Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 798 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Perfect Marriage - Ask Gramps

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 798 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday we will ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time where we can “Ask Gramps.”  Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason are not able to.

No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask dad or gramps questions about life in many areas.  We will address areas such as finances, relationships, health/fitness, business/work, home repairs/renovations, seasons of life, spiritual/Biblical questions, and any others areas that come our way.

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

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Marriage is the first institution designed by God himself. It is designed to be both wonderful and beautiful, a picture of Christ and the church. It does have its challenges, though, as two independent lives are merged into one.

Over the years there have been both correct and incorrect teachings about what God’s design is so that marriage can flourish and grow. More specifically, what roles should the husband and wife fulfill to allow the marriage to be as harmonious as possible? Paula and I will be celebrating our 39th anniversary this August, and for the most part, we have an extremely wonderful and fulfilling relationship. So the question for today is…

Hey Gramps, “How can we structure our relationship so that our marriage is pleasant, fulfilling, and honoring to God?”

The Perfect Marriage

In today’s politically correct society, the God-designed picture of marriage has been tainted. This unfortunate scenario is not isolated to the secular world. Over the centuries, there have been many cases of abuse either condoned or at least tolerated within the church as well. This is not what God has designed for marriage.

When God, through Jesus Christ, dwelled among us, He broke many societal norms on what had become commonplace for a woman’s status both in society and in marriage. Over the centuries since, though, a husband and wife’s role and responsibility has not always been taught properly, even within the church.

As a foundation to the question today we will look at Ephesians 5:21-33.

And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.  As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.  He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.  In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 797 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

A Friend of God – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 797 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit 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 Rick Warren, and it is, "Every time you trust God's wisdom and do whatever he says, even when you don't understand it, you deepen your friendship with God."

A Friend of God

As a Christ follower, I believe all of us would like to be considered a friend of God.  When we accept Christ by faith as our atoning sacrifice for our sins, then we automatically become a friend of God, and that will never change. What does it take, though, to grow that friendship so that we are in close communion with God on a daily basis? That growth will happen over time as we put our faith into action. It is one thing to say we believe; it is quite another thing to show that belief through what we do for God.

We are not always privy to why God permits situations to impact our lives, especially if we consider them adverse. Sometimes we suffer because of choices we make, and we are living the consequences of those choices. Other times, God permits adversity into our lives to grow and mature us, or to allow others to grow and mature based on how we handle that adversity. We do have a prime example of this in the letter that James, the half-brother of Jesus wrote to 1st century Jewish Christ-followers in James 2:18-24.

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.”

You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.  Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.  And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.  So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged. If you enjoy these quotes, I have created and published a searchable database of over 10,000 quotes that I have collected for many years. If you would like free access to my database of inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.

Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past 796 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.

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:

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,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 796 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Sanctity of Life - Loving Yourself (1) - Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 796 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. We continue this Wednesday to explore our trek of interpreting life through a Biblical Worldview.

As a Christ follower, it is important to view all situations and events in life through the lens of the Bible. That is a view of the world that is aligned with what the Bible teaches us. We are exploring current issues that impact our world and society and comparing them through the lens of the Bible, instead of the lens of our society, culture, modern media, or social media.

I do not desire to tell you what to think, but to teach you how to think so that you may be able to filter current issues and events through your Biblical Worldview. I may explore opposing views and challenge you to think. You may not always agree with my view, and that is okay. I am open to any comments that you may have on the subjects that we explore.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. The past few weeks we discussed that a Biblical Worldview should incorporate within it the sanctity of all human life. My personal Biblical Worldview includes the strong conviction and belief that all life is precious regardless of whether it is an unborn child; someone who through advanced age, illness, or accident may be nearing the end of life; or are severely restricted in life.

One reason that modern society devalues life for certain segments of society is that we have a warped view of God’s love for us, our love for God, our love for others, and love for ourselves. A proper love for ourselves will include the realization that we were created to be bearers of God’s image. As a Christ follower, we must understand that our bodies are the dwelling place of His Holy Spirit. A proper love for self will include love and respect for others.

The entire #metoo movement stems from the fact that certain men and women don’t respect or love other persons, their bodies, or the sanctity of life. Because of this, they abuse others physically, emotionally, and mentally.

I recently came across a web interview in The Christian Post with Nancy Pearcey, a former agnostic who teaches at Houston Baptist University. Nancy recently published a book titled Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality. For this week and next, I will share some of the insights from this interview as it closely aligns with my Biblical Worldview on the core concept about the sanctity of life. If you would like an in-depth analysis of this topic, I recommend that you purchase Nancy Pearcey’s book I mentioned earlier.

So our topic today is…

The Sanctity of Life – Loving Yourself (1)

Arguably no subject divides Americans and most of the western world more passionately than what it means to be a human being, especially when it comes to sexuality, identity, and the body. What lies beneath the bitter cultural squabbles over physician-assisted suicide, abortion, same-sex marriage, and transgenderism is a secularist ideology that wages war against the human body.

Pearcey, who The Economist describes as “America's pre-eminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual,” stresses in the book's introduction, “We live in a moral wasteland where human beings are desperately seeking answers to hard questions about life and sexuality.”

But there is hope. In the wasteland, we can cultivate a garden. We can discover a Biblical Worldview of a reality-based morality that expresses a positive,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 795 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Effective Father & Mother – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 795 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little 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 Gordon McDonald, and it is, "All effective fathers learn the importance of a wise and flexible response to their children's calls for attention. No busy signals here. No 'hold' button."

The Effective Father and Mother

If a father or mother desires to effectively make a positive impact on their children, they will need to learn how to be both wise and flexible. Children are often very demanding, and it is not in their best interest to give in to their every whim and desire.

On the flip side of that, we should not withhold from our children the love and attention that they not only desire but need. There is a huge difference between giving our children what they desire and providing our children with what they need.

Although there is nothing wrong with providing material goods to our children, what they need most is to see us living our lives in both word and deed according to God’s precepts found in His Word. What our children need is our time and attention coupled with an abundance of unconditional love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and deep abiding joy. To be an effective father or mother, give to your children the gifts that are most precious and will impact them for all eternity.

Just as our children will ask us for things, Jesus taught us that we are to ask of God when we have needs and that He will provide us with what is best for our lives.

Matthew 7:7-11   "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

"You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past 794 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe to iTunes or Google play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

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

As we take this trek together, let us always:

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 Wisdom Wednesday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 794 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

God's Truth through Storytelling – Meditation Monday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 794 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy.

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

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This past weekend we had the privilege of celebrating our grandson Kip's 6th birthday. He wanted to have the party at The Big House so his local cousins could also attend. We are thrilled to see him growing both physically and spiritually.

As parents and grandparents, we make sure our children receive proper nutrients and clothing so they can flourish physically. In the same manner, we must be careful to nourish our children spiritually through our daily walk and weaving stories about God into all that we do as Deuteronomy 11:18-20 tells us, "So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Jesus often used stories to apply the truths of God to everyday life.

God’s Truth through Story Telling

Jesus loved to tell stories from everyday life and connect them to heavenly truths. There is a reason for that. You can remember stories better than you can remember abstract words. You see things in your everyday life that tie stories back into your conscious mind. You can repeat these stories to others. You can pass these stories down to your children and grandchildren. These recollections and the retelling of Jesus’s stories all help you feel and see the truths in His stories as well as know their spiritual messages when you most need them.

The narrative in today's verses is one of the most important stories that Jesus told. This story, or parable as they are referred to, has several different uses.

Jesus used it to challenge people to look into their hearts and see what kind of followers they really were. You need to know that you can choose how you hear what Jesus says. In the verses below, the concept of how people hear what Jesus says is presented in terms of how different types of soil receive seeds that are sown and then how the types of soil represent how different people receive Jesus’s teachings. Also, Jesus wants people to know that they actually choose which kind of soil they will be — they choose what kind of heart they have for His good news.

Jesus used this story to alert His disciples to the fate of many of those who follow Him. There are many people who at some point in their journey with Jesus are very excited about following Him. However, more than a few who start down the road of discipleship end up becoming distracted and are unfruitful. Some, regrettably, never even follow Jesus at all — they look up one day, and any interest they had in Him is gone!

Jesus is heartbroken when He sees people who lose interest, not bear up under trial,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 793 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Renovation and Remodeling on a Limited Budget - Ask Gramps - Ask Gramps

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 793 of our trek time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday we will ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time where we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason, are not able to.

No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask Dad or Gramps questions about life in many areas. We will address areas such as finances, relationships, health/fitness, business/work, home repairs/renovations, seasons of life, spiritual/Biblical questions, and any others areas that come our way.

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

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Our trip to assist Aunt Pauline has been delayed again since she still remains in rehab and does not have a discharge date yet. On the home front, we do hope to get started on the renovation of our bedroom this winter, but so far this year, we have either been traveling or have had family in every weekend. Our bedroom is the last room in the main part of the house which we have not renovated yet.

We do still have the third floor, which is a large open gathering room to renovate, and also the basement, but those are farther down our list. We are starting to come to the point where some of the rooms that we renovated early on are now in need for additional TLC, but nothing close to the initial work we completed. Living in the homestead that my great-grandparents built in 1903 is a blessing, but it also requires a lot of time and resources to maintain The Big House in good shape. So the question for today is…

Hey Gramps, “What is the best way to approach renovation or remolding of our house, considering that we are on a limited budget?”

Renovation & Remolding on a Limited Budget

When considering major renovation or remolding of your home, the first thing you need is a lot of patience, especially if you are on a limited budget. Here are some tangible suggestions that may make the process more enjoyable.

First, if you can do the renovations and remodeling without borrowing any funds, that is always the first thing to consider. You may have to delay some of the work as you save and sacrifice, but in the long term, it is a much better approach.

If the scope of the project is large, and it would be nearly impossible to save the money before beginning, then a general rule of thumb is to ask, “Will the value of your home increase more than the cost of the renovation/remodeling?”  If so or if the repairs are needed to keep your home safe, then you may consider using an equity line of credit based on the current value of your home.

The next step is to determine both the long-term and then the short term plans for your renovation/remodel. What is the scope of the overall project, and how can that be broken down into segments that you can complete on a timely basis and that fits within your current short-term budget. Make sure you are able to complete the entire segment,...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 792 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Wise and Cheerful– Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 792 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little 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 Michel de Montaigne, and it is, "The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness."

Wise and Cheerful

Do you consider yourself a cheerful person? A cheerful person is one who is full of joy and can share cheer with other people, even when their situation if less than ideal. It takes a wise person to understand this.

A person who is wise realizes that life doesn’t always go as planned and all of us face trials and tribulations of various degrees throughout our lives. A wise person also realizes that they can be cheerful in spite of the problems in life.

Being cheerful is a heart attitude. A wise person chooses to first act cheerful because it leads to being cheerful. As we are taught in Proverbs 15:30, "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health."

When you are cheerful it also leads to good health as we learn from Proverbs 17:22, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength."

A wise and cheerful person is also a loving and sharing person as Peter teaches us in 1 Peter 4:8-10, "Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another."That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged. If you enjoy these quotes, I have created and published a searchable database of over 10,000 quotes that I have collected for many years. If you would like free access to my database of inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.

As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past 791 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.

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:

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 Philosophy Friday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 791 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Euthanasia - When is it Right to End a Life? - Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 791 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. We continue this Wednesday to explore our trek of interpreting life through a Biblical Worldview.

As a Christ follower, it is important to view all situations and events in life through the lens of the Bible. That is a view of the world that is aligned with what the Bible teaches us. We are exploring current issues that impact our world and society and comparing them through the lens of the Bible, instead of the lens of our society, culture, modern media, or social media.

I do not desire to tell you what to think, but teach you how to think, so that you may be able to filter current issues and events through your Biblical Worldview. I may explore opposing views and challenge you to think. You may not always agree with my view, and that is okay. I am open to any comments that you may have on the subjects that we explore.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We are making tentative plans to travel to Ft. Myers next week to assist Aunt Pauline in the transition from the rehab center to assisted living. Although she is quite frail and 90 years old, we feel that it is important to assist her in any way possible so that her remaining years here on earth are as rich and satisfying as possible.

Our personal Biblical Worldview includes the strong conviction and belief that all life is precious regardless of whether it is an unborn child, or someone who through advanced age, illness or accident may be nearing the end of life, or is severely restricted in life.

Last week we considered what a Biblical Worldview is for a yet to be born child. Today we will consider the other end of the spectrum. There is a growing trend around the world to accept physician-assisted suicide, and as a Christ follower, we need to ask ourselves, what is a Biblical Worldview on euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide? So that we all understand the term: “euthanasia” and “physician-assisted suicide” refer to deliberate action taken with the intention of ending a life, in order to relieve persistent suffering.

A Biblical Worldview, at its core, is grounded in the fact that the Bible is God’s Word and contains all truth that God chose to reveal to us. Even with that understanding, I realize that there are many interpretations of parts of the Bible, and even the most learned Bible scholars and theologians will disagree. Let us take time to pause and consider how we should view this topic.

So our topic today is…

Euthanasia – When Is It Right To End a Life?

With the advancement of technology and medical knowledge, life can be extended much longer than at any time during history. So the question/dilemma which we now face is, at what point should a patient, family members, or doctor be permitted to end a life which could be extended through medication, surgery, or other measures? While it may appear to be some gray area on this subject, there is a distinct difference between an advance directive declaration and choosing to prematurely end your life.

Advance directives are legal documents that allow you to spell out your decisions about end-of-life care ahead of time. They give you a way to tell your wishes to family, friends, and health care professionals and to avoid confusion later on. The key here is that this only comes into effect during a life or death situation and if that person who is in that condition cannot communicate themselves what their wishes are.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 790 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Wisdom, Will & Work – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 790 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little 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 Condoleeza Rice, and it is, "Terror and tragedy have made us more aware of our vulnerabilities and mortality...We're living through a time of testing and consequence, and pray that our wisdom and will are equal to the work before us."

Wisdom, Will, & Work

What seems like terror and tragedy can strike us without warning. This can happen to us personally or as a nation. When it is personal, such as a serious illness, accident, a breakup, or the death of a close relationship can bring us to our knees with the realization that we certainly are vulnerable and mortal.

2017 was such a year for our family. With our granddaughter being diagnosed with leukemia along with me breaking my femur bone falling from a ladder, we were shaken to our core on how quickly our lives can change. Each of us face times of testing and consequences, and we must daily gain wisdom and the will to continue on.

Not only should we continue on, but constantly seek how to grow, learn, and mature as part of the process. We need the terrors and tragedies of life to hone and discipline us. When we do, we will have a similar affect on us that the Proverbs should have on our lives as is mention in Proverbs 1:3, "Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair."

And it is further mentioned in Proverbs 2:9, "Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go."So while none of us desire terror and tragedy on a personal, national, or global basis, we can allow those times of testing to strengthen and teach us. To allow us to grow in wisdom and will, so we will be prepared for the work that is before us.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. If you would like to listen to any of our past 789 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe to iTunes or Google play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

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

As we take this trek together, let us always:

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 Wisdom Wednesday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 789 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Choose the Correct Path – Meditation Monday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 789 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy.

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

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Our pair of Red Shouldered Hawks which have nested for the past few years in the large oak tree outside our office windows have returned and have started their annual repairs to their nest. It is so interesting to watch them diligently work preparing their nest for this year’s chicks.

They are very particular to choose just the right sticks and other materials to provide a comfortable and safe environment for their chicks. Today let us reflect on why it is important for us to be particular in choosing what paths we take in life so that we can live in a manner that is in alignment with God’s precepts and teachings found in His Word.

Choose the Correct Path

The Father is holy and wholly given to doing what is right, just, holy, gracious, and merciful. What about you? What is your consuming passion? Is it to honor the Father? Is it to obey His words and follow His example? Is it to be conformed to the righteous character and gracious compassion of God?

In all ages, even long before the instant age, we find ourselves inhabiting, many people wanted an instant and easy holiness. The evil one has long twisted the truth and deceived the gullible into taking shortcuts. God’s Word warns us about four deceptions and temptations that the devil will offer us in the name of religion:

The wide door and the easy path — the ones that suggest all religions are okay and equal — but that lead to destruction.

The sweet deceiving words of false prophets whose lives (their bad fruit) show they cannot be trusted.

Nice sounding religious words of praise and adoration that are disconnected from a life of obedience and end in shocking condemnation.

A religion that is quickly embraced, shallowly believed, and focused on appearances, but cannot stand the stress and strain of real life.

There is one path, one way, and one truth John 14:6, "Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.'"

Many in our world today don't like such talk. In fact, you may bristle at it yourself because you've had the easy way peddled to you by false prophets who talk a good religious game while living any way they want. Such talk is foolish. It's not new or innovative or post-modern; it's just the lie of the old deceiver who wants to steer you the wrong way so that when the floods of life come...well, he can be there for your destruction.

Don't be deceived. Follow God. Obey God. Trust God. Doing so may look narrow and hard, but Jesus promises you this in Matthew 11:28-30:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.