Actors, athletes, singers, billionaire business owners, the elite of society, we see them on TV and secretly we wish. We could have that kind of success, right? But does the good life really deliver? Is the lure of big money, fame, and power really a classic bait and switch operation? Do you want to find out what real life is made of?
Stay with me today. We're going to look at it together. What's the difference between a life of futility and a life of fruitfulness? Today on Living on the Edge, Chippinggram tackles this critical question that determines whether we end up satisfied or empty. Through scripture and real-life examples, he exposes the subtle trap that catches so many of us, confusing success with significance.
Jesus warned about this very thing. What does it profit if you gain everything the world offers but lose your very soul in the process?
Well, here's Chip Ingram with a new message titled, How to Overcome Feelings of Futility. What we're going to talk about today is the difference Between success and significance. To use an old cliche, There's a very subtle thing that can happen in every life, and here it is. You can climb a ladder and work and be very, very, very productive only to find out. But the ladder that you've climbed is what?
Leaning against The wrong law. Turn with me if you will, I put it.
Some study notes together. And I think I'd like to begin by asking and answering the question: what's the difference between a life of futility? and a life of fruitfulness. And then I want together with you to think through out loud. What kind of life are you going to have?
What kind of life am I going to have? Is it going to be one of futility? Are we going to look back in the rearview mirror of our lives and say, I worked. I prayed even. I thought that once I arrived here It would be full, but instead it's empty.
Webster defines futility Yeah. as that which easily pours out, hence untrustworthy. It's an interesting thought, isn't it? That which fails completely of desired end or incapable of producing any result as something trifling or unimportant. Futility simply means that you give yourself to it, but then it comes up empty.
Never forget the uh Illustration: a guy shared with me. I was a young Christian just a couple years. I can't remember where I was, but I still have the picture in my mind of the napkin. And the guy pulls out a napkin, and you know, my dream then was: you know, I wanted to be a star basketball player, and then I wanted to be a famous coach, and then I was gonna teach in grad school, and then I was gonna get married, and then I was gonna have some great kids. And all name of God, of course.
And I think he saw through all that. And he pulled out a napkin. And uh He drew about six different buckets with the picture from a source, My Life, rainbows. Rainbows going into these six different buckets. He said, You know, Chip, everyone has a dream in their life, whether they verbalize it or not, and they're following the rainbow into the pot or the bucket of gold.
And he said, We all believe there are certain buckets that are going to come through for us. And he was real calm and he pulled out that pen and he said, You know, some people follow the dream. And then he drew the little bucket and he wrote the word fame. And see, they believe that they're ever famous. Then someday, some way, there'll be a someone.
And then he told me the story of James Dean. Jimi Hendrix and He said, other people, it's not fame, it's popularity or looks. And you know, they work real hard and they do everything they can to look a certain way so people will like them. And he wrote the word in that bucket with his pen on the napkin. popularity slash looks.
And then he told me how Marilyn Monroe died. And I knew how she looked. And then he Made another rainbow and he drew a little bucket and he put a dollar sign on it. And he said, You know, some people think if they just get enough money and can own enough things and impress enough people, then life will come through for them. And then he quickly told me the tragic story of Howard Hughes, of some of the last words of John Paul Getty, that it only takes one more million.
And then he drew another rainbow, and he put a bucket, and it said success. And he told me about the lives of people who were very, very successful only to come to the end and feel empty. And then he drew one to surprise me. He said family. There's some people that secretly believe that everything's going to change once they get married, or once they get married, and that doesn't happen when they have kids, and then.
The heartache and the suffering and the tragedy. And then he drew two more buckets. He said, Chip, we could draw buckets where people follow rainbows, and every bucket in life is empty except two. There's only two buckets that, if you give your life to these, They'll always come through for you. And I'll tell you about those a little later.
Gotcha, Donna. At least you'll pay attention for the next ten minutes. What bucket, if someone asks you? Are you pouring your life into it? Whether you decided willfully to do it or just unconsciously drifting that direction.
What's the rainbow that you're following that you think if I ever get there and look down inside of it? It'll be filled. with what'll satisfy him. See, futility is something which easily pours out. It's not trustworthy.
