Wisdom-Trek ©

Welcome to Day 1562 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomA Father's Gift – Daily WisdomWelcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps; thanks for coming along on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Today is Day 1562 of our Trek, and it’s time for your daily snippet of wisdom, which includes an inspirational quote along with some wise words from Gramps for today’s trek. If you apply the words you hear today, over time, it will help you become healthy, wealthy, and wise as you continue your daily trek of life. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from C. Neil Strait, and it is: The best gift a father can give to his child is the gift of himself — his time. For material things mean little, if there is not someone to share them with.

A Father’s Gift

There is one item in life that is not renewable, and that is time. We all have 168 hours each week to invest in any manner that you choose. If we have decided to have children, then they are one thing where we should invest our time in abundance. When your children are grown, they will remember very few of the material things you provide them, but investing time with them will reap an abundant harvest of blessings, both for them, but also for you. I understand that we do need to provide our children with food, clothing, and shelter. That requires working and investing time away from them. But are you allowing work to consume you, where you have very little time left to invest in your spouse and children? What your children need most is you, not fancy trinkets that are soon forgotten. If they have all the riches the world affords, but don’t have a dad to share his love with, then all is in vain. Invest wisely, and you are sure to reap a harvest of blessings. Learn to give the good and perfect gift of yourself to those you love.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201%3A17andversion=NLT (James 1:17)

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

As you ponder this nugget of daily wisdom yourself, I would ask you to 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 1561 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 that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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

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

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for more daily wisdom!

Welcome to Day 1561 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomHidden in Plain Sight – Worldview WednesdayWelcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps; thanks for coming along on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Today is Day 1561 of our Trek, and it is Worldview Wednesday. Creating a Biblical Worldview is essential to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical Worldview, you must have a proper understanding of God and His Word. This week, we will continue reviewing the book from Dr. Michael S Heiser titled “Supernatural.” The book is an abbreviated version of his more comprehensive book, “The Unseen Realm.” I highly recommend both of these books. Creating a Biblical Worldview based on how the Old and New Testaments connect with God’s overall plan for humanity is essential. This book review will help us understand what the Bible teaches about the unseen world, and why it matters.

Hidden in Plain Sight

Since the fall, God had been trying to revive his original goal for Eden: to live with both his divine and human family on earth. God had told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, thereby spreading God’s good rule over the rest of the planet. God wanted the whole earth to be a place where heaven and earth met, where humanity could enjoy the divine, and where the divine could enjoy earth and humanity. We know how that went.

A History of FailureHumanity sinned and was expelled from God’s presence. Eden was shut down. The divine enemy, the Serpent, was banished—cast or cut down—from God’s presence to earth, the place where death reigns, where life is not everlasting. He became lord of the dead, and therefore had a claim to every human being who would ever live—because they sin, and sin’s wages is death (Romans 6:23).

After the flood, God had repeated the goal of Eden to Noah and his family: be fruitful and multiply. It was a do-over. Instead, humanity rebelled. Rather than obey God and spread the knowledge and rule of God everywhere, they would build a tower where God could come to them.

Failure again. God wouldn’t go for it. He mixed up the nations’ languages and turned the nations over to his divine council to rule. Then he decided to start over with a new human family—through Abraham and Sarah. He would get back to the other nations—through Abraham’s descendants—once his kingdom rule was revived (Genesis 12:3).

Abraham and Sarah, too, were a failure. So was the next attempt, bringing Israel out of Egypt, then to Sinai, and then finally to the Promised Land. Israel failed. Eventually, God raised up David, and then Solomon. But after Solomon died, Israel followed other gods and the Israelites turned on each other. God had to expel them from the Promised Land in exile.

The human story, apart from God’s presence, is the story of failure. This is because humanity is lost since the fall. All humans are imperfect and estranged from God. No human leader could be trusted with starting and maintaining God’s kingdom. They would resist loyalty to God alone. They would go their own way. Humans would sin, fail, and join the lord of the dead, God’s great enemy. But God’s vision of sharing the blessing of being steward-kings over a new Eden couldn’t happen without humans. The only way humans would ever be able to hold up their end of God’s plan would be for them to be made new again. The curse of the fall must be lifted. And for that, God had a plan.

