Skip to content The Principle with Secret Power, Part 1 Dec 25 · 25 min ...more
The Principle with Secret Power, Part 1
December 25, 2025 · 25 min
Do you long to live a life filled with joy and experience an intimate relationship with God? Chip explains the secret to contentment and joy!
Series The Genius of Generosity December 25, 2025 · 25 min · The Genius of Generosity
Do you long to live a life filled with joy and experience an intimate relationship with God? Chip explains the secret to contentment and joy! ...more Show the full description Show less Do you long to live a life filled with joy and experience an intimate relationship with God? Chip explains the secret to contentment and joy!
Series The Genius of Generosity Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
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Chip Ingram is an American Christian pastor, author, and teacher. He is the founder, teaching pastor and CEO of Living on the Edge, an international teaching and discipleship ministry.
618K followers
From Reluctant Giving to Heartfelt Generosity 0:01 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.0:04 In these tough economic times, does it ever feel like God has abandoned you? Like you're left all alone. Well, if you feel like that today, I'm gonna share an amazing0:16 spiritual secret that will help you get out of the spiritual doldrums. Stay with me. That's today on Living on the Edge.0:26 From Chip Ingram and all of us here at Living on the Edge, Merry Christmas. We're delighted you've joined us. You know, for most people, the holidays are filled with joy, but for many, it's a season that magnifies our0:38 problems. In our loneliness, when we're scrambling to make ends meet, sometimes we assume that God has abandoned us. Well, if you're feeling overlooked, you're about to hear biblical wisdom that'll challenge0:50 your assumptions. Today on Living on the Edge, Chip Ingram assures you of God's presence and, at the same time, rescues you from the exhausting treadmill of trying to earn his favor. And then after Chip's1:02 message, we'll explain how you can participate in a double your impact match. Because of this match, every dollar you give today at livingonthedge dot org is automatically doubled in size. But right1:14 now, let's enjoy the message from Chip called The Principle with Secret Power.1:18 I wanna share a little part of my journey. I was very fortunate after I came to know Christ personally, to have a a bricklayer and an organization that was really helpful at teaching you to meet with God and1:31 not just go through the motions, but really understand that he wanted to talk to you in in the morning. And I was a pretty slow learner. It was really hard to get up, and, learning to pray was pretty hard for me. I was a1:41 little slow there too. But, after a couple years and began to develop some really good habits and began to grow spiritually, and and then later I, after I graduated from college, I found myself teaching and,1:53 coaching basketball and then running a discipleship ministry on a college campus. And I lived behind the bricklayer. We both went there together to launch this ministry. And, there was a garage apartment,2:05 so I had 2 roommates that I was discipling. And so, you know, I'm a school teacher, imagine this, making 1000 dollars a month. It was a while ago, but it was not much money even back then. And,2:17 and I had a little Volkswagen Green Beetle. Do you remember those? It was my very first car. I bought it used. And, you know, it just ran like a little top. And so little by little, I was beginning to learn, and so, I2:29 learned to give the first portion of my income. And this group was great. They weren't legalistic. They said, you know, a tenth is a good place to start. But if you want to go a percentage below or above, you know, make2:38 sure you keep your heart in the right place. And so as I began to grow, my, my OCD workaholic tendencies that I grew up in, they sort of shifted into my spiritual life, and I thought2:50 to myself, you know, if 10 percent is good, I don't have many expenses. And they were teaching about proportional giving, and not for all the right reasons that I decided, you know what? I'm gonna double it, and I'm3:00 gonna go 20. You know, the few, the proud, the marines, the engrams. And, you know, and I'm pretty proud of myself. And, you know, and if it slipped out that I was giving 20 percent of my income, that sounds like a3:12 lot. But if you're only making 1000 dollars, it may not be all that much, but it sounded good. And, and so I did that for a while, and then I thought, you know, if only my expenses were like a 50 a month, and so I still3:23 had margin and, you know, saved a little bit of money, kind of learning the basics of, you know, give, save, and and invest a little, investing real small. And so 20 percent was good, and God kept blessing. So I'm going3:35 30. And so I was given 30 percent of my income away and I'm coaching and teaching and and unfortunately the Pharisee in me was growing. You know, more and more I thought, you know, if if if you give 10 percent God loves3:47 you this much. If you give 20 percent I bet he loves you this much. And man go 30. Who