Spiritual Simplicity - All You Need Is Love, Part 2

Do you remember that mold song all you need is love never all you need is love, Bob bathtub about guess what a lot of people criticized the Beatles and for good reason. They got it right on that one will talk about how to get out of the performance track and get down to what really matters learned all you really need that's today.

Thanks for joining us for this Tuesday edition of Living on the Edge with shipping serves as our Bible teacher of the stately professional discipleship program and today Chip continues his series usual simplicity doing less loving just before we get started, let me encourage you to download your free message from LivingontheEdge.org containers outline scriptural references and much help you remember what you hear better equipped to share what you're learning LivingontheEdge.org click listen now. It's a quick download from their know if you have your Bible open to first Corinthians chapter 13 let's join Chip for part two of his message. All you need is love performing in your world with the greatest gifts and abilities without love, jot down produces nothing performing some of us are good at performing because we have learned that when you perform, you get strokes and affirmation and strokes and affirmation. Although it's not like real love from in-depth relationships. It feels pretty good as a cheap substitute second possessing the best the finest the most amazing things you can imagine without love. You become nothing now in the context here.

He was talking about possessing these amazing gifts about wheat wheat we live in a world of Silicon Valley in American materialism. It's it's it's we have all come little mental markers about what you possess and what you drive and where you live, what your ZIP Code isn't in your position and what what schools your kids go to and what their SAT scores are and what you possess. In terms of position and privilege and what you possess. In terms of the esteem of other people and what you possess.

In terms of reputation and how old are you and how quickly are you moving up what you possess. In terms of your little kids and can they hit the ball or run faster or farther than other little kids and those you want what you want to be known for these get into the things that drive you. This is why so many people are living in SUVs and eating fast food five nights a week from minivan to minivan from practice to practice. This is why people don't eat dinner together and don't have time to eat dinner together and why couple see each other briefly in the morning see one another with blurry dies and reconnect. Not very well at 10 o'clock at night and keep thinking okay there's more to do more to get done the to do list is longer. I just can't keep going in and then the lie but but when the season is over. It's always just a season. Seems like the season stack up on one another and third sacrificially providing for those you love. The neediest, the greatest calls on earth without love profits you nothing mean a lot of us with our motives and our heart is not like were trying to live insane pace lives. I can't tell you how many people have talked to said I've tried to slow down.

I've tried and I just keep getting pulled back into the rushing river of the Silicon Valley shuffle of movement man push go make it happen. Innovate your losing it market share.

What about this providing and so you want to provide for your kids this and provide for yourself this and provide bad until you can accumulate in the listen very carefully because this is week every time you buy into a lie and the biggest ones are so subtle there coated with such significant amounts of truth that you feel like you between the rock and the hard place and you can never get out.

Here is what I wrote many of us live very hurried overextended complex lives with shallow, superficial relationships, even with our closest friends and families because we have unconsciously learned to believe performing well, possessing much in providing stuff is what life is all about your value as a person your significance you get perform well who you are what you do what people think, has to do with possessing stuff, some of its intangible and some of it is very tangible how you doing with this boy. It's quiet in here is an and this isn't you know what this is. You don't get a free pass on this because your pastor is I've as I looked at my DNA and my schedule and when I look at the list of not what I say but the list of what does my behavior say what does my schedule screen. Where does my money go. I feel like there's a constant battle of fighting against this belief system but possessing performing and even the ultra stick. I'm gonna provide for can get me going to pace that in good for my soul. It isn't good for my marriage. Is it good for my parenting or grandparenting that kills friendships so if that's the diagnosis but with the doctor say what with the simplify your life doctor say here's a prescription for transformation.

Three things he would say he gets a little pad out, you know, put your shirt back on.

I'll be right back and is the second will prescription pads coming out number one the secret to simplifying your life's focus. Now this is an earth shattering. Is it you're trying to do too much. Oh, you're trying to accomplish too much all you try to get your kids involved in too much all you need to do lasts but do it better deeper, more relational, but you need to do the things that matter most all okay. Knowing that we've all done that and tried that at last for two days to two weeks depending on our personalities.

