Wisdom-Trek © - Archive 2

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 536 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 1st half of Chapter 29.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On the day this trek is released, we will be heading to Florida to visit Paula’s Aunt in Ft. Myers and then heading out on a 5-day podcaster cruise on Saturday. A couple of days after returning from the cruise, I will be heading back to Arizona for my monthly on-site work for our construction project there. This means that I have to prepare enough daily treks ahead of time to cover the entire month of February. This will be a challenge, and some of the daily treks may be a bit shorter than usual. We are thankful for a stable client workload, and that we are able to work independent of our location. This stability reminds me of verse 4 on our trek today tells us…

Let’s start our trek as we explore verses 1-14.

1 Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism

will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery.

One of the traits of a wise and mature person is that they are willing to accept constructive criticism to improve themselves. None of us have all knowledge and wisdom, and we all have much room for improvement. A person who is unwilling to accept beneficial criticism from others will destroy themselves due to their foolishness.

2 When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice.

But when the wicked are in power, they groan.

It is so encouraging and pleasant when you are under the authority of a person with integrity and whose actions are right, just and fair. When we are forced to be under a person who is wicked, it is a heavy burden and groaning is a natural outcome.

3 The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,

but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted.

As a father of five grown children, whom all love and are growing in wisdom, is a joy. It is quite different when your grown children hang around those who are morally bankrupt. The training invested in that type of child does not have a good return. Many time wayward children are also a financial drain on the parents.

4 A just king gives stability to his nation,

but one who demands bribes destroys it.

Whether it is a king, president, governor, or anyone else in a position of authority, a leader who is just and fair will bring stability to their organization. If these same leaders are crooked and demand that which is not rightfully theirs, then the nation or organization will be destroyed from within.

5 To flatter friends

is to lay a trap for their feet.

We should be honest with all people at all times. When we flatter our friends and others, it is usually for some nefarious reason to get something in return. This is trapping them with deception.

6 Evil people are trapped by sin,

but the righteous escape, shouting for joy.

Individuals who practice deception will be trapped by the very deception that they are promoting. When you don’t lie or deceive others, then you never have to worry about what you said, thereby escaping this trap. It is a joyous time.

7 The godly care about the rights of the poor;

the wicked don’t care at all.

A person who is compassionate will be concerned for all people, and especially the rights of those who are unable to defend themselves. A person who is wicked is also selfish and does not care about others.

8 Mockers can get a whole town agitated,

but the wise will calm anger.

A wise person will also be a peaceful person. When a situation becomes tense or there is anger, a wise person will attempt to calm the situation. A person who stirs up anger is just the opposite. They thrive on agitating others.

9 If a wise person takes a fool to court,

there will be ranting and ridicule but no satisfaction.

Taking someone who is foolish to court is very difficult since a fool does not desire justice. They will stir up trouble. A wise person will try and avoid this situation so that they do not waste their time.

10 The bloodthirsty hate blameless people,

but the upright seek to help them.

A person who is by nature cruel and vicious despises those who are good by nature. Those who are good, love to be around others who are the same.

11 Fools vent their anger,

but the wise quietly hold it back.

You can tell a person who is not wise because he has no problems spewing his anger on others. A wise person, even in a situation that upsets him knows better than to express it.

12 If a ruler pays attention to liars,

all his advisers will be wicked.

The saying a fish rots from the head down certainly applies in this situation. If a leader is wicked, then most of those below him will also be wicked.

13 The poor and the oppressor have this in common—

the Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.

Those who are poor and those who oppress the poor must realize that all that we have or ever hope to be is from God. We need to understand this and act accordingly.

14 If a king judges the poor fairly,

his throne will last forever.

Justice is appropriate in every situation. When a king or anyone in a position of authority is right, just, and fair, then their leadership position will be eternal as they impact those whom they lead.

Today on our Wisdom Trail we continue to explore a series of Solomon’s Proverbs that were assembled by King Hezekiah. These proverbs provide us with more wisdom, insight, and understanding on a myriad of relationship issues. Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, if you follow the precepts in Proverbs, 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. 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.

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 tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 535 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 Zig Ziglar, who said, “Knowledge is power, and so is dynamite. Both are dangerous unless handled wisely.”It is true that knowledge is power, but how that power is used is the defining question. Knowledge does not automatically result in power, but the more knowledgeable we become, the more potential power we have access to. The lack of knowledge, or chosen ignorance, does prevent a person from having the capacity to gain more knowledge.