knows? And I was in this performance orientation where I I was learning to give, but I was not at all3:59 generous. And so I'm driving my little Volkswagen. I had a little commute of about 40 minutes where I coached and taught. And, so I'm in my little green Volkswagen, and and it's early in the morning, and I hear this4:10 voice literally in my head. And I don't know much. I'm a pretty new Christian, so I don't know when it's God, or when it's the Holy Spirit, what's going on, or whether I'm having an illusion. So I hear this little voice4:19 in my head say, Chip, whose car is this? And I'm thinking, I don't know where that's coming from. The next morning driving to work, Chip, whose car is this? Third morning, fourth morning, I I realized I think this might4:30 be God. And I didn't want to answer because I thought he might have a plan for it other than the plan I had. Because I'd recently married Teresa, and we were gonna pack everything that we had and go to, Dallas to go to4:42 seminary. And so she had a car and I had a car, and hers was newer and nicer. And so I'm gonna sell this little car. But the gas prices had started to go up, and the value just skyrocketed. It was worth more 6 years4:53 later than when I bought it. And so every I was actually thinking, you know, I bet I can get this for it, and then the next day I would drive, no, I bet I can get this for it. And then, you know, even before Craigslist,5:02 I bet I can get this for it. And so, as my greed inside my mind over here is working, and I give 30 percent. You know, as a, you know, godly, godly man, of course. God, like, morning number 5,5:14 he says, whose car is this? And I say, well, it's yours, Lord. Oh, good, Chip. I'm glad you know that. Because you know Nancy, the girl in the ministry? Yeah. Well, you know how she's gonna go with Wycliffe Bible5:25 Translators, and she's gonna go to a remote tribe there? Thailand? Well, yeah. Well, you have 2 cars, right? Yeah. How many does she have? And I thought, this is not good. This5:37 is going in a totally bad direction. And I said, none. She said, Well, she's going to be traveling all over America to raise support and translate the bible for those people. I want you to give your car to5:49 her, because you have too and she doesn't have any. You know, like 1 of those verses you memorized that, first John, where it says that if you know someone in need and you have more than you need and you don't give it,6:00 how can the love of God be in you? And I'm thinking, I wish I wouldn't have memorized that 1. And I'll be honest with you, it was just 1 of those times where, I mean, reluctant. So of course I tell Therese and she goes,6:11 oh, that's great. Thanks dear, you know. So eventually, I mean, this is not I want you to hear, you can give without being generous at all. I begrudgingly, out of obedience decide, okay, I'm gonna give my car. It's6:23 yours, God. I understand it. I'll do it. And so I'm, I'm out in the garage and I, this was the day, this will date some of you, but in the old days they didn't have nice stereos in cars and you could buy these6:35 stereos and I'd saved up and you put them in your car and you can unlock them and pull them out. And so and so I'm I'm out and the doors of the little Volkswagen are out and I've got my knee down and I finally, you know,6:46 I've got it all out of there and I pull it out like this and Teresa walks out and she goes, what are you doing? I said, what do you mean what am I doing? She goes, What are you doing? I said, I'm getting the stereo out6:55 of my car. God said the car, he didn't say the stereo. And many of you men who are married, do you remember this pose?7:08 You know, and you're just shamed into, Oh, you think the stereo goes with the car? You know, I stuck it back in there. Now if you open your teaching notes, there's some real truth7:19 from these stories that I want you to get. And I'm really a little embarrassed to share those, but I want you to know that you can give but not be generous. When I7:31 told you early on this is not about money. Money is always probably the most pressing symptom but I was giving 30 percent of my income and I wasn't generous. I gave7:43 it begrudgingly. In fact I sat down earlier this week and I wrote down my motivations and what was going on in my heart. Giving is an action. Generosity is a matter of the7:55 heart. See you can give and not be generous but you can't be generous without giving. When I was giving I was self righteous. I was proud. I had a works orientation. I8:07 thought God was gonna, you know, do better for me if I, you know, could give more. I was negotiating with God. I felt superior when I heard of other8:18 people and what they gave. I thought I was better than they were. I was rigorously religious but relationally challenged. So what I want you to know is that you can actually give and totally miss the boat.8:31 See, stewardship is not an obligation to fulfill, but an opportunity to seize. Now from a strict theological standpoint, it certainly is an obligation. And we're going to learn why8:43 because of who actually owns what's been entrusted to us. But what I find is that when I hear the word generosity, I think of adventure, I think