How to Change for the Better - Motivation - How to Do What's Best When You Feel Like it the Least, Part 2

The truth is we all want to change for the better but the other truth is we tried and failed and tried and failed, and for many, we really don't believe it can happen. We just don't know how to stick with that you today there's an answer. Thanks for joining us for this Thursday edition of living all the Living on the Edge of the Bible to understand daily discipleship program chips, got a great message for not only to help you get started on the road to change.

Rolling along actually reach her goal is in the middle of the series how to change for the better messages that are available on the chip increment pellets join chip or part two of his message. Motivation how to do what's best when you feel like it the least. James chapter 3 what application what's this look like for you for me. The first is this principle of you might write the word in accountability the concept of judgment. Often we think as I least meet with believers and siding grow up reading the Bible when I thought of judgment.

I thought there was this just one big judgment. You know those who go to heaven and those are separate from Christ forever. That is not true and I can develop at all, but let me tell you that the Bible is very clear there's at least five different specific judgments. There's different people groups involved in judgment of sin at the cross, but the one I want to talk about is the judgment of the believers works, namely that you and me will be held accountable for how we live our life from the moment we trust Christ until the moment we see now open your Bibles with me if you will. First Corinthians chapter 3 okay let me let me let you see this firsthand. If the if your notetaker and you share this with someone at work in our Bible study.

Jot down second Corinthians 5, eight, nine, you'll find the same judgment first Corinthians chapter 3, Paul has helped birth the church. There's a lot of divisions a lot of struggles here. This is a corrective letter to get them back on the same track and he and his can make the point.

You know all this division Christ the foundation of Jesus his work, his resurrection is the foundation for all life. Now he wants to say is we all have a ministry in other people's lives. Be careful how you build and this is the idea of your life in Christ, picking up verse 11 follow along. It says, for no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.

Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold and silver, precious stones would have a straw each man's work will become evident for the day of judgment will show it because it is to be revealed with fire and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.

Not only what you do with the quality. The why you do it if any man's work or woman's work which she or he is built upon.

It remains he'll receive a reward. This is for believers again get a reward. If any man or woman's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet, as through fire. The key word here is fear, who had run up fear. I don't know about you if you thought about it much. I don't think we think about it a whole lot, but there is come a day. Your salvation is in question. But there is come a day when you're in a stand before a holy God is not your cosmic body is not your little good friend in the saw this guy is not an old wise man with a white beard that really hope things go okay with you, and you know that his dream for your life is you get a SUV, a minivan live in a nice place in you have a good comfortable income your kids turn out right is not his plan for your life. If you happen to get all that. Thank him for it be that Stewart nothing wrong but that is not God's intent and the day will come when you stand before him, and I will stand before him and he'll get right down to in the words of Jesus. Matthew 1236 and 37 Jesus said, every careless word that men shall speak the render account for the day of judgment.

For by your words you will be justified by your words you be condemned every act, every thought, every dollar not only what you did with your spiritual gifts with your time with your energy with your talent but why you did it. See, I share about my journey would be a workaholic.

You know, the phone rang. I got it. You know the people that little church that was wonderful. I mean, they said jump and I said I'll be there for everyone.

I can do a funeral in the morning American Idol premarital counseling.

The economy and I thought I was just the greatest little pastor in the whole world exhausted and you what they did to his weight.

When I stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Those early years, Texas would pay stubble burned up.

I didn't answer those calls.

I didn't do those things because I love God I hope there was some loving got in there somewhere. I did it because I want their approval. I did because I wanted people except me. I did it because it felt a lot like love and I didn't really believe that God love him even though he did I get all kind of things not promoters to honor God and please God and deeply care about people all kind of things to meet inner needs in my heart and deficits in a something buyer. There's no reward there is no reward there. I didn't model model any lifestyle that I would want anybody except another insane person to live like me, you never give much thought back I remember a time I was in school we had one of those very few notes. Some professors you can't categorize like an egg head in the sky is a doctor from Dallas and another one from you to Cambridge and you just so he doesn't chapel on never forget this chap.

He says men forgive me.

You know that you know is is in the Hebrew department. He said I would like to do a word study he goes through in Hebrew the word fear means in Greek the word means an Ugaritic. The word fermis and he gets all the way to end and you know what he was naked Mark.

