Wisdom-Trek © - Archive 4

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 916 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Creating a Biblical worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical Worldview, it is required that you also have a proper understanding of God’s Word.

Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the Scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors.  In order to help us all have a better understanding of some of the more obscure passages in God’s Word, we are investing Wisdom Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. He has compiled these essays into a book titled “I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.”

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Census are taken quite often in the United States and other countries to determine a variety of information, in addition to the count of people. Although there are several places in the Bible where the people were counted, God wanted David to rely solely on Him and not the size of the population. David was not supposed to take a census of his army or people. Today’s essay explores an interesting topic which is…

One of the more vexing problems in the Old Testament is how to parse the parallel accounts of 1 Chronicles 21:1-17 and 2 Samuel 24:1-25.

So the king said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Take a census of all the tribes of Israel—from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south—so I may know how many people there are.”

The two accounts are nearly identical, save for one glaring disparity: The Chronicler’s version has Satan as David’s instigator, while 2 Samuel names Yahweh, the God of Israel, as the provocateur. The Chronicler’s account notes that David’s act “was evil in the sight of God,” but this line is omitted in 2 Samuel. Both accounts have God posing three punishments before David, but David leaves the decision to the Lord.

The Angel of Yahweh executes a plague on the land in both versions. The two accounts are contradictory. The options for resolution are all somewhat disconcerting. If we want to blame Satan, we must identify Yahweh as Satan. The reverse strategy requires that we identify Satan with the Sovereign Yahweh. If Satan can somehow be removed from the picture, then we are faced with the fact that Yahweh incited David to do something, and then punished him for doing so. Is there any way out of this mess?

The solution is surprisingly straightforward. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for satan is not a proper personal name. This is because the definite article in Hebrew (the word “the”) is nearly always attached to it. Like English, Hebrew does not permit its definite article to be paired with a proper personal name (I don’t call myself, “the Guthrie”). The noun satan, paired with the definite article, simply means “the adversary.”

There are only a handful of places in the Hebrew Bible where satan is not preceded by the definite article, 1 Chronicles 21:1 is one of them, and thus many interpreters see this as a rare instance of the being known as Satan appearing in the Old Testament. If this is the case, though, we have a blatant contradiction. There is a better explanation.

The only other place in the Old Testament where satan lacks the definite article and the term is used of a divine figure is Numbers [22:22] where we read that the Angel of Yahweh stood in the way of Balaam and his donkey “as an adversary” (satan). The Angel was opposing Balaam: he was a divinely-appointed adversary, like the satan in 1 Chronicles 21. This is not referring to The Satan as a personal being.

This connection between the word satan, meaning “an adversary” and the Angel of Yahweh is crucial to understanding the discrepancy between 1 Chronicles 21:1 and 2 Samuel 24:1. In both accounts, the Angel dispenses God’s judgment upon David. God and the Angel of the Lord were frequently identified with each other in the Old Testament, such as in Exodus 3, Joshua 5, and Judges 6.

Thus, it seems that we don’t have Satan (God’s cosmic enemy) in the Chronicles passage. Instead, the writer is referring to the Angel, who is Yahweh in human form. This means that both the writers of 1 Chronicles and 2 Samuel have Yahweh initiating the census, and there is no contradiction.

One question looms, despite this solution: Why? Why would Yahweh incite David to do something for which He would later punish him? Both accounts begin by saying Yahweh was angry with Israel, not David. Yahweh chose to use David as His instrument of judgment against the nation, similar to the way He would use Nebuchadnezzar centuries later. As the Babylonian king was still accountable for His actions, so was David. Judgment (and its means) both belong to the Lord, but human agents are still accountable. Sometimes as humans this is hard for us to reconcile. In times like this I am brought to Isaiah 55:8, “‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.'”

Next Wisdom Wednesday we will continue with the Old Testament as we look at Dr. Heiser’s next essay titled “Cooking the Books.” I believe you will find this another interesting topic to consider as we build our Biblical Worldview.

Tomorrow we will continue with our 3-minute humor nugget that will provide you with a bit of cheer and help you to lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life. 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.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 915 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.  I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you so much 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 together, let us always:

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

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 915 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of 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, and it is, “Ability is important in our quest for success, but dependability is critical.”

Yes, in order to be successful in any profession, whether it is in business, sports, music, ministry, or even a hobby, you need to have either natural or learned ability to succeed. And even then success is not guaranteed. It is only when you combine that ability with dependability through being persistently consistent that success will be achieved.

No amount of natural or learned talent will make a person successful if he is not willing to be very dependable on a daily basis. Therefore dependability is as important, or even more important, as ability.

Yes, I realize that no matter how dependable I am at 5’ 4” tall, I will never be a quarterback for the NFL or play Center in the NBA. In most situations and opportunities in life though, if I desire to be successful and am willing to invest the energies and resources needed with dependability I should succeed. You can do the same.

Proverbs 12:11  – A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.

Proverbs 21:5  – Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

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

If you would like to listen to any of our past 914 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

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.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 914 of our Trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy.

For some, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. Some may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you too will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind. 

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. How many times have you blown it in life or failed miserably? How many times have you been cast aside by family or friends when you needed love and mercy? How many times have you chastised your kids for something they did without showing mercy? In our Meditation Monday today we need to realize that…

I came across the following true story in a book The Number of Hope by Max Lucado, which I thought would make for a good meditation today. Here it is:

Bill Tucker was sixteen years old when his dad suffered a health crisis and consequently had to leave his business. Even after Mr. Tucker regained his health, the Tucker family struggled financially, barely getting by.

Mr. Tucker, an entrepreneurial sort, came up with an idea. He won the bid to reupholster the chairs at the local movie theater. This stunned his family. He had never stitched a seat. He didn’t even own a sewing apparatus. Still, he found someone to teach him the skill and located an industrial-strength machine. The family scraped together every cent they had to buy it. They drained savings accounts and dug coins out of the sofa. Finally, they had enough to pay cash for the machine.

It was a fine day when Bill road with his dad to pick up the equipment. Bill remembers a jovial, hour-long trip discussing the bright horizons this new opportunity afforded them. They loaded the machine in the back of their truck and secured it right behind the cab. Mr. Tucker then invited his son to drive home. I’ll let Bill tell you what happened next:

“As we were driving along, we were excited, and I, like any sixteen-year-old driver, was probably not paying enough attention to my speed. Just as we were turning on the cloverleaf to get on the expressway, I will never ever, ever forget watching that sewing machine, which was already top-heavy, begin to tip. I slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. I saw it go over the side. I jumped out and ran around the back of the truck. As I rounded the corner, I saw our hope and our dream lying on its side in pieces. And then I saw my dad just looking. All of his risk and all of his endeavor and all of his struggling and all of his dream, all of his hope to take care of his family was lying there, shattered.

“You know what comes next, don’t you? ‘Stupid, punk kid driving too fast, not paying attention, ruined the family by taking away our livelihood.’ But that’s not what he said. He looked right at me. ‘Oh, Bill, I am so sorry.’ And he walked over, put his arms around me, and said, ‘Son, this is going to be okay.’

If you feel your life has been shattered into pieces like the Tucker’s sewing machine, then God is whispering the same to you. Those are his arms you feel. Trust him. That is his voice you hear. Believe him. Allow the only decision maker in the universe to comfort you. Life at times appears to fall to pieces, seem irreparable. But it’s going to be okay. How can you know? Because God so loved the world. If God can make a billion galaxies, can’t he make good out of our bad and sense out of our faltering lives? Of course, he can. He is God.

Isaiah 61:3 tells us, “To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.”

Also in John 3:16 we know, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Go in peace today.

Next week we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. 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 913 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast and Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

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

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 913 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time where we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason are unable to. No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask dad or gramps questions about life in many areas.

Since Gramps has been answering questions about various areas of life for several months now, next week Gramps will begin a new multi-week series exploring and explaining what really drives each of us at our very core. Addressing and answering the questions of why we act and react to situations and events of life. We will also explore how we can better understand those with whom we interact and have the opportunity to impact. We will dig into the details starting next week on our Friday’s “Ask Gramps” episodes.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. For those of you who have listened to my podcast or read the daily journals, you know that I am a big proponent of taking excellent care of our soul, mind, and body. It is important that we focus on all three areas simultaneously because they are intertwined with each other and cannot be separated. One aspect directly impacts both of the other ones. So the question today is…

“Hey Gramps, even though you are over sixty now, you are still very active and appear to take care of your body, mind, and soul. What is your secret and what type of regimen do you stick to?”

First of all, there is no secret. There are no secret pills or diets that will allow you to lose 50 pounds or more and keep you slim. There are no magic devices that will give you rock-hard abs in a week. There are no business books or online resources that will allow you to be a genius and an overnight success. There are no devotional study books, study Bibles, or special prayers that will make you super-spiritual in a month.

If you want to take care of your soul, mind, and body properly, then it is up to you and will take months or even years to achieve. It is not about a special plan, but a change in mindset and lifestyle. This starts with the changing of your mind. Romans 12:2, says “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Yes, I will be 62 next month, but the older and wiser I become, the more I realize that I still have much to learn. Learning is a lifelong process.

Many years ago and every day since, I determined that I did desire to be healthy, wealthy, and wise in all areas of my life. Although it is a continual uphill trek, and there are times of respite and rest, and even times where I have slipped back a bit, the key is that my desire is to maintain an overall healthy lifestyle and strong, robust relationships with others. That desire drives me forward each day.

Although my exercise routine, eating habits, sleeping habits, study habits, and devotional time vary slightly in different seasons of the year and seasons of my life, they remain consistent over long periods of time.

Keep in mind that what works for me, may not work for you. Don’t copy what I do and expect it to work, but use it as a guide. Each person, situation, and season of life is different.

The shell of what I do has been in place for many years, but I will share with you the details of my current regimen.

Monday through Friday I get up at 5:00 am – no exceptions. No snooze buttons, no skip days, no excuses. I don’t necessarily like getting up this early, neither do I spring from my bed ready to fight the world. I get up every morning because I desire a healthy lifestyle more than a few more minutes of sleep.

After getting dressed I look up the verse of the day on Bible.com on my smartphone, read it, reflect on it, and then post it. It is then that I am ready to begin my exercise time. I usually will start with 10 pull-ups, then 30-50 push-ups, and 30-50 reps with the ab roller. This usually only takes about 10 minutes. After that, I head to the basement where our exercise equipment is located.

Because of my broken femur last July my surgeon suggested switching from a treadmill to a low impact machine. A few months ago we invested in a HIIT trainer, which is a combination of a short stride elliptical and stair stepper. Although we still have the treadmill, and I use it occasionally, the HIIT has become my machine of choice. It has a built-in Android tablet on it with Google Street view embedded in it. This allows me to follow preconfigured routes to “run” each day.

I usually work out on the HIIT for about 60 minutes with a goal of running between 7 and 8 miles. I vary the resistance during the workout incrementally changing it every minute from very hard to easy. This takes care of my exercise portion.

During my workout routine, I also listen to several Bible passages and other devotional materials. This includes reading through the Bible in a year, the book of Proverbs monthly, and the book of Psalms twice per year. Along with prayer throughout the day, this helps me to grow in the spiritual aspects of my life.

When I have additional time available during my workout, I also listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and other information to assist in growing and expanding my mind. I try to mix a variety of types of topics so that I can learn new and helpful information for my overall life.

As part of my healthy body aspect of life, we rarely eat out, and our meals consist of healthy meats and vegetables, a limited amount of fruit, and very few foods with carbohydrates or sugar in them.

Sleep is another important part of our lives. While I do need to make improvements in this area, I try to get between 6 and 7 hours of sleep each weeknight and 8 plus on the weekends.

I take very seriously that my body is considered a temple of God’s Holy Spirit as we are told in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” God deserves the best temple that I can maintain. To do otherwise is not honoring to God. With a solid temple, a sharp mind, and a nourished soul, we can be fully utilized by God to be bearers of His image and to further His kingdom on earth.

Next week we will begin a new series on “Ask Gramps” that I think you will really enjoy. The information that we explore will allow you to unlock who you are as we travel on our trek and discover some of the things that make you who you are. I know you will find these insights interesting, practical, and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life.