The Solution—and a Problem

God needed a man who was more than man—someone who could resist temptation, who would always obey, who was fit for kingship, who could reverse the curse of death by dying and then rising again by...

Welcome to Day 1560 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomAging Gracefully – Daily WisdomWelcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps. Thanks for coming along on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Today is Day 1560 of our Trek, and it’s time for another snippet of wisdom, which includes an inspirational quote along with some wise words from Gramps for today’s trek. If you apply the words you hear today, over time, it will help you become healthy, wealthy, and wise as you continue your daily trek of life. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from Michel de Montaigne, and it is: Take care that old age does not wrinkle your spirit even more than your face.

Aging Gracefully

Even with today’s technological advances, every person on earth is aging a bit more each day. There is no way to completely stop or reverse the aging process completely, but if we take care of ourselves physically, we may slow it somewhat. Lifespans are certainly being extended, but there is no fountain of youth. We may not be able to stop the wrinkles and other physical signs of aging, but with those wrinkles and white hair, we should be growing in wisdom. As we grow in wisdom, there is a more critical aspect to aging that we do have some control over, which is the aging of our spirit. We don’t have to let the aging process destroy our spirit. We can remain youthful in our souls based on the wisdom we gain with our age. Each day our spirit can be re-energized and renewed. We can allow the experiences in our lives and the lessons that we have learned from them to smooth out our internal wrinkles. With age comes maturity; at least that should be a by-product of age. Maturity does not have to dampen our spirit but can energize us to make a more significant impact on our world, no matter how large or small our world is. Few people understand the impact their lives have on their world. The more we age, the more significant impact we will have on eternity. One movie that portrays this concept so well is my favorite Christmas movie, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’ Jimmy Stewart, who plays George Bailey, gets to experience how his life impacted the entire town of Bedford Falls. He was just an ordinary person whose impact was immense and the lives of many others. As I am now on my 65th revolution around the sun, I am reminded daily how my legacy will impact my world. Both physically and within my spirit, I still see myself as forever young. While I pray that God will grant me at least another 65 years to impact eternity, I have to live each day with the realization of what I do today is important. May God grant you a wrinkle-free spirit and me.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2012%3A12andversion=NLT (Job 12:12)

Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+92%3A12-15andversion=NLT (Psalm 92:12-15)

But the godly will flourish like palm trees

and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.

For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.

They flourish in the courts of our God.

Even in old age, they will still produce fruit;

they will remain vital and green.

They will declare, “The Lord is just!

He is my rock!

There is no evil in him!”

As you ponder this nugget of wisdom for yourself, 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 1559...

Welcome to Day 1559 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomBible Study – Nonliterial Real Interpretations – Meditation MondayWelcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps; thanks for coming along on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy Today is Day 1559 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 in prayer. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and making 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 continuing our series this week on Meditation Monday as we focus on Mastering Bible Study through a series of brief insights from Hebrew Scholar, Dr. Michael S. Heiser. Our current insights are focusing on accurately interpreting the Bible. Today let us meditate on:

Bible Study – Nonliterial Real Interpretations· Insight Fifty-Three: Nonliteral Doesn’t Mean “Not Real.”

I talked earlier about how “literal interpretation” isn’t easy to define. The whole idea of what “literal” interpretation means needs interpretation. The frequent insistence on thinking only in literal terms (whatever that means) has led to the caricature of other kinds of interpretation. Nonliteral interpretation, many are told, is just a strategy to avoid what the Bible clearly says. When something in the Bible threatens people (e.g., makes them draw a different conclusion than the one they favor), those panicked souls resort to “allegorizing” or “spiritualizing” the text. That’s nonsense.

I do not deny that people do come up with weird interpretations to avoid something they don’t like in Scripture. I deny that this is an acceptable portrayal of nonliteral interpretation. It had better be, since New Testament writers do at times take their Old Testament nonliterally.

The myth is that “nonliteral” somehow means “not real” or “I don’t want what I’m reading to be real.” The kind of nonliteral interpretation the New Testament writers sometimes engage in is hardly the result of wishing something in the Bible isn’t true.

