Balancing Life's Demands - How To Escape The Rat Race... Forever!, Part 2

We spent time talking about how to balance life's demands means what biblical priorities in the midst of busy life. How do we create margin.

How do we get our lives in order how we get the things that are out of control under control by the spirit of God today will talk about.

I think maybe the most important truth about how to take this from head to your heart. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram Living on the Edges and international discipleship ministry featuring the daily Bible teaching just a minute Chip wraps up our current series balancing life stomach over the past several programs we've been exploring God's plan for us to live a life of peace and joy. If you missed any part of this series along the way can catch up anytime LivingontheEdge.org, or by listening on the chip. Now here's chip with part two of his message, how to escape the rat race forever.

Matthew chapter 6 the issue behind materialism at the core has nothing to do with things or even money has to do with faith. It has to do with trust. Do you trust me, you trust me to come for through for you. Yes, in the material necessities. Do you trust me to come through for you that your significant and valuable. The way I made you you trust that if you would find my purpose in my role for your life that you don't have to look like that you don't have to live in that ZIP Code. You don't have to drive that you don't have so many people know you can trust me.

If you do life my way. The deepest things that you long for in your heart. I'm going to give you design good and I love you.

That's really what he's getting to so do not worry, saying what we can eat what shall we drink, or what shall we wear, and then and then just this is more than a mild rebuke for the pagans run after all these things in your heavenly Father knows what you need that you need them put a line under run after because these needs a play on words. It means to vigorously pursue and that verse that we like. That's coming up that tells us how to really arrange our our priority forces but seek ye first the word seek. This word is an intensive form of that same word the pagans are seeking are running are pursuing. After all these things and his point is is that you don't look any different than the pagans who is he talking to AP watch opposite James, John, listen up on this. These are his disciples and the crowds overhearing. These are issues that the faithful will struggle with pieces guiding I'm gonna leave and I'm gonna cut out here and there's a mission and you know I am the Messiah and God has a plan for the world. I love you and I'll take care of you and the things that really matter in eternity really is real is a real-world habit is a rumor will help and I've chosen you and this is the character quality and rewards the kingdom citizen. I want you to be salt and light and live it out. I want you know that your righteousness has to exceed that of the Pharisees went down its issues of the heart telling you guys, I came to give life to the world and want you to be the conduits of my grace. But you know what there's gonna be two motives.

You can play that game and you see it be to treasure you have to decide to get down to how you look at life. You can use ministry as a platform for the same junk of people thinking highly of you and impressing them and all the rest for you have the singular single focus is guys. I want you to know I'm going to check out here in the skin. You can worship me worship Mammon is the Aramaic word for possession of property and money just materialism.

I will go back through make some observations of verse 24 through 27 and then we'll come back to the solution where it says but seek first. Doesn't that sound like a priority deal.

His kingdom that's for Christ's rulership is raining were doing things God why he's the CEO of the universe, and you say passenger run of the whole world want to be the seat of my life to truly what he saying and you seek first his agenda instead of your own and your seeking first his righteousness. So it's about character development. What if every parent was come as committed to the character development of the kids as they are, how good they can be in all these athletic teams and ballet and music and the nine and now these are good loving people who just find themselves in a maze of activities pool the school activities here and here at youth here in this here in this year than youth group here in the church does this, and this does this missed assistant lot will kiss my kids have to have the best we have to prepare them. Why so they can get ahead wiser than get good job watching the colonic wising be happy wrong paradigm is that his happy all the other couples in the church are known and their kids plan all the 17th board so I guess I mean I want my little by little misleading this now you know now long playing sports, of course not. But you know what what what happened if you started with great times as a family were to really meet with God by first responsibilities. I'm going to have fun and I'm going to teach my kids mean. Imagine the deep relationship that occurs when three nights a week. I'm sitting in little stands feeling like I'm being a good parent is my kids are running around being yelled at by other parents who probably don't how to coach the sport anyway and then we have to hustle supper and it's late to do the homework and you know what he's out there in that little uniform that I can't believe it made us pay for that much and you have no relationship with him or her and then you're under pressure.

Going home and then they go to bed and they get up early and you do the same thing again and the kids wake up and you took him to church every week.

Some of you put in a Christian school, and you try to model the life and then you know it 1819, after one year college. They say and I'll know what this Jesus church religious stuff is. But all I'm worn out I don't need or want and then we say lower and see it's not bad stuff. The enemy of the best of God's will is never bad stuff your smart people. It's good stuff.

