Wisdom-Trek © - Archive 2

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 526 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 28.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Although life is not always easy and sometimes not everything turns out as we anticipated, if your life is driven by honesty and integrity, it will be rich and satisfying. This concept ties into verse 6 on today’s trek, which says…

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

1 The wicked run away when no one is chasing them,

but the godly are as bold as lions.

Unfounded fear seems to grip so many people and sadly even those who profess faith in God. It is understandable if someone is fearful when their actions are contrary to God’s precepts in His Word. Irrational fear is caused by irrational thinking and actions. As Christ followers, we should not be fearful, but bold as lions. When we are fearful, it is because our faith is weak. The opposite of faith is fear.

2 When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily.

But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.

This scenario has been seen of governments across time and throughout the world. When the people of a nation no longer follow God, then all of society will be filled with moral rot. The next step is a failure of the government. Wise leaders will govern based on moral precepts, which bring stability.

3 A poor person who oppresses the poor

is like a pounding rain that destroys the crops.

It is unimaginable that a person who is poor would treat another poor person badly. They of all people should have compassion on those that share the same plight. In the same manner, rain is good and necessary for crops to grow and prosper, but if rain comes too fast and hard, it will destroy the very crops that it is supposed to help.

4 To reject the law is to praise the wicked;

to obey the law is to fight them.

When a person rejects law and order within a government and country, they are giving a stronghold to those who do not follow God. Every stable nation needs a set of laws and guidelines for people to follow. They will be the foundation for a stable government.

5 Evil people don’t understand justice,

but those who follow the Lord understand completely.

We see this so often in our world today where justice is not only misunderstood, but perverted. I suspect this has been an issue since the fall of man. All of us are susceptible to falling into the trap of calling evil good and good evil when it fits our particular paradigm. It is when we allow God’s Word to filter everything that goes into our mind where we will then understand true justice.

6 Better to be poor and honest

than to be dishonest and rich.

Such sound advice. No amount of riches is worth having if you become dishonest to obtain them. It certainly is better to be poor but have your integrity and reputation unspoiled.

7 Young people who obey the law are wise;

those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.

A person young or old will show their wisdom when they obey the laws of the land. As a parent, it is heartbreaking and embarrassing when our children become friends with those who ignore the law and God’s precepts.

8 Income from charging high interest rates

will end up in the pocket of someone who is kind to the poor.

God is compassionate for those who are poor. If we become wealthy by taking advantage of the poor and charging high interest, then eventually we will lose it to someone who cares for the poor.

9 God detests the prayers

of a person who ignores the law.

All too often we only turn to God when we are in trouble. Much of the time the trouble is because we have ignored God’s precepts. We then expect God to bail us out for our foolishness. This action is detestable to God.

10 Those who lead good people along an evil path

will fall into their own trap,

but the honest will inherit good things.

It is a dangerous trek to lead others, who try to be good, down a path that is evil. If we make this a practice, don’t be surprised that it will come back on us. Those who practice honesty on a continual basis will see the good fruit from the good they planted.

11 Rich people may think they are wise,

but a poor person with discernment can see right through them.

Obtaining riches is not the same as obtaining wisdom. It is so easy to think that our earthly success is because of our wisdom. A person who is poor, but rich in wisdom will more easily discern the difference.

12 When the godly succeed, everyone is glad.

When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding.

A good person, who lives a life of integrity and is successful by doing so will make others glad and reflective. It is quite the opposite when the wicked rise up and take power. It is then we want to hide from their presence

13 People who conceal their sins will not prosper,

but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

When we do that which is wrong, we may cover it up for a time, but eventually, it will be our downfall. The only way to have true prosperity is to turn from that which is wrong, confess it to those who are aware of it, and ask forgiveness of anyone that we may have hurt.

14 Blessed are those who fear to do wrong,

but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble.

It is good when you have a healthy fear of doing something that is wrong. If we refuse to admit that and continue on in our wrong ways, then it will eventually rise up and cause us significant issues.

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 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.