The idea behind the kind of nonliteral interpretation you’ll find in the Bible is that sometimes the text’s meaning transcends what we would expect the passage to “literally” mean. The text means more than what immediately pops into our head. Nonliteral interpretation presumes that what God means by a statement might go beyond what humans presume. Since the spiritual realm is just as real as our physical, embodied existence, we have no right to make such presumptions. Nonliteral doesn’t mean not real. It often means more real than you imagined.

For example, there is a considerable debate over the nature of the Antichrist figure in the New Testament. Some say the Antichrist will be a man, perhaps the Devil incarnate. Others say that Antichrist is a symbol of evil. In both perspectives, believers’ suffering that ensues from the appearance of this man/evil is real. It would be dishonest for the “literal man” perspective to argue that the “symbol of evil” side wants to escape what the text says. Whatever the text means, the evil will be a clear and present danger.

Don’t embrace caricatures of interpretive approaches you don’t like or have little experience with. Find out what an approach...

Welcome to Day 1558 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomSmall Opportunities – Daily WisdomWelcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps; thanks for coming along on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Today is Day 1558 of our Trek, and it’s time for your daily snippet of wisdom, which includes an inspirational quote along with some wise words from Gramps for today’s trek. If you apply the words you hear today, over time, it will help you become healthy, wealthy, and wise as you continue your daily trek of life. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from Demosthenes, a Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens during the 4th century BC. It is: Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.

Small Opportunities

As with anything that turns out great, it starts with something small. Even in nature, this is true. The great and mighty oak trees that grow to be 50 or 100 feet in height and up to 10 feet in diameter begin with a single tiny acorn that can be crushed underfoot. A large, successful business enterprise begins with a germ of thought, then to a small tangible business, and then continues to grow and excel as it is nurtured. A successful marriage starts with nothing but love, hopes, and dreams but can then grow and flourish to bring a life full of happiness and contentment. So it is with the kingdom of God. It started with one man, Jesus Christ, who was also God in the flesh. He began with a handful of faithful disciples, and the Christian movement has spread throughout the entire world to every tribe and nation. We have yet to see what the kingdom of God will fully become, but it continues to increase and flourish, even under intense persecution in some parts of the world. Jesus used an example of the smallest of seeds and a pinch of yeast on how such a small item can impact its world to a great measure. So let me ask you, what small opportunities are you taking advantage of in all areas of life to significantly impact your world? Be a mustard seed or a pinch of yeast.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+13%3A31-33andversion=NLT (Matthew 13:31-33)

Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”

Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

As you ponder this nugget of wisdom for yourself, I would ask you to please 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 our past 1557 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 that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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

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

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving...

Welcome to Day 1557 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomA Day of Rest – Daily WisdomWelcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps; thanks for coming along on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Today is Day 1557 of our Trek, and it’s time for your daily snippet of wisdom, which includes an inspirational quote along with some wise words from Gramps for today’s trek. If you apply the words you hear today, over time, it will help you become healthy, wealthy, and wise as you continue your daily trek of life. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from Robert Schoen, and it is: Setting aside a day of rest is difficult. We are surrounded by too many things to do, too many places to go, and far too many distractions. What would it be like if we could ignore these distractions and spend an entire day every week with our family and friends, and our spiritual thoughts? An answer to this hypothetical question appears in the Talmud, which tells us that the world would be redeemed if everyone observed only two consecutive Sabbaths.

A Day of Rest

This quote does convict me, as I am sure it does for many of you. I do struggle to set aside an entire day per week to rest and relax. Even Sunday, when we do set aside time for worship and fellowship, the remainder of the day is usually filled with chores around the house, or work-related duties I am trying to catch up on. I understand in my heart that life would go on, and I would complete all that is needed in the other six days of the week. Still, my mind and inner drive seems to automatically take control to distract me from a day to rest, relax, and recharge my body, mind, and soul. Habits are difficult to break, even when they are socially acceptable as noble habits. Will you join me during this year to make a more conscious effort to set one day aside each week for rest? If we don’t purposely do so, then we will continue to fall into the routines in which we are comfortable. God set the example at creation in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%202%3A2andversion=NLT (Genesis 2:2). On the seventh day, God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.