It won't come through. Yeah. Has the idea of vain, fruitless, ineffective, or useless. I don't know about you, I don't want to end my life that way. By contrast, notice the word fruitful, Webster's, the Latin root.
This really surprised me.
Okay, that's pretty good. The Latin root word is fructus, which means enjoyment. Did you ever think of that? When you live a fruitful life, there's enjoyment. It's means of enjoyment.
means something that's profitable, productive, producing results or desired ends.
Okay. It's that sense of whatever, it's giving your life to something that when you look at it, it counts, it matters. It's not what other people think. It's following the rainbow, following the dream, and then looking into the bucket, and the mirror in the bucket looking back says, You made it. You've done well.
You matter. Your life counted. You are significant.
Now, the reason that these two things are in such contention is there is usually a very high price tag to be significant. and a very high price tag to be successful. And the world tells us that we need to be successful. And God says, you may or may not be successful in the world's eyes, but significance. Is what will fill your soul.
Question. How in the world?
Okay. Can we avoid futility? in our lives.
Now what I'm going to warn you is that the answer is very simple. I mean simple to understand. But it It's pretty tough to do. Jesus is going to give us a very clear cut answer. Here's what he says.
You want to avoid a life of futility? Resolve To refuse to confuse success with significance. It's basically what he taught. Refuse. See, that's an act of the will, it's a choice.
Refuse to confuse success with significance. Luke chapter 9 verses 25 and 26, Jesus is speaking. He says, What good is it for a man to gain the whole world? That's success. And yet lose or forfeit his very self.
Literally, the word in Greek is psyche. It has the idea of all your mental capabilities, it's used in general reference for your spiritual life for what really matters. What good is it? Rhetorical question. What good is it going to do if you got the fame, you got the popularity, you got the success, you got the money, you've got it all.
What good does it do? If you gain the world yet, Lose and the word for lose here is used In this language, for a ship full of Precious cargo. that is shipwrecked. That's the picture. What good is it?
If you have all that, and you lose or you shipwreck your life. and you lose you. In fact, he pushes it to the next level because he understands that to be successful. You will have to shrink back from your relationship. To really be successful in the world by their standards, You'll have to shrink back from your relationship with Christ.
Notice verse 26. He says, If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, Notice his words, his teaching, his truth. Notice what he says. The Son of Man will be ashamed or shrink back of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the Holy Angels. You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
We'll return to our message in just a moment. But first, did you know that you can access this entire series anytime you want? Head on over to livingonthege.org, where you'll discover Chip's full teaching library, along with study guides and small group materials. Whether you want to replay today's message or explore other topics, everything you need to grow spiritually is available online at livingonthege.org. Let's get back to Chip's message.
See, what we're talking about is a big issue. Big, big issue. It is not politically correct. To walk with God, to be open about your faith. And by the way, around here, we know that doesn't mean, you know, having a seven-inch black Bible on your desk, hitting people over the head with it, being narrow, bigoted.
No, we're talking about a winsome. Loving, servant, gracious, relationally open. radical Christian. Who communicates the love and the power of Christ by your words, who's not ashamed of Jesus, not ashamed of his word, openly identifies and understands it'll bring flack, understands it might mean losing an account, understands there's some people that won't understand. See the price tag of being significant.
is going through life God's way. Augustine, the great theologian. And the early church wrote, God is always trying to give us good things. But our hands are too full to receive them. I just sat down, literally, put my feet up and began to pray.
And I said, Lord, what's the real difference?
So I look at your word. What's the difference between success and significance? And there's probably many more, but the random thoughts that came to me as I prayed: success is about productivity. Significance is about satisfaction. A lot of people are productive and not satisfied.
Success is about climbing the ladder. You know, I'm going to make it. Significance. is about which Wall the ladder is on. Success is about what you do.
Your performance. Significance is about who you are. Success is about applause, what other people think. Significance is about peace. Are you even vaguely aware that all these people that look so good on the outside?