RX number two you can only do lasts when you purpose to love more. This for me is the biggest ha of the series in this message. I have tried many many times to tweak my schedule right I'll do little less of this less of that and I ready I go to bed early. I get up real early and have read time management books like you all have.

I do my A's first before I do my B's and I do my sees I do know how to multitask and I'm on one very intense person and yet I want you just multiply multiply multiply until different seasons of my life. I feel like I've got the seven plate spinning or juggling the balls and ended some house will that's can lay there for a couple minutes I'll get my attention.

Over here it's my marriage.

You can't lay there very long, and what you got it right if just tweaking things was about intelligence. I'm talking to really smart group of people who you want to figure that out by now, but the dead silence in the room tells me there's a lot of Silicon Valley shuffle going on and this is an executive issue.

This is a lifestyle issue. This is a mindset issue. I'm not a good stay at home mom unless I perform well in possess much and provide a lot to everyone all the time and say yes.

I'm not a Silicon Valley person at the less I score so many points and I'm involved in this. I'm doing good grades in school and I go to this kind of the school and this pressure and this demand has us going all these different directions and then sedating our pain and our loneliness with videos and technology and food and on health and that's why we have so many addiction issues because right before people get ready to crack they just find a substitute to make him feel better. I was in the South African afterwards went to Zimbabwe and I it's been three years since I've been overseas and as a as a rule, I've always want to be overseas at least once a year, and in my five years of wealth to the Bible. I was overseas all the time so I mean it was it was really hard schedule wise, but was great for my heart and about a year and 1/2 ago I decided I'd thinking this summer I have to go overseas and I have to visit orphans and it was yes, we want to help the orphans and my wife and I been financially supporting a ministry really believe in, but it you great.

It wasn't my gut check it out. I knew it was good to be good before I got there. What I knew was at the pace that I live with the new things that I've taken on in less I look into the eyes of Little orphan kids who live in shacks and unless I feel their pain and see what the third world is like.

I will just go faster and faster and trying to think bigger and better and faster and more bigger and better and faster and more just because their spiritual that can make your life just as crazy and so I remember in Zimbabwe was the second home. I've been doing some teaching in our group visit a couple different homes in date they have a gated place and you go into the home and have like eight or 10 girls in a ante and a grandmother and they teaching the Bible and they get a good meal and we went back in their teaching the garden to feed them and then had a chicken run were there raising chickens for their food and but I got out of the car in this little little girl that she was she's about this tall so she's little heavier than I hope to this bright yellow smile. She was real shy. She just walked up to me like this went so I got an apparel my hip and then we walked around for a while and she seemed to really enjoy that it was, like, really go to the back.

You want to walk.

I'm thinking my back said to be nice if you walk and and and she just put her arms around no I so what's your name she goes blessing that that's interesting and so we went around back and she was on my hip for about 25 or 30 minutes Exide to change ships and the and then we had little girl was 13 years old. It was taken off the streets when she was about five and you don't know what look like for little girl in Zimbabwe around the world. These countries that are on the streets with no parent 5647. Just let your imagination go honest. It's a little bit worse than that in this little girl after now 4 1/2 years, five years in this home was amazingly articulate and not only amazingly articulate but she began to talk about not just parroting verses that she memorized.

I have a relationship with Jesus now I get to eat every day. But the most important thing is and she looked up because a pastor comes like every other day there along with auntie and the grandmother. She says I have a family and unloved and she just beamed and I just thought just sat and I thought with Blessed on my hip. These kids possess what so many of us are chasing after you know what that meant there not taken drugs to fall asleep at night. They're not wondering how to balance 75 to dues. The simplicity of their life. I love God I love these people they love me.