Good is always the enemy of the best and to follow this passage I'm telling you, you get unpopular you not allowing your kids to do three sports this time. Do not allow them to do the in the play do this do this do this do this do this and there's times I was the pastor of Simone kids you not going that youth activity, no pastor I know on the pastor. I'm a dad first.

I member the time in our church when I mean it was so blowing and going to California and so many different directions and we unconsciously arming the fifth and secure. We had hundreds here and hundreds in the junior high hundreds, you know, in the high school and this and this and that. I sat down one day as I was apparent. I thought if it will be like is a really committed Christian in our church come to service you serve somewhere you're in a small group of seek Tuesday night doing that. Dinner and electives and then I will answer you had a kid. Here you have to be out this night junior high was dropped off your Heights was here. I member get our whole staff together since men we are the were idiots. We have successful programs that are killing families and we pulled back and said okay high school junior high fifth and six in the family life counseling ministry. You all get together and we ain't doing anything unless whatever we do flows to build healthy families instead of builder church program and here's my point. You can see it, give it to you corporately like that. That's what's happening to a lot of you and who can argue with you know hundred and 55th and sixth graders studying God's word on this night or you know hundred and 50 or 200 junior hires donut this night and then going on a retreat here and then having outreach over here and doing this over here.

The only problem is dad is not the priest of his home.

You know it. He and his wife want you think we can get a vacation from like everything and they get tired.

Don't think of materialism as simply possessions and do I love money and let CMI a shopaholic or I'm a workaholic at the heart of materialism is believing that the material world condition of the heart. It can be the concern for other things.

I've got a good buddy who was extremely wealthy and very godly and a member. He did a nice house, paid cash for it was at one point time in one of the mysteries, chairman of the elders great buddy. We met on a regular basis and you know he did some other things and you had a nice pool over here this year and this year and I member meet with them one day in the city. I made a decision.

I'm tired of the upkeep of the stuff I got.

If you are pulling a polka get a second house you have someone come clean it when you invite people to stay, then you gotta go up there just off enough to feel like your work. The second house and I said you know we got a hell of the our love landscaping that we got to know I can't do get landscape and got his. He started adding up how many hundreds of talkers a month just to keep up all my stuff. He had the heat graciously used and gave over and above.

You know he just said. I'm just tired my to do list is about all this. These things, some of you have things and I've talked with some of you, and it's like on how to get out of this these cobwebs I do for couple weeks and there's going you know you can't tweak it.

Some of you need. I mean, you need to really pray and don't write me and blame me if you make a dumb decision.

I but you need to really really pray and then you need to say you know what these relationships we feel guilty about that are going nowhere that we just out of expectation. You know something what is not doing this anymore and you know all the sum of these activities some "religious activities, whose people expect another done this for 11 years will good. Don't make it 12. Figure out what God wants you to do get focused simplify your life.

Get a handle on your money on your time in alignment with what am I supposed to be and what am I called to do and then just cut some stuff loose coming to scout the old spiritual, but you not slop swap is not doing anymore I know you'll struggle and feel guilty, and good loving people.

You can do that or program could never go on without you are the source of our church program. The ladies will never go on without you will then you get a bad program because we all thought they cannot go on without Jesus right so that's what we need to talk about Melanie giving the symptoms here. I think I had a small tangential moment I think is a spirit led tangential moment, but I'll say that last three minutes. What in the notes but I think it's where I really think is where American cultures among believers and I just keep meeting people that I love who unconsciously are on this rat race. Did you notice the title. This, by the way how to get out the rat race for ever.

I will guarantee it will be painful, painful to tweak a couple little things. It'll take a gigantic clear step of leading from God where you look at your plate and you just take some things off. You assumed you always had to do and then you put some things on that will be about storing up treasure forever. Friendships family are there any relationships need to be repaired. Mean those of the things that are going to matter and what we say. I would love to get together. We really can't.

There's a couple we really connect. We love to be with them in a look at your schedule and in the three months from now will then just look at your schedule start on LPN people do this all the time in business at a different some clients that were really sorry there was a tornado. We were supposed roof your house with little delay for month and so what you know you can't do that. You come right now what we say okay right you can say that you know we had this on the calendar not keep your word. Don't get me wrong talking you know you swear your own hurt and change not. But some of the stuff, the sort of social obligation type stuff start going through going you know if it matters, and you long to do it in your passion about it and you know God wants you to do it. Let's do it and if it doesn't then figure out how to wean it were you get down to basis is what Jesus says the symptom of materialism. Anxiety is the mark of a life preoccupied with material things.