Our next trek is Mediation Monday when we will help you reflect on what is most important in life. 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 912 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

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

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you on Monday!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 912 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Humor Unplugged. Our Thursday podcast will provide a short and clean funny story to help you lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life – something to cheer you and provide a bit a levity in your life.

We are told in  Proverbs 15:30, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.” We are also encouraged in Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”Consider this your vitamin supplement of cheer for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s funny, which is titled…

Little Jimmy watched, fascinated, as his mother gently massaged cold cream on her face.

“Why are you rubbing that on your face, Momma?” he asked.

“To make myself beautiful,” said his mother.

He watched with interest as Momma diligently applied the cream until her entire face was covered, even down on her neck.  Momma sat there reading a book and chatting with little Jimmy.  After about 20 minutes she began removing the cream with a tissue. This surprised Jimmy.

“What’s the matter?” Jimmy asked his momma. “Are you giving up?”

Sourced at: www.mikeysFunnies.com

Today’s Thursday Thought is “Don’t ever give up on being a beautiful person.”

Proverbs [31:30]-31

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;

That’s a wrap for today’s Humor Unplugged. If you enjoy these short stories, let me know so I can continue to bring a bit of cheer to your week. As you enjoy these nuggets of humor, 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 911 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on Apple Podcast or Google Play so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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 together, let us always:

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

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 911 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Creating a Biblical worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical Worldview, it is required that you also have a proper understanding of God’s Word.

Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the Scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors. In order to help us all have a better understanding of some of the more obscure passages in God’s Word, we are investing Wisdom Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. He has compiled these essays into a book titled “I Dare You Not to Bore Me With the Bible.”

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. When I was young, I used to love playing in the dirt. Many times it was very evident as I did not hold to the saying that “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Even today, I love to dig in the soil, to plant trees, and to tend a few vegetables that we grow. There is something about nature and digging in the soil that brings me closer to God. Today’s essay explores an interesting topic which is…

Elisha’s healing of Naaman the leper, commander of the army of the king of Syria, is a familiar story’ to many which is found in 2 Kings 5:1-27. Naaman hears that Elisha, the prophet of Israel, can heal him, so he makes the trip. When the two meet, Elisha tells him, rather dismissively, through his servant that he needs to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman who is used to ordering his army around doesn’t take this well and prepares to go home.

At the bidding of some servants, he consents to dip himself in the Jordan. He is miraculously healed by the simple act after the seventh dip. The display of power, so transparently without sacrifice or incantation, awakens Naaman to the fact that Yahweh of Israel is the true God. Here’s where the story usually ends in our telling, but that would result in the omission of one very odd detail – what Naaman asks to take back home.

The core of this portion of the story is located in 2 Kings 5:15-19, so let me read that portion…“Then Naaman and his entire party went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman said, ‘Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.’

“But Elisha replied, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept any gifts.’ And though Naaman urged him to take the gift, Elisha refused.”

“Then Naaman said, ‘All right, but please allow me to load two of my mules with earth from this place, and I will take it back home with me. From now on I will never again offer burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the Lord.  However, may the Lord pardon me in this one thing: When my master the king goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship there and leans on my arm, may the Lord pardon me when I bow, too.'”

“‘Go in peace,’ Elisha said. So Naaman started home again.”

As we see in this passage, the elated Naaman returns to Elisha and begs him to take payment for healing him. Elisha repeatedly refuses. Finally, before embarking for Syria, Naaman makes a strange request: to load two mules with dirt to take back with him.

Dirt? I can think of a few favors I would ask of a prophet in a receptive mood, but dirt certainly isn’t one of them. The request is so odd that it’s hard to avoid wondering if Naaman needed some other kind of therapy. Why would he ask for dirt?

But Naaman was completely in his right mind. His request was found in verse 17 that we read, “From now on I will never again offer burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the Lord.” The

dirt and Naaman’s new allegiance to the God of Israel are related. Naaman was a man with significant duties in his home country. He couldn’t stay in Israel, but he could take Israel with him. Why would he want to?

Naaman’s unusual request stems from the ancient, and biblical, conception that the earth is the locale for a cosmic turf war. Naaman wanted dirt from Israel because Israel was Yahweh’s territory. The dirt which is Yahweh’s domain is holy ground.

The idea of “holy ground’ is an important element of Israelite theology. This phrase is used when Moses is in the presence of the Angel of the Lord and the God of Israel at the burning bush in Exodus 3:1-5. It is also found when Joshua meets the Angel of the Lord in Joshua [5:15]. More broadly, the idea derives from Deuteronomy 32:8-9 as compared to Deuteronomy [4:19]-20, where we learn that when God divided up the nations at the Tower of Babel, they were allotted to “the sons of God.”

The nations of the world were, in effect, disinherited by Yahweh as His own earthly family. Immediately after Babel, Yahweh called Abraham, and the nation of Israel was created. Israel was, therefore “Yahweh’s portion” as illustrated in Deuteronomy 32:9, whereas all the other nations belong to the sons of God whom Israel was forbidden to worship. As a result, Israel was holy ground: the territory of every other nation was not. The rest of the Old Testament is the story of God’s intention to reclaim every nation on earth.

Elisha understood Naaman’s request and granted it without hesitation. He knew the request came from a sincere theological change of heart. Naaman believed and proclaimed in 2 Kings 5:15, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.” Naaman

wanted to return to his homeland with holy ground. Even though he would still have to help his aged king bow before Rimmon, Naaman wanted Elisha to know his heart belonged only to the God of Elisha.

Next Wisdom Wednesday we will continue with the Old Testament as we look at Dr. Heiser’s next essay titled, “1003 BC Census.” I believe you will find this another interesting topic to consider as we build our Biblical worldview.

Tomorrow we will continue with our 3-minute humor nugget that will provide you with a bit of cheer and help you to lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life. 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.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 910 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

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

As we take this trek together, let us always:

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

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 910 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of 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 David Brinkley, and it is, “A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her.”

Success is never easy. If it were not hard enough to succeed based on obstacles that you will face, some obstructions come from other people. Some of these may be family and friends. You will run into people that try to trip you up or discourage you from your trek to success. You will even have some people that will figuratively throw bricks at you.

The truly successful person is one who through consistent persistence continues to press forward, regardless of the situations or people that obstruct their way. We need to take our failures and lessons learned to construct a firm foundation that will be able to withstand the buffeting winds of life.

Success is personal, and should rarely be equated with monetary success. Success at its very core will be made up of peace of mind and contentment. Success is a place of quiet rest after going through the raging storms that will battle against us at the most inopportune time.

Proverbs 21:5 reminds us that, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

We need to realize that success is not made up of only working hard, but enjoying the results of that labor as we are reminded in Psalm 127:2, “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.”

True success is built on a firm foundation and also includes a place of quiet rest.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past 909 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Podcast so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

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 together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 909 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy. For some, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. Some may utilize structured meditation practices.

In my life meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you too will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind.  SERVE  

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Many people in the world seem to be selfish and self-serving.  While some proclaim that it is much worse today, I would suggest it has been that way since the beginning of time. When times of crises hit, though, many reach out in acts of selflessness. As a Christ-follower, this should be part of our daily lives, not just in times of major disasters. In our Meditation Monday today we will learn how to…

In the letter of Philippians 2:7-8, we see how Jesus was selfless even unto death.

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;

Let’s follow His example as we are told in 1 Peter 5:5, “In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Jesus entered the world to serve. We can enter our jobs, our homes, our churches. Servanthood requires no unique skill or seminary degree. Regardless of your strengths, training, or church tenure, you can…Love the overlooked.

Jesus sits in your classroom, wearing the thick glasses, outdated clothing, and sad face. You’ve seen him. He’s Jesus. Jesus works in your office. The lady who is pregnant again, who shows up to work late and tired…No one knows the father. According to water-cooler rumors, even she doesn’t know the father. You’ve seen her. She’s Jesus.

When you talk to the lonely student, befriend the weary mom…you love Jesus. He dresses in the garb of the overlooked and ignored. Like we are told in Matthew 25:40, “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”

You can do that. Even if your personality strengths have nothing to do with encouraging others, the cure for the common life involves loving the overlooked.

Especially in the politically charged world we now live in, you can also…Wave a white flag. We fight so much. As Jesus’s half-brother James tells us in James 4:1, “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?” Serve someone by swallowing your pride.

One more aspect of servanthood…Every day do something you don’t want to do. Pick up someone else’s trash. Surrender your parking place. Call the long-winded relative. Carry the cooler. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Helen Keller once told the Tennessee legislature that when she was young, she had longed to do great things and could not, so she decided to do small things in a great way.

Don’t be too big to do something small. 1 Corinthians 15:58 reminds us, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

A good action not only brings good fortune, but it also brings God’s attention. He notices the actions of servants. He sent his Son to be one.

When you and I crest Mount Zion and hear the applause of saints, we’ll realize this: hands pushed us up the mountain too. The pierced hands of Jesus Christ, the greatest servant who ever lived.

Next week we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. 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 908 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast and Google Podcast so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

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

As we take this trek together, let us always:

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

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 908 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday we will ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time when we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason are unable to. No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask dad or gramps questions about life in many areas. We will address areas such as finances, relationships, health/fitness, business/work, home repairs/renovations, seasons of life, spiritual/Biblical questions, and any others areas that come our way.

As your fellow sojourner and mentor on this trek that we call life, it is Gramps’s goal to provide you with practical wisdom and advice about any area of life. It is crucial that I receive a constant flow of questions, so please submit your questions to [email protected]. And Gramps will answer your questions on our Friday podcast.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I have always been a proponent of setting goals or milestones in life in order to achieve desired outcomes in all areas of life. As I have matured and grown in wisdom and in life, I have realized that there is actually something more important than setting goals. So the question today is…

“Hey Gramps, I desire to reach milestones in all areas of my life, such as spiritually, physically, financially and relationally. I have tried to set goals but seem to quickly lose focus and rarely achieve them. What can I do?”

We all have things that we want to achieve in our lives — getting into better shape, building a successful business, raising a wonderful family, writing a best-selling book, winning a championship, and so on.

For most of us, the path to those things starts by setting a specific and actionable goal. At least, this is how I approached life when I was younger. I would set goals for business growth, for an exercise regimen, for devotional time, and for my relationships.

What I have come to realize, however, is that when it comes to actually getting things done and making progress in the areas that are important to you, there is a much better way to do things.

It all comes down to the difference between goals and systems.

What’s the difference between goals and systems?

Now for the really interesting question:

If you completely ignored your goals and focused only on your system, would you still get results?

For example, if you desired to run a marathon in 12 months and you focused on running a little bit each day while incrementally increasing the distance each week, would you still get results? Indeed you would.

As a personal example, this is my 908th episode of my Wisdom-Trek Podcast over the past three years. The average length of these short episodes is around 1200 words. This means that I have written over 1 million words in the past three years. I didn’t have that as an initial goal, rather it was my desire to be faithful and consistent in writing and recording a podcast five days a week. One of my “goals” for the future is to write space-based Christian fantasy novels in both print and audio.

Since the typical book is about 50,000 to 60,000 words, I realized that I have already written enough to fill over 16 books in the past three years. If I switch my focus of the podcast writing –the system I have in place of writing 1,000 words or more per day – that system will enable me to complete the goal of writing several chronicles of my spaced-based novel.

All of this is a bit of a surprise because I never set a goal to produce nearly 1,000 podcasts or write a million words. I didn’t measure my progress in relation to some benchmark. I have a loose guideline for a word count of 600 for my short episodes, and 1500 for my longer episodes, but that is just a guideline.

What I did focus on was producing five podcasts per week. Two are about 5 minutes, and three are about 10 minutes in length. This is the determining factor on the word count. After sticking to that schedule for over three years, the result is over 1 million written and spoken words. I focused on my system and the process of doing the work. In the end, the results speak for themselves.

Let’s talk about three more reasons why you should focus on systems instead of goals.

When you’re working toward a goal, you are essentially saying, “I’m not good enough yet, but I will be when I reach my goal.”

The problem with this mindset is that you’re teaching yourself to always put happiness and success off until the next goal is achieved. “Once I reach my goal, then I’ll be happy. Once I achieve my goal, then I’ll be successful.”

SOLUTION: Commit to a process, not a goal.

Choosing a big goal puts a huge burden on you. We do this to ourselves all the time. We place unnecessary stress on ourselves to lose weight, to succeed in business, to have a successful marriage, or to write a best-selling novel.

Instead, you can keep things simple and reduce stress by focusing on the daily process and sticking to your schedule, rather than worrying about the big, life-changing goals.

When you focus on the practice instead of the performance or end goal, you can enjoy the present moment and improve at the same time.

You might think your goal will keep you motivated over the long-term, but that’s not always true.

Consider someone desiring to lose 25 pounds. Many people will work hard for months limiting what they eat or jumping on the newest diet, but as soon as they reach their goal, they soon gain the weight back. Their goal was to lose 25 pounds, and now that they have reached that goal it is no longer there to motivate them. When all of your hard work is focused on a particular goal, what is left to push you forward after you achieve it?

This can create a type of “yo-yo effect” where people lose weight just to gain it back again. This type of cycle makes it difficult to build upon your progress in the long-term. 

SOLUTION: Release the need for immediate results.

Losing weight as with nearly any objective must first begin in your mind, which requires a lifestyle change. The goal or milestone in this scenario is to reach your ideal weight range and maintain it for life. This will require more than just a goal, but establishing an entire system of eating, exercising, and sleeping. This requires a lifestyle change that has no expiration date.

In a situation like the one above, a goal-based mentality will tell you to finish the “diet” once you reach your goal. Systems-based thinking is never about hitting a particular number; it’s about sticking to the lifestyle change process with a changed mindset. That’s why systems are more valuable than goals. Goals are about the short-term result. Systems are about the long-term life-changing process. In the end, the process always wins.

You can’t predict or control much of the future although most of us desire to do so.

Every time we set a goal, we try to predict and then control our future. We try to plan out where we will be and when we will make it there. We try to predict how quickly we can make progress, even though we have no idea what circumstances or situations will arise along the way.

SOLUTION: Build feedback loops.

When you begin to change your lifestyle, you need to establish feedback loops that allow you to have checkpoints on your progress. Feedback loops are important for building good systems because they allow you to keep track of many different pieces without feeling the pressure to predict what is going to happen with everything. Forget about predicting or controlling the future and build a system that can signal when you need to make adjustments.

None of this is to say that goals are useless. However, I’ve found that goals are good for planning your progress and systems are good for actually making progress.

Goals can provide direction and even push you forward in the short-term, but eventually, a well-designed system will always win. Having a system is what matters. Committing to the lifestyle change process is what makes the difference.

The core of this information has been sourced and proven through extensive research and condensed by James Clear @ Jamesclear.com

Systems take dedication and work, but are so worth it. This reminds me of Hebrews 12:11, “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

Next week we will have a new question to Ask Gramps. If you have a question you would like answered, please email it to [email protected], and Gramps will answer it on our Friday podcast with wisdom and philosophy that Gramps has gained over his years of experience and study. I know you will find these insights interesting, practical, and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life.

Our next trek is Mediation Monday where we will help you reflect on what is most important in life. 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 907 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Podcast so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

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

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you on Monday!

 Hello, my friend, and welcome to Wisdom-Trek! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your Guide to Wisdom and Creating a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 907 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Humor Unplugged.

Our Thursday podcast will provide a short and clean, funny story to help you lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life – something to cheer you and provide a bit a levity in your life. We are told in  Proverbs 15:30, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.” We are also encouraged in Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” 

Consider this your vitamin supplement of cheer for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s funny, which is titled…

Little Johnny was eating breakfast one morning and got to wondering about things. “Mommy, why has Daddy got so few hairs on his head?” he asked his mother.

“He thinks a lot,” replied his mother, pleased with herself for coming up with a good answer to her husband’s baldness.

“So why do YOU have so much hair?” Little Johnny asks.

“Go eat your breakfast!” snarled his mother.

Sourced at: www.mikeysFunnies.com

Our Thursday Thought is…let’s not be like little Johnny in our story today, but rather be careful what we think about.

Philippians 4:8

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

That’s a wrap for today’s Humor Unplugged. If you enjoy these short stories, let me know so I can continue to bring a bit of cheer to your week.

As you enjoy these nuggets of humor, 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 906 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on Apple Podcast or Google Play so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

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