That we pass in the grocery stores. But buy gourmet coffee like we do. You know, that have nice stuff, that go on great vacations, that when you walk in, see them arm in arm, they look like such happy couples. You are aware. that they're desperately hurting.
That there's major strife. that they don't know how to be a parrot. That they have dysfunctional relationships, and people are abusing alcohol, and there's all kinds of hurt, and there's all kinds of struggles, and they don't relate very well to their parents. And a lot of what they drive, banks own, and they have incredible pressure, and they're spending about 25% more a month than they bring in. And it's a facade?
And instead of being intimidated by him, we need to love and care. and move into their life. Because see, we can have peace. It's a lot better than applause. Success is about stuff.
Significance is about people. Success is about taking off. Man, I'm going to make it. Significance is about Landing.
Well Success is about the now. See, all the stuff that you can get right now. can bring you quick short-term success. But most of us aren't willing to pay the price, the kind of stuff that it takes day after day after day of discipline. of commitment Of writing out the hard times, those things produce something called.
character. Endurance. And those are the kind of things that make you Significant. To be significant, there is always short-term pain and loss. in order for long-term Game.
Significance is about forever.
Well I think we've diagnosed the problem. I know your heart and I know mine. And I know it's hard, okay? This is one of those sermons where we are the salmon of God seeking to swim upstream. And you know what?
The current's coming at us. But in your heart of heart, you want to be significant and I want to be significant.
Now we've identified the problem. Final question. How can you move and how can I move? From a success orientation, to significance. How can we line our thinking and our lives and our priorities and our time and our resources in such a way that we land well?
I did a funeral. And I buried a significant Woman. Um she didn't have a lot of money. She didn't win any beauty contest. She isn't well known, wasn't visible.
She came to Christ in this church about four years ago. And she was a house mother. For abused kids, kids that are taken out of their homes because of abuse and tragedy and drugs. And I mean, the kind of kids that no one gives a rip about. I mean, they've had more problems.
Some of these kids have experienced more in the first six, eight, ten years of life than any adult should ever, ever experience ever. And I heard six-year-olds and eight-year-olds and ten-year-olds say, Donna made me feel special. When I didn't think there was any hope in life. She cared about me. She loved me.
Donna was always there. She has marked. You talk about significance? She doesn't have any big retirement program. She hasn't written a book.
There are lives that will be marked with the imprint of Donna Mead for all eternity. Because she took what she had and she focused it on the things that matter most. Let me give you three clear ways from Scripture to move. from a life of success. To a life of significance.
Number one, Clarify your mission. Clarify your mission. Answer the basic question: why are you here? Have you ever thought of that? Do you realize how important that is?
Why are you here? Until we start and say, why am I on this planet? You will never have a significant life. Notice there's two things that last forever. I told you, the two buckets.
There's two things that as you follow them and you get to the bucket and look down inside, instead of it being empty, you can always know they're full. Number one, it's God's Word, because it's eternal. God says his word will never return void. And he says that it's eternal. Every time you invest in God's Word, anytime you take it in, read it, apply it, pass it on, share it with anyone else, you're investing in something that will never, never fail.
It counts and it lasts. The second bucket. That will always be full are the souls of men and the souls of women. Every human being on the face of this planet eternally matters to God. Anytime you invest in a relationship, anytime you love a person, pray for a person, care for a person, provide the needs of a person, encourage a person, you're Marking into something that's eternal.
And by the way, remember, there is a resurrection coming. And everyone gets resurrected. You're aware of that. Yeah. Scripture says some to be with the Lord forever.
some to be separated for all eternity. You need to know your mission. Jesus made it very clear in Matthew 28. As you go or go, therefore, Make disciples. Of all ethnos, all people, all people groups, all nations, make disciples, make followers of me.
Baptism, identification in the name of the Father, and the Son, the Holy Spirit, and all the things that I've taught you, pass on to them in order that they could not just learn them, but obey them, put them into practice. And by the way, I'll be with you. I know you can't do it on your own. I'll be with you always. See, in a nutshell, here's your mission in life.
If you're a housewife, this is your mission. If you're a carpenter, this is your mission. If you're a businessman, this is your mission. If you're a musician, this is your mission. If you're a student, it's your mission.