of joy, I think of something winsome. When I8:54 see generous people I'm gonna hang out with them. They're the kind of people that, you know, life's exciting. When I hear the word stewardship, are you a good steward? That word has a lot9:06 of emotional baggage with it. I've heard a lot of Sumerians that as soon as people start talking about stewardship, it feels heavy. Like you're spending too9:18 much you're not giving enough you could be doing more you don't measure up and that sounds like getting poked in the eye with a sharp stick and what I think is we've got a lot of misperceptions9:30 about stewardship and what the meaning of it is. Because it's a beautiful word too. I learned about stewardship from John Saville. He was that mid seventies man and I was a 28 year old young pastor and9:42 he brought me down to his office and he owned this company, CPA firm down in downtown Dallas. And if you remember, he gave me this checkbook and it said, Pastor's Discretionary Fund. And he put 5000 dollars in it. And9:53 for 5 years, I put that in my back pocket every morning and I walked around and my only goal was to figure out who had a need that John Savile wanted to meet and I was his steward. It was10:05 his money and all I just played Santa Claus for 5 years. I mean way better than Santa Claus. It was God. Loving and caring and you know writing a check to get a bus ticket back for some young runaway teen or writing10:17 a check that someone gets their electric bill paid or an elderly couple that had their house infested with all these rodents and time after time after time. And then I would go down and have a lunch and then we would10:29 laugh and John would lean back and go praise the Lord and I would be embarrassed. And and I was a steward and it was a blast. It was an adventure. And what I want you to understand is10:41 when we start talking about the smartness or the genius of generosity, it's having the same attitude with what God's given you that I had with John Saville. It wasn't my money. I wasn't10:52 uptight about where it went. I mean, I had to give an account for it. And I wanted to make him happy. And we did become best friends. But I mean, when I gave it away, I wasn't worried like I'm not going to eat today or11:03 not. It's his money. And every time after we would meet, it was an amazing thing. I'd get a bank statement and he would just fill it back up. So what you need to see, here's the bright idea. The bright idea is11:14 stewardship is the path. That's a path. We are stewards and we'll talk about it and why. But generosity is the adventure. Generosity is a whole new way of living and it's11:26 way beyond money and it's even way beyond your time and way beyond your talents. It's like this winsome amazing adventure where you start walking around with this breakthrough concept. Everything I have11:39 is a gift to me from God and I'm his money manager. It's like my life is like a checkbook and God fills it and he's given me time and talent and brains and11:50 opportunity and people and friends and every single thing I have is a gift from him. And what he wants me to do is spend it or invest it or use it in a way that pleases him. And as we do,12:02 we become best friends. And as we do, I get the joy of watching his resources flow through me and loving people. That's the breakthrough concept. The genius behind the in-depth relationship I enjoyed with12:14 John Savile is what God wants for you and me and every single follower of Christ on the face of the earth.12:22 We'll hear more from Chip Ingram's message in just a moment. First, we invite you to multiply your year in support of living on the edge through an exciting match that's active through December 30 first.12:33 Every gift is matched. Every dollar multiplied by 2. Every investment maximized for kingdom impact.12:41 Double the impact of your gift at livingonthedge dot org. From his series called the Genius of Generosity, again our bible teacher Chip Ingram.The Oikonomia Principle: Trustworthy Stewardship 12:52 Now, what I learned, even when I was giving 30 percent of my lavish income that I was getting, is that I didn't believe God owned it all. That's when life really changes.13:04 See, I was giving thinking it's mine and I'm better than people because look how much I'm giving. Well wait a second. If 100 percent of it is God's and God says, I'd like 30 percent of it or13:16 22 percent of it or 9 percent of it or 100 percent of it. It's his, right? So you don't get any brownie points for just giving it where he says to give it. But when13:28 you begin to understand 100 percent, not just of your money, but all that you are and all that you have is his, it completely changes. Instead of him having to pry it out of your hands,13:40 and you feeling all this anxiety and being uptight about this and about that and how you're gonna do it and the guilt, All of a sudden you realize, wait a second, this is yours. Where do you want your time to go today,13:51 Lord? Where do you want the money entrusted to me? Where do you want these relationships to go? How do you In fact, notice what the scripture says. I actually put them right in your notes. It says, The earth is the14:01 Lord's and everything in it. The