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 525 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 Viktor E. Frankl, who said, “Just as a small fire is extinguished by the storm whereas a large fire is enhanced by it — likewise a weak faith is weakened by predicament and catastrophes whereas a strong faith is strengthened by them.”If you have ever been camping when it is windy or raining, you understand how difficult it is to keep a campfire going, especially a small one. Contrary to this, think of a major forest fire and how the winds will whip it into a fast-moving inferno that devours everything in site. Our faith in life and in God is very similar. If our faith is weak and based solely on our own strength, then the smallest of problems and setbacks will crush our spirit, our drive, and our ability to move forward.

The opposite is true of a person who has a strong and enduring faith in life and in God, who is the giver of life. When the strong winds of adversity blow, when the obstacles grow larger, when life becomes almost unbearable…if our faith is strong, it will grow even stronger because we know that God is ultimately in control of all situations. It is then that our faith grows larger because we know He will provide the strength and resources to persevere through the storms of life. This concept is summed up best in Romans 5:1-5, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”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.

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 524 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 third tool from Gramps’ Backpack is Guidance.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. When this episode originally airs, I will be working with our partners in Arizona on our construction project. I will be there the entire week as we finish the current project and start preparing for potential new projects this year. As we work together, we provide guidance to each other on the various parts of our projects, based on our individual knowledge and strengths.

In the same thought, as we head out on our trek for today, let’s open Gramps’ backpack again and explore our third tool, which every parent or grandparent should have available to them. This tool is helpful to anyone who has the opportunity to impact others. To effectively and positively impact the lives of others, the next tool that you must possess is the ability to provide guidance to those whom you influence. So our tool for today is…

The third tool in Gramps’ backpack is providing guidance, which is an important tool for molding and shaping the lives of children, grandchildren, and others we influence. King Solomon did this when teaching his children as he wrote in Proverbs 1:5, “Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance.” 

Let me ask you this question, “Are you a dedicated parent or grandparent who wants to share your wisdom with your children and grandchildren?” If so, you must continue to grow both spiritually and intellectually. When you do, you will be a wise role model and a worthy mentor for your children and grandchildren. You will be a parent or grandparent who by your words and your example can guide them along the paths of life they should travel.

You are not only a role model, but you also need role models. Even if you are a grandparent, it is always good to seek out friends and mentors yourself who are able to help you along your path. A mentor should be a person whose judgment you trust. Listen carefully to your mentor’s advice and be willing to accept that advice, even if accepting it requires a little pain, a lot of effort or both. Certainly, God through His Word and His Spirit can help to instruct. Also, if I can assist in any manner, please email me at [email protected].

Author John Eldredge said it this way, “Yes, the Spirit was sent to be our Counselor. Yes, Jesus speaks to us personally through God’s Word, but often He works through another human being.” As it says in Proverbs 16:16, “How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver!”

In the same way that you are able to provide guidance to those you mentor, look for others who are wiser and more mature to mentor you. C. S. Lewis put it this way, “The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.” C.H. Spurgeon explains this truth well when he said, “The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other man’s brains proves that he has no brains of his own.” 

As you learn to mentor those on whom you have an impact, be prepared for the opportunities that God may bring your way. As James, the half-brother of Jesus explained in his letter Chapter 5:19-20, “My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.”

As you seek out opportunities in everyday life, events to provide guidance to your children, grandchildren, and others always be willing and ready to learn yourself so you can become even wiser. John Maxwell said it well, “You can’t light another’s path without casting light on your own.”

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 guidance onto you. Once you have this tool in your backpack, it is up to you to use it to provide guidance to your children, grandchildren, or anyone else that you have the opportunity to impact.

Next Monday we will investigate the fourth tool in Gramps’ backpack, which is Courage. 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 523 of our trek, and today is Philosophy Friday. Every Friday we 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 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. We are wrapping up a busy week of client work and podcast-related projects. Since I will be in Arizona all next week, I will be recording several episodes ahead of time, so I can focus on the financial aspect of our construction projects while I am on site.

