Wisdom-Trek ©

Welcome to Day 1552 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomThings That Matter – 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 1552 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 Martin Luther King, Jr., and it is: Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Things That Matter

Let me ask you, what things matter to you? Are you silent about the things that truly matter? With today’s social media frenzy and 24-hour news cycles, we see many people get very excited about whatever the current hot button for the day is, but do most of those things really matter? Can you even remember what the headlines of the day were a year ago, five years ago, or ten years ago? Probably not, and yet they seemed to be so crucial at the time. The things that truly matter are those things that endure over the decades and centuries. They are love, justice, and compassion for fellow humans throughout the world, not only in our little corner of the world. What matters is not empire building, but the continual establishment of God’s kingdom on earth. These are the things that we cannot remain silent. God’s kingdom, and our love for humankind, are of utmost importance, and these are not tied to any particular country or ethnic group but all humanity. It is such a simple concept, yet we seem to fall short of putting it into practice. The prophet Micah summed it up in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Micah%206%3A8andversion=NLT (Micah 6:8)

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

We try to complicate the issues, we get riled up, protest, and treat our fellow humans horribly about so many things that don’t matter for eternity, and yet we remain silent on the fundamental principles found in God’s Word. Jesus Christ taught us that all laws are summed up in two principles which are found in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A36-39andversion=NLT (Matthew 22:36-39): “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses? Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Let us not remain silent on things that matter.

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 1551 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...

Welcome to Day 1551 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomSacred Space – 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 1551 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 expand on the past course work as we 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.

Sacred Space

The Israelites spent over a year at Mount Sinai. Why so long? They had already entered into a covenant with God and received the Ten Commandments. But they still had a lot to learn. It was one thing to promise to believe in and be loyal to the God of their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was another to know what God expected and what he was like.

The Concept of HolinessMany of the Old Testament’s strange laws and practices are grounded in the need to teach people that God is unlike everything else. He is unique in his nature and character; he is entirely other than humanity and anything else. For Israel, that was a truth that had to be reinforced at all times. Otherwise, God might be thought of as ordinary.

The biblical word for the idea of God’s unique otherness is holiness. It means “to be set apart” or “to be distinct.” The concept isn’t necessarily about moral conduct‌—about the idea that we should behave a certain way to reflect God’s distinct moral standards—though that is included (Leviticus 19:2).

God wasn’t content to simply give Israelites an intellectual explanation of holiness. He wanted the concept of his otherness to permeate life in ancient Israel. The Bible tells us this was accomplished through rituals (symbolic acts) and by rules for approaching sacred areas.

How Is God “Other”?The short answer to this question is “in every way,” but that’s too abstract. The Bible is much more down-to-earth, and the rituals and rules for Israelite community living reflect that.

For example, the Bible teaches us that God was not only the source of Israel’s life—he was life. God is not of this earth, a place where there is death, disease, and imperfection. His realm is supernatural. Our realm is terrestrial. The earthly space he occupies is made sacred and otherworldly by his presence. The space we occupy is ordinary. God is the polar opposite of ordinary.

In ancient Israel, these ideas were conveyed by the fact that people had to be invited and purified to occupy the same space as God. Many laws in the Old Testament regulate this purifying.

Israelites could be disqualified (made “unclean”) from sacred space by various activities and conditions. Having sex, losing blood, certain physical handicaps, and touching a dead body (human or animal) all rendered an Israelite unclean. Israelites were forbidden from eating certain birds of prey that ate from dead animals (e.g., vultures, hawks; Leviticus 11:13–19) or animals that might be found on or inside a carcass (e.g., lizards, mice; Leviticus 11:24–40).

In these instances, uncleanness was not about morality but rather about association with loss of life and the incompatibility of that...

Welcome to Day 1550 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomReasons for Thankfulness – 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 1550 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 J. Robert Maskin, and it is: One of life's gifts is that each of us, no matter how tired and downtrodden, finds reasons for thankfulness.

Reasons for Thankfulness

As we approach the end of a year, which has been difficult for most of the world, I find that many have expressed how tired and downtrodden they feel. Even though Granny and my daily routine has not changed that much this year, we have become weary of it all. This year has been full of uncertainty, unrest, contested elections, illness of loved ones, aging parents in decline, and negative financial impact for many. So what should our mindset be at times like this? No matter how tired and downtrodden you may feel, the gift of life given to us by an all-loving God helps us find reasons for thankfulness each day. Yes, life is difficult, and many days it feels like we are building on shifting unstable sand. Regardless of the daily uncertainties, we can have confidence that beneath that shifting sand is a solid bedrock that is our foundation. God is our foundation, and He does not change like shifting shadows from day to day. He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.

Even though you may be going through a challenging year and looking forward to next year, realize that even in the most challenging situation, even when you are tired and downtrodden, you can and should always find reasons for thankfulness.

When we are tired we need rest. Rest in the following three verses.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%206%3A48andversion=NLT (Luke 6:48)

It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2013%3A8andversion=NLT (Hebrews 13:8)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

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 wisdom for 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 1549 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...

Welcome to Day 1549 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomBible Study – The Details and Context of Bible Interpretation – 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 1549 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 – The Details and Context of Bible Interpretation· Insight Forty-Nine: “Level of Detail” Is Not a Key to Bible Interpretation

I’ll have to explain this one. It’s a pet peeve of mine.

The ‘level of detail approach to interpretation is something that careless Bible teachers and even scholars use to justify certain “literal” interpretations of prophecy, whatever “literal” means. The more detailed an Old Testament prophecy (so we are told), the more it demands a literal fulfillment in the “end times.”

Really? Let’s think about that logic.

More detail in a prophecy = literal interpretation. If so, what does that mean for prophecies that have less detail? Should we presume their fulfillment is nonliteral? The truth is that the amount of words or the length of a prophecy is no indication of how it should be interpreted.

For example, the prophet Ezekiel uses nine chapters (40-48) to envision a future, idealized temple that would replace the recently destroyed Jerusalem temple. The densely detailed description is often used to justify the interpretation that the vision requires a literal fulfillment— that Ezekiel’s vision is the blueprint for a structure that will someday be built in Jerusalem. Other interpreters point out that the level of detail omits items that are crucial to a functioning temple. The prophecy is almost entirely devoid of height dimensions, an odd omission if these were building plans. Essential furnishings found in the earlier temple and the tabernacle, such as the ark of the covenant and the golden lampstand, are missing from Ezekiel’s description. There are no lavers for priests to wash themselves. There is no wall around the inner court and no roof to any part of the envisioned temple, which are both essential to preserve the sanctity of the sacred space. While nine chapters offer a significant amount of detail, these omissions would produce an incomplete, nonfunctional building. Detail alone cannot justify literal interpretation.

Alternatively, prophecies of little more than one line were certainly envisioning a literal event. But that often didn’t matter. They were still difficult. Even after the resurrection, the disciples had trouble processing what had just happened and what it meant (Luke 24:36-49). The risen Jesus had to ‘‘open their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). The Gospels were written in hindsight, and only in hindsight could the...

Welcome to Day 1548 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomLoving Those Who Annoy Us – 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 1547 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 Hannah Whitall Smith, and it is: Nothing else but seeing God in everything can make us loving and patient with those who annoy us. When we realize that they are only the instruments for accomplishing His purpose in our lives, we will actually be able to thank them [inwardly] for the blessings they bring us.

Loving Those Who Annoy Us

Are there people in your life that just tend to annoy you and rub you the wrong way? I know this has been true in my life at times. How should we deal with those people? We need to understand a couple of fundamental truths. First and foremost, we must realize that every person is an imager of God. If we are also to image God, then we must practice God's attributes, which show love and patience to all persons, even if they are annoying, and don’t reciprocate love and patience to us. I realize that fully imaging God requires that a person accepts through believing loyalty God's salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not up to us to make that determination. Just as God accepted us ‘while we were still sinners,’ so must we accept others. The second truth that we need to grasp is that God may use those very persons who annoy us to refine and perfect us. We must show love and patience to all, those who are easy to love and those who are not easy to love. Although we may not express it verbally to those who annoy us, we should internally thank them and God for their blessings, allowing us to show love and patience even when we may not feel like it.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+1%3A5-8andversion=NLT (2 Peter 1:5-8)

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.

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 1547 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...

Welcome to Day 1547 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomMoney is Useful and Useless – 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 1547 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 Rick Warren, and it is: Money is a useful servant but a useless god. If you don’t manage money, it manages you.

Money Is Useful And Useless

Money, we all desire it, but how much is enough? This question has been our dilemma since the beginning of commerce. In and of itself, money is neither good nor bad. Yes, for all practical purposes, it is a necessity to live in today's world, but it does not bring happiness, peace, or contentment. We work so hard to obtain it, but would give it all up in an instant for one more breath of life for ourselves or our loved ones. It all boils down to whether you manage your money effectively, or if you allow it to manage you. Many times we will enable it to control us. We buy things that we don’t need. The more that you own, the more those very things own you. Some examples of this are buying a home, land, a car, or a boat, that we cannot comfortably afford. We then have to work more just to maintain that lifestyle.

Money can be a useful servant that will enable us to further God’s kingdom here on earth, but it makes a useless god if it controls us. We have to understand that God owns and retains all that we have. At best, we are caretakers of the things that He has allowed us to manage. Once we die, we take nothing with us, and it passes onto someone else to be the caretaker. This understanding is more of a reality for Granny and me, as we own the generational home and land everyone in the family refers to as ‘The Big House’ which my great-grandparents built in 1903. We realize that while we are responsible for maintaining the home and having the privilege of living in it, we are but caretakers for the family and God. So it should be with all that we have. When you have this mindset, then money no longer controls us, but we are responsible for managing all that God has given us to care for.

Here is our verse for today:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%206%3A17andversion=NLT (1 Timothy 6:17)

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.

As you ponder this nugget of 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 1546 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...

Welcome to Day 1546 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomRules of Engagement – 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 1545 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 expand on the past course work as we 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.

Rules of Engagement

So far, we have covered the first six chapters and Supernatural. Here is what we covered during the past six Worldview Wednesdays: God cast aside the nations and their peoples at Babel. The lesser gods assigned to them took dominion (Deuteronomy 32:8–9). When God started over with Abraham, it was clear that he planned to one day reclaim the nations through the influence of Israel (Genesis 12:3). But the gods of the nations would have to be forced to surrender their power and worship (Psalm 82:6–8). That meant conflict—in both the seen and unseen realms. As soon as there was an Israel, she was in the crosshairs of the lesser gods.

Who Is Yahweh?It doesn’t take long in the biblical story for Israel to wind up in a precarious position. The story of Joseph (Genesis 37–50) explains why Israel went to Egypt. God’s providence turned the harm intended Joseph by his brothers to the salvation of Israel from famine (Genesis 46:3–4; 50:20). That God didn’t tell Israel to leave Egypt right away was also intentional. God knew the Pharaoh who honored Joseph would die and be replaced by an enemy (Exodus 1). He had foreseen that Egypt would put the Israelites into forced labor (Genesis 15:13–16). He also knew he would rescue Israel when the time was right (Genesis 46:4).

But why wait? God always has a good reason for suffering. We just can’t always see it. In this case, though, Scripture makes it clear. After Moses had fled Egypt and taken up residence in the wilderness, God called him at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1–14) to send him back to Egypt. His orders were simple: tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go” (Exodus 5:1). Pharaoh had other ideas. He was god in the flesh in Egypt, the emblem of all its glory and power. He wasn’t going to let some invisible God of Hebrew shepherds tell him what to do. He didn’t even know whether the God of Moses was real. He mockingly replied, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2).

He was about to get an answer—one that would hurt. God had set him up. God had told Moses, “I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go” (Exodus 4:21). God had a fight to pick. After they had oppressed the Israelites for centuries, it was time for Egypt and its gods to be punished. Pharaoh’s hardening was part of that plot. The Bible tells us the plagues were aimed at Egypt’s gods—especially the last one, the death of the firstborn. (Exodus 12:12; Numbers 33:4), This final plague turned out to be a direct assault on Pharaoh’s house. Here is the description in Exodus 12:29, “At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of...

Welcome to Day 1545 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomLosers Yearn While Winners Learn – Wisdom UnpluggedWelcome 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 1545 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 Unknown, and it is: Losers yearn for the past and get stuck in it. Winners learn from the past and let go of it.

Losers Yearn While Winners Learn

We all have a past, but we cannot live there. It is your choice to determine if you look back on your past, thinking that they are the ‘good old days’ that you wish to return to, or if you will learn the lessons from the past. The past can teach us many things, but you cannot continue to live there, it is gone. We must learn the lessons, both the good experiences and those which were devastating. If you don’t learn from the past lessons but continue to yearn for that time, there is no way to move forward. You will be forever quagmired in a time which will never return. In that situation, you are losing twice. You have not learned from the past, and you are paralyzed because you are not moving forward. Instead of always looking back and wishing, learn the lessons that those experiences have taught you and look forward with hope and expectancy to a much better and brighter future. So today, make your choice, are you going to yearn or learn? It is your choice.

The wisest person who ever lived, King Solomon, taught us this lesson,

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2019%3A25andversion=NLT (Proverbs 19:25)

If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson; if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.

In the later years of his life, he also tells us in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%207%3A10andversion=NLT (Ecclesiastes 7:10)

Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise.

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. Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.'

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1544 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 Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,' and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for Worldview Wednesday!

Welcome to Day 1544 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomBible Study – "Literal" Interpretations and "Meanings" of Original Language – Meditation MondayWisdom - 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, 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 1544 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 – “Literal” Interpretation and “Meaning” of Original Language· Insight Forty-Seven: What is meant by “Literal” Interpretation of the Bible Needs Interpretation

Many readers have heard the old argument in defense of literal Bible interpretation: “When the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense. It’s pithy. If you don’t overthink it, it might even sound like it makes sense. It’s not very helpful.

