Today, I'm Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Are you in one of those can-do jobs? What I mean is you can do it, but down deep you don't really like it. In fact, you might even despise it.
Well, do you quit? Go back to school? Could it be that you have yet to discover the job that God has specifically made you to do. Stay with me and let's find out. What if you actually looked forward to Monday mornings?
What if work wasn't just the price you pay for weekend freedom, but a source of deep satisfaction and purpose? Most people spend 60 to 80 percent of their waking hours counting down to Friday, trapped in jobs they don't enjoy. They've swallowed the lie that we are what we do. On today's edition of Living on the Edge, Chip Ingram unveils a liberating truth. You're not what you do.
You're crafted in God's image with unique gifts, passions, and purpose. And when you discover and fulfill your divine calling, work transforms from drudgery into delight. A bit later, Chip will also describe one of the largest match opportunities in the history of Living on the Edge so that you can double the impact of your generous year-end support. But right now, let's turn our attention to the subject at hand, leaving a legacy that lasts forever. Work is a calling, all work is sacred, and our work is to flow from our unique purpose.
Now If you're called to be a plumber, Yeah. or a software engineer or a stay-at-home mom? You will tell others about the love of God by actually how you do your work and by what you say. The uh New Testament command is Colossians 3.23. Whatever you do.
Now let's see, what do you think that would cover?
Well that is this just spiritual stuff quote? Whatever you do.
Work at it with all your heart as working for The Lord Not for men. This is revolutionary.
Now, let me give you four kind of specific ways that are real practical in general to develop this and those that you love to pass it on. And then, what I want to do is, I want to take this very specifically in the second half of our time about how do you help those you love discover God's calling for their life. But before we do, let me give you four quick things that, especially for those of you that might have kids that are still at home or you're in those earlier years. Number one, give them a lot of jobs growing up. Your kids need to learn to cook and help out at 11 and 12.
Everyone needs to be able to handle and do their own laundry by the early teen or preteen years. You want them to learn to work at an early age. Second, Feed them responsibility, responsibility, responsibility. Give them jobs, feed them responsibility. Number three, demand excellence and develop a work ethic.
We have just got into this, our little kid's psyche. We don't want them to feel bad. My kids will tell you, and maybe I was a little over the top, I had one son that had a struggle in school and he had the gift of sloppiness. And so he would do his homework and he would, I mean, I couldn't even read it. He said, well, that's the best I can do.
I said, well, the best you can do, I guess, is not quite good enough because that's. And I would give him, you know, the little dad sermon, and I really love you, son.
Now do it again. And that's how you learn to clean out the garage. That's not bad.
Now try it again. You know, the reason the vacuum cleaner, you pick up the rug and you actually vacuum under the rug, okay?
Now, I'm not talking about being perfectionistic, over-the-top, wacko, although my kids at times would say I had small moments of that. It it it was If they don't learn to work well and work with excellence and work to an audience of one, Where do you think they're going to pick that up? One of the greatest gifts I think I saw my wife and I give our children is they know how to think and they know how to work. And the final thing I would say is teach them, and I allude to this, to work for an audience of one. And when they're young, I mean, I just, like I told them, I said, I understand no one can see behind here that's really dirty and all the cobwebs and the spiders that are coming out of the corner and stuff that's upsetting your mother.
The reason you you clean here. is because we're not doing this for me or for your mom. You do your best because this is your work as an offering to God. Did you see it? This was really one of the core Reformation principles.
The priesthood of the believer was one. This other was living life. before the face of God, all that we do, all that we are, as an offering. And so uh Those are four little things, jobs, responsibility. Excellence, audience of one.
Now, let's get real practical. Help them discover God's calling for their life. And to do this, you need to ask the following questions. And by the way, this isn't original. What is your shape?
Actually, there was a pastor, I think, from Saddleback who wrote a book that has this word shape, but it was such a good acronym, I stole it. And so, you know, I don't want any credit for it, but I think all truth is God's truth. If you give credit, if people have done better stuff than you, you just grab it, modify it, give credit, and use it.
So, this acronym of a shape, I think, is very, very helpful. And here's your role with your disciples. with the people that you love, with your kids. with your grandkids, with the people in your Bible study. You want to be a student of them.
See, your role. You've got 365 days to live. If you're going to die 365 days from now, And at the end of that 365 days, let's say they live another 20 or 30 years, if let's just round it, 70% of their waking hours they're going to work. How valuable would it be? If you could help them discover what they were made by God to do, And spend 70% of their waking hours doing what God made them to do with joy and fruit and impact.