If you have it pen handy you want to do a quick will Bible study. A look at verse 25. Do not worry skip down to verse 27. You can underline that move you by worrying skip down to verse 28. Why do you worry underline that skip down to verse 31 so do not worry. Verse 34. Therefore, just in case you missed the first 452 not worries. This is Jesus therefore do not worry about tomorrow.

While met with weirdest fixated on all the things it might or could happen or what was going to do today in order to take care of tomorrow.

Do not worry about tomorrow, live for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own, the meaning of worry all of the Spanish word for word notice preoccupied means be preoccupied. See, we always think of worries, I'm wringing my hands and I'm so uptight about this that the Greek word for it for worry has this idea of a divided mine of being torn in two different directions of been pulled in opposite directions in the root problem is lack of faith. See, I'm always hedging my bets you know if this doesn't work out I need to do this relationship in this relationship and I need to do this and this and I'm afraid I'll miss out.

How can you miss out if God is good God is sovereign in your listen to it. The frantic pace of our life. If you don't want your kids to miss out. You don't want to miss out and since you don't clearly know the way you try to do more than God ever intended and then you blame God for how tired you are, quote, doing his will.

It's about faith. Stop the preoccupation, cleanse the calendar cleanse the relationships when some of you have some people that you know what if God was going to use you to help them they be help by now times can you hear the same thing and you and you and and the only reason your meeting with them is guilt.

The only reason is not being led by God and you know it's amazing. I still remember my dad was an alcoholic and you know they went through all this different stuff that is a good functioning alcoholic. And you know Ralph need to stop drinking and this and this and and gotten the kids Nanyang in Indiana and a member this with my mom, Ralph read. She never called Ralph. We are no real issues guidance counselors who so she can maneuver stuff.

Even though we were dysfunctional family, but she was one awesome codependent. I'll tell you that I mean really, and I member when she came out of her codependency.

She said Ralph and she took a beer bottle she could she could have that you have me and the kids and I was the last one out. My sister, so I'm I'm in common pretty light high school, so she knows you 24 hours, make a decision. You do whatever you want to do. She nagged him for 10 years she try to help him for 10 years.

She set a boundary and decided what I need to do to follow God and guess what 24 hours. My dad thought he could drink.

Maybe some of those people your help and maybe anything or you know something about all I can do to help you.

Here's a card of a Christian counselor that I've learned in our area. If you want keep talking someone maybe if you pay them will get better results. I can help you.

I love you all pray for you I can help you.

I can see him create chaos all over America.

Notice the acid test of materialism is not how much I have or don't have.

But my preoccupation and concern over it. Did you get that I can be preoccupied and concern over all the tons of stuff that I do have. Why can be preoccupied and concerned of what I don't have what I need. Either way is materialism the explanation.

He says stop your preoccupation with material things. Why look at verse 25 he says because it's shortsighted.

He says don't worry about your life what you eat what you get a drink.

He said there's more to life than things in his motive here is to protect us and our well-being, material things are unable to meet the deepest needs of your life. If your kids get into Harvard if they have a 1500 on their SAT and have beautiful little grandkids if they get a great job but they try the BMW have a wonderful house and amazing driveway. You can invite all your friends and show pictures to everyone if they go into the ministry if that's what you can. Some even go on the mission field and you finally have your nest egg if your 401(k)s protected from all the subprime mortgage and everything is perfect. I will tell you he will sit as a desperately lonely person thinking what happened mean that and do it now and never will align. That's the enemy that's a God now as you walk with him.

Here's an uptight and you let your kids getting hard thinking they got 1500 on their SAT on asking for counsel personally. If he supplies you with beautiful grandchildren and children and blesses you financially what you find out if you're there is it more of an overwhelming stewardship of what to do with all that money but it is what you thought would be like, we find the night because the more you have, the better the maturity in the faith.

It requires, and so he says don't don't don't buy into materialism because it is shortsighted you look. Second, he says it's illogical is application. Look at the birds look at the flowers. I mean, aren't you more important in them, yes. So that classical argument. He says look it's shortsighted. It's impractical at the end of the day what is it that really matters what what has value if you wrote down in the top five memories in your life, what would you write down limit get you started wedding day birth of a child birth of a grandchild, a deep friendship times with your family. Recovery from cancer. How many of those are material.