He said man I want you to know from the original text what the word fear means. It means fear means fear means fear when you meet people in the pages of Scripture and they come face-to-face with God, they fell flat on her face when a culture of evangelical theirs is the need not lightly genie in a bottle make my life work out. By the way, have you heard a few things that you normally work out right now.

I will now. He's not your cousin but he's gone be feared writer of Hebrews says to group believers is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. He loves you. He is good he is powerful he is all-knowing he is just but he is a just holy judge, and you know what that guilty feeling stuff done work and that meet my own needs stuff doesn't work because all really revolves around short little above the water changes. I'll tell you something I got serious about core issues in my life when I realized not only was I destroying my life destroying my family and not really helping the church stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account and you know what, I had a holy fear come over me when the last time you had one those experiences you want to be motivated get the Scriptures you want to be motivated to have your life match what you say you believe spend some time thinking about fear. Fear is a powerful motivator. I majored in psychology that the greatest motivational techniques we can learn is negative consequences, along with positive reinforcement. Those that you know you do all the test with animals, all rest to give negative consequences intermixed with positive reinforcement. That's how you train is how you train things when you look at what God says there some negative consequences to living our lives apart from the will of God.

My father, you know told you little bit about them, but he smoked 3 1/2 packs a day of Lucky strike for 30 years. Forget them filters them are wimps and he was a science teacher now.

He joined the Marines when he was 16 and he said man Ellen try to learn to smoke go away can get a focused break is to take a smoke and so when my unit stopped and they passed out cigarettes in the one you know what like so he's teaching science is 30 years under his belt and had this exhibit and ending with his big jars with formaldehyde in it was a long of a person who died of cancer, but what they had in the long was a person who smoked one pack a day for 10 years. My dad also taught math so he did the math and it was black is the ace of spades and he looked at that jar and thought to himself what must be inside me and guess what he got. He had tried every possible way to quit smoking. Guess what happened. He quit. God wants you to know he loves you and your steward and the day will come to give an account. That's a lasting, highly motivating, prioritizing way to have your life in your belief system matchup now that sort of the negative side, listen to the positive side, second principles of principal rewards is a concept that we reap what we sow my job down. Galatians 6 is as God will not be mocked as a man or woman sows so shall he or she read if you so to the flesh you so to selfish ambition you so to things you know are really good for you, but they feel real good right now and reaps death and corruption.

If you so to the spirit follow after the things of God do things that are hard honoring with your time, develop the kind of relationships you know the matter says it brings life and it brings peace and so there's this sowing and reaping in the problem is you never read in the same season is so there's a lady got a new midway through this.

Rowan I was going to say hi to people that came in this morning she said well done is really working so I say that she goes united. One of those real honest inventories and I made some pretty difficult decisions you all have all hell broke loose my request last week. I said that's pretty predictable one. You got someone's attention into your no swimming upstream seat. Once you start moving in ways that are very positive, will have long-term great blessing, a great reward. It's hard it's difficult in the early consequences are usually interest is like a human body, anybody decide to get in shape. Haven't done it while deciding what job to 3 miles know what what happens your body is now wanting to shop what happens next morning. All I'll tell you what's happened. You have pushed muscles. There is muscles are filled with lactic acid muscles the way they grow their fibers and they are split in the way they grow as they split and you keep working on them than they grow. And that's how they're enlarged short-term pain. Long-term gain and God says theirs is principal rewards and the keyword here is hope.

And here's what keeps me going and when I didn't want when I didn't feel like reading my 3 x 5 cards.

When I when I didn't want to read a book on this when I didn't want to say okay I'm not getting into that fund a stay at the table with my family would Me going was the certainty and hope. And if I will do like God's way. There's reward and the word hope I use that in a biblical sense. We use the word like I wish I hope the 49ers when I put my marriage gets better hope my kids turn out right. That's a good wish. The word hope in Scripture, has to do with absolute certainty that because it's absolutely certain I'm gonna hang in here because God promises you make it happen John down of Philippians 16 Paul says to group of people going through some not very easy times in the New Testament times just from confident this thing if you began a good work and you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. Count on your team. He loves you. He's good you think you you think you know what a good marriage look like kisses better and bigger. You think your life affecting other people might be some exciting bigger and better and more exciting. But the pathway there is doing it his way. Romans 828 US quote that the people in the hospital got quote the people want through life God works all things together for good for those that are called for those that love him. That means he's working your job situation. Your married situation your singleness, your struggles, your temptation, your boss, your canvas, give me a hard time, the party applying is not working very well.