And they woke up and said, thank God it's Monday. Can you imagine the gift that would be? not only to them, but to the kingdom. And my suggestion is: you'll have to become a student. Your role changes.
We have unconsciously bought, how do I help? the people I love be successful, and how I help them be happy. That takes you down probably very negative paths. What I can tell you is, if you help them discover who God made them to be and fulfill their calling. This sort of side thing will happen.
They'll probably be pretty successful, and they'll probably be very happy. But that's a side benefit. That's not the goal.
So what is your shape?
So number one Ask them what are their spiritual gifts. Help them discover their spiritual gifts. You know, you have the core passages in the New Testament: Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and 14, Ephesians 4. And I went over those quickly. But there's lots of excellent resources to help people discover their spiritual gifts.
So we put together a thing called Your Divine Design. It's an audio series and a D V D series that walks people through a process of discovering their primary spiritual gift. What did God make them? What is their passion spiritually? What did He create them to do in terms of spiritual gifts?
My son, Ryan, I'll give a number of real practical illustrations, was not a student. I mean, he would have six weeks where he'd get like A's and B's. And he was a smart kid, but very lazy. And he doesn't mind me saying this because it's very true. And so from sixth grade to 12th grade, he didn't put two, six weeks together ever.
And I mean, like his joke is, I was grounded, I think, from seventh grade on, you know? It's not really true, but I mean, he made me nuts. He just wouldn't do his work. But so I started, I said, Okay, I'm responsible for his education. Here's a book by C.S.
Lewis, I want you to write me a book report. And he did. And then here's the major Bible themes by Chafer. And Walvert. And I mean it's like this.
And this is during the summer. You're not going to work at school? That's okay. I'm going to be responsible. You're going to learn to read, write, and think.
And so you read a chapter, and there's 20 questions at the end. You have to go into the Bible and answer all of them.
Well, he did. Here's what I learned about my son. He led four of the six volleyball players in high school to Christ. He had a Bible study in our home. When he was supposed to be studying, he went and learned how to play the guitar very well.
And when he got bored playing the guitar, he went out and played the drums. He loved God. He had a passion for God's word, and he hated school.
Now, part of the discipline was I I just was on him, on him, on him, on him, on him. And then when he got done with school, He said, well, you know, I think I'd like to go to college. I said, well, I got a stewardship issue here. Because you know we're gonna you know I don't have a lot of money and so we're gonna have to Both pay as much as we can, but you need to work for a year and save $8,000 to $10,000 because you've never put two, six weeks together. Why should I put $10,000 of God's money down and you go off to college and blow $10,000?
So you need to work for a year and then you pay for your first year. And if you're consistent and do it well, then by then I think I'll be able to handle the next three years. I'll pay at least your tuition and you can work. And he looked at me like, Dad? Said, yes, son.
Now, do you understand?
Now, some of you are looking at me like you must be the harshest, meanest, baddest father I've ever heard.
Now, think about this. Again, am I not being consistent? It's not my money, it's God's money. He's blown the last. Why would his behavior change because he goes off to college and has more freedom, can do more?
Well, I will tell you what. He uh he did a couple jobs that he thought, I don't think I want to do this the rest of my life. He saved about $7,000,000 or $8,000. I charged him rent in his bedroom from day one. The goal is to what?
Help them to become responsible.
Now, we had fun, we played hoop, I loved him, we had a great relationship. But what I saw was. His motivation and spiritual gifts were in this area of teaching and discipling. And I praise God for Joe Stull, who was the president of Moody Bible. He and I were on the phone.
I described my son. He said, I knew a guy just like him once. I said, I'll tell you what, I'll let him in, Moody Bible. I'd rather have a God who's not as studious. who loves God and has a proven track record.
And I said, well, who's this person you know that was like this? He said, it was me. He said, I hated high school. He said, I never started studying, so I started Greek and the Bible and all the rest. I said, Joe, you got a doctor.
He goes, man, Chip, it's not about brains. It's about calling and motivation. Oh. We'll hear more from Chip Ingram's message in just a moment. First, we're inviting you to multiply your year-end donation through an exciting match that's active right now.
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And when you support this match, you're not funding yesterday's methods, you're investing in a discipleship strategy that actually reaches the smartphone generation right where they are. Double the impact of your gift at livingonthege.org. From his series called Leaving a Legacy That Lasts Forever. Again, our Bible teacher, Chip Ingram. Oh, my son ended up at Moody.
He graduated from Moody. He clepped out of courses. He got through. He loved Greek. He's a pastor, and he's in a ministry that's God's blessing.