In today’s interconnected world, with its free resources, the wall of ignorance is broken down, which allows nearly everyone to obtain knowledge if they choose to. As with most resources that we have access to, knowledge can be used for both good or evil.

In today’s quote, knowledge is compared to dynamite. Both are powerful and effective when the person who possesses them also has the wisdom on how to use them. As we explored in our last Wisdom Unplugged episode, there is a vast difference between knowledge and wisdom. The ideal situation is to possess an abundance of both knowledge and wisdom. True and effective knowledge can only be found when it is coupled with wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 tells us, “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”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 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 I am your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

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 534 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 fifth tool from Gramps’ Backpack is Perseverance.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. To continue on your trek of life each day at times is not easy. Most of our lives are less than ideal, and many of our daily life routines are quite boring. Although through this podcast and social media the life that Paula and I live may seem that it is filled with activities, which include many exciting and enjoyable times, most days are quite routine. Yes, we do enjoy life, but that is primarily by choice, as we have our share of challenging and difficult days.

What keeps us moving forward each day regardless of the obstacles that we may face is our consistent persistence. Certainly our faith is the foundation for our life, but it is perseverance in the face of disappointments and struggles that gives us the strength to take the next step. On our trek for today, the tool that we will explore from Gramps’ backpack is…

The tool of perseverance allows us to overcome disappointments and transcends failures. Hebrews 10:36 encourages in this way, “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

You cannot persevere unless there is a trial in your life. There can be no victories without battles. There can be no mountain peaks without deep valleys. If you desire the blessing, you must be prepared to carry the burden and fight the battle. God has to balance privileges with responsibilities, blessings with burdens, or else you and I will become spoiled pampered children.If you’ve led a perfect life with absolutely no mess ups, blunders, mistakes, or failures, then today’s trek may not be for you. If you are like the rest of us, you know that disappointments and failures are an inevitable part of life. These setbacks are simply the price that must be paid for maturing as we gain wisdom and knowledge about life. Even when you experience bitter disappointments, which you will, you must not lose your faith.

When times and situations are difficult, the Bible teaches us that, “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” These reassuring words remind us that when we persevere, we will eventually receive that which God has promised. Even when we fail, God is faithful. What God requires of us is perseverance, not perfection.

When we encounter the inevitable difficulties on our daily trek of life, God stands ready to protect us. While we are waiting for God’s Word to illuminate our way, we do not need to fear the darkness, and we can be comforted in the knowledge that our Creator can overcome any obstacle, even when we cannot. Psalms 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

All of us hike our own trail of life, or to put in into a sports analogy we are running a race as the Apostle Paul taught us the importance of perseverance in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.”

St. Augustine described perseverance in this way, “Keep adding, keep walking, and keep advancing. Do not stop, do not turn back, and do not turn from the straight road.” Perseverance is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with the absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen.

When the Apostle Paul was instructing his protégé Timothy, in 1 Timothy 6:11-12 he told him, “But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.”

Perseverance is difficult, but it is imperative that we master this tool so that we can instruct our children, grandchildren, and others that we impact on how to persevere on their trek of life just as Paul instructed Timothy.

To gain this perseverance, we need to follow God’s precepts in His Word. We need to take Jesus’s yoke on us to persevere on our daily trek, then the burdens will be lighter, and we can help others. Matthew 11:29 Jesus tells us, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

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 perseverance onto you. Once you have this tool in your backpack, it is up to you to learn to persevere by taking on Jesus’s yoke while standing firm in the faith. It is then that you can teach perseverance to your children, grandchildren, or anyone else that you have the opportunity to impact.

Next Monday we will investigate the sixth tool in Gramps’ backpack which is Support. 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 533 of our trek, and today is Philosophy Friday. Every Friday we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they 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 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 will be adapting it to The Five Trails on Life’s Trek.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This week’s client work has been extra busy. We help our clients with their tax processing and preparing their year-end financial statements. In addition to that, I am also utilized to conduct technical sales demos for the client that I provide remote technical support on their SaaS-based software program several times per month.