Consider the word “water. What does it “literally” mean? What exactly is its “plain sense”? Here are a few possibilities:

Noun:

H20 (chemical compound)

Body of water (“Look at all that water.”)

Ocean

Sea

Lake

Pond

River

Stream

Creek

Inlet

Liquid drink (“I’d like some water.”)

Hydration supply (“They turned off the water.”)

Verb:

Irrigate (“Water the fields.”)

Provide hydration (“He watered the cattle.”)

Saliva (“My mouth watered.”)

Tearing up (“His eyes watered.”)

Which one of these is the plainest of the plain? That’s the point. They’re all plain. What distinguishes them is context. Things get even more interesting when you move into metaphorical meanings for water, which can be exactly what context requires. “Water” can speak of a life source, purification, transformation, motion, or danger. The metaphors work because of the “literal’ characteristics of water.

Biblical writers used words loaded with symbolic, abstract meanings that were well known in their culture. We miss all that when we insist words must mean what pops into our heads in our time and culture. We ought to be trying to discern what the biblical writers and their original readers were thinking, not what we’re thinking. What the “plain sense” is to us may not have been at all plain to them.

· Insight Forty-Eight: The Meaning of an Original Language Word Is Not Determined by the Sound of That Word in a Different Language

I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering how in the world anyone could believe that the title of this section could be true. I agree; the idea is genuinely bizarre. That’s why it’s so disturbing when you encounter people who think they’re “digging into the Word’’ by interpreting Scripture that way.

I’ll start with a typical example many readers will (sadly) have heard. Ezekiel 38:2-3 refer to a figure known as “Gog, chief prince of Meshech and...

Welcome to Day 1543 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomThe Robots Are Coming – Ask GrampsWisdom - 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, 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. Today is Day 1543 of our Trek, and our focus on Fridays is the future technological and societal advances, so we call it Futuristic Fridays. My personality is one that has always been very future-oriented. Since my childhood, I have yearned for the exploration and discovery of new technologies and advancements for the future. I grew up with the original Star Trek series, and even today, as I am now on my 65th revolution around the sun, I still dream of traveling in space. Each week we will explore rapidly converging technologies and advancements, which will radically change our lives. At times, the topics may sound like something out of a science fiction novel, but each area that we explore is already well on its way of becoming a reality over the next couple of decades.

To keep with our theme of “Ask Gramps,” I will put our weekly topics in the form of a question to get us on track. This week’s question is - “Hey Gramps, there has been robotics used in factories for years helping to streamline manufacturing. How soon will robotics be a major impact in the retail sector?”

The Robots Are Coming!

For our episode today, I am using some information from Peter Diamandis’s blog and newly released book “The Future is Faster Than You Think.”

The robots are coming! On our sidewalks, in our skies, in our every store… Over the next decade, robots will enter the mainstream of retail. The numbers back it up: in the last eight years, the global retail robotics market is projected to grow by order of magnitude, from $4.78 billion in 2018 to $41.67 billion in 2026.

As countless robots work behind the scenes to stock shelves, serve customers, and deliver products to our doorstep, the speed of retail will continue to increase. These changes were already underway, and the pandemic has accelerated them.

Let’s dive in...

Robot DeliveryOn August 3rd, 2016, Domino’s Pizza introduced the Domino’s Robotic Unit, or “DRU” for short. The first home delivery pizza robot, the DRU looks like a cross between R2-D2 and an oversized microwave.

LIDAR and GPS sensors help it navigate, while temperature sensors keep hot food hot and cold food cold. Now called “DOM” (which is also the name of Domino’s chatbot for placing orders), the robot has been undergoing trial runs in ten countries, including New Zealand, France, and Germany. The August 2016 debut was critical, as it was the first time we’d seen robotic home delivery. It won’t be the last. A dozen or so different delivery bots are fast entering the market.

Starship Technologies, for instance, a startup created by Skype founders Janus Friis and Ahti Heinla, has a general-purpose home delivery robot. Right now, the system is an array of cameras and GPS sensors. Still, upcoming models will include microphones, speakers, and even the ability to communicate with customers via AI-driven natural language processing. Since 2016, Starship has already carried out 500,000 deliveries across more than 20 countries.

Along similar lines, Nuro—co-founded by Jiajun Zhu, one of the engineers who helped develop Google’s self-driving car—has a miniature self-driving car of its own. Half the sedan’s size, the Nuro looks like a toaster on wheels, except with a mission. This toaster was designed to carry cargo—originally about 12 bags of groceries — which it has been doing for...