The next five weeks will be a busy time of traveling, along with the extra tax work that we need to complete for our clients and our own companies. There are certain deadlines that have to be met, and we will need to stay very focused on the tasks that need to be completed. This ties into the topic of our trek today on the Trail of Activity, as we will explore why Enterprise Is Better than Ease, and why we need to plan The Ratio of Activity to Rest so we do not burn out on our quest and become unable to complete it.

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…

If you are involved in a project, how hard should you work at it? How much time should you invest? Your philosophy about activity and your attitude about hard work will affect the quality of your life.

What you decide about the correct ratio of labor to rest will establish a certain work ethic. That work ethic, which is your attitude about the amount of labor you are willing to commit to your potential future fortune, will determine how substantial or how meager that fortune turns out to be.

Enterprise (or it could be referred to as initiative) is always better than ease. Every time you choose to do less than you could, this error in judgment has an effect on your self-confidence. Repeated every day, you will soon find yourself not only doing less than you should, but also being less than you could. The accumulative effect of this error in judgment can be devastating.

Fortunately, it is easy to reverse the process. Any day you choose you can develop a new discipline of doing rather than neglecting. Every time you choose action over ease or labor over rest, you develop an increasing level of self-worth, self-respect, and self- confidence. In the final analysis, it is how you feel about yourself that provides the greatest reward from any activity. It is not what you get that makes you valuable, it is what you become in the process of doing which brings value to your life. It is activity that converts your dreams into your reality, and that conversion from idea into actuality gives you a personal value that can come from no other source.

Everything has its price, and everything has its pain, but the price and the pain become easy when the promise becomes strong. In order for your life to be filled with intense activity, you must be obsessed by the outcome or that is to say, by the promise of the future. The results will not merely support the activity. The inspiration you get from seeing the results clearly in your mind will enable you to produce the results.

With the understanding that enterprise is better than ease, you also have to understand that life cannot be a process of all work and no rest. It is important to set aside sufficient time to regain your strength. The key is to develop a reasonable ratio of rest to activity.

The Bible offers this philosophy about the ratio of labor to rest – six days of labor and one day of rest. Some people may feel that this seems somewhat heavy on the labor side. In fact, there are some people in our country and throughout the world who are at odds even with the current ratio of five days of labor and two days of rest. They would have us trim back even further on the labor side and increase the rest period to at least three days.

You must decide the ratio that best reflects the reward you are seeking, remembering that with diminished labor comes diminished rewards. If you rest too long, the weeds will surely take over your garden of life. The erosion of your values begins immediately whenever you are at rest. That is why you must make rest a necessity, not an objective. Rest should only be a necessary pause in the process of preparing for an assault on the next objective and the next discipline. The punishment for excessive rest is mediocrity.

The Bible gives us the best example of the proper ratio. Even from the creation of the world, God performed his creation activities in six days and then rested on the seventh. Genesis 2:2 says, “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.”

God does not need the rest himself, but we do. So He gave us His pattern. We need to take advantage of the six days of focused work and then take a complete day for resting and re-energizing. Exodus 34:21 is one of the several verses that lays out the proper ratio of work and rest, “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day, you must stop working, even during the seasons of plowing and harvest.”

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 Enterprise is Better Than Ease, but we must also establish the proper Ratio of Activity to Rest.

Next Philosophy Friday, we will continue on the Trail of Activity and explore the danger in seeking shortcuts to success, and that change begins with choice. Join us next Friday for additional insights. I know you will find these insights interesting and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life.

Our next trek on Monday will continue our new series call 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 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 522 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 Henry Doherty, who said, “It is the studying that you do after your school days that really counts. Otherwise, you know only that which everyone else knows.”Do you consider yourself a lifelong student? Your formal education only prepared you for the very basics of survival in this world. It should be viewed only as the foundation on which you build your entire life of learning. This is more important today than in any other time in history. With the rapid change in technology, the globalization of the workforce, and the world economy, it requires that we are continually learning and improving our skills.