My workload requires that I plan my activities intelligently and carefully so that nothing is overlooked. This ties into the topic of our trek today on the Trail of Activity as we will explore why The Need for Intelligent Activity and why Activity Must Be Planned.

Proper planning of our daily activities allows us to maximize the return on our time invested in those activities. A good plan does not have to be overly complicated. In fact, it is best implemented when it is kept simple.

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 continue on the third trail of this extended trek as we cover…

Many of those in search of success and happiness are already working hard, but they just do not seem to be getting anywhere. The problem is that to produce the desired results, you must put intelligence as well as intensity into your activity. Action without intelligence can be destructive. You must not invest too much time in the process of acquiring intelligence. All things must be in their rightful ratio.

It is so easy to mistake motion for progress and movement for achievement. That is why activity must be deliberately planned, carefully refined and consistently executed.

You must become wise enough to use today to plan tomorrow. You must design the future, not just dream about it. If you discipline yourself to put intelligence into your plans, you will put fortune into your future.

Your journey toward success cannot be like the long forgotten Sunday drive when you drive around aimlessly looking at the scenery. You need to select a specific destination. You also need to anticipate the obstacles and the risks and be prepared to respond to them whenever they appear.

Having well-defined goals is an essential part of any life plan. These goals should be recorded in writing and should reflect both short-term and long-range planning. Short-term goals serve as landmarks along the journey. They are the small stepping stones that lead to the achievement of your long-term fortune and help you to stay on track over a long period of time. (For guidance on life planning, download the free PDF version of Your Life Plan Blueprint on the free resources tab on Wisdom-Trek.com.)

Long-range goals serve as milestones. They are the points of achievement along the way that give you cause to celebrate the fruits of your efforts. The most important part of planning and goal-setting is to see in your “mind’s eye” the major objective that you are pursuing. This is the “magnificent obsession” that we explored in previous weeks. This is the very nerve center of your ambition. This is what drives you forward.

Major objectives are the unseen force that pulls you into the future. Through your daily activity and discipline, you provide the push to propel you toward success. It is the dream of the future achievement of your objectives that pulls you along day after day and pulls you through the major obstacles you will encounter along the way. The exciting thing about this process is that the more you push, the more the future begins to pull. As you demonstrate your unwavering determination to conquer your limitations, increase your intelligence, and achieve your objective, that still, small voice within you begins to speak its special and promising message adding to the pull of the future. As you listen carefully to this voice and respond instinctively to its urgings, the pull becomes stronger and your future more certain.

Your better future begins with a worthy objective and a simple plan. You must not allow your plan to become excessively burdened by complexities. Many of the answers take time to discover. It is virtually impossible to plan every detail or to anticipate every obstacle. As King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 11:6, “Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.”

You must also be careful not to allow the opinions of others to unduly influence the development of your plan for a rich and satisfying life. Others will have dozens of opinions about what you should do, but the final plan for progress must be your plan. You should listen to the voices of value, but you must remember that no one else will see your plan or sense your obsession quite the way you do. It must be a personally designed plan, and its creator and architect must remain at the helm of the ship throughout the entirety of the journey.

We are deliberately taking our trek slowly on The Five Trails on Life’s Trek as we continue our hike on the Trail of Activity. Today we learned that our activity needs to be intelligent, planned, and simple to complete. It must be our plan, and although we may obtain advice from wise mentors, we must lead on our trek of life, even when few follow.

Next Philosophy Friday we will complete our third trail, which is the Trail of Activity. Our trek next week will focus on why it is so important that your activity is disciplined and allows you to reach the destination you planned. 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 in which 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.

If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all 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 on Monday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 532 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 a humorous one from Miles Kington, who said, “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is never putting it in a fruit salad.”

Knowledge and wisdom are often thought of as equivalent, but there is a very distinct and important difference. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts, information, and ideas about a wide variety of subject matters that we acquire through study, research, investigation, observation, or experience.