We want to help others in the way that we've been helped. I just thought that is a blessing and when I realize for me was the only way this was a big ha ha I've tried to do less but other stuff creeps in right there's always that great opportunity and it always comes with here's a great opportunity is right down the middle of the plate and by the way this great opportunities only to come now, and if you don't swing at it right now. Your kids are going to miss it or you're gonna miss it to the business the message and its strategic and it's great and you can do this and you can add it to your schedule.can take anything off, but you can mentally say act like you are and so one more thing gets on their right and I just realized my know isn't strong enough to keep stuff off my plate until I have a lot stronger. Yes, how did I have two weeks to go be with orphans and when I was with them and was that these pastors when I saw the Third World afresh. All of a sudden some of the stuff that felt so demanding and some of the people and things I need to say no to. It's easy to say no to doing less when you're saying yes to loving more. The third RX is begin to redefine success begin to redefine success from how did I do. That's a performance question and is that not like a Silicon Valley mom how did I didn't dad how did I do teach her how to I do coach. How did I do corporate earnings. How did I do change that to whom I becoming you might right above the question, how did I do performance and put a arrow whom I becoming that the character question what do I have that's possessions put a arrow from that and move it to how my using it. Not not what I have, using it that's it. You move from possessions to stewardship in the third question is how much do I give. If you change that question to.

Why do I give so it goes from providing to motive what we have before us is one of the greatest chapters in all of biblical history, but I want to tell you the apostle Paul did not sit down one day and say you know something I would like to write a literary masterpiece. I like to write something that people whether they were Christians or non-Christians all over the world.

When there is ever a wedding they would read this I want to provide something for people who love the decoupage. I want Plax to be filled in future Christian stores all over the world. I wanted to be put with little list of poems you know.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, apostle Paul, I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, yet have not love, right. If I prophesy you know he was not trying to do that that what you gonna find his work and spend her time organ walk through this. He doesn't even define love in first rankings.

13 he gives us 15 descriptions of love, beginning at verse four and in the 15 descriptions all show a little bit later he takes at least 15 of their dysfunctional hurtful bad superficial relational fallout behaviors and every one of these things is a corrective so that they will be loving and their relationships. This is a very practical chapter. He's talking about. Instead of suing one another.

Here's how you do instead of feeling hurt and rejected, betrayed and gossiping about people. Here's what you do instead of living this way, here's what you do is shacking up with your mother-in-law and being sexually immoral. Here's what you do. I mean this this church had major problems but but if working a lot of more. The danger is that we will think that love is a legally feeling now. I have, I feel better. God I had 17.5 seconds of legally feelings with my wife, and 11.7 seconds of the good feelings of one of my kids or I'm a single person and I had coffee and we had a deep talk and I feel better now all those things may be good but here's the question if simplifying your life never works by just saying you going to do less but the secret is loving more. The fundamental question is what is love, and how you practice what is it really mean to be loving and him to get us started, and where to start real small and never remember what about Bob you take baby steps, right word of the next eight weeks. No intake little baby steps so you need to be here and working to learn to start loving what love really is not an emotion, not a good feeling, but a choice to treat other people in a way that you don't have the power apart from God giving it to you but were never learned to love other people and I want you to start with those closest to you. Family, friends, spouse, irritating in-laws, and so notice what he says in verse four love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it's not proud, just underline love is patient, love is kind. It's all undercover today. We take one baby step toward how to become more loving people because as your love will get deeper and deeper and practical.

This week you will you will gravitate and spend energy and time there and you'll start doing less and loving more love is patient, the word is macro Dumas macro meaning broad or to spread out Dumas has the idea of passion. Some translators say it is to have a long, long suffering, the idea is only used it's not in reference to being patient with circumstances, this word has to do with being patient with people this is that when someone says a little remark that hurt your feelings. And so you shut down and turn on the remote. This is someone who you know you wanted to be romantic on a certain evening and you got turned down so you decide you know what Amanda's not going to respond her or him this is that little comment that your parents making you disable forget him and shut my door and you know videogame. This is someone at school who says something you to hurt your feelings and you you just you just find yourself telling another friend. What a jerk and how she stuck up and who does he think he is. This is a different way to respond to hurt basically love is patient, love is kind. He's addressing the same issue.