world and all who live in it. Do you live in the world? So you're the Lord's. Says the world and all who live in it. Later14:13 in Haggai he goes, silver is mine and gold is mine declares the Lord Almighty. Deuteronomy 8, remember the Lord your God for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. I mean it's almost like God was14:24 thinking that some of us would be saying, well yeah you might say it's all yours but I work really hard for it. And he goes, yeah, well who gave you the brains, the talent, and the opportunity? Oh yeah, that's right.14:33 Thanks. Even your body, it says, you are not your own. You were bought with a price. First Corinthians 6 19 and 20. The summary here is what I call this is the the principle that has secret power.14:46 I call it the oikonomia principle. Oikheo is a Greek word for house. You can almost hear the word. We get our word for economy. Literally, the word has to do with14:58 being a steward. It's translated to being a guardian. It's translated to being a manager. It's the picture, if you remember in the Old Testament, Joseph. We're in Potiphar's house. He put him over everything. He put him15:09 over his household workers. He put him over his money. He put him over his crops. The only thing Potiphar said was, Hey, you know, I'm married. You take care of everything else. I entrust it to you. That's this word.15:21 And the oikonomia principle simply stated is all that we are and all that we have belongs to God. And he is temporarily entrusted to us to manage according to his wishes.15:35 That's a big thing to swallow. I mean, think think about if you actually if that went from an intellectual, I don't even know if I agree with it, to a intellectual, I agree with it, to a I15:47 really believe this is true. Now, can you imagine what that would do? Everything I have and everything I am belongs to God. And he's temporarily15:58 entrusted it to you to spend, invest according to his wishes. With the promise that he loves you and he's good and he's kind and what he really wants is16:10 to work in you and through you as he directs those things so you accomplish his purposes. This phrase or this word or this concept of the oikonomia principle is way, way16:22 beyond money. Notice in Psalm 90, our time is a gift from God. If you're married, our spouse is a gift from the Lord.16:34 Your property, in Luke 16, is a gift from God. Your spiritual gifts, it says they're given by grace. They've been entrusted to you. They're a gift from God. God's truth. It says the16:46 gospel itself is a mystery entrusted to us. People in your life. Acts chapter 20. God gives people in your life that they're entrusted to you. They're a gift. Some of them they're16:58 a gift that you watch over them and you're responsible for. And others they're people that they're just a gift that he wants to enrich your life. But you steward friendships and you steward people. Every good and17:10 perfect gift, everything you have, just in case we miss something, James 1 17, every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the father of lights, with whom there's no variation or shifting shadow. Every good thing17:21 that ever comes into my life, the hand of God is behind it to express His love and concern for you. And even your physical body. I mean, 1 of the strongest motivations for whether it's right eating17:32 or exercise or what you put in your mind is that you're not your own. You've been bought with a price. So this isn't your body that you're deciding what to do with. This is God's body who says, now, will you take17:44 good care of it? Because I have a great plan for you. And so at the heart of it, notice the passage there at the bottom, first Corinthians 4 1 and 2. Here's the responsibility of a manager or of a steward. Let a man17:56 regard us, the apostle Paul says in this manner, as servants of Christ and, here's our word, stewards of the mysteries of God. And then in the next verse, he gives the number 1 priority with God of a18:08 steward. In this case moreover, it is required of stewards that 1 be found, say it out loud with me, trustworthy. Circle it in your notes, will you? This is the issue. This is the18:19 issue in your life. God has given you time and talent and people and money and opportunity and leadership. You live in a time of history that is, I mean, pregnant with possibilities.18:32 And he decided from eternity past to place you and me at this time, in this place, with this group of people, with what you have, and he's got a plan for you. And what he wants you to do is say,18:43 Lord, I want to fulfill that plan. Entrusted to me, I want to be found trustworthy. I want to spend my time, my money, in a way that I realize it's really18:55 not mine. It's your time. It's your money. It's your opportunity. And I want to honor you in it. And here's the thing, as we do that, God's promises He's a heavenly father. He wants the very best19:07 for you. And so the real issue when it comes to this, the real issue is not stuff. The real issue is not what percentage. The real issue is trust.19:19 I mean, at the end of the day I mean, when if I would have gone into my friend John Savile and pulled out the checkbook and said, hey John, I had a great time spending your money. Well, how much is left? I don't know.19:30 Where did you spend it? You know, I really didn't keep track of it this time. I don't know. I got a real strong feeling that when I left that lunch, my checkbook was not getting filled up again. Right?19:41 Why? The wisest venture capitalist in all the universe is the God of all eternity. The reason some of us19:53 don't have opportunities, The reason some of us have relationships that break down. The reason some of us are not experiencing, even financially, all the things God wants for us, is you know what? We're not faithful with20:05 what he's given us. And you're a parent, right? You have 1 of your kids, they wrecked the car 3 times. Do you give them the keys to the next car or not? No. Why? Because they've already demonstrated.20:17 Until they demonstrate, they can be faithful with what you gave them here, you're not going to entrust them with And so here's the question for believers, for for followers of Christ. Can God trust you?20:31 That's a convicting question, isn't it? Can God trust you? Can God trust me? This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Chip is presenting a practical teaching series called the20:43 Genius of Generosity. We're glad that you've set aside time to join us for today's teaching even on Christmas day. It's a good sign that you're committed to understanding the bible and applying its wisdom to20:55 your daily life. In fact, after 30 years of sharing living on the edge, we've discovered that our listeners are learners. When today's culture seems divided, there's a growing hunger for knowing the21:06 truth about God and his word. Chip?21:09 Thanks so much, Dave. You know, I'm so excited because we're seeing something happen all across the country. More and more Christians are hungry for something deeper. They're tired of skimming the surface, and they21:21 wanna really understand God's word. They've tasted enough faith to know there's something more substantial and available, and they're really ready to go deeper. And living on the edge comes alongside believers like this21:32 in those critical moments when they're ready to I mean, move from, like, being that casual Christian to really get serious with the Lord. And I just have to tell you, it is so exciting. I get emails21:44 and letters. I mean, thousands of people who say, you know, I kinda heard a lot about God, and I caught your program. I was driving across the country, or someone sent me a podcast, and I heard the21:56 message about surrender. And you know what? I've been a Christian for 20 years, and I realized what God really wanted was me. And they talk about this moment of saying to God, I'm22:08 all in. And then they're beginning to experience power and a life change, and they just say thank you so much. And I just have to tell you, I think it's a message that I mean, when22:20 Jesus said follow me, the indication was we would walk with him and do what he does and follow him. And where did he go? To the cross. And you know something? Until we die,22:32 you don't experience resurrection. You don't become that person that has answers to prayers and God really moves. And what I want you to know is that living on the edge is about helping people come to the point and22:44 learn that surrender is the channel through which God's biggest blessings flow, that we take up our cross, we follow him, and it's worth it. And thousands upon22:56 10 thousands of lives over the last 30 years have experienced that message, met their lord, seen their lives transformed, and that need is greater today than ever before. When you give23:08 to this match, you're propelling the message of discipleship to God's people at a time when they desperately need it, especially all those young people coming to Christ. So as you pray and think23:20 about this match, would you join? Would you get on board? When you give, your gift is doubled. But far more important, your impact is doubled. Let's make a difference23:31 together.23:32 Thank you, Chip. Several friends of Living on the Edge have banded together with this incredible match opportunity in order to inspire people like you to give as well. And when you do, your contribution will be23:44 doubled in size, and it'll have twice the impact because of the match. Because of the match, your gift of 100 dollars becomes 200 dollars. A generous gift of 250 dollars becomes23:55 500 dollars. But the deadline for receiving your support is midnight, December 30 first. To give right now, go to living on the edge dot org. To send a check-in the mail, write to living on the24:07 edge, PO box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia 3 0 0 2 4. 1 more time, that's PO Box 3 0 0 7, Atlanta, Georgia 324:19 0 0 2 4. Here's our phone number again, triple 8 3 3 3 6 0 0 3, or give online at livingontheedge dot org. How do we avoid24:31 a post holiday funk that sometimes follows Christmas Day? Well, I'm Dave Drewy. Chip Ingram provides a time tested solution from the Bible, tomorrow on Living on the Edge.In this video 0:00 From Reluctant Giving to Heartfelt Generosity12:52 The Oikonomia Principle: Trustworthy Stewardship
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