Most of our jobs will be obsolete in a matter of a few years, and it is only when we adopt the philosophy of lifelong learning that we will ever be successful. No one who is successful has ever stopped learning. Most learning today will be self-taught, and it does require a significant investment of time and resources.

Are you willing to make that investment so that you will continually improve? This same concept for prosperity and success also applies to the most important book of instructions, the Bible, as it tells us in Joshua 1:8, “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.”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 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. Today is Day 521 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 27.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This past weekend we had our delayed Chamberlain Christmas celebration with our 5 kids, their spouses, and 6 grandkids. We had a blessed time sharing life and a few gifts. Paula made each couple a “picnic quilt” and neatly folded and placed it in a picnic basket. They all looked beautiful, and the kids really appreciated them.

Of course, the time we invested with all of our grandkids was extra special. This season of life where we are friends and mentors to our grown children is rewarding. We are always open to what they are learning and experiencing so that we can continue to grow in wisdom, insight, and understanding. This reminds me of verse 17 of our passage today, which says…

Let’s start our trek, as we explore verses 15-27.

15 A quarrelsome wife is as annoying

as constant dripping on a rainy day.

16 Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind

or trying to hold something with greased hands.

It is difficult being around a person who enjoys arguing and complaining. This is especially true in a marriage situation where you cannot walk away from or avoid your spouse. If you have a spouse who is prone to complaining and arguing, gently over time encourage them to change their attitude for the benefit and preservation of your marriage. While you can encourage them to change, it must be their decision, since it is impossible for us to change someone else. If you attempt to change them, it is like a constant dripping or holding onto something with greased hands, no matter how much you try, the results are not effective. One note of caution, check yourself to make sure you are not a person who argues or complains.

17 As iron sharpens iron,

so a friend sharpens a friend.

To sharpen a knife or ax, many times the tool used to sharpen the other tool is made of the same materials. In the same way, the best way to improve and grow is to be part of a peer group or mastermind where it is the intent to help each other grow, improve, and mature. This requires loving honesty with each other for your mutual benefit.

18 As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit,

so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.

A farmer who grows and takes care of the crops is rewarded by being able to consume part of what is grown. In the same manner, a good worker should be rewarded for helping the business owner to be profitable. This is why I personally favor compensation based on overall performance and tied to the profitability of the business.

19 As a face is reflected in water,

so the heart reflects the real person.

Water or a mirror will show you what you really look like instead of what you may picture in your mind. In the same way, your talk and actions will reflect the person you truly are, regardless of what you attempt to show to others.

20 Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied,

so human desire is never satisfied.

Death will come to us all eventually, there is no way to prevent it. A wildfire will continue its destruction as long as there is fuel to consume. In the same way, no earthly “things” will ever bring us lasting satisfaction. Our desires will continue to be fueled by more. It is only when we base our desire on spiritual nourishment that we will be satisfied with life.

21 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,

but a person is tested by being praised.

The only way that silver and gold can be made pure is with intense heat. The heat will bring all of the impurities to the surface where they can be skimmed off. One way to test a person and know what they are really like is to see how they respond to praise. If they respond humbly, they are on their way to being made pure. If praise drives their ego and fuels their need for power and accolades, then their lives are filled with impure thoughts and motives.

22 You cannot separate fools from their foolishness,

even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.

A person who is a fool is one who has rejected the precepts of God. It is impossible to remove their foolishness from them because it is who they are. Even if their lives are full of hardships and their lives are a daily grind, they will not change or turn from their foolish ways.

23 Know the state of your flocks,

and put your heart into caring for your herds,

24 for riches don’t last forever,

and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.

25 After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears

and the mountain grasses are gathered in,

26 your sheep will provide wool for clothing,

and your goats will provide the price of a field.

27 And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself,

your family, and your servant girls.

This is one of the best, and one of my favorite passages, to encourage us to be responsible with what God has given us as our calling. We are responsible for knowing the state of our finances at all times. We need to plan and be prepared for the inevitable downturns in our life and in our businesses. If you are smart and prudent with your finances, avoiding debt whenever possible, then you will always have enough to take care of yourself, your family, and everyone else that you are responsible for. In our world of instant gratification and feeling of entitlement, choose to be different by being responsible and willing to wait for what you really want long term.

Today on our Wisdom Trail, we continued 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 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. 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.

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 520 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 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who said, “It is not enough to take steps which may some day lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise.”

In most of our western culture and especially in the US, we are obsessed with completing large and demanding long-term goals. While I strongly support long-term life planning, I feel that it should be tied to your overall purpose in life and long-term 7-year objectives.

To complete your long-term objectives, they must be broken down into yearly, monthly, and weekly goals and then into daily tasks. When you focus on your daily tasks your weekly, monthly, and yearly goals are completed automatically. As this process is maintained, then your 7-year objectives are also completed. It is only when we focus on the small daily steps will we experience the rich and satisfying life that we desire. I have the concept of setting up your life plan laid out in a free customizable workbook called Your Life Plan Blueprint, which can be downloaded from Wisdom-Trek.com/Resources.Our purpose for life is not fulfilled unless we plan and prepare long-term, but then it requires that we walk faithfully and with integrity on a daily basis toward our destination. In his 1st letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul spoke of his own trek of life in Chapter 9:25-27, “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. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

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.

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!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 519 of our trek, and last week we are started a new series 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 second tool from Gramps’ Backpack is Purpose.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Since I am recording this before our delayed Christmas celebration with our children and grandchildren, I will report back on how that went on Wednesday’s podcast. It is a blessing to share life with our family and remember joys of the past and share our hopes and dreams for the future.

If you were fortunate to have loving parents and grandparents when you were growing up, did you ever wonder what the purpose was for some of their tools or utensils that they used? There is a specific purpose for each tool, and if used properly, they can be very effective. In the same way, you have a very specific purpose in life, and you should fulfill your God-given purpose. As we explore each tool within Gramps’ backpack, let me know how these tools have helped you, and if you have anything that you would like to ask Gramps about your trek of life.

As we head out on our trek for today, let’s open Gramps’ backpack again and explore our second tool, which every parent or grandparent should have available to them. This tool is helpful to anyone who has the opportunity to impact others. To effectively and positively impact the lives of others, one tool that you must possess is a powerful sense of purpose.

The second tool in Gramps’ backpack is an indispensable tool for building a rich and satisfying life. The tool that you must have is a clearly defined sense of purpose for your life. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians in Chapter 2:13, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” In other words, you do God’s purpose.

God has a plan for your life, a plan that is near to His heart. If you genuinely seek to fulfill God’s plan for your life, there is a prerequisite. The most important decision of your life is your commitment to accept God’s Son as your personal Lord and Savior. Once your eternal destiny is secured, the next question to ask yourself is, “What now, Lord?” If you earnestly seek God’s will, you will find it…in time. God is not in a hurry as He shapes us into His image and will reveal His purpose for the various seasons of our life.

Life is best lived on purpose. Purpose, like everything else in the universe, begins in the heart of God. Whether you realize it or not, God has a direction for your life, a divine calling, a path along which He intends to lead you. When you welcome God into your heart and establish a genuine relationship with Him, He will begin, and He will continue, to make His purposes known.

Life is best lived on purpose. Purpose, like everything else in the universe, begins in the heart of God.

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Sometimes, God’s intentions will be clear to you; other times, God’s plan will seem uncertain at best. Even on those difficult days when you are unsure which way to turn, you must never lose sight of these overriding facts. God created you for a reason. He has important work for you to do, and He’s waiting patiently for you to grow and mature. He’s waiting patiently for you to fulfill that purpose each day. So why not begin today? Fulfilling that purpose is what our daily trek consists of. It is hiking daily, demonstrating love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that brings true purpose to your life. You may learn your purpose through various channels.

Henry Blackaby said it this way, “When God speaks to you through the Bible, prayer, circumstance, the church, or in some other way, he has a purpose in mind for your life.”

Paul wrote in his letter Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Bill Hybels made it really clear when he expressed, “God custom-designed you with your unique combination of personality, temperament, talents, and background, and He wants to harness and use these in His mission to reach the messed-up world.”

God assures us in Psalm 32:8, “The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.'”

When you have the tool of a clearly defined sense of purpose in your life, you will experience joy for your journey. This purpose needs to be aligned with God’s purpose for your life. Charles Stanley explained it this way, “Until your purpose lines up with God’s purpose, you will never be happy or fulfilled.”

Until your purpose lines up with God’s purpose, you will never be happy or fulfilled.

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You have been chosen with a purpose that no one else can fill in this world. You are important to God’s plan regardless of whether you impact a few people or millions in this world. As Chuck Swindoll put it, “We aren’t just thrown on this earth like dice tossed across a table. We are lovingly placed here for a purpose.”

God desires for us to know and be continually fulfilling our purpose for this life. Psalms 16:11 gives us confidence that God will direct us in this quest, “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”

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 a clearly defined sense of purpose onto you. Once you have this tool in your backpack, it is up to you to use it to train your children, grandchildren, or anyone else that you have the opportunity to impact.

Next Monday we will investigate the third tool in Gramps’ backpack, which is Guidance. 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 518 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 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. Our five children, their spouses, and our six grandchildren will be in this weekend for our delayed Christmas celebration. Whenever possible, we like to get everyone together at the same time, and this works well for us. Having children that love each other and desire to be together is a real blessing. It should be a busy remainder of January which includes a trip for me back to our construction project in Arizona the last week of the month. If all goes as planned, and the project workload remains steady, I will be investing one week a month in Arizona during this year. Of course, as with the ebbs and flow of any business, it is subject to our workloadand the activities surrounding the projects. One thing that we don’t want to happen is to be stuck at the base of the mountain through inactivity, but proactively taking action towards success.As we consider the activities that we are engaged in, our trek today continues to be in sync with this philosophy. We continue on our third trail of this extended trek which is the Trail of Activity.

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:

If you have a sincere desire for progress, then you are compelled to find every possible means to implement all that you know and feel. You must find ways to demonstrate on the outside all of the value that you possess on the inside. Otherwise, your values will remain unappreciated and your talents unrewarded.

Why some people fail and others succeed can be baffling. Sometimes it may even seem unfair. We all know people who have a good education, the right attitude, and a sincere desire to make something of themselves. They are good parents, honest employees, and loyal friends. Yet despite their knowledge, feelings, and desires, they continue to lead lives of quiet desperation. They should have so much more than they do, but they seem to receive so little.

Then there are those who always seem to receive so much and yet merit so little. They have no education. They have a poor attitude about themselves and other people, and are often dishonest and unethical. The only thing they seem to share in common with those who should do well but do so poorly is a sincere desire to get ahead. Despite their lack of virtues, knowledge, and appreciation, these people often ‘seem’ to come out on top.

Why is it that some good people seem to have so little while the dishonest seem to have so much? Why is it that the drug dealers and the mob members and the criminal element in our society are driving Rolls Royce while many good people are struggling to make the payments on their inexpensive compacts? If your desire to succeed is as strong as theirs, and if you have the added virtues of philosophical refinement and emotional sophistication, why are you not doing better than they are?The answer might well be that you do not work at achieving your goals…and they do. You do not take all that you are to the marketplace and put it to work. They do. You do not stay up late at night developing new plans to achieve your dreams and work hard day after day to make those dreams a reality. They do. You do not learn all that you possibly can about your industry and your markets. They do. You do not make every effort to get around the right sources of influence, to associate with those people who can help you to achieve your goals. They do. While you are dreaming about the promise of the future, they are doing something about it.

Granted, they may be doing the wrong things, but they are doing it consistently and with an intensity and a level of commitment that would put many of us to shame.

Evil always rushes in to fill the void created by the absence of good. The only thing that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing, and unfortunately, that is what too many good people choose to do. It is our lack of intense, disciplined activity that has allowed evil to flourish and good men to flounder. If life does not seem fair sometimes, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Evil always rushes in to fill the void created by the absence of good

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Imagine how different your world would be if you made a commitment right now to put into action all that you currently are, wherever you currently are, and with whatever you currently have. What if you gave 100 percent to your job, your family and your community? What if, starting right now, you began to read the books, replace errors with disciplines and associate with people who have stimulating ideas? What if, starting right now, you converted your dreams into plans and your plans into refined activities that would lead toward the achievement of your goals? What an incredible difference you could make! In no time at all you would have evil on the run and good would be rushing in to recapture its rightful place. What a life you could then share with your family. A life filled with challenge, excitement, and achievement. What an inheritance you could leave to the next generation. A wealth of virtue, integrity, and substance with which to build a whole new world, and all because you cared enough to do something with your life and to put your skills and talents to work.

Niagara Falls is one of the most breathtaking spectacles in the world. Every hour thousands of tons of water flow along the Niagara River and cascade down several hundred feet of rock into the churning, raging waters below. Through man’s ingenuity, the powerful force of this falling water has been harnessed and now provides an important energy source to hundreds of thousands of people.

Your own dreams can be as breathtaking and powerful as this wonder of nature. But they must also be harnessed and converted into some form of energy if they are to have any value to yourself and to the world around you. Otherwise, they will remain only an exciting but untapped spectacle of the human imagination.

You say that we want to succeed, but sooner or later your level of activity must equal your level of intent. Talking about achievement is one thing; making it happen is something altogether different.Some people seem to take more joy in talking about success than they do in working to achieve it. It is as though their ritualistic chant about someday lulls them into a false sense of security, and all the things that they should be doing and could be doing on any given day never seem to get done.

The consequences of this self-delusion has its own inevitable price. Sooner or later the day will arrive when they will look back with regret at all those things they could have done, and meant to do, but left undone. That is why you must push yourself in the present and experience the milder pain of discipline. You will experience one pain or the other. The pain of discipline or the pain of regret but the difference is that the pain of discipline weighs only ounces while the pain of regret weighs tons.

Productive activity requires that you proactively take action. If you do not, you will find yourself stuck at the base of the mountain, looking at its glorious heights, but no closer to the summit. You must harness that activity and match it to your visions and dreams. Push the activity of evil aside and fill the chasm with good activity so that you can positively impact your world.

In the letter James, the half-brother of Jesus wrote, replace the word faith with visions and dreams as we apply this teaching from Chapter 2:14-17 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

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 we must get unstuck at the base of the mountain and take action. If we do not, action taken by those who are evil will fill the void. We must put our visions into action through good activities. Next Philosophy Friday we continue on the Trail of Activity and explore why enterprise is better than ease and the proper balance between activity and rest. Join us next Friday for additional insights. I know you will find these insights interesting and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life. Our next trek on Monday we will continue our new series call 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 ‘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 in through this 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

I am 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 517 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 Thomas Kempis, who said, “It is no little wisdom for you to keep yourself in silence and in good peace when evil words are spoken to you, and to turn your heart to God and not to be troubled with the judgment of others.”None of us likes to be talked about in a negative or evil manner. It hurts us to the very core. When this happens, how do you react? When this happens, which it will, there are several things we need to take into consideration.

First, be honest with yourself and ask, is there some truth to what is being said about me? If so, don’t retaliate, but work toward overcoming those issues. If what is being said about you is not true, then don’t feel that you have to argue or combat what is said. Consider the source, and realize what others think or say about you does not change who you really are. The truth about you will be evident over time, and usually, when someone speaks ill of others, it is to cover up their own weaknesses and insecurities.

Be careful yourself not to judge others or retaliate, or you will fall victim to the same issue as those who speak ill of you. Do not allow what others say about or to you to impact who you really are and stop you from reaching your God-given potential. Most of all realize that God considers you a chosen person, a royal priest as 1 Peter 2:9 tells us, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”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. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you in 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!