Have you have you ever gone to, you know, and after the funeral done lots of them.

You go to someone's house, hang out, have low food and talk kind of about the person has has anything to anyone of you going to one of those and you know people get little tables and all the people made nice little food and have been one of those in maybe a group of guys in the corner did that guy have a nice car or what I mean you know if I had a 401(k) executive 513. Be a 401(k). He was B. He was 32 on Forbes list man did he look good. Dad, you understand. Did you know that I've never heard that the only thing we talk about when people are gone is what either how they modeled their relationship and love for God and what they do in the relationships.. The saddest funerals I've ever been to have been with the kids who knew the inside story and funeral people. The biggest liars and funerals of my lands in 00 ball was noted that it doubted on the kids are going home.

He was a jerk.

Yet, anger management issues you know you never talk to me you know what I will tell you when someone has lived well and died well, actually, as hard as it is to let go there. Its sweet time manage sweet when you see life and you know what Jesus said that's that's I'm trying to protect you. I'm coming some of you if you could just relax you. Relax and seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, he might scare you just make you rich and some of you will wish later that he hadn't, but he just says you can't. Don't buy the lie. This is really about a lie he says it's unprofitable.

Verse 27, right can you add a single day by warrior being preoccupied by material things all produces ulcers and migraines and dysfunctional families and sleeplessness. It's disgraceful, you know. He says the pagans run after this. When Christians live frantic preoccupied lives. Thinking that all those things and what they can accomplish. We don't look any different than the world that little track that we give them hey once you come to our church. We have 11 activities every week. Your life can get as busy as ours boarded Jesus the promise if you will pursue knowing Christ and making him known. Verse 33 is your first priority. He will meet all your material needs, run, seek, pursue, after Christ knowing him and serving him and let him tell you what to do with your time. Let him tell you which relationships to be in and which ones to get out of bombing. It's kind of funny and I'm poking fun because I find when I say really hard things. If we poke fun. It's better to laugh now and they cry privately because some of you if you start cleaning your relational network and cleaning your calendar and clean your garage and getting stuff out of storage by way why we need all the storage you realize 30 years ago that was in unit industry why why we have all these garage sales cycle to get new stuff I don't need to impress people who don't care I put in the garage and I can't fit in the garage that I try and sell it and that's a hassle and try to eBay that and on about that as I start, but what you don't lose it to start new cool temperature control put in storage. We people we got stuff to get stuff stuff stuff got stuck is what you would you like us. It is stuff that ruins your relationship with Christ and stuff can't deliver make him run after him.

Invest in people invest in God and use things and money to extend love and God says I will tell you what, I'll work out a way that we can get those kids through school and you know those house payments.

We can work this out. I'll help you with those future brains be wise, make the good investments I came across an article I want to close with because this really is a warning it's article about California cover story when Jim small Ridge went to bed at his parents house in rural San Diego County late Saturday. He wasn't concerned about wildfires. They were ravaging the Cleveland National Forest 15 miles away. A distant glow in the night he woke a few hours later to find flames in his parents front yard. It was honest like that.

He said chasing us says small Ridge 42 years old. I knew that if we didn't get out in a matter of minutes would be dead minutes. It turned out, were all the residents of Lakeside had after frantically knocking on neighbors doors small Ridge managed to escape with his son Sean 18 by driving their pickup truck to a 200 foot wide wall of flame that blocked the only road out of the neighborhood. Imagine that it's here to go tell the neighbors so he tells a neighbor's son get in the truck Schwinn who knows what's on the other side of the come to the flames. Others were quick enough. Small Ridge recalls they disregarded his frantic warnings or they responded to casually several wanted to save their televisions and computers.

They look like they were packing for a trip.

He said the ones who listen to me and left the area immediately lived the ones who didn't die feels a little bit like God speaking to Moses I put before you today a blessing and a curse. Choose life. It's not about things or how much you have or don't have. It is a condition of the heart arrives and starts first with motives he discovered through these two treasures, it gets to the core of two eyes, singular, or duplicity, and that results in two masters. Either God or Mammon.