He's working all things together for good, including the stock market to orchestrate. Not everything works out fine but to orchestrate the person of Christ being birthed and fully formed in you to make you like and if you'll sign up if you not bail out when he gets hard and say since there's a great reward down the road. I'm to hang in there and hang in there too. That's why can read my 3 x 5 cards.

I didn't feel like it were living in a culture of like you emotional namby-pamby about you, but a lot of things I do feel like doing it.

If you way to you feel like doing things that this cost is called a spirit of self-discipline doing what you're motivated to do doesn't take a lot self-discipline, but as you take yourself into training and you so and you do it God's way and this concept of an all knowing just loving father whose good and all-powerful longs to give the best and motivate you to endurance over the long haul.

I decided about eight years into being a Christian, maybe seven.

Not because I ought not because I should know because others thought that after I cut with you this deal with being a workaholic. I decided and I knew I got I don't get any brownie points for this.

I'm not better than anyone else. Everyone gets to decide what you want to do with your life and I would make this assertion, however. Your life is coming out right now you are designing your time and energy and focus to produce exactly the result of you getting see if sports is really important to you. You have designed your life around reading the sports page every day watching three or four ballgames and being a 2 to 3 legs will great if that's how you if money is important to you. You must read the Wall Street Journal you check this this this and this and you read books and Fortune 500 and now is everything with anything wrong. Do this I don't think so.

Here's the deal. When your life ends wherever you invested it, then you reap either reward or some sorrow, but even better way before your life ends.

However, you designed your life, you can hit the target, draining, and so about eight years in my Christian life I decided not ought should not feel guilty don't care anybody else does. I made a decision.

It really flew out of the first printing is 924 27 apostle Paul said a lot of people run the race of life, but only a few when the price I'm gonna run life in such a way to win not to be not just be a spectator, not just me and again I want to run it to win. And so I buffet my body and I set goals and I I box not like it here I come up with strategic clear-cut goals and targets about what God wants him to go after, I decided from inside that's what I want to do. I decided I would be a man of God only effective father I would have an intimate marriage and I wanted to take the spiritual gifts that I can indemnify and wanted to out Stewart him to the max and then I arranged when I got my schedule adding care what was on Monday night or Thursday night or Friday night and he care what anybody else is doing.

I got my schedule to be a man of God. I need this much time in the Scriptures. Here's where I need to grow. These account people I want to be around. I put my schedule to be an effective father. I'm unit is designed a day when you meet with each my kids. I'm coming up with a strategy to decide what they need. What I need to give Tillman who own and is posing to if you have an intimate marriage. It doesn't matter what's on TV does not want anybody else is doing.

I'm to read these books go to these conferences. Built in two or three times away with my wife and you put on the counter if I'm going to steward my gift under the practice and I'm gonna read up on him to go to conferences you think God telling me, a man of faith night and feel like a lot of times I'm gonna times for two or three years about watching TV than making more spiritual I just found it was hard hitting my targets and watch a couple hours of TV a night. I thought I could go to bed at 9 o'clock get up very early in the morning and a three or four hours before everybody else knew what was going on.

I just found it putting that side of time with my kids. It was hard in unit I was a terrible person and all the other kids got to do this in my kids and I was this taskmaster I was a terrible father.

I'm kidding. And that's how it felt, because I asked my kids to be counterculture I get deeply engaged in their life and I gave them what they needed. Instead what they wanted very imperfectly with lots of ups and downs. Here's what I would tell you just please hear this.

I can't. I don't how to get my arms around this I just want to take. I sat around the table and I heard on their heart, and I heard how God's use and and and hear and hearing their prayers and sensing the unity I looked across the table at a woman that I busted it with and I see things that I thank God for breakthroughs in our relationship. It took not three, not four, not 8 to 10 and 15 years I'm looking across the table thinking I never dreamed I never dreamed God would bless in ways beyond my wildest imagination.