Wisdom is the ability to discern and judge which aspects of that knowledge are true, right, lasting, and applicable to your life. Wisdom is taking knowledge obtained and having the discipline to apply it in a common sense manner that will allow you to obtain success in various areas of life. The danger in just accumulating knowledge is that we all view life through our own paradigm of experiences and feelings so you can come to an incorrect conclusion about that knowledge.Ultimately all wisdom comes from God who is the only one that can give us the ability to take the knowledge that we obtain and apply it correctly to life. As Proverbs 2:6-7 tells us, “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

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 531 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 28.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I invested last week in Arizona updating all of the financial transactions for our current construction project and organizing our filing center. We were able to discard much of the old paperwork in preparation of setting up the files for our current and future projects. Much of the current paperwork is being stored electronically now, and will become more so as we move forward. It was a week well invested.

It is good to be home for a week, but most of February we will be traveling which includes a podcasters cruise before heading back out to Arizona again later this month. We do invest much of our time working hard planting seeds in people and companies so that we can reap a harvest of blessings both now and in the future. This reminds me of verse 19 on our trek today, which tells us…

Let’s start our trek as we explore verses 15-28.

15 A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor

as a roaring lion or an attacking bear.

When someone who is in a position of authority is wicked or lacks compassion, then those who are less fortunate will be in peril. The consequences to the poor will be as dangerous as if wild animals were released on them. – as dangerous as a lion or bear that is ready for attacking.

16 A ruler with no understanding will oppress his people,

but one who hates corruption will have a long life.

You can discern the integrity and mind of a ruler by how they treat those who are less fortunate. If they oppress those who they are leading, then it shows they really don’t understand how best to rule others. A leader who hates the abuse of others will be granted a long and pleasant life.

17 A murderer’s tormented conscience will drive him into the grave.

Don’t protect him!

God is just, and He is the author of justice. The immutable law of planting and harvesting applies to every area of our lives. When someone takes an innocent life, his conscience will plague him continually. While we can show compassion for them, we should not make excuses for them, and we should allow them to reap the harvest of what they planted.

18 The blameless will be rescued from harm,

but the crooked will be suddenly destroyed.

God’s justice also applies in every situation. If we live our life according to God’s precepts found in His Word, we will be protected. Those who practice a life of wicked habits will sooner or later suffer the consequences.

19 A hard worker has plenty of food,

but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty.

There is no substitute for consistent, persistent, and hard work. When we practice this continually, we will have all the resources that we need. Contrary to this is a person who chases fantasies and dreams but is not willing to work hard to see those dreams realized. They will be in continual poverty for their lack of responsibility.

20 The trustworthy person will get a rich reward,

but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble.

A person who is worthy of trust is a person who is dependable. Their focused discipline will allow them to harvest from what they have planted. A person who is not willing to work planting the seeds of disciplined work but is looking to harvest without work will always be in financial trouble. There is no such thing as quick riches.

21 Showing partiality is never good,

yet some will do wrong for a mere piece of bread.

A person with a lack of principles and integrity will easily be bribed to do what is convenient, not what is right. They are easily swayed for the smallest of immediate gratification.

22 Greedy people try to get rich quick

but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty.

A person who is chasing the fantasy of “get rich quick schemes” will never reach what they are chasing. Instead, they will be continually on the road of poverty always chasing their next fantasy.

23 In the end, people appreciate honest criticism

far more than flattery.

At times truth seems too rare in our postmodern world. I suspect it has always been the case throughout history. It seems like political correctness has consumed the majority of people. It is refreshing when we actually receive honest criticism from someone who really has our best interest at heart. They desire to see us become our best. This is much more beneficial than someone who tells us what they think we desire to hear.

24 Anyone who steals from his father and mother

and says, “What’s wrong with that?”

is no better than a murderer.

We need to respect and honor our parents. We should not take advantage of them, nor their willingness to assist us. We are responsible for our own lives, and if we steal from or take advantage of our parents, then our disregard for them is the same as taking their very life from them.

25 Greed causes fighting;

trusting the Lord leads to prosperity.

When we desire to have what is not ours, it will lead to problems and fighting between people. We should instead trust that God will provide for us, which will lead to a rich and satisfying life.

26 Those who trust their own insight are foolish,

but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.

None of us have all knowledge, and none of us have reached the point in our lives where there is nothing more to learn. This shows how foolish we are. When are walking in wisdom, then we will realize that we have so much more to learn and more wisdom to gain. It is then we will safely walk throughout each day of life.

27 Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing,

but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.

Throughout the Bible, God continually shows His concern for those who are poor, especially if their condition is out of their control. If we are fortunate enough to have more resources than we need, then we should be willing to help those who are poor. In doing so, all of our needs will be continually provided for. If we are not willing to do so, then our lack of compassion will come back to us in our time of need.

28 When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding.

When the wicked meet disaster, the godly flourish.

Regardless if you live in a country where you have many freedoms or few, all peoples fear rulers who are wicked. It is an oppression to them. When those rulers who are wicked come to their demise, it is an opportunity for those who follow God’s precepts to have a greater impact on their world.

Today on our Wisdom Trail we continue to explore a series of Solomon’s Proverbs that were assembled by King Hezekiah. These proverbs provide us with more wisdom, insight, and understanding on a myriad of relationship issues. Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, if you follow the precepts in Proverbs, 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. 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.

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 tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 530 of our trek, and it’s time for our 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 Lao-tzu, who said, “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”Getting to know other people for who they really are without being judgmental requires that a person is honest, empathetic, caring, and smart. In other words, you must be someone with a keen intellect. However, it may be even more difficult to know ourselves without prejudice. We are masters in justifying and rationalizing our habits and behaviors. A truly wise person is someone who is able to honestly see who they are at their very core.

In the same manner, we can exert control over others when we have given or assumed the authority and strength. It is quite different to have sufficient self-discipline to the point of controlling ourselves. Many people are impotent to control their wants and desires over a long period of time.

An example of a life built on wisdom and power is given to us in 2 Peter 1:5-7, “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.”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 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 tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 529 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 fourth tool from Gramps’ Backpack is Courage.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.

On our trek of life, we will have some days where everything seems to be going smoothly. Other days we will face steep uphill climbs, and the trail will become so rough that it is hard to navigate. It takes courage to continue on when it is difficult to see the path in front of you and your footing becomes unstable. This is why one of the most valuable tools in Gramps’ backpack is…

Courage is an important tool for building better days and better lives. King David in his instruction to his son Solomon told him in 1 Chronicles 28:20, “Then David continued, ‘Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly.'”

Every human life is a tapestry of events – some grand, some not-so-grand, and some downright disheartening. When we reach the mountaintops of life, praising God is easy. In our moments of triumph, we trust God’s plan. When the storm clouds form overhead, and we find ourselves in the dark valley of despair, our faith is stretched, sometimes to the breaking point. As Christ followers, we can be comforted. Whenever we find ourselves, whether at the top of the mountain or the depths of the valley, God is there, and because He cares for us, we can live courageously.

A.W. Tozer explained it like this, “The truth of Christ brings assurance, and so removes the former problem of fear and uncertainty.”

Believing Christians have every reason to be courageous. After all, the ultimate battle has already been fought and won on the cross at Calvary. Even dedicated followers of Christ may find their courage tested by the inevitable disappointments and tragedies that occur in the lives of believers and non-believers alike.

The next time you find your courage tested to the limit, remember that God is as near as your next breath, and remember that He offers salvation to His children. He is your shield and your strength; He is your protector and your deliverer. Call upon Him in your hour of need, and then be comforted. Whatever your challenge, whatever your trouble, God can handle it, and He will.

Jesus showed his deep concern for others at all times, as expressed in Luke 8:50, “But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed.'”

As Christ followers, we should be some of the most courageous people on earth. We may not know what the future holds for us individually, but we certainly know who holds the future. D.L. Moody put it this way, “Take courage. We walk in the wilderness today and in the Promised Land tomorrow.”

Chuck Swindoll gives us this word of exhortation, “Our Lord is searching for people who will make a difference. Christians dare not dissolve into the background or blend into the neutral scenery of the world.”

The Apostle Paul told Timothy in his 2nd letter to him Chapter 1 verse 7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Faith is stronger than fear. In fact, our faith with destroy our fears.

As you teach your children, grandchildren, and anyone else that you impact, infuse into them the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 16:13 reminds us, “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.”

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 courage onto you. Once you have this tool in your backpack, it is up to you to be courageous by standing firm in the faith and then teaching courage to your children, grandchildren, or anyone else that you have the opportunity to impact. Next Monday we will investigate the fifth tool in Gramps’ backpack, which is Perseverance.

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 528 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 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 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 will be adapting it to The Five Trails on Life’s Trek.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. When this day originally airs, I should be wrapping up my week in Arizona. As I have the opportunity, I will share some of the highlights of our progress on the project.