It's one calling the issue is this and write this down. How do I respond when people hurt me and it had to be in the church long to know you can get hurt and we hurt one another in families and we hurt one another and friends.

We hurt when another ball teams and we hurt one another. Business how do you respond when a word or an action or neglect or someone doesn't invite you or someone says something about you. How do you respond when there's a little hurt or wound. My reaction is back or a passive aggressively say did you hear what he did to me or she did that, therefore you know some of you will lash out with your words. Some of you will pay back later some of you will passive aggressively leak and be sarcastic. Some of you will cut your parents off this passage says you want to learn to become loving. Here's what it says love is patient and the word kind is only used in this form. In the New Testament and it's giving a undeserved response of goodness when some notice and encouragement to the person who's wounded you and I can't give it in my strength. But you said that to me and hurt my feeling I'm going to go to the bedroom and I'm going to forgive you and I'm going to think about how can I affirm and encourage you because most people who hurt you, usually comes out of the wound in their own life.

Can you imagine what can happen in relationships. If that's all we do.

Love absorbs the below and gives a hug. Now some of you have some historic situations in their some abusive situations and issues that you have common background and this does not mean that you know you go home now say that you are the father that abused you sexually know you think we could form a meeting I learned from God's post hugging on an okay that that this list let's not oversimplify, there's issues and boundaries, but let's just start with the everyday relationships of where we live in our homes or in our apartments with roommates and at work in our neighborhood and let's say what would happen if we absorb the blow like a pillow and we returned hug is really what Jesus did is when he was on the cross.

He was hurt, rejected Beaton and was just by those people was by our sin and what would you he absorb the blow into your hands, Lord, I commit my spirit and many died and rose from the dead and his father forgive them.

He was kind, he loved Nelson Mandela's. I was in South Africa that the earmarks of a man here for years and years and years.

What apartheid did any of 20+ years to think about how will we respond to the hurt that we've had in this country and he absorb the blow and he returned hug as I think I shared earlier one of his secret service people we were with Jesus committed Christian. She said you should've seen this man and how he demanded that the white people would be treated after how he and the blocks in South Africa. Love you learn what that does.

It never fails right back with some specific application is teaching but if you're just joining us, you're listening to living on the average, with Chip Ingram and ships talk today all you need is love is from his serious spiritual simplicity doing less loving more serious challenges the norms that were pressured to assume more healthy and it reveals the reasons behind our complaints that there's never enough time for ourselves the people we love or even God. Spiritual simplicity paves the way to live a simpler, wiser, more connected life right now, you'll find all of the spiritual simplicity resources on our website. The CDs free MP3s the book and video small group with study guide for complete pricing and ordering details.

Just go to LivingontheEdge.org or if you prefer. Just give us a call at 1-888-333-6003 spiritual simplicity doing less loving more. Now here's chip as many of you know, in recent months.

I just stepped down as the senior pastor of venture Christian church. I been a senior pastor for 35 years and is a very very big and emotional step, but as I did three major pastors conferences in nine states last year. I will make my third trip to China in the last 12 months this year and I had an experience in the Middle East, where I saw needs and I saw God work that shook my life and a member sitting on the floor of my wife's office in our house and she looked at me and said chip. We can't wait to step out like never before and do what God called us to do beyond the walls of one local church. We love the church. It's an awesome church you've been there you know 9+ years and I begin to think about all the things you think about when you have to make a big decision right.

I mean, you know my income is gonna change traveling overseas. It was pretty scary. A couple times where I was places and then I read Genesis 2214 recently back to have it on the little card that I memorized many years ago and it's where Abraham is bringing Isaac and he's going to offer the most precious thing to God and you know the story where he struggles and yet the knife goes up and the angel calls out in verse 14 it says and the Lord provided in it says in the mount of the Lord is it said to this day it will be provided and as I was thinking, I realized I'd preach surrender to people for probably 30+ years and what I realized was it never ends, and that God always provides, but he provides after we surrender and stepping out and giving 100% of my energy, my focus my time to United States to pastors to China in the Middle East just meant I needed to go back up on the mountain and take my Isaac of comfort my Isaac of security. My Isaac of my personal fears and laid them there.

And God says, and I will provide it. So as you think about this season and especially this matching what God might want you to do. I would encourage you to ponder what it looks like to surrender to really surrender and say Lord I will do what ever you want me to do with regard to Living on the Edge we are asking God for ambassadors and partners that are can say I'm all in. If there's ever a time in America in the world where we need a group of people to say I am all in.

I don't know what it looks like. Of course, I'm afraid, but I'm going to be courageous and I'm going to step out and Lord what ever you show me I will do Tresa and I have taken that step here in the last few months and I simply want to invite you to take with us and back it up with your prayer, your financial support in the way you live your life every single day give you a few details about how you can give and how that can be double with our match today. Pray seriously where you go to that mountain surrender and I think will see God do things that we never dreamed what were praying for the ministry that continues to happen through Living on the Edge and were praying that you will decide to partner with us financially while were in our 2018 year-end match, thanks to a handful of very generous friends of the ministry. Every gift we received during December will be doubled. 4400 or 4000 doubled dollar for dollar.

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That's 1-888-333-6003. Your generosity is greatly appreciated will now here's chip with some final thoughts as we close today's program at their something that occurred when I taught this that you couldn't see and that when I got to the part where I talked about you know a pillow and absorbing the blow and giving a hug.

II had a big pillow on the stool on the platform and there happened to be a guy I didn't know I probably should have done this blessed excuse me, could you help me for minute and I said come on up here right now and he did and I didn't realize until I got up there.

He is about 65 and he was really pretty big and I didn't know inside and how he ended up on the front row, but I figure anybody on the front row is gotta be in a pretty bold and so I held up this pretty thick pillow and I put it against my chest.

I said nope here's what I want you to do would you punch me into this pillow you know there's thousand or so people, right there watching. I said to him, he don't kill me, but this is gotta be kinda real so they see how it goes. You know, so I'm thinking he's going to do fairly, mildly, even though I've told me couldn't inoculate knockout the pastor in front of everybody.

And so this big guy. He was pretty new. I've never seen before and he kind of smiled, and I mean he hit me right in the gut and I didn't tighten up because I thought I mean he would hit me that hard as I would like that.

Then I had to sorely go. Oh boy. As I took a deep breath as I sorta got the wind knocked out of me and I said that that's really good that's how a lot of people and then I took the pillow and I didn't know him very well and I gave him a little embrace and you know it was so good because so often it's not just these big huge things were we take a blow.

It's a little comment here and we don't expect it. It's a it's a look that one of her kids gives us around the table. It's, you know, we offer something at work and someone kinda disses us and is just a little below and all of those little blows that happen in your life you know what you can have this little bitterness in this little anger and it can just destroy your soul. Love is patient and love is kind and and patients is that first step of you know putting up with absorbing the way Christ is absorbed it for us and it's a word picture and I had people all the next week. In fact, I reviewed this every week for three or four or five weeks, and people came back and said that word picture and I picked that up from a pastor many years ago I member hearing a message from years ago where he shared that illustration take that little picture just take it with you today and this week and when you feel a little wound.

Think pillow and then kindness. Give a hug. See if God doesn't use that in your life Frank strip at Living on the Edge were excited to announce a new way to listen to our extended teaching podcast here chip any time on Amazon's Alexa echo and echo.simply say Alexa enabled the Chip Ingram podcast was Alexis enabled without skill.

All you need to say is Alexa play the Chip Ingram podcast you'll hear that these extended teaching anytime you want will be sure to join us again tomorrow is chip continues a series spiritual simplicity. November's favorite thing. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge