Wisdom-Trek © - Archive 4

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1126 of our trek, and it is Worldview Wednesday. Creating a Biblical worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events.

To establish a Biblical worldview, you must also have a proper understanding of God and His Word. On our Worldview Wednesday episodes we are in a series in which we are covering another detailed review of a book from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. We are taking a deep dive and will share Dr. Heiser’s insights into the question which is also the title of his book “What Does God Want?”

Last week we learned in Dr. Heiser’s book that parts of God’s supernatural family also chose to disobey His commands and did not stay in their limits of authority. They crossed over into the human family in a futile attempt to usurp God’s position.

Like the stories of Adam and Eve and Noah’s flood, you may have heard of the Tower of Babel. If not, that’s okay, because even most church-goers don’t realize what really happened there.

The story of the Tower of Babel is found in Genesis 11:1-9. After the flood God wanted Noah’s descendants to multiply and spread out over the earth. Like Adam and Eve, they were to be God’s co-workers to maintain creation. Instead of doing that, they gathered at a place called Babel and built a tower to their own glory Genesis 11:1-4.

That’s the familiar version of the story, but its real significance is found in two unfamiliar verses in another biblical book. The first is in Deuteronomy 32:8-9, and it reads:

When the Most High assigned lands to the nations,

 “For the people of Israel belong to the Lord;

These two verses tell us that one of the judgments at the Tower of Babel was the division of humankind. Up until this point in the story, God was dealing with humanity as a collective whole. That changed at Babel. Human beings would be segregated by language and geography.

Even worse, God divorced himself from humanity. Fed up with human defiance of his will, God assigned the nations of the earth to other members of his supernatural family—the sons of God, or His heavenly court. These sons of God were a different group of his heavenly court than those who transgressed before the flood. God couldn’t kick humanity out of his house again; He had done that already back in Eden. He had promised through a covenant with Noah not to destroy humanity after the flood (Genesis [9:11]), so there would be no repeat of that disaster. So what else could he do? God essentially said, “Enough! If you don’t want me to be your God, I’ll assign you to some of my heavenly assistants.”

The fallout of this judgment took many forms. We aren’t told how long it took, but the Bible tells us that the supernatural sons of God assigned over the nations did a lousy job. Psalms 82:1-5 describes that these sons of God also became so corrupt that God had to judge them, too. Their judgment is described in Psalms 82:6-8 where God says that He would one day take away their immortality and take back the nations. For our purposes here, God’s frustration left him childless in terms of having a human family. He’d had it, but had He given up? Well…not quite.

Guess what happened right after the Tower of Babel catastrophe? God appeared to Abraham (originally called Abram), an old man married to a woman (Sarah) who was beyond the age where she could have children. God made a covenant with Abraham. He promised the old man and his wife that they would have a son. God would do a miracle. Their son would be the beginning of a new family for God on earth (Genesis 12:1-9; 15:1-6; 18:1-15).

Having allotted humanity to the oversight of members of his heavenly host, God wanted to begin anew with a family of his own with Abraham. Abraham believed God’s promises as we are told in Genesis 15:6,“And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He didn’t have to earn God’s interest or favor. It was God who had chosen Abraham to start over with his human family. The relationship between God and Abraham started with God. Abraham believed.

Afterward, the covenant relationship that began with God’s call and Abraham’s faith was commemorated with the physical sign of circumcision (Genesis 17:1-14; Romans 4:1-12). Abraham’s entire family followed his example (Genesis [17:23]). Bearing this sign marked the descendants of Abraham as the people whom God wanted as his family. Circumcision would be a sign to the women of Abraham’s lineage, too. Since they were to marry only within the extended tribe, they would be reminded of how their people had been supernaturally created from Abraham and Sarah when they decided to have their own children.

It’s important to realize that God’s covenant with Abraham was based on the belief in God’s promises by faith. God didn’t approach Abraham because he’d found a man who was a good rule-keeper. Salvation is not based on behavior. We cannot earn our salvation. If that was the case, then God would be in our debt by virtue of our performance. He’d owe us something in response to our achievement. Think of how absurd that sounds. Rather, Abraham and his descendants showed their belief in God’s promises by observing the sign of the covenant. It was an outward way to show where their loyalty was.

The apostle Paul used Abraham as an example of believing loyalty (Romans 4:1-12). Abraham believed and was accepted by God before he obeyed any rules. The rules were about showing he believed. They did not replace belief. Belief (faith) was the one essential thing. Loyalty to that belief—to that God—is something we’ll talk about later. Today we call it discipleship.

Belief and loyalty are two distinct things. They are related but not interchangeable. The same is true of salvation and discipleship.

Promising Abraham a son, and through him, the start of a new family that would grow into a great nation, was God’s second covenant after the disaster of Eden. The first had been with Noah. Both were designed to preserve his dream of having a human family. But these covenants weren’t just about God not giving up. They were also about extending the offer of everlasting life to people. God had not given up on humanity. He couldn’t stop loving people. God still wanted a human family.

God kept his promise to Abraham. He and Sarah did indeed have a son, Isaac, (Genesis 17:19-21; 21:1-7). Abraham’s extended family would become known as “Israel,” the name most frequently used in the Old Testament for God’s human family (Genesis 32:28; Deuteronomy 32:9; Isaiah 44:1). But what about the people from the other nations, the ones God had assigned to the sons of God after the Tower of Babel rebellion? They are called “Gentiles” in the Bible, a short term that means “not from Israel.” And despite what happened at Babel, God did not forget about those people.

Not only would God start over yet again with a new people (Israel), but he told Abraham that his descendants would someday be a blessing to the other nations God had forsaken (Genesis 12:3)! Many years later, Jesus, who was from the family of Abraham, would be the particular descendant who would bring all the nations of the world back to God (Galatians 3:16-18, 26-29). Before Jesus arrived on the scene, Gentiles could join God’s family by choosing to reject all other gods, believing in Him, and taking the sign of God’s covenant.

A lot of time passed between the time of Abraham and Jesus. Israel’s own history as “the Lord’s portion” (Deuteronomy 32:9) wasn’t a pretty one. They were God’s people, but sadly, perhaps predictably, their loyalty failed. The darkest hour was yet to come.

That will conclude our lesson for this week from Dr. Heiser’s book “What Does God Want?” Next Worldview Wednesday we will discover that even after God had made a covenant with His special nation, He was betrayed by His family. I believe you will find each Worldview Wednesday an 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 1125 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player 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!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1125 of our trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini trek called Wisdom Unplugged. 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 Grantland Rice, and it is, “Failure isn’t so bad if it doesn’t attack the heart. Success is all right if it doesn’t go to the head.”

Failure and success can be both good or bad, depending on how we allow it to affect us. If we take failure to heart and think that it means that we are a failure as a person, then it will attack and may kill us just like an actual physical heart attack. Any severe heart attack takes months or years to recover from, providing that medical care is administered immediately. Otherwise, we will most surely die. In the same way, if we do not take immediate and significant action to overcome and remedy our failures, then recovery will be very difficult, and it may take a serious toll on us. We cannot allow failure to attack our heart, but realize that we need to correct what caused it and be willing to continue on.

In the same manner, success can and should be a very good thing, but if we let success go to our head and think that we are the sole generator of that success, then it is the same as having a brain aneurysm or stroke. It will impair our decision-making abilities from that point forward. Success does require that we are diligent, make wise choices, and persevere, but any successful person will acknowledge that it requires a multitude of others to help us along the way. They may be our parents, our partners, our mentors or others that have contributed to our success. We cannot allow success to go to our head, or we will be rendered brain dead and useless to others and to future successes that we may be able to achieve.

So, do not allow failure to attack your heart or success attack your head, and you will see the good that comes from both failure and success. They are intimately entwined. God is the one that will ultimately permit failure or grant us success, so let us give Him the glory.

Psalm [90:17]

And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 11,000 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 1124 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player 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 Worldview Wednesday!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1124 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 you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You 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. 

From sports celebrities to movie stars, to those whom we refer to as superheroes, we all have those who we look to as heroes. Those that we dream of being like.

In today’s meditation, let us consider…

Growing up, and still to this day, I enjoyed watching westerns. In the Wild Wild West, with its vast prairies and towns that are loosely regulated, the symbol of that time was the cowboy. And every young man, it seemed, wanted to emulate that cowboy.  The hero of the west to many would be symbolized by a cowboy.

A thousand head of cattle passes behind him. A thousand miles of trail lie before him. A thousand women would love to hold him. But none do. None will. He lives to drive cattle, and he drives cattle to live. He is honest in poker and quick with a gun, hard riding, slow-talking…His best friend is his horse, and his strength is his grit.

He needs no one. He is a cowboy, the American hero.

When you think about the Bible, who is your hero? Possibly King David who killed Goliath, or maybe it is Gideon, who fought thousands of Midianites, with only 300 men armed with a trumpet and a torch. There is another type of person who is the true hero of the Bible…an occupation, like the cowboy, that also involves taking care of animals. Behold the hero in the Bible: the shepherd.

On the surface, he appears similar to the cowboy. He, too, is rugged. He sleeps where the jackals howl and works where the wolves prowl. Never off duty. Always alert. Like the cowboy, he makes his roof the stars and the pasture his home.

But that is where the similarities end.

The shepherd loves his sheep. It’s not that the cowboy doesn’t appreciate the cow; it’s just that he doesn’t know the animal. He doesn’t even want to. Have you ever seen a picture of a cowboy caressing a cow? Have you ever seen a shepherd caring for a sheep? Why the difference?

Simple. The cowboy leads the cow to slaughter. The shepherd leads the sheep to be shorn. The cowboy wants the meat of the cow. The shepherd wants the wool of the sheep. And so they treat the animals differently.

The cowboy drives the cattle. The shepherd leads the sheep.

A herd has a dozen cowboys. A flock has one shepherd.

The cowboy wrestles, brands, herds, and ropes. The shepherd leads, guides, feeds, and anoints.

The cowboy knows the name of the trail hands. The shepherd knows the name of the sheep.

The cowboy whoops and hollers at the cows. The shepherd calls each sheep by name.

Aren’t we glad Christ didn’t call himself the Good Cowboy? But some do perceive God that way. A hard-faced, square-jawed ranch-hand from heaven who drives his church against its will to places it doesn’t want to go.

But that’s a wrong image. Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd. The Shepherd who knows his sheep by name and lays down his life for them. The Shepherd who protects, provides, and possesses his sheep. The Bible is replete with this picture of God.

Eighty percent of Jesus’ listeners made their living off of the land. Many were shepherds. They lived on the mesa with the sheep. No flock ever grazed without a shepherd, and no shepherd was ever off duty. When sheep wandered, the shepherd found them. When they fell, he carried them. When they were hurt, he healed them.

Sheep aren’t smart. They tend to wander into running creeks for water, then their wool grows heavy, and they drown. They need a shepherd to lead them to “peaceful streams” (Psalm 23:2). They have no natural defense—no claws, no horns, no fangs. They are helpless. Sheep need a shepherd with a “rod and staff” (Psalm 23:4) to protect them. They have no sense of direction. They need someone to guide them as “He guides me along the right paths” (Psalms 23:3).

So do we. We, too, tend to be swept away by waters we should have avoided. We have no defense against the evil lion who prowls about seeking whom he might devour. We, too, get lost. Isaiah 53:6 describes it like this:

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.

We need a shepherd. We don’t need a cowboy to herd us; we need a shepherd to care for us and to guide us.

Jesus Christ is not a cowboy, and we are not cattle. He doesn’t brand us, and we’re not on the way to the market. He guides, feeds, and anoints. And Word has it that he won’t quit until we reach the homeland.

That is a wrap for today’s meditation. 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 1123 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player 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!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1123 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 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 may mix it up a bit on our Friday episodes, but will strive to keep them down to earth and enjoyable. If you have any questions that you would like to ask Gramps, please email them to [email protected].

The question for this week is…

“Hey, Gramps, tell me a story about how we should handle obstacles that we face in life?”

We will all face obstacles along our trek of life that is a fact. It is how we respond to the obstacles that makes the difference between success and failure, between a life of satisfaction, and a life of misery. Let me tell you a story that will illustrate this.

In ancient times, a king had his men place a heavy boulder on one of the main roadways leading into the main city. The king then hid in the bushes, out of view from anyone, and watched to see if anyone would move the boulder out of the way to ease the path for themselves and others. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and lords passed by and with much grumbling and complaining, simply walked around the boulder forcing them to come precariously close to the edge of the road where there was a steep embankment. Almost everyone blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none of them did anything about getting the stone removed.

After several days, a peasant came along carrying a heavy load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant looked at the situation and then surprisingly laid down his load and tried to push the stone out of the way. At first, he did not move the boulder much at all. After much pushing and straining, the peasant found a huge limb that he used as a lever, and he finally managed to push the boulder close enough to the edge, and it tumbled down into a ravine.

Moral of the story: Every obstacle that we come across gives us an opportunity to improve our circumstances, and while the lazy and dissatisfied will complain, others create opportunities through their kind hearts, generosity, and willingness to get things done.

We should never begrudge the hard obstacles in life. If we let them, they will refine us and make us better people.

James 1:2-4

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Join us again next Friday for another question on our “Ask Gramps” episode. 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 Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1122 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com.  I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player 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 on Monday!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1122 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 came home from the playground with a bloody nose, black eye, covered with dirt, and torn clothing. It was obvious he’d been in a bad fight and lost. His father saw him running up the walk to the front door with tears streaming down his face.  While his father was patching him up, he asked little Jimmy, “What happened?”

Between stifled sobs, Jimmy said, “Well, Dad, I challenged Larry to a duel. As you have taught me, I gave him his choice of weapons.”

“Uh-huh,” said Jimmy’s Dad, “that certainly seems fair.”

“I know, I thought you would be proud of me for taking the high road, but I never thought he’d choose his big sister!” 

Well, I hope that brought a smile to your face today. If it did, pass that smile on to someone who really needs it. Our Thursday Thought is “Be careful that you understand the potential consequences before making a choice. There are always consequence to every choice that we make.”

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

Just 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 1121 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player 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!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1121 of our trek, and it is Worldview Wednesday. Creating a Biblical worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical worldview, you must also have a proper understanding of God and His Word.

On our Worldview Wednesday episodes we are in a series in which we are covering another detailed review of a book from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. We are taking a deep dive and will share Dr. Heiser’s insights into the question which is also the title of his book “What Does God Want?”

Last week we learned in Dr. Heiser’s book that God’s human family chose to disobey His commands in the Garden of Eden, yet this choice was a result of the influence of one of God’s supernatural children. This week we move to another time where God’s supernatural family desired to create humans in their image. This is a direct affront to God and His plans for His human family.

You may have heard somewhere along the way that the Bible teaches the world has so much evil in it because of humanity’s fall into sin in the Garden of Eden. That’s only partially true. After the tragedy of Eden, there were two more episodes that plunged humanity further into the depths of depravity and chaos.

The second of these is described in Genesis 6:1-4, arguably one of the stranger incidents in the entire Bible. Dr. Heiser wrote extensively on this topic in an excellent book called The Unseen Realm and a less intense version called Supernatural. Let me read Genesis 6:1-4, “Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them.  The sons of God saw the beautiful women and took any they wanted as their wives. Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.’  In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.”

The story is about how some of God’s supernatural children (the “sons of God”) wanted to imitate God by producing their own human children to image themselves. They decided to use human women (the “beautiful women”) for that purpose. This made them rivals to God, their own heavenly father. Rather than be happy with God’s desire to have humans become members of their family, they decided they wanted to be overlords of their own humans. That wasn’t what God had in mind. God wanted a family, not slaves.

As we dig into this story deeper, we also find two other passages in the New Testament which refer to this second rebellion. 2 Peter 2:4-5 reads, “For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness where they are being held until the day of judgment. And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.”

These “angels that sinned” (2 Pet 2:4) transgressed the boundary between heaven and earth. Jude 6 tells us, “And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment.”  The sons of God who we refer to as angels, “did not stay within their limits of authority.” God sent them to hell as a result.

The transgression was done, and it had disastrous consequences. Look at the two verses that follow the Bible’s recounting of this rebellion in Genesis 6:5-6, “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.”

Think about that…“everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.” And “God was sorry” he had made humanity; the thought “broke His heart.”

This is the very definition of depravity and the sorrow it brings. The first supernatural rebellion led to humanity losing everlasting life with God (which is bad enough). This rebellion took the effects of sin to another level, accelerating human self-destruction. God felt deep remorse over the way things had turned out. Humanity had been permanently damaged.

The Bible tells us that God could see no other solution but to send the flood to wipe out humanity (Genesis [6:17]). It’s important to notice that the flood story never says God was angry. It only says he was heart-stricken over what was going on. God had decided to give humans freedom. He couldn’t take it away since doing so would mean they would no longer be like him; they’d no longer be truly human. The only choice was to start over and put an end to what the rebellious sons of God had caused.

Only one man was said to be righteous in God’s eyes—Noah (Genesis 6:9). At least there was one. God would take it. He would move ahead with his plan to have a human family.

God told Noah to build an ark (a large ship) so that he, his family, and multitudes of animals would survive. God still held out hope that, as deep as human depravity had become, his human children could be with him. Mercifully, he gave Noah 120 years to prepare for the flood (Genesis 6:3) and tell people what was going to happen so they could turn from their depravity and be forgiven (2 Peter 2:5).

In the end, people wouldn’t listen. They refused God’s gracious warning. Once again, God’s children turned their backs to him, as they were free to do. Is it any wonder God’s heart was so broken? At least there was Noah and his family. After the flood, God repeated the original commands he had given to Adam and Eve in Genesis 9:1, “Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them in, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth.'”

God was starting over with them. He made a covenant with Noah that extended to all humankind (Genesis 9:8-17). A covenant is a promise or pledge. This covenant was one-sided; it was all about God’s promise to never destroy humanity (Genesis [9:11]). Amazingly, God still wanted a human family.

Not as amazing—but still pretty incredible—the abuse of God’s goodness would continue. A third rebellion followed the flood. This one would frame the rest of the biblical story, and show, again, God’s unconquerable patience and love.

That will conclude our lesson for this week from Dr. Heiser’s book What Does God Want? Next Worldview Wednesday we will discover that even after God wiped out most of humanity in the great flood, that the rebellion continued. I believe you will find each Worldview Wednesday an 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 1120 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player 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.

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!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1120 of our trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini trek called Wisdom Unplugged. 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 Truman Capote, and it is, “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.”

As summer approaches our minds go to cookouts on the grill where you can hear a plump juicy hamburger sizzling and smell the aroma wafting in the air. While a hamburger itself smells great, the flavor really becomes irresistible when it is seasoned properly with just the right seasoning.

If you ate seasoning all by itself, it would not taste good or be something that you want to consume. When you properly add just the right amount of seasoning to a quality hamburger, though, it mixes with the juices and transforms that hamburger into a delightful meal that you want to devour.

Success is much the same way. While success is desirable and tasty in itself, what really makes success so much better is when it has been flavored with the seasoning of failure. Failure makes success so much more desirable. Failure makes success both smell and taste so much better. Failure, when we are in the middle of it is not pleasant, just like eating seasoning by itself. But when you mix the failure into the juices of success, then the success is one that will be so much more savory.

If seasoning loses its flavor, then the hamburger will not benefit from it. In the same way, if you do not learn the lessons of failure, then any potential successes will be hard to obtain.

Mark [9:50]

Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.”

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 11,000 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 Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1119 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player 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 Worldview Wednesday!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1119 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 you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You 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. 

From the very earliest of ages, a child will proclaim loudly if they do not think that a situation is fair. Not much changes as we grow into adulthood.

In today’s meditation, let us consider…

We all desire, advocate, and push for fairness in all situations. The problem is that we often forget what may be fair for me will be unfair to someone else and vice versa. The fact is that “Life is not fair.” That’s not pessimism; it’s a fact. It’s not a complaint; it’s just the way things are. I don’t like it. Neither do you. Ever since the kid down the block got a bike and we didn’t, we’ve been saying the same thing, “That’s not fair!”

Where did we get the notion that everything in life should be fair? At some point, and preferably early in life, someone needs to say to us, “Whoever told you life was going to be fair?” God didn’t.

You see, we have a warped concept of fairness. It was not fair that Jesus had to become a sacrificial substitute for our sins against God. It is not fair that we can come boldly to God’s throne of grace when we continually turn our affections away from Him. This world has been tainted, so we should expect that life will not always be fair, at least from our own perspective.

We will have troubles, but our perspective should be one of joy because when we go through those troubles, it helps us to become more like Christ. James 1:2-4 reminds, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” Troubles are part of the package, but so are the blessings of being complete and needing nothing.

When we struggle with the concept that life is not fair, it is because we are viewing life from a worldly perspective. As Christ followers, we are building the Kingdom of God, which has not yet fully arrived. Jesus tells us in John 18:36,“Jesus answered, ‘My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.'”

When we are tempted to cry and complain that life is not fair, realize that God has already provided an advocate for us through the Holy Spirit as we are told in John 14:16, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.”

It is during these times when we are having a pity party that we need to choose to be satisfied with the blessing that we already have.

Hebrews 13:5-6

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,

“I will never fail you.

 So we can say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper,

So when life seems unfair, realize that from the world’s perspective, it is. God is our advocate and helper…which makes all things in life fair.

That is a wrap for today’s meditation. 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 Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1118 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player 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!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1118 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 when we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason, this is not possible. 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 may mix it up a bit on our Friday episodes, but we will strive to keep them down to earth and enjoyable. If you have any questions that you would like to ask Gramps, please email them to [email protected].

So the question for this week is…

“Hey, Gramps, as a Christ follower, how should we handle it when a loved one or friend has died?”

Regardless of the age of one passing, whether child, teenager, or adult, it always seems too soon to say goodbye. When God permits one of his children to die, it is because their purpose in God’s kingdom has been fulfilled. None of us know when that day will be. Within the past week, I have had two dear friends who attend our church die – one from cancer, which was somewhat expected, but the other one was from a very unexpected and massive heart attack.

Regardless if there is time to prepare or not, we all need to be prepared, as we are told in the book of James 4:13-15, “Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.'”

While our salvation is not based on our works, since we are to be an imager of God in the building of His earthly kingdom, we should always be serving others and impacting the lives of others for His glory. Both of these dear friends who died this week showed us an example of how to serve God by serving others. Both were humble, and ready to help anyone who needed it. You might ask, if they were serving others, why did God permit them to die? As humans, with our finite minds, we cannot fully comprehend or understand why, but we do know that it is God’s purpose because it is He who gives life, and it is He who takes us home when our earthly purpose is completed.

What we do to impact others is what we carry on to eternity. We have the capability of impacting many generations to come, by our service here on earth. We are told in James 2:14-18, “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.

 Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds.’ But I say, ‘How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.'” 

We grieve when those we love leave us who remain. Just like my own mom who died 20 years ago at the age of 68, for those of us who are left behind, my two friends who died this week were in their early 70’s, and we ache because we feel they died too soon. We think of the additional good they could have had accomplished and how much more they could have done to impact those around them. God had different plans. We can’t comprehend it from our earthly perspective, but we have to realize that both of my friends’ work for God’s Kingdom is completed. They fulfilled all that God intended for them to accomplish. The clay pot that were their earthly bodies here on earth has now been transformed into a glorious heavenly body. The book of I Corinthians 15:54-58 tells us,“Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

‘Death is swallowed up in victory.

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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.”

Yes, for those who are left behind, death of loved ones and friends stings us very hard, and we are hurting because of that sting. From our perspective, their deaths may not seem a victory to us, but for both of my friends and my mom from 20 years ago would not agree with us now. Their earthly bodies have been transformed into a heavenly body that will never die. They no longer experience sorrow. They are no longer sick and in pain. So let us follow those who have gone on before us in this life on earth and live our faith in God through our good works impacting the lives of others for good. As our final passage tells us and as their lives demonstrated to 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.”

Live life to the fullest, and leave a living legacy each day—a legacy that will impact generations to come.

Join us again next Friday for another question on our “Ask Gramps” episode. 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 1117 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player 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 on Monday!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy.  Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1117 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:

A category five tornado hit a Kansas farmhouse just before dawn one morning. Farmer John and his wife Margaret were both in a deep sleep. They were elderly, hard of hearing, and had not heard the tornado alarms that were blaring shortly before it hit. The tornado was so violent that it tore off the roof and picked up the bed on which farmer John and his wife Margaret were sleeping. By some miracle, the twister set them down unharmed in the next county over, some 20 miles away.

Once they came to their senses and were fully awake, Margaret started sobbing uncontrollably. Trying to be a comfort to her, farmer John said, “Don’t be scared, Margaret, We’re not hurt, and it appears that it was not our time to meet our maker.”

Margaret continued to cry. Between her sobs, John finally understood what she was saying. “I’m not scared,” Margaret said, as a smile broke out on her face. She then gave John a big hug and continued, “I’m just so happy…this is the first time in 14 years we’ve been out together.”

Well, I hope that brought a smile to your face today. If it did, pass that smile on to someone who really needs it. Our Thursday Thought is “During this spring time of year, the chance of severe weather is more significant than ever, and I do not want to minimize that fact. That being said, even in the most horrific and darkest of times, there is humor and much to be grateful for. Let us focus on the beauty in the midst of the ashes of life.”

Isaiah 61:3

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.

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 Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1116 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player 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!