But part of it was What's his spiritual gift? That's going to be a big part of what God, when you come to Christ, God's going to give a primary, I believe, motivation and a ministry cluster for you to fulfill. In other words, if this is your good work you're to walk in, doesn't it make sense? He's going to put something in you, a power supernaturally, for you to do it. The second is: what's their heart?
Where's their passion? Ask them. What's your desire? What do you dream about? What would you love to see happen?
I mean that question, if you couldn't fail, what would you like to do? I mistakenly asked one of my sons that once. And he says, I want to be a musician. And I thought, oh my gosh. Fuck.
Tell me you're joking, son. No, Dad, I think God's put this music in my heart. And I'm thinking there's a zillion musicians, bands everywhere. You got to get a real job. There's no security in this.
I mean, you know, I'm preaching on the weekends this, but now this is my kid who's not going to get a real job, right? And so he goes to a little community college. Dad, I'm bored with this. I want to go full-time in music. And I'm gone.
And so I can still tell you where I was here in the kitchen, the table's here, Jason was right there. And I'm giving him the logical parental.
Well, after you get done with school and you need to have enough security, and I'm giving him all this. Basically, money. You got to take care of yourself over here. And the fear of a dad thinking you'll never be happy because you're going to end up, you know, a has-been little musician that's traveled around and wasted your early years.
So I'm, you know, in my flesh, I'm worried about his happiness and money. And so he's in the kitchen, and I'm giving him the opposite of what I'm preaching, which is not good as a pastor or a father. And he looked at me and goes, Hey, dad. Who's that guy who said, dream great dreams and follow the passions of your heart, think outside the box and make a difference for Jesus? I said, give me a minute.
Let me see if I can remember who that guy was. And we had this exchange, and I had to say, son. I'm sorry, I give your right. Give me a day to process it and then just tell me how can I help you. And it's a long story, and he's writing music and doing what God made him to do.
Anybody here in this room have that struggle with those you really care about? You know, sort of the practical? Versus what God might really want him to do. A is for aptitude. What are you good at?
The fourth is personality. You need to look at how your kids are wired. And you know, whether that's the aptitude, whether it's the strength finder test that you can get at any bookstore and go online in 30 minutes and kind of see what people's strengths are, or the personality test, there's lots of them, the MMPI, or sort of the easiest one is that disk test, high D, I. But my point is, it doesn't take long to give someone that you're discipling, or one of your kids, or a grandkids, a little test and begin to talk about, you know, you're high dominant and high I, you're a leader, or you like details.
Well, but Dad, I want to be a ballerina.
Well, you it's I know, but Sort of a nice way, you're awkward, honey, and you fall down a lot, you know? And we'll get you one of those little tutus for Halloween, and you can run around the neighborhood. You know, you're only seven. But my point is, you want to direct them toward what they're good at. What they have, that's how God made them.
Um And then here You want to encourage them to get honest, wise counsel about who they are. and where they fit. In how to move, because you may have an influence on them, especially if they're children or grandchildren, but you want them to get wise counsel from people you really trust and they trust to give some outside objective view of where they are, where are they coming from, what are they good at, how do they come off. You want to just create these mirrors of objectivity to help this person understand what has God made you to do? What is your Ephesians 2:10 good work to walk in?
What are you called to do? When you do it, you come alive and God blesses it, and you're fulfilled. By the way, when you are doing What God made you to do, and when the people that you are helping are doing what God made them to do, they often miss it because it doesn't seem like work. You understand, like we all have glasses. If you had glasses and there was a blue tint so that everything you saw was blue, you would think everyone sees blue.
I meet people who see a situation and organizing it.
Well, that can't be God's call. I mean, it's so easy to organize stuff. All you do is this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this goes over here, this, this goes over here. I mean, you know, it only took me five minutes, and I'm thinking. How did you do that?
Or, I watched my son at nine years old read the Bible and ask questions about it and teach his friends at nine. I'm thinking, He thinks everyone does that. Or I've seen people who look at something technical and they click, click, click, click, click, click here. This is over here.
Well, this thing here, these are cookies over here. I don't know what cookies are. And you could give me that computer until Jesus comes. Sand, you know? And so, what you have to help people is that when they Seem like it's not work because it comes so easy.
Now you have to develop the gift. And you have to cultivate it. But often that's their sweet spot. That's what they're great at. I remember when I first started teaching, I thought, well, no one can do this for a living.
I mean, you get to study, you get up in front of people. Then you get to apply it. You get to see what happened. I mean, is is this for real? Like, this is a real job?
Now I spent hours and hours and hours intensely working. But I'd say about 95% of it, I think. Are you kidding me? I mean Someone actually gets to do this because when I open the text and when I study, it breaks apart for me. I sense what God wants to say.