I never dreamed God would put on my kids heart what it isn't. I never dreamed he would take my gift in steward and multiplied in emails from around the country and around the world. That's not something that happened overnight. It is not because I'm better than anything or anyone.

It is all the grace of God, but here it if you believe there is a reward for walking righteously then you just decide this is what I and what keeps you going is as good. God is faithful what he wants to give you is so great, but there's a price tag is a price tag. It's hard work, discipline, the Bible says discipline yourself and the Communists by my discipline has some merit for time, but spiritual discipline has great impact not only for this life asked and so what I see as I'm watching the church sort of float around in people not realize you can stand before God and Stan before that I don't about you that's a lot better guilty feelings I get motivated and the flipside is God loves me so much. Most of us are experiencing this and God wants us to experience but you have to go into training for the things account and you say no to putting junk in your body. You say no to put stuff in your mind and you say I'm not good to do that. This is what I'm gonna doing an adult with a group of people and you align your priorities that like and in three or four weeks I'll guarantee if you decide to do this lightly terrible and and some of people that are closest to you there. Christians will start calling you fanatic and I think you taken us a little too far. Yeah okay look at where their life is where their marriages look at where their kids are. You ask yourself where you will be where you want to be the fundamental question. Life is where you really want to be and how badly he wanted.

You can be as righteous as you want to be. That's not heresy that's from the lips of Jesus, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be what satisfying heaven is not mean saying all man you know we got too many people pounding on the door want to be like Christ.

We don't have enough grace to go around fun and promise most of us want God to come through and work out a like our way under our conditions with our priorities and our expectations.

Instead of saying God always seek first the kingdom of God and your righteousness and then as I do that on the trust that promise of reward all these other things of phone place you how much money I need you know where I need to live you need that you know the issues my bags my back running my parenting my kids get on the trust. So where we go from here.

What you do.

Motivation is fear stand before God. Motivation is hope is a great reward where we go from here. Last principle is a principal what I call strategic application where I get this is James moderate force. He sits on about you but this is hit me pretty hard. So where you begin with your hearing a drug or alcohol or sexual addiction or what you got a marriage on the rocks or a single person living in a way that you know is not healthier for you if you get a eating disorder. Forget eating disorder. He does need a bunch of junk and you don't want to but you keep doing it or what if you know you want to be in the Bible, but you can do it more than about two days in a row.

You will learn to prior you made all these promises and guilty feelings and trying to fulfill yourself of never work where you go from here.

What you do after James gave this on motivation. The very first thing he talks about is the time because the tongue according to Jesus and James reveals that which fills your heart and it'll help you see core issues picture. It's as I call the logjam illustration picture water coming down a stream and there's all these big huge logs. There's two ways to get a logjam unhooked isn't there one is you take one off one off one off.

I need about 30 years you get it done. The second issue asking engineer to come say dear engineer, we look at this and let me know which log a strategically placed that when we pull it out movable mama log scale to God doesn't what God wants. No one walking out your thinking I could change my eating habits my media habits my the seventh my the seventh on what to do what he wants you to do strategic application start with your relationship with God you get that one in line. You'll be amazed he can solve your financial, marital, single work issues. There is a fellow I got to meet.

It was this was just a humbling deal. There was a guy who is homeless, living on the street, wife, and he married about nine years to kids. She leaves him. He's desperate, but he sees this parking lot. Every day he said in his letter, it's empty filled empty photos of the sums on the so he decided he'd come the church so he comes to church and of all Sundays are you ready for this number. The Malachi 3 challenge. He came that week know enough one week you were to talk about God's view of money and they all man but you know what see God talks a lot about money and the people were desperate that he heard the truth you didn't hear anything bad you didn't have anything to kids is on the streets is at the end of the message.

He said I heard you say test God. God wanted to show up for me. God would prove himself. As I reached into my pocket and I had $0.75 is all I had. I said I felt foolish and I put that $0.75 and he said the next day God gave me $75.01 a that promise.

I took 750 and I gave to help someone.

He said then the next day God gave me another $75.

So I took 750 of that and I try to help someone else.

