
one of my close friends. He's a great friend
37:58
now. It was about seven or eight years ago, and
38:00
he's driving on I -5 in LA. And he started listening
38:05
just... Out of curiosity, you know, started having
38:08
some kids. We probably ought to have some moral
38:10
structure. Kind of searching. I wonder if there's
38:13
a God. And he started listening to Living on
38:15
the Edge. And on I -5, the Spirit of God took
38:18
the Word of God and jolted him. He literally
38:21
pulls off the exit with. tears coming down his
38:26
face, recognizing that Jesus cared and loved
38:29
him. And it wasn't religion that he needed. It
38:32
was a relationship. And in that car, he repented
38:35
and he prayed and he trusted Christ. And I wish
38:39
I could tell you his whole story of what happened
38:42
in his marriage and all three of his kids and
38:45
how it transformed his work and his company.
38:48
You can see the fact of the matter is, is that
38:50
Jesus is always chasing you and me. And our questions
38:55
and our doubts and our struggles are an invitation
38:58
to lean in and say, Lord, speak to me. I really
39:02
do want to know. The Ethiopian went home transformed.
39:07
He took the gospel with him to an entire continent.
39:10
And if you want to help others find what you're
39:12
discovering, give to the Mid -Year Match. Because
39:14
every dollar will be doubled dollar for dollar.
39:17
And it'll help this conversation keep going with
39:21
the people that are driving right now or on a
39:23
treadmill or have a bunch of kids in the back
39:25
as you're doing a commute. And the Word of God
39:28
is going forth through Living on the Edge. And
39:31
the Spirit of God touches one heart at a time
39:34
across the nation and across the world. I'm thrilled
39:38
to be a part of it. And I invite you to join
39:40
us. Tomorrow is the final day of our mid -year
39:43
match, and every dollar you give right now is
39:45
still being doubled. Partner with Living on the
39:48
Edge through the mid -year match at livingontheedge
39:51
.org or by calling 888 -333 -6003. Or send your
39:57
donation through the mail by writing to us at
39:59
Living on the Edge, Post Office Box 3007, Atlanta,
40:04
Georgia 30024. I'm Dave Drewy. Next time, Chip
40:09
shows us what a generous life actually looks
40:11
like when it's lived out and why it starts with
40:14
a decision, not a feeling. Join us next time
40:17
for Living on the Edge. Today's program is produced
40:23
and sponsored by Living on the Edge.