This is what you need to do. I mean, it's hard in terms of intense and time and energy. But it's not hard as in, oh brother, I got one more sermon to write, or oh boy, I gotta get together in a group and we gotta dream what we're gonna do with this church, and we got all these problems, and boy, what a bummer. I love it. I just love it.
I just, I wake up in the middle of the night with ideas. I have to kind of hold myself down, you know, like quit trying to do too much. Encourage them after the honest, wise feedback. Help them be willing to move out of their comfort zone. to fulfill their divine purpose.
You need to understand that the people that you love the most, the people that you want to help, the most common command in all of Scripture. is a very short sentence. Not Be afraid. That's the most repeated command in all of the Bible. Joshua, don't be afraid.
Moses, don't be afraid. Disciples, don't be afraid. Why? As one ancient Greek philosopher said, safety. is the greatest hindrance to all human endeavour.
All of us tend to want to be safe and secure. I had to literally say to one of my sons, son, you're in this community college. And I mean, I you can't go back there next year. We'll look at different schools, but you have this dream. But he just didn't want to get away from home.
This is the same son I put roller skates on him. And I said, you can't come back inside till noon. I don't want to learn. It's hard. I know it's hard.
And I pushed him and did all this stuff when he got his first bike. It was like, I don't want to learn to ride. I mean, he just could never get him out of his comfort zone. But man, every step of the way has been pushing him where he didn't think he could go, lovingly, gently. But you have to help people understand.
A lot of people, that's why you're where you're at. It's called coaching. Most of us can never fulfill what God made us to fulfill unless there's someone who does two things: there's an arm around us that says, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, and there's a foot. That I love you so much. That I'm not going to let you stay in this little Spiritual, emotional, geographical cul-de-sac of safety.
Okay? And so the life message is You We're created. To work. With that change in verses, I was made for this. The lie is that you are what you do.
You've been fed it on. You are a housewife. You are a doctor. You are a scientist. You are a builder.
You are a bricklader. You are a plumber. That's a lie from the pit of hell. The truth is, do what you are. You are not what you do.
Do what you are. You are created in the image of God with a spiritual gift, with a personality, with a passion, with aptitude, with skills, with experience to do this designed Ephesians 2:10 good work. Discover it, and then help others discover theirs. And when you do, work becomes a gift from God. instead of drudgery to get out of.
So you can go play on weekends. Chip Ingram is talking about leaving a legacy that lasts forever. How to give your kids and grandkids what money can't buy. Please stay with us. We're going to hear an important closing comment from Chip in just a moment.
First, I'm excited to share that Living on the Edge has activated one of the largest match opportunities in our 30-year history.
So now's the time to leverage your December year-end giving. Whatever amount God places on your heart to give will be doubled in size, yielding twice the impact. And the deadline for receiving your gift is December 31st. And we'll use these gifts to come alongside parents, grandparents, and their kids with tools, resources, and encouragement so that people of all ages discover how to apply the Bible to every aspect of their lives. At Living on the Edge, we know that many families are struggling to answer questions about the Bible and the Christian faith.
For that reason, we're equipped to respond with credible answers using methods that are preferred by a new generation of listeners. Chip? You know, we've all heard about kids who take a gap year from church after high school. but for many millennials in Gen Z? That gap year has turned into a decade.
They're not angry at God. They're just not. convinced Christianity has anything relevant to say to their lives. Living on the Edge is reaching this generation where they are. on their phones, in their earbuds, during their commute or workout.
with teaching that's both deeply biblical and intensely practical. When you give to this match, you're creating on-ramps for young adults to come back to the faith. or to discover it for the first time in a way that actually makes sense. Right now, through this match, your gift is literally multiplied times two. That means double the reach, double the impact.
and double the lives changed. But this window won't stay open forever. The deadline is December 31st. Will you respond today? You can respond to Chip right now by going to livingontheedge.org or you can call right now 888-333-6003.
Together, let's make an impact by giving generously to the match that's active today and through December 31st. To send your donation in the mail right to LivingOnthege, P.O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. Chip will conclude our teaching series this coming Tuesday. It's called Leaving a Legacy That Lasts Forever.
Did you know that we have a study guide for moms and dads? It's one of the most highly requested resources in our collection called Effective Parenting in a Defective World. To learn more or to contribute to the match, call 888-333-6003 or visit livingonthege.org. I'm Dave Druy, inviting you to listen Monday when Chip Ingram describes how to help your children and grandchildren manage their wealth wisely, right here on Living on the Edge.