If you're a woman, it's your mission. If you're a man, it's your mission. Your mission is to know Christ and to make Him known. That's why you were placed on this planet. Period.
That will come through your personality, your desires, your backgrounds. And you can do it in San Jose? Or you can do it in San Juan. And you can do it in Brazil, or you can do it in New York. And you can do it by working with your hands, and you can do it by working with your head.
Your mission, your reason for existence is to know Him. And then. out of the overflow of your relationship to make him know. Your mission is not to own a home. Your mission is not to be comfortable.
Your mission is not as important as is all your kids turn out right. Your mission is not you being happy. Your mission is not to save up enough money as though you know the future so that your retirement years will be secure. That's not your mission. That's a dead end.
Your mission is to know Christ. and to make him known. This is Living on the Edge Chip Ingramgram. What a sobering reminder. We can climb the ladder of success only to discover it's leaning against the wrong wall.
Chip has more to share in just a moment. If today's message resonated with you and you'd like to share it with someone, you'll find it online at livingonthege.org.
Now, as you think about redirecting your life toward true significance, let me tell you about a resource that can anchor your daily walk with God. It's called Psalms of Hope, a free 10-day devotional series created by Chip. Here's the simple format. Chip provides 10 minutes of biblical teaching each day, exploring Psalm 1, Psalm 15, or Psalm 23. Then you take 10 minutes for quiet reflection and prayer.
20 minutes total, 10 transformative days. These ancient psalms address the very questions we're wrestling with today. Where to find true fulfillment, how to align your life with what matters eternally, and how to avoid the trap of chasing things that won't satisfy your Soul. Start your journey today completely free at livingontheedge.org. Just search for Psalms of Hope.
This ministry depends on friends who believe in the mission of helping people move from success to significance. Your financial partnership enables us to keep delivering biblical teaching that transforms lives. Would you prayerfully consider supporting this work? Visit livingontheedge.org to give or write to livingonthege post office box 3007 Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. You can also call 888-333-6003.
And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the Living on the Edge podcast, now featuring uncut original sermons through the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.
Well, now here's Chip with more on today's lesson. When I began the message today talking about empty buckets, Talking about the empty buckets that we tend to put our hope for real fulfillment in: fame, money, sex, the list goes on. accomplishment, children coming out right. Great home, great marriage. What did you think?
What was going through your mind? I'd like to take you back to those empty buckets and when I was talking about those empty buckets. What was going through your mind? Where are you? Where is your life being invested?
Is it for things that last? Things that will bring success. Or is it for things that will really bring significance? You know, I walked through a list here, and we said today, just right out of the Bible. That we can't confuse success with significance.
If you do, you'll find that you can work, work, work, work, work. only to discover and I know it's a cliche, but it's one that is so true, that your ladder really is leaning against the wrong wall. And so let me go through that difference between success and significance. And I want to do it just as a pastor. I want to just talk through it slowly.
And I'd like you to ask the Holy Spirit to say, Lord, will you reveal yourself to me in this? Will you help me? I know you want me to be significant.
So, as Chip goes through these, will you show me where I'm at with you? Is your life and your mindset characterized more by productivity. or satisfaction. Is your life all about what you do? Or is it about who you are?
Is your life motivated primarily by the applause of people? Or is it motivated by a sense of inner peace that the Lord Jesus gives? That, you know, as you put your head on the pillow and go to bed, you know, well done. Yeah, of course, you confess the sins and you have your ups and downs and your struggles, but there's a sense of calm and peace that says, you're on the right track. You're growing.
I'm proud of you. good and faithful servant. Is your life, if you were very honest, is it more about stuff or is it more about people? Let me ask you just before God. In the words of Augustine, Is God constantly trying to give you good things?
But are your hands just so full with so much stuff? You can't receive him. Let's go for significance. Success simply isn't what it's cracked up to be. Your mission in life may not be what you think it is.
I'm Dave Druy. Discover the truth about purpose tomorrow on Living on the Edge. Oh. Today's program is produced and sponsored by Living on the Edge. Uh