Fortunately, we are not under the strict laws that God set for the Israelite nation in the first five books of the Old Testament referred to as the Talmud. The penalty for not observing the sabbath was severe. Even for the nation of Israel, the Sabbath rest found in the Law was pointing to both the rest, which would be found within the Promised Land, and our future rest in God. Today, our rest is to be found in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The book of Hebrews chapters 3 and 4 has the best description of the rest. Let me read Hebrews 4:6-11. So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted:

“Today when you hear his voice,

don’t harden your hearts.”[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+4%3A6-11andversion=NLT#fen-NLT-29982a (a)]

Now, if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest.

Welcome to Day 1556 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomHoly War – Worldview WednesdayWelcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps; thanks for coming along on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Today is Day 1556 of our Trek, and it is Worldview Wednesday. Creating a Biblical Worldview is essential to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical Worldview, you must have a proper understanding of God and His Word. This week, we will continue reviewing the book from Dr. Michael S Heiser titled “Supernatural.” The book is an abbreviated version of his more comprehensive book, “The Unseen Realm.” I highly recommend both of these books. Creating a Biblical Worldview based on how the Old and New Testaments connect with God’s overall plan for humanity is essential. This book review will help us understand what the Bible teaches about the unseen world, and why it matters.

Holy War

The Bible is a controversial book. People who don’t see it as the Word of God often object to what it says. But some parts of the Bible make even Christians uncomfortable. Israel’s war to conquer the Promised Land is a case in point. Why? Mostly because of the killing. It seems indiscriminate and far too thorough. Why was it necessary to kill entire populations in some cities—men, women, children, and even livestock? Why not let the inhabitants surrender? Wouldn’t it be better to exile them than to slaughter them?

There’s an answer to those objections—but I’ve discovered that the answer seems to make Christians as uncomfortable as the problem. You can only understand the rationale and motive of the conquest accounts when you see them through the supernatural worldview of an Israelite.

Israel’s Supernatural LogicThe battles for the Promised Land were framed by two factors, both deeply rooted in Israel’s understanding of their world as not only the abode of humankind but also the prize in an unseen spiritual war. We’ve talked about both of them already, but let’s review.

One factor is the fallout from the events at the Tower of Babel, when God decided, after the nations rebelled against him, that he no longer wanted a direct relationship with the people of those nations. Instead, he assigned members of his divine council, the sons of God, to govern them (Deuteronomy 4:19–20; 32:8–9). Afterward, he called Abraham and enabled him and his wife Sarah to have a child (Isaac), from whom the people of Israel would come.

We learned in Psalm 82 that these lesser gods became corrupt. They allowed injustice. People came to worship them instead of the Most High God. Thus, they became enemies of God and his people, Israel. Since some of those nations were within the land of Canaan, which God purposed to give to his nation Israel after the exodus, Moses and the Israelites believed the people who occupied those lands were their mortal enemies and their gods would do all they could to destroy Israel.

The second factor was even more frightening for the Israelites. It’s best explained by what happened when the Israelites arrived at the border of Canaan, the Promised Land.

Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan to report on the land and its inhabitants. The spies came back with evidence that the land itself was wonderful—it flows “with milk and honey”—just as God had told them (Numbers 13:27). But then ten of the spies dropped a bombshell in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+13%3A32-33andversion=NLT (Numbers 13:32-33): “So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the...

Welcome to Day 1555 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomBegin Again Every Day – Daily WisdomWelcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps. Thanks for coming along on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Today is Day 1555 of our Trek, and it's time for another snippet of wisdom, which includes an inspirational quote along with some wise words from Gramps for today’s trek. If you apply the words you hear today, over time, it will help you become healthy, wealthy, and wise as you continue your daily trek of life. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from C. S. Lewis, and it is: Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.

Begin Again Every Day

Our reliance on God is so fleeting. Some days when we have nowhere else to turn, we are forced to turn to God and rely on Him. On other days, we feel so self-reliant that we dismiss God entirely from our lives. In our hearts, we think that we are self-made when, in reality, we must come to the recognition that each breath that we take is a gift from God. Just like God’s mercies to us are afresh each day, so must our reliance on God be. As we rise each day, we must acknowledge that in view of eternity, our life is like the morning fog; it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. Until we have that type of mindset and reliance on God, we will continually struggle with each day of life with its ebbs and flows like the ocean tide. So let us today, and every day, rely solely on God, who by His divine power has given us everything we need for living a godly life.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+1%3A3-9andversion=NLT (2 Peter 1:3-9)

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

As you ponder this nugget of wisdom for yourself, 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 1554 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, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

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

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie...