And the only way to live in a materialistic world and not be materialistic is what Jesus said seek first his kingdom. His rule, his authority and everything in every situation and his righteousness is that's the primary goal to become like Jesus and all expert ignored all these things will be added to you. That's why Paul would say, don't fix your eyes on these things, but then he said richly enjoy all these things God gives you when their gifts back with his application for this message to escape the rat race forever from his series balancing life's demands.

Does it feel like life is pulling you in thousand different directions. Are you exhausted trying to juggle your job. Kids marriage and everything else you're responsible for.

Do you wish there was a way to relieve that stress and tension on your shoulders.

Live life with a little more joy when the series trip reveals what a balanced life really looks like and how you can rearrange your priorities around what matters most. Here how you can experience the joy filled and satisfying life. God desires for you to have more information about this series go to LivingontheEdge.org or call us at AAA 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003. Additionally, all the resources for balancing life's demands are discounted and the MP3s are always free. Again, go to LivingontheEdge.org or call AAA 333-6003 for all the details help listeners tap special offers trip at the end of this message you said our primary goal is to become more like Jesus and that ideas what drives us here Living on the Edge helping Christians live like Christians over those who want to take that call more seriously as they head into a new year where you recommend they start with Dave. I think most people would say start reading the Bible spend quality time with God. Take may be some passages where you're struggling and memorize a short chapter. I think all of those would be great places to start.

But most of us are struggling with the lack of community isolation is killed us the enemy.

That's his goal to get us isolated to get us discouraged to get us looking inward and the only way to experience the life of the Holy Spirit is to be with people. We need to get in a room with a group of people centered around the word of God and say were going to meet every week or every other week working to do life together you to be [to be honest for you to dig in and applied the Scripture to our lives and we can encourage one another. It's been a really really hard last 18 to 24 months. We need each other and so let me encourage you to go to our website and choose the small group study that best meets the needs of your family or a group of men, a group of women or group of couples that we have studies to help you get back in sync get in rhythm get in community because there is life there and God longs for us to experience the very life of Christ, but we can't do it alone fixture we have a growing library of small-group resources on a wide range of topics in there so easy to use chip provides the teaching and you'll have time to discuss what you've heard alongside her helpful study guides. We even offer some insights for leaders to leave their groups well. So if you're not a small group, you are you aren't sure what to study.

Next, let me encourage you to check out our resources as chipset for limited time we've discounted all of our small-group resources so you can get into community starting today to learn more, go to LivingontheEdge.org or call us at AAA 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003 or LivingontheEdge.org app listeners tap special offers. As we close today's message and finish this entire series want to give you a game plan to move on from here, you know, it's one thing disabled in a balanced life's demands. We have lived by biblical priorities and and you know we can't get excited for a couple weeks and hopefully you got some good information. Some good truth. But if I begin to ask you like I ask myself some fundamental questions. We realize that we've started something I want to help you keep moving in the right direction when you start asking questions like where are you investing your life is God or Mammon the master of my soul and my living under pressure or am I living under priorities. Does my time and my talent my treasure reflect the life and following of Christ or does it reflect a out-of-control crazy life that I want to bring into balance. But I don't know how we've started the journey, but let me give you three specific suggestions to move on.

You know you didn't get here uniting get my life out-of-control on occasion overnight and you probably won't in two weeks get everything aligned.

So number one if you're kind of privately on this journey and realize you just need to process this individually. Let me encourage you to get the MP3s and on your commute to work. Think about it hundred listen to it three, four times, download the notes for free in and fill in the things in and use it as the basis of your time with the Lord the next 30 days or so go on a personal journey deep inventory is the prerequisite for lasting change. Second, do this with someone you to get the small-group resource can say hey, let's spend the next 10 weeks together. You know once a week and let's talk this over. Let's process this. That will really begin to reinforce it and then finally there's some of you that you're saying to yourself, of course, I have struggles but I remember where I used to be. You want to help some younger believers get this series invite a few people begin to invest in the lives of others. Maybe you do it in a class maybe you do it early before work but takes some people that want to grow that have this need and say I am willing to help you and you walk them through the series balancing life's demands really it's Jesus saying this is what it looks like to follow me in a high pressure high demand world. It's possible go for you know a great way to soak in more biblical truth like Chip was just saying is with the chipping room up there you'll find this series, and many more all free with God's word poor into you in such a way that you get perspective from the freedom he longs for you to enjoy in him will and selects time.

This is Dave saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge