Wisdom-Trek © - Archive 2

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 556 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the 31st and final chapter in Proverbs.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We had a great weekend in Charlotte. We had an important meeting on Friday and were able to assist our younger daughter Janet and her husband Rowan complete their tax returns.

On Saturday I was able to invest most of the day with our grandson Kip playing with his safari animal and remote control race car and coloring several pages of animals. We then had an early dinner with my sister Rebecca before heading to watch Janet play in her first roller derby bout. There were two bouts in which Charlotte’s “A” team won a decisive victory over a team from Florida, while the “B” team played against a very tough team from the Carolinas. Janet was lead jammer for the “B” team, and although the final score was not in our favor, Janet played a really tough game and was named MVP of her team. It was great to be there and cheer her on.

As with all of our children and their spouses, we are very proud of her. We are blessed to have a very close relationship with all of our children. This brings us to our topic for today in Proverbs 31. The first 9 verses are instructions from a mother to her grown son who is king. Verses 10-31 describe all the attributes of a wise, virtuous, and capable woman who is more precious than rubies. So let’s explore the nuggets of wisdom from…

First, let’s dig into the advice King Lemuel’s mother shared with him in verses 1-9.

1 The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message, which his mother taught him.

2 O my son, O son of my womb,

O son of my vows,

3 do not waste your strength on women,

on those who ruin kings.

4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine.

Rulers should not crave alcohol.

5 For if they drink, they may forget the law

and not give justice to the oppressed.

6 Alcohol is for the dying,

and wine for those in bitter distress.

7 Let them drink to forget their poverty

and remember their troubles no more.

8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;

ensure justice for those being crushed.

9 Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,

and see that they get justice.

Anytime we allow a person or substance to take over and control our rational and emotional mind, it leaves us open to making unwise decisions. This is especially true of a person who is in a position of authority. King Lemuel’s mother warns him of the dangers of women and wine. In different ways, both have brought down great leaders. Both are certainly distractions to a king’s true work—defending the poor.

Rulers need to be of clear mind and heart so that they can administer justice fairly. The only appropriate reason to allow our mind to be dulled is when we are suffering from some great emotional or physical pain. With today’s advanced medicines, we do have choices other than alcohol to lessen pain.

An interesting note as we read through verses 10-31 now is that in the original Hebrew language this section was a poem. The subject of a twenty-two-line poem found in the last chapter of the book of Proverbs, the “woman of noble character” is meant to be a tangible expression of the book’s celebrated virtue of wisdom. The author is essentially showing us what wisdom looks like in action. There is a direct connection between the Proverbs 31 Woman and “Woman Wisdom,” found in earlier chapters of Proverbs.

This section is packed with very rich imagery. The poem is also an acrostic, so the first word of each verse in the original Hebrew begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order.

This communicates a sense of totality as the poet praises the everyday achievements of an upper-class Jewish wife, a woman who keeps her household functioning day and night by buying, trading, investing, planting, sewing, spindling, managing servants, extending charity, providing food for the family, and preparing for each season. Like any good poem, the purpose of this one is to draw attention to the often-overlooked glory of the mundane everyday tasks.

As a poem, Proverbs 31 should not be interpreted prescriptively as a job description for all women. Its purpose is to celebrate wisdom-in-action, not to instruct women everywhere to get married, have children, and take up the loom.

10 Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?

She is more precious than rubies.

11 Her husband can trust her,

and she will greatly enrich his life.

12 She brings him good, not harm,

all the days of her life.

13 She finds wool and flax

and busily spins it.

14 She is like a merchant’s ship,

bringing her food from afar.

15 She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household

and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.

16 She goes to inspect a field and buys it;

with her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She is energetic and strong,

a hard worker.

18 She makes sure her dealings are profitable;

her lamp burns late into the night.

19 Her hands are busy spinning thread,

her fingers twisting fiber.

20 She extends a helping hand to the poor

and opens her arms to the needy.

21 She has no fear of winter for her household,

for everyone has warm[c] clothes.

22 She makes her own bedspreads.

She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.

23 Her husband is well known at the city gates,

where he sits with the other civic leaders.

24 She makes belted linen garments

and sashes to sell to the merchants.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity,

and she laughs without fear of the future.

26 When she speaks, her words are wise,

and she gives instructions with kindness.

27 She carefully watches everything in her household

and suffers nothing from laziness.

28 Her children stand and bless her.

Her husband praises her:

29 “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,

but you surpass them all!”

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;

but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.

31 Reward her for all she has done.

Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

It would do us all well to look throughout the Bible for examples of strong and capable women. As we study the Scriptures, we need to be careful of focusing only on marriage, motherhood, and domesticity, which are admirable roles but they don’t necessarily define a Godly woman. Instead, it is holiness, with integrity and bravery, that we should all seek, regardless of our gender.

Proverbs 31 is not the only place where we find women of valor in the Bible. You can turn to Sarah, Deborah, Esther, Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, Mary of Nazareth, Martha, the Apostle Junia, Priscilla, Phoebe, and Tabitha too. You can also turn to the women of valor in your life, possibly your mother or grandmother, and many others around the world who are bringing their unique gifts, insights, passions, and callings to bring hope and healing to the world. That is what it really means to honor a woman as described in Proverbs 31. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

Today on our Wisdom Trail we received some sound motherly advice, and also an example of some of the attributes that a woman who is wise will possess. All of the proverbs provide us with rich wisdom, insight, and understanding on a myriad of life issues. Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, if the precepts in Proverbs are followed, your life will be rich and satisfying. Take them and plant them in your heart so that you will reap a harvest of wisdom. I would challenge you to take just one precept that we learn today in Proverbs and commit yourself to applying it to your life.

Tomorrow we will hike another short trail of Wisdom Unplugged as we discover an inspirational wisdom quote. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 555 of our trek, and it’s time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from Auguste Rodin, who said, “Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.”

Experience, it can be a cruel taskmaster or a gentle mentor, it all depends on how you allow it to impact you. Every person fails and falls short of their hopes, dreams, and expectations. A negative experience may very well seem like a failed task and a complete waste of time, but you need to change your mindset.

You should never consider a failed opportunity as a lost opportunity. If you use your failures, your setbacks, and your disappointments as an opportunity to gain wisdom, then it will never be a lost opportunity or a waste of time.

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently with the wisdom, insight, and understanding that you have gained through experience. Any opportunity where we can learn and gain wisdom can never be considered a lost opportunity.

God in His divine wisdom will allow the correction of failure as a teaching tool. Proverbs 3:12-14 tells us, “For the Lord corrects those He loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold.”

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged. If you enjoy these quotes, I have created and published a searchable database of over 10,000 quotes that I have collected for many years. If you would like free access to my database of inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.

As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 554 of our trek, and we are hiking a series of trails called The Tools in Gramps’ Backpack.

Each Monday for a total of 20 weeks we are exploring a different tool that is needed to equip parents and grandparents to train their children and grandchildren to be successful on their trek of life. If you don’t have children or grandchildren of your own, you can use these tools to train others that you do influence. Today the ninth tool from Gramps’ Backpack is Faith. 

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Life, at times, can be very uncertain. The economy rises and falls, the world’s political environment is always changing, marriages and families struggle, and most media outlets spew negative propaganda on the right and the left in their 24/7 news cycles. That is why it is so important for us to have a strong foundation and belief system that we can teach to our children, grandchildren, and everyone that we impact. One of the most valuable tools in our backpack is the tool of…

Faith is an indispensable tool that should be found in your backpack…But what is faith, and how is it used in our lives? The Bible describes faith in this way in Hebrews 11:1, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”

This helps us to grasp the concept of faith, but how do we apply it in our lives?

Every life, including yours, is a series of successes and failures, celebrations and disappointments, joys and sorrows. With a strong belief system and foundation for life, you can come to realize that every step of the way, through every triumph and tragedy, God will stand by your side and strengthen you…that is if your faith is in Him. Jesus taught His disciples that if they had faith, they could move mountains. You can too…even if it is one stone at a time.

An example of faith is found in Matthew 9:22 where a suffering woman believed that she would be healed by merely touching the hem of Jesus’ cloak. The verse says, “Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, ‘Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.”

The message to Christ followers of every generation is clear. We must live by faith today and every day.

When you place your faith, your trust, and indeed your very life in the hands of Jesus Christ, you will be amazed at the marvelous work that he can do with you and through you. Faith is like a muscle. It can be strengthened through use. Some of our faith exercises can be praise, worship, Bible study, and prayer. We must have the faith to trust that God desires what is best for us so that we can best reflect His image. This does not mean that we will be without pain, sorrow, and disappointments. Even James, the half-brother of Jesus understood this when he wrote in his letter in James 1:2-4, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

As you grow in faith, you will come to realize that with God, all things are possible and that He stands ready to open a world of possibilities to you. The way you please God is through growing faith as it tells us in Hebrews 11:6, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

Your faith should not change based on your current circumstances or moods, but be firmly rooted in God as your foundation. C. S. Lewis put it this way, “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods. For moods will change. That is why Faith is such a necessary virtue: unless you teach your moods ‘where to get off,’ you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist, but just a creature dithering to and fro, with its beliefs really dependent on the weather and the state of its digestion. Consequently one must train the habit of faith.”

This is why it is so important to both teach and demonstrate solid faith to your children, grandchildren, and everyone that you impact. That is why the Prophet Isaiah tells us in 7:9, “Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.”

Faith needs to become part of the very fabric of your life. You must come to the point where you can say, “I do not want merely to possess a faith; I want a faith that possesses me.” You can grow in your faith as you exercise it and as it becomes a habit in your life. It is then you will come to the realization that faith is not merely holding onto God. It is also God holding onto you.

With these thoughts in mind, we will conclude our trek for today and close Gramps’ backpack. Before I do, I will pass the tool of Faith onto you. Once you have this tool in your backpack, it is up to you to choose to grow in faith, to demonstrate a strong faith, and to teach faith to others through word and deed. When you possess this kind of faith, regardless of your circumstance, you can have a life that is both rich and satisfying. Teach this faith to your children, grandchildren, and everyone that you impact.

Next Monday we will investigate the tenth tool in Gramps’ backpack, which is Patience. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day.

Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy podcast. This is Day 553 of our trek, and today is Philosophy Friday. Every Friday we will ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy. Currently, we are on an extended multi-week trek as we explore the teachings from some of my virtual mentors, such as Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, and Earl Nightingale.

The core of our current trek is based primarily on Jim Rohn’s book called The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle. I have learned a considerable amount from reading and re-reading this book on my own trek of life, and I trust that it will benefit you also. Keeping with the continuity of Wisdom-Trek, I have adapted it to The Five Trails on Life’s Trek.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We are heading to Charlotte the day this episode originally airs for a meeting on Friday and to watch a roller derby bout on Saturday that our daughter Janet is participating in. Of course, we will be able to invest time with our three kids that live there, along with their spouses and our grandson Kip.

We continue on our extended trek focusing on our 4th trail, which is The Trail of Results. Specifically, we will look at the law of attraction today. If you have missed the past few Philosophy Friday treks, it would be good to go back and review them to get caught up on our progress so far. We have a lot of ground to cover today, so let’s break camp and start on the fourth trail of this extended trek as we cover…

In designing a better future, the major focus of your plan should be to become more than you already are. If you are not happy with your current results, then the place to begin is with yourself.

Everything you have in life, the tangibles as well as the intangibles, is a direct result of who you are. The answer to the good life lies in becoming more than you currently are so that you can attract more than you currently have.

If you lost everything tomorrow, you could easily replace it all. Why? Because you acquired those things as a result of what you are. Assuming “what you are” has not changed, in time you will attract back into your life everything you may have lost. The same applied knowledge, the same attitude, the same effort and the same plan will always produce the same results.

This fundamental concept should give you cause for both elation and alarm. The elation comes from the fact that any day you choose, you can begin to make changes within yourself that will attract even more good things into your life. The alarm comes from the fact that unless you make those necessary changes, unless you convert your errors into new disciplines, and unless you change your dreams into well-defined plans and intelligent, consistent activities, you will always have exactly what you now have. You will always live in the same home, drive the same car, know the same friends, and experience the same frustrations and setbacks that you have always experienced because you have not changed. The results will always be predictable because results are always determined by what you are in the process of becoming.

Doing more is only part of the answer. The real answer lies in becoming more than you are so that your increased potential becomes an integral part of everything you do. That is how life gets better, when you get better. You cannot have more without first becoming more. This is part of the law of planting and harvesting. You cannot have more harvest until you plant more seed.

Personal value is the magnet that attracts all good things into your life. The greater your value, the greater your reward. Since the solution for having more is becoming more, you must be in constant search for new ways to increase your value. Self-control is the practice of discipline, patience, planning, and intensity of effort. It is also the wise investment of a good portion of your results. The development of a well-balanced attitude, consistent activity, the gathering of knowledge, and frequent reading. This creates a sensible personal philosophy and are examples of ways in which your value can be increased.

It is the acquisition of more value that you must pursue, not more valuables. Your objective must be to work harder on yourself than you work on anything else. By giving careful attention to your philosophy, your attitude, and your activity, you are making a positive contribution to what you are becoming, and in the process of becoming more than you now are, you will attract more than you now have.

In the same manner, when Joshua was about to lead the nation of Israel into the Promise Land, God told him that he had to become more by studying His precepts continually. Success would be a natural outcome of becoming more. Joshua 1:6-9 tells us, “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

We are deliberately taking our trek slowly on The Five Trails on Life’s Trek as we continue our hike today on the Trail of Results. Today you learned about the law of attraction and that to have more you first must become more. That is to say, you must become more valuable as a person and more valuable to others. The law of attraction is rooted in the basic fundamentals of the law of planting and harvesting.

Next Philosophy Friday we will explore Better Results Come from Being a Better Person. So join us next Friday for these additional insights. I know you will find these insights interesting and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life.

Our next trek is on Monday, and we will continue our series called The Tools in Gramps’ Backpack where we equip you with the tools needed to impact the lives of others. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along on Monday for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you on Monday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 552 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today quote is from J. I. Packer who said, “Not until we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God’s holiness and sovereignty…acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned upside down, can divine wisdom become ours.”

We all see through our own rose-colored glasses. That is to say, our own world view is based on what we have filtered through our senses, our experiences, our education, and our belief system. It is only when we realize that we are prone to skew our view of reality based on our paradigm will we ever be able to understand how much more we have yet to learn.

One key characteristic of a person who is becoming wise is knowing that they lack wisdom, insight, and understanding. We must search for wisdom like it was a hidden treasure and seek for it as we would seek for gold. Through this process, we will come to the realization of how much more we have yet to learn and that we should always seek more wisdom. It is then we will begin to receive divine wisdom. As Proverbs 9:9 tells us, “Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.”

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 551 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the 2nd half of Chapter 30.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. After nearly three weeks of constant travel, I am in our office most of this week before heading to Charlotte for three days. After that, I should be in for two weeks before heading to Arizona towards the end of March.

Last week in our study of Proverbs, we switched focus from King Solomon who wrote most of Proverbs to a man we know little of whose name was Agur. In some translations it indicates that Agur was writing “to Ithiel and Ucal,” men who could have been disciples or friends of Agur, although some Bibles translate the meaning of the two names with the assumption that they do not refer to actual people. Most commentators believe Agur lived in the same era as Solomon. We don’t know much about Agur except what we can glean from this one chapter. This is one of my favorite chapters in Proverbs because of its rich imagery and contrasting statements.

The name Agur comes from a Hebrew word meaning “collector.” Agur and his father Jakeh are only mentioned here in the Bible and are otherwise unknown. As we start with verse 18 today, Agur’s talent for relating to the obvious shines through. It is a Hebrew poetic style comparing similar statements for impact. This section starts out with…

Let’s dig for the nuggets of wisdom today that Agur shares in verses 18-33.

18 There are three things that amaze me—

no, four things that I don’t understand:

19 how an eagle glides through the sky,

how a snake slithers on a rock,

how a ship navigates the ocean,

how a man loves a woman.

While we have made significant advancements in our scientific knowledge of the first three items that are listed, they still are an amazement to us. To witness the eagle in flight floating on the winds, the snake slithering on a rock at angles we could never achieve, and a large ship navigating the largest oceans, leaves us in awe.

A greater mystery in life is what causes the attraction between a man and a woman. Many times the physical and emotional differences between couples are so different that we wonder what chemistry caused the attraction in the first place. All four of these references leave us standing in amazement.

20 An adulterous woman consumes a man,

then wipes her mouth and says, “What’s wrong with that?”

Another one of life’s mysteries that can leave us pondering is an illicit affair between people who are married to others. Those that are involved in such activity appear oblivious to the dangers. It is a situation that will never end well and causes such hurt and grief to all that are involved.

21 There are three things that make the earth tremble—

no, four it cannot endure:

22 a slave who becomes a king,

an overbearing fool who prospers,

23     a bitter woman who finally gets a husband,

a servant girl who supplants her mistress.

Here is another analogy that compares, contrasts, and then adds a fourth element for emphasis. Three things that shake our very paradigm of our world…A slave who rises to the position of king is an unusual occurrence but has happened on occasion. A person who is obnoxious and treats others unkindly and yet seems to prosper in life. A person with a bitter and unhealthy attitude, who still seems to find a mate in spite of it. The fourth element for emphasis is a servant girl rising through the ranks and becomes a lover to one who is in authority. This unnatural and unhealthy relationship will shake the very foundations of the family and household.

24 There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise:

25 Ants—they aren’t strong,

but they store up food all summer.

26 Hyraxes—they aren’t powerful,

but they make their homes among the rocks.

27 Locusts—they have no king,

but they march in formation.

28 Lizards—they are easy to catch,

but they are found even in kings’ palaces.

The next set of four examples from the animal and insect world shows that those who are small but wise and mighty can have a huge impact on their worlds. Ants are such tiny insects, and yet they work so hard to store up the food necessary to survive even the harshest of winters. Hyraxes or rock badgers are easy prey to a lot of different predators, but they build a sophisticated tunnel system among rocks to have a way to escape. Locusts, or grasshoppers, do not appear to have a ruler of the swarm, and yet they move across a field in stark formation devouring vegetation as they proceed. The last comparison in this section is that of a lizard. You can’t keep them out of homes or palaces. They will always find a way in. Even those of high positions cannot control them easily.

29 There are three things that walk with stately stride—

no, four that strut about:

30 the lion, king of animals, who won’t turn aside for anything,

31     the strutting rooster,

the male goat,

a king as he leads his army.

This next set of comparisons is from the animal kingdom and is rather humorous to think about. Three animal are compared to a king, all of whom strut about as if they were rulers of all. No one disputes that the male lion is the king of all animals. Their presence and stately stride are second to none. If you have ever raised chickens or goats, you know very well how a rooster or male goat will strut around as if they were king. The last is comparing the animals to a human king who does strut before his army and subjects as if they were the ruler of the earth.

32 If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil,

cover your mouth in shame.

33 As the beating of cream yields butter

and striking the nose causes bleeding,

so stirring up anger causes quarrels.

This final section of this chapter compares what problems are caused by someone who is a fool. It is a shameful thing. Just as beating cream will produce butter, or getting hit on the nose will cause it to bleed, so a fool will stir up the anger of another and inevitably cause quarrels.

Today on our Wisdom Trail we were able to see a little of the rich imagery of life that is presented by Agur. Next week we begin the final chapter of Proverbs. All of the proverbs provide us with rich wisdom, insight, and understanding on a myriad of life issues. Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, if the precepts in Proverbs are followed, your life will be rich and satisfying. Take them and plant them in your heart so that you will reap a harvest of wisdom. I would challenge you to take just one precept that we learn today in Proverbs and commit yourself to applying it to your life.

Tomorrow we will hike another short trail of Wisdom Unplugged where we will discover an inspirational wisdom quote. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 550 of our trek, and time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from C.S. Lewis, who said, “Never, never pin your whole faith on any human being: not if he is the best and wisest in the whole world. There are lots of nice things you can do with sand; but do not try building a house on it.”

If you put your entire trust or faith in another person, no matter how good and godly they are, at some point, they will let you down. No person is perfect and without weaknesses. I tend to be a very trusting individual, which has come back to bite me a few times. I would still prefer to have a trusting outlook on life, but you also have to be realistic and understand that you will be let down and be prepared for those inevitable times. While you can put your trust in a person for certain situations, a wise rule to follow is to trust, but verify.

In this quote, C.S. Lewis compares putting our entire trust in another person to building a house on sand. If you do this, at some point your house will come tumbling down. A Bible verse that comes to mind related to trusting other is Psalms 146:3, “Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.”

So you might be asking, what can you put your trust in? Well, the opposite of building a house on the sand is building a house on solid bedrock. That brings me to Psalms 18:2, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged. If you enjoy these quotes, I have created and published a searchable database of over 10,000 quotes that I have collected for many years. If you would like free access to my database of inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.

Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, please encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 549 of our trek, and we are hiking a series of trails called The Tools in Gramps’ Backpack. Each Monday for a total of 20 weeks we will explore a different tool that is needed to equip parents and grandparents to train their children and grandchildren to be successful on their trek of life. If you don’t have children or grandchildren of your own, use these tools to train others that you do influence. Today the eighth tool from Gramps’ Backpack is Attitude. 

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. As I am recording this trek, we have just arrived back from the podcasters cruise to Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico. The cruise was filled with great content, friends, and fun and was an investment that will produce a good return. When this trek originally airs, I will also have been to Arizona for a week and now back in Marietta.

February has been a month of nearly constant travel, but we are certainly enjoying the journey. We do head back to Charlotte this weekend for a meeting on Friday and to watch a roller derby bout on Saturday that our youngest daughter Janet is participating in. While traveling can be stressful if we allow it to be, one attribute that helps us as we keep moving forward is to choose to maintain a proper attitude at all times. For a family or any organization to maintain a proper attitude, the leaders must have a good and proper attitude. This tool is one of the most crucial tools for our lives, so let us open Gramps’ backpack today as we explore the tool of…

The attitude of the parents and grandparents sets the tone for the entire family. This continues to be true for parents with grown children as you will always have an impact on your children regardless of their age. The importance of your attitude also applies to anyone that you lead or influence.

The Christian life is a cause for celebration, but at times, life is difficult, and we don’t feel much like celebrating. In fact, when the weight of the world seems to bear down on your shoulders, celebration may be the last thing on your mind. When you find yourself in this situation, it is imperative to understand that your attitude should not be controlled by external circumstances and feelings, but by your core beliefs. I know this is easier to say than to put into practice, but you can grow to this level. As God’s children, we are all blessed beyond measure on good days and bad. This day is a non-renewable resource. Once it is gone, it’s gone forever. You should give thanks for this day while using it for the glory of God, regardless of the particular circumstances that you may be facing.

What will be your attitude today? Will you be fearful, angry, bored, or worried? Will you be cynical, bitter, or pessimistic? Will you be joyful, content, peaceful, and satisfied? The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:5, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” If you analyze this verse, you will realize that this is not only a command but also an implication that it is your choice, completely within your control.

God created you in His own image, and He desires you to experience joy and abundance, or in other words, a rich and satisfying life. God created us with free will and the ability to choose. God will not force His joy on you; you must choose it yourself. So today and every day hereafter, celebrate the life that God has given you.

Yes, some days this choice is much easier than others, but it is always your choice. It originates in your mind and is then expressed in your posture, words, and actions. Since it comes from your mind, think optimistically about yourself and your future. Yes, you have to think realistically, but that means you must accept what is, and choose to change to what can be.

Give thanks to the One who has given you everything, and have faith that He will give you all good things. Since your attitude does begin in your mind, you must filter what goes in your mind so you can control what comes from your mind.

Since your attitude does begin in your mind, you must filter what goes in your mind so you can control what comes from your mind.

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The Apostle Paul gives us the recipe for creating and maintaining a great attitude, which we must learn and then teach our children, grandchildren, and everyone that we influence in Philippians 4:4-9, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

As Charles Swindoll said, “We must admit that we spend more of our time concentrating and fretting over the things that can’t be changed than we do giving attention to the one thing that we can change which is our choice of attitude.”

Life is what you make it. That means you have a choice. You can choose to have a life full of frustration and fear, or you can just as easily choose one of joy and contentment. Your attitude is your choice.

With these thoughts in mind, we will conclude our trek for today and close Gramps’ backpack. Before I do, I will pass the tool of Attitude onto you.

Once you have this tool in your backpack, it is up to you to choose the attitude that you desire to pass onto your children, grandchildren, and others that you disciple and mentor. Teach them how to live life with a good and Godly attitude. A life that is both rich and satisfying. Groom them by displaying an attitude at all times that is worthy of emulating. They will learn from both your actions and your words.

Next Monday we will investigate the ninth tool in Gramps’ backpack, which is Faith. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy podcast. This is Day 548 of our trek and today is Philosophy Friday. Every Friday we will ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy. Currently, we are on an extended multi-week trek as we explore the teachings from some of my virtual mentors, such as Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, and Earl Nightingale.

The core of our current trek is based primarily on Jim Rohn’s book called The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle. I have learned a considerable amount from reading and re-reading this book on my own trek of life, and I trust that it will benefit you also. Keeping with the continuity of Wisdom-Trek, I have adapted it to The Five Trails on Life’s Trek.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We continue on our extended trek today on the Trail of Results. Last week we started on this trail and focused on how we can achieve predictable results. This week we will expand this trail as we explore How to Measure Results.

If you have missed the past few Philosophy Friday treks, it would be good to go back and review them to get caught up on our progress so far. We have a lot of ground to cover today, so let’s break camp and start on the fourth trail of this extended trek as we cover…

The results of your past efforts can be measured in several different ways. The first way to measure your results is by looking at what you have. The most common way is to consider your home, cars, bank accounts, investments, and all of your other tangible assets are a good measuring rod of your material progress.

Your assets reflect only one aspect of your current value. To measure your financial value, you merely examine your assets. This is but one aspect of your total value and not to suggest that the only way to measure value is by a list of your material possessions.

There are all kinds of wealth, and the greatest fortunes in life are the non-material assets that you have in your life which is joy, health, love, family, experiences, and friendships. These assets will always outweigh the value of any material possessions you might acquire. That being understood you can reflect on what you have accumulated over the years in the form of material assets as a good indicator of past efforts and possible future results. The non-material assets you possess will follow a similar pattern.

If you currently have a significant accumulation of money and material possessions, you are probably well on your way toward achieving that dream known as financial independence. With financial freedom comes the options of choice in the non-material assets that you are able to accumulate. If your list of assets is rather meager despite your efforts over the last ten, twenty, or thirty years of labor, then this may be a good indicator that something needs to change in your life. You may need to make some major changes in your current level of activity to increase your results. You may need to increase your skills or your knowledge or your awareness to take better advantage of life’s opportunities. You may need to make some adjustments to your philosophy about money and to your attitude about what expenditures constitute a worthwhile investment.

If you are not satisfied with what you have achieved at this point in your life, then now is the time to fix the future, and it is never too late to start. Unless you change how you are right now, then what you have will always be about the same as it is today. Going back to the principle of planting and harvesting will clearly show that the same seed sown by the same sower will inevitably produce the same harvest.

Going back to the principle of planting and harvesting will clearly show that the same seed sown by the same sower will inevitably produce the same harvest.

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For the harvest to change, it may be necessary to change the seed, the soil, or most likely, the activity of the sower. Perhaps as the sower, you insist on using a plan that simply cannot work. It may be that you as the sower believes that sowing should be done in the summer instead of the spring.

When winter arrives, and the sower’s need is great, you may be found standing in the barren field condemning the circumstances for your failure because the soil did not yield its promised harvest. This would be the ideal time for you to measure and assess the reasons why the soil did not cooperate with an ill-conceived plan. You must measure and assess why you achieved less than expected and you must guard against complaining and compiling yet another list of reasons for your unfortunate dilemma.

Everything you have acquired is a result of past efforts and past thoughts. You gather intelligence, or you gather ignorance. And your future will produce rewards commensurate with what you have done in the past. You must use your time to plan, to labor, to measure, to invest, to share, to refine past activity, and to add to your storehouse of knowledge and wisdom. These are the seeds you must gather along the way so that the quality of your results will improve with each passing year.

Another important way to measure your results is to take a closer look at what you have become. What sort of people have you attracted into your life? Are you well-respected by your co-workers and neighbors? Do you honor your beliefs? Do you try to see someone else’s point of view? Are you listening to your children? Do you express sincere appreciation to your parents, your spouse, and your friends? Are you honest and ethical in your business transactions? Are you known for your unwavering integrity among your peers? Do you stand out in a good way because you still march to the beat of a different drummer in a world that so desperately needs your light? Are you happy with who and what you have become?

What you have become is a result of all of your past experiences and how you have handled them. What you have become is also a result of the personal changes you have either voluntarily or involuntarily made over the years. If you are not happy with what you have become, then you must change what you are. For things to change in your world, you must change. This is one of life’s fundamentals. This is the law of planting and harvesting.

Living the rich and satisfying life is not easy, especially during the times of planting and nurturing, but the reward of harvest is always worthwhile. As Psalms 126:5-6 tells us, “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.”

We are deliberately taking our trek slowly on The Five Trails on Life’s Trek as we continue our hike today on the Trail of Results. Today you learned that you must measure and assess the results of your labor in order to change your results in the future. This is the basic fundamentals of the law of planting and harvesting.

Next Philosophy Friday we will explore That You Attract What You Have by the Person You Have Become. So join us next Friday for these additional insights. I know you will find these insights interesting and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life.

Our next trek is on Monday, and we will continue our series called The Tools in Gramps’ Backpack where we will equip you with the tools needed to impact the lives of others. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along on Monday for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. If you would like to listen to any of our past treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you Monday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 547 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from Sandra Carey who said “Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life.”Once again in our wisdom nugget today we contrast knowledge with wisdom. When we gain knowledge, it will help us to improve ourselves, and it will help us to obtain a better standard of living. The more we learn, the more opportunities we will have to succeed.

This is not guaranteed, though, because the application of that knowledge is also required. The application of that knowledge requires the second aspect that will help us to make a life, which is wisdom. Wisdom allows us to take the knowledge that we learned and then live a life that is rich and satisfying.

Many of us lack this second crucial aspect. Yes, it is important to gain knowledge, but it is even more important to seek out and gain wisdom so that our lives will have meaning and purpose. Wisdom comes from God and allows the application of knowledge into our everyday life. Proverbs 2:5-7 tells us, “Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.”That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!