On major construction projects, there are no shortcuts to success, and inevitably there will be issues and cost overruns that are not anticipated. With each issue that comes up we have a choice to do it quick or do it right. This ties into the topic of our trek today on the Trail of Activity, as we will explore why “The Danger in Seeking Shortcuts to Success” and why “Change Begins With Choice” as we choose our response to every issue and situation.

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 continue on the Third trail of this extended trek as we cover…

Some of your friends would have you believe that positive affirmation is more important than activity. Rather than doing something constructive to change your life they would have you repeating various slogans to yourself that affirm that all is well. You may have heard this one and told that you should repeat it. “Every day and in every way, I am getting better and better.” While I agree that self-talk is very important, talk without action is as useless as faith without works.

You must remember that discipline is a requirement for progress, and that affirmations without discipline is the beginning of delusion. There is nothing wrong with affirmations provided you remember two important rules. First, you should never allow an affirmation to replace action. Feeling better is no substitute for doing better. Second, whatever you affirm must be the truth.

If the truth of your circumstances is that you are broke, then the best affirmation would be to say, “I am broke.”  That would start the thinking process. Spoken with conviction, these words would drive any reasonably prudent person from ease into action.

If your life is spinning out of control, then you must confront the harsh reality of the truth, and then discipline yourself to express that truth rather than disguising it in false and misleading pronouncements. By doing this, it will be the beginning of positive change that will inevitably result in action. 

Reality is always the best beginning. Within reality is the possibility of your own personal miracle. The power of faith starts with reality. If you can bring yourself to state the truth about yourself and your circumstances, then the truth will set you free. Jesus stated in John 8:32 when referring to faith, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Once you finally understand and accept the truth, the promise of the future is then freed from the shackles of deception, which held it in bondage.

Sooner or later you must stop blaming your government, your pay schedule, your banks, your taxes, your neighbors, your boss, your company policy, high prices, and your co-workers. You must stop blaming your past, your parents, the traffic or the weather for your failure to capture your share of the joy that comes from progress. You must come to understand how you really got to be where and how you are. It is the subtleties of your repeated accumulated errors that are responsible. It is then the embarrassment of that final truth and your willingness to admit it that will start the process of going from pennies to fortune.

Any day you choose, you can discipline yourself to change it all. Any day you choose, you can open the book that will open your mind to new knowledge. Any day you choose, you can start a new activity. Any day you choose, you can start the process of life change. You can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.

You can also choose to do nothing. You can pretend rather than perform. If the idea of having to change yourself makes you uncomfortable, you can remain as you are. You can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are yours to make. While you curse the effect, you continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, “The fault…is not in the stars, but in ourselves.”

You created your circumstances by your past choices. You have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today. If you are in search of the good life, you do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. You need the truth. You need the whole truth. You need nothing but the truth.

You cannot allow your errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead you down the wrong path. You must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how your life works out. Activity is one of those important basics that you cannot afford to neglect. As Proverbs 16:3 tells us, “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”

We are deliberately taking our trek slowly on The Five Trails on Life’s Trek, as we continue our hike on the Trail of Activity. Today we learned of the danger of seeking shortcuts to success and know there are none. We also learned that if we want our lives to be different, then ultimately it is our choice.

Next Philosophy Friday we will continue on the Trail of Activity and explore that we need more than just activity. We need intelligent activity that is planned. Join us next Friday for additional insights. I know you will find these insights interesting and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life.

On our next trek on Monday, we will continue our series called The Tools in Gramps’ Backpack, where we will equip you with the tools you need 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.

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

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 on Monday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 527 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 Theodore Isaac Rubin, who said, “Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.”Kindness is one of the most important character traits any person can have. It does not cost us anything, requires less emotional energy than unkindness, and has a very profound and far-reaching impact on others. Why then are we not always kind to everyone, in every situation?

It is because we become very selfish and self-centered. A person who is habitually selfish is acting in a foolish manner. A foolish person cannot be wise. Therefore a kind person is also a wise person. They fit together like a hand in a glove. Your hand is your wisdom, and your kindness is the glove that envelops that hand.

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians 4:31-32 instructed the Christ-followers in this manner, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.  Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Now that is a kind person.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

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!