Welcome to Day 1554 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomBible Study – Communication and Word Meanings – Meditation MondayWelcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps; thanks for coming along on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy Today is Day 1554 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 in prayer. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and making 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 continuing our series this week on Meditation Monday as we focus on Mastering Bible Study through a series of brief insights from Hebrew Scholar, Dr. Michael S. Heiser. Our current insights are focusing on accurately interpreting the Bible. Today let us meditate on:

Bible Study – Communication and Word Meanings· Insight Fifty-One: Most Passages in the Bible Don’t Have Three Points to Communicate

Here is what Dr. Heiser has to say about this insight. I’ll admit it. I’m taking a swipe at contemporary preaching. I’m in a grumpy mood. But it’s not just for personal satisfaction. It’ll illustrate something important for Bible study. Honest.

As a Bible college student, I can recall marveling at the preacher’s ability to produce three points from any biblical passage. It didn’t matter how short or long the passage was: three points. You could throw Zephaniah or Obadiah at them: three points. I’ve heard three-point sermons on one verse. In my freshman year of college, we were taught in a sermon prep class; every sermon must have three points and a poem.

As a young pastoral intern, we were required to preach for the pastors each week. I can recall casting aside passages in my Bible that I thought was fascinating or spiritually challenging because I wasn’t clever enough to break it down into three points. I didn’t see the inspired symmetry. Now I can see how ridiculous this was.

It dawned on me one day that the problem wasn’t me. It was the artificial nature of what I was trying to do. The goal of Bible study should be to grasp the meaning of the text. Serious study of the Bible should produce people who can trace the text’s argument or follow a theological breadcrumb trail through a book or section of the Bible. Working in a text means discerning its literary structure, intelligently created by the original authors to communicate to an audience that would have seen what they were doing.

If that sounds like work, it is. If you don’t think Bible study is work, you aren’t doing it. Serious Bible study requires spending time in the original text and learning the art of reading the Scripture as literature, because that’s what it is. Biblical writers did not work without agendas or strategies. Their work isn’t random. They were careful and deliberate about what they were writing. Inspiration isn’t a synonym for amateur hour.

If the goal of Bible study is grasping the meaning of the text, the goal of preaching ought to be communicating that meaning. All too often, what happens in the pulpit isn’t preaching the text— it’s talking about the text. Any Bible student who has occasion to communicate their discoveries to someone else needs to know those enterprises are not the same.

Welcome to Day 1553 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomPatience With Ourselves – Daily WisdomWelcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps; thanks for coming along on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Today is Day 1553 of our Trek, and it’s time for your daily snippet of wisdom, which includes an inspirational quote along with some wise words from Gramps for today’s trek. If you apply the words you hear today, over time, it will help you become healthy, wealthy, and wise as you continue your daily trek of life. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from Evelyn Underhill, and it is: Patience with ourselves is a duty for Christians and the only humility. For it means patience with a growing creature whom God has taken in hand and whose completion he will effect in his own time and way.

Patience With Ourselves

It happens so often; we become impatient and frustrated with others, because we are impatient and frustrated with ourselves. We need to realize that we are still imperfect in our current earthly state as an imager of God. We need to show patience with ourselves and others because we are a growing creature whom God has taken in His hands, and if we follow His Word and the precepts found therein, we will become more and more like Jesus Christ, who was a perfect imager of God. God is perfecting us in His own time and way, not according to our schedule. In this new year, we need to resolve to accept our shortcomings and the shortcomings of everyone we meet and interact with. God’s timing is perfect, and he is willing to accept our imperfections because He sees us as we are in Christ. When we do stumble and fail, which we will, we can still go boldly before God’s throne and receive mercy and find grace to help us when we need it most. Consider this also when you are frustrated and impatient with others.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%204%3A14%2D16andversion=NLT (Hebrews 4:14-16)

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

As you ponder this nugget of wisdom for yourself, I would ask you to please 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 our past 1552 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 that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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

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

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you on Monday for more daily wisdom!