Now he goes on to say in the last six weeks. He is delivered 10 bags of groceries to fellow homeless hurting people and with each bag he tells him this is what God is done for me sewing sewing briefing reward joyful. They said and by the way, all my kids.

Now that connected. He said we are in God's will.

We've come to know Christ annually reminded me it's not about changing big big big all it's about.

What is the $0.75 issue.

What is the one thing is I've been talking the spirit of God is been moving that you know I need to do that and you do that what you want. It will be easy to it will be great because God wants to make you like him, son.

His son a lot more than you or I will be like his boss is awesome just thoughts about but if you're just joining us, you're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram's message today is from a series how to change for the better in the series trip uncovers the secrets to lasting life change. You learn how to see the real issues that sustain your commitments even when you don't feel like this inspiring five-part series is available on CD and the free message notes and MP3s are also on our website LivingontheEdge.org. If you really want to make lasting changes. You strip series how to change for the better to help you get there.

Order today when you call 1-888-333-6003, or if you prefer to shop online. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org hey I'll be right back in just a minute to give some specific application to today's message but what were teaching about right now is not only near and dear to my heart but I realize a lot of people don't know how life change really happens. They don't know how you really grows Christian and become like Jesus in this series literally flows out of the book that I wrote called the miracle of life change. It's an exposition of Ephesians chapter 4. With all this super practical things that I've learned over the years and so here's what I'd like you to do. I like you to go to our website and buy this book and when you do, we will give you a second one to pass on to someone else. I have found when people study this passage and this book God really opens their eyes want you to think about someone you love someone in your network may be at work. A family member go to the website, get this book we will give you a secondment absolutely free so you can study it and pass it on to someone you care about what were excited about this offer because it's a great example of helping Christians live like Christians trips book the miracle of life change gives you the practical tools you need to make the changes. Were talking about a long term reality in your life and in the life of someone you love to take us up on this by one, give one offer. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org or give us a call at 1-888-333-6003 I now with his application for today here's chip. I wish we could sit down together in your living room or mine and open the Bible right now at this moment, and if we did, I would open to James chapter 3 and I would read the first verse. Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly motivation here starts clearly out with a fear that God is going to hold us accountable and then I would skip all the way to the very end. In verse 18 says peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness, and there the motivation is God's awesome reward when we have alignment when we live our lives out of integrity and we so peace in life. There's a harvest of righteousness and then right in the middle of this passage I would go right to the center.

Just like with it with a little dot in verse 12 it says my brothers can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs. Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water and it gets right to the core of you know we can't produce anything other than we are and who we are always centers around our values and then what I like to do it oddly back in my chair and I'd say to you, you know, when you look at your life in your speech in your relationships and how you handle your money and your time. If we knew each other well enough I'd say tell me how does that reflect your core values of your relationship in Christ.

If we were really good friend you could be really honest and then I would let you asked me that question and I would tell you where I think you're pretty well aligned and where I really struggle, and I think we have a conversation to be pretty revealing to both of us and we would see that often our core values and what I believe with all my heart and in my head somehow isn't getting translated. There's times where you know if on the fig tree that there's olives coming out of me and I don't know about you but that produces tremendous tension and it also produces tremendous guilt and what we need is to align our values. The values of Scripture with how we live and in this world.

It is hard because the world's values are contradictory to what God wants for us.

And as you turn on the TV and as you look at the magazines and, as you hear the music they are sending you even as an evangelical believer down a road that is the opposite of Christ often and it seeped into the life of the church and so honesty looking at those values as a first step and then I think it just requires us to come before God humbly and say Lord help us father onus just take a moment for my brothers and sisters are listening right now who has they heard this message and as I relisten to it myself. We admit to you that are values. What we really believe certainly aren't matching up with how we live in significant degrees, we are helpless and powerless. Apart from you to see real change occur. The God we want to tell you that we long to be the kind of salt and light in children.

That would really make you proud and so we ask you, would you please do a work in us so that what we believe and what we say is important, would really get fleshed out in the everyday things of life in Christ name we pray.

Amen as we wrap up today's program.

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Would you consider sending a gift today. You can call us at 1-888-333-6003, or if you prefer, donate online at http://livingontheedge.org will tomorrow and Living on the Edge chip continues his series how to change for the better plans to join us for courtship of your entire team. This is the early say thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge