Wisdom-Trek ©

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 874 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Pray This Way – Meditation Monday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 874 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. So often we try to live life on our own terms while God desires us to live on His terms. We can only know God’s way through His Word, including prayer. This is why Jesus’s disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. On our Meditation Monday, we will learn that Jesus teaches all of us to…

Pray This Way

Of all the things the disciples could have asked of Jesus, they asked to be taught how to pray. As we read Jesus’s words of how to pray, ask the Holy Spirit for fresh revelation, for how you can practically respond to His instruction.

Worship is the Alpha and the Omega of prayer as is found in Matthew 6:9 & 13, "Pray like this: 'Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.'"

Jesus taught the disciples and us that in prayer we are to pay homage to the reality that this is His kingdom.

God has control over everything, and He can and will answer our prayers. There is nothing impossible with God like Luke 1:37 reminds us, "For the word of God will never fail, For nothing is impossible with God."

Jesus continues his teaching in Matthew 6:10, "May your Kingdom come soon.  May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." He desires His kingdom to come. It is His will, His purpose. He has set before us a vision of a renewed community and people in unity. Jesus’s prayer reminds us that extending God’s kingdom is included in our decision to follow Him.

Matthew 6:11 says, "Give us today the food we need."

Can we live in this kind of simplicity and trust, like a little child? Can we be grateful for the food, regardless of how little or much that is set before us today? This is one place we repeatedly allow our peace and contentment to be stolen. We compare our provision to other people.

Matthew 6:12 reads, "and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us." To

be forgiven, you must forgive. You must live in forgiveness daily toward everyone: your spouse, friends, enemies, children, and most of all yourself. There is great freedom in forgiveness; it is the key to the kingdom—confessing our sins, seeking forgiveness, and forgiving others.

Christ instructs us to pray a very honest prayer in Matthew 6:13, "And don’t let us yield to temptation." As shocking as the thought may be, the Lord allows us to go through times of trials, testing, and temptation. The Lord desires to produce pure gold out of our lives. Also, far too many of us are not in a position to face the temptations of sin and attacks of the enemy when they come. For our protection, the Lord is able to chain up the roaring lion that seeks to tempt and destroy us. The Apostle Peter tells us in 2 Peter 2:9, "So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 873 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Kick Junk Food and Eat Healthy - Ask Gramps

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 873 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, this is not possible.

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

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

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This week we will continue our answer to last week’s question. Spring and summer gives us extra opportunities to get outside and exercise more, and there are many more opportunities to buy healthy locally grown produce. It is a great time to begin new habits of healthy eating and exercise. So our question for today is…

Hey Gramps, “I have a difficult time avoiding junk food. Even though I know I should make better food choices, I so often fall back into the habit of gorging myself with the food that is unhealthy and causes me to gain weight.  How can I change?”

Kick Junk Food and Eat Healthy

This is a somewhat complex question, so I split my response into two parts. Last week we explored why we crave junk food, and this week we will explore how to change your eating habits. Check out Wisdom-Trek.com/day-868 to listen to the first part of my answer. Like last week, I want to ask you a question before we dive in. Do you really desire to change? No amount of scientific proof or logic will cause you to change unless you accept responsibility for yourself and choose to change your eating habits.

The good news is that the research shows that the less junk food you eat, the less you crave it. My own experiences have mirrored this. Over the many years, as I have eaten healthier, I've noticed myself wanting pizza and candy and ice cream less and less. Some people refer to this transition period as “gene reprogramming.”

Whatever you want to call it, the lesson is the same…If you can find ways to gradually eat healthier, you'll start to experience the cravings for junk food less and less. I've never claimed to have all the answers (or any, really), but here are three strategies that might help.

1. Use the “outer ring” strategy and the “5 ingredient rule” to buy healthier food.

The best course of action is to avoid buying processed and packaged foods. If you don’t buy it when you are out and don’t have it in your home, you can’t eat it. Furthermore, if you don’t think about it, you can’t be lured by it.

We’ve talked about the power of junk food to pull you in and how memories of tasty food in the past can cause you to crave more of it in the future. Obviously, you can’t prevent yourself from ever thinking about junk food,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 872 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Head Hog – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 872 of our trek, and it's time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Humor Unplugged. Our Thursday podcast provides a short and clean funny story to help you lighten and live a rich and satisfying life.

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

The Head Hog

A church secretary, Margaret takes a call. The caller says, "This is Sam Smith from Tuscaloosa. Is the head hog at the trough there?"

Margaret says, "Please, Mr. Smith, do not refer to our pastor as the 'head hog at the trough.' That is very insulting."

Sam says, "Oh, I'm very sorry. I meant nothing by that. It's just a local phrase we use in the part of the country I come from. The real reason I called was to donate $50,000 to your building fund."

Margaret says, "Hold on. I see the 'Big Oinker' coming through the door right now."

As we conclude our story, let me leave you with a Thursday Thought, "I hope life isn't a big joke because I don’t get it."

King Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 8:15, "So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun." Make it a day full of cheer.

Sourced at www.mikeysFunnies.com

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

Just as you enjoy these nuggets of humor, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past 871 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on Apple Podcast or Google Play, so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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

As we take this trek together, let us always:

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 871 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Love Potion: Numbers 5 - Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 871 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. The past several months on Wednesday we have been focusing on interpreting current events through a Biblical worldview.

To establish a Biblical Worldview, it is important that you also have a proper understanding of God’s word. Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the Scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors. In order to help us all have a better understanding of God’s word, we are investing the next several months on Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser which he has compiled into a book titled I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Since the beginning of human history, people have been searching for a love potion. There is little verifiable proof that there are any secret potions. There is an odd potion found in the Old Testament, though, that seems a bit strange. In today’s essay, we want to look at Numbers 5 where God gave Moses the recipe for what we will call…

Love Potion: Numbers 5

When’s the last time you heard a sermon on Numbers 5:11-31?

One of the things that Dr. Heiser enjoys telling people in conversations about Bible study is that “If it's weird, it's probably important.” This passage certainly qualifies in both respects. The strangeness of the passage is easily detectable, but only careful Bible study makes its importance apparent.

Numbers 5:11-31 describes a water ritual to determine the guilt or innocence of a woman suspected of adultery. Let me read this passage so you will have a bit of understanding on this strange ritual. This section of Scripture is called…

· Protecting Marital Faithfulness

And the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.”

Suppose a man’s wife goes astray, and she is unfaithful to her husband and has sex with another man, but neither her husband nor anyone else knows about it. She has defiled herself, even though there was no witness and she was not caught in the act.  If her husband becomes jealous and is suspicious of his wife and needs to know whether or not she has defiled herself, the husband must bring his wife to the priest. He must also bring an offering of two quarts of barley flour to be presented on her behalf. Do not mix it with olive oil or frankincense, for it is a jealousy offering—an offering to prove whether or not she is guilty.

 The priest will then present her to stand trial before the Lord.  He must take some holy water in a clay jar and pour into it dust he has taken from the Tabernacle floor.  When the priest has presented the woman before the Lord, he must unbind her hair and place in her hands the offering of proof—the jealousy offering to determine whether her husband’s suspicions are justified. The priest will stand before her, holding the jar of bitter water that brings a curse to those who are guilty. The priest will then put the woman under oath and say to her, “If no other man has had sex with you, and you have not gone astray and defiled yourself while under your husband’s authority, may you be immune from the effects of this bitter water that brings on the curse. But if you have gone astray by being unfaithful to your husband, and have defiled yourself by having sex with another man.” 

At this point, the priest must put the woman under oath by saying, “May the people know that the Lord’s curse is upon you when he...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 870 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Nothing to Hide – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 870 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 Zig Ziglar, and it is,"With integrity, you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide."

Nothing to Hide

I find that so many people are fearful about life, relationships, poverty, decisions, and the future. When you live your life based on a bedrock of Biblically-based values, there is nothing to fear.

We do not need to fear relationships because God is always with us. We do not need to fear decision making because God has promised us wisdom, all we need to do is ask for it. We do not need to fear poverty because God owns a cattle on a thousand hills and had promised to always take care of us. We do not even need to fear death because to be absent from this body is to be present with God.

Have integrity in your life, but do not have fear. There is nothing hidden from God anyways, so live for Him! Let me leave you with two verses to ponder for today.Hebrews 4:13 - Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

Isaiah 41:10 - Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

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 869 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

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

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 869 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Great Helper – Meditation Monday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 869 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. We all need helpers in our life to come alongside us when we are weak and vulnerable. When Jesus took on humanity and lived among people, they came to rely on him. Since he was fully human, with a divine nature, his ability to help others was limited to his physical nature. There was no way Jesus could minister to all the people on earth. Because of this, when Jesus had completed his earthly ministry, he promised to send us a helper as his replacement. We will build on last Meditation Monday, and today the title of our meditation is…

 The Great Helper

Jesus’s ascension back to the Father was a wonderful blessing. The disciples would love to have His physical presence continuing with them – to see Him, minister, heal, cast out demons, teach, and preach. Jesus’s closest disciples were left behind as He ascended to the Father, so He told them not to believe that He was going to abandon them but instead send a helper for them. John 16:7 reads, "But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you."

Without Jesus’s ascension, His departure, the Holy Spirit wouldn't have come to their aid and the Helper wouldn't be available to aid you.

Jesus’s ascension meant that He would send the Holy Spirit to be His people's Helper, your Helper, and Advocate. The Spirit helps His disciples, including us, point others to the truth about Him. The Helper gives Christ followers strength to face their trials. The Helper works through us friends when they proclaim Him. The Helper convicts lost people of their sin, of their need for righteousness, and of their need to change because the world they trust, along with the powers of evil behind it has already been defeated. The Helper guides Jesus’s beloved disciples into the truth about Him through God’s Word.

The book of Acts shares Jesus’s story of grace with the whole world, regardless of ethnicity, but He told them to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, before beginning their mission. The Spirit's coming on the day of Pentecost ignited them on their mission with power as we read in Acts 2:1-4, "On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.  Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.  And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability."

All that Jesus promised them about the Helper came true as they lived out this mission. This little band of believers, propelled by the power and presence of the Helper, changed the world. Jesus has given us this same Helper, the Holy Spirit,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 868 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Why We Crave Junk Food - Ask Gramps

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 868 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series.

Each Friday we will ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy. As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time when we can Ask Gramps. Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason are unable to.

No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask our dad or gramps questions about life in many areas. We will address areas such as finances, relationships, health/fitness, business/work, home repairs/renovations, seasons of life, spiritual/Biblical questions, and any others areas that come our way. As your fellow sojourner and mentor on this trek that we call life, it is Gramps’s goal to provide you with practical wisdom and advice about any area of life. It is crucial that I receive a constant flow of questions, so please submit your questions to [email protected]. And Gramps will answer your questions on our Friday podcast.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. While any time of year we can fall prey to eating junk food, we are no less tempted during summer cookouts and family gatherings. Spring and summer give us extra opportunities to get outside and exercise more, and there are many more opportunities to buy healthy locally grown produce. It is a great time to begin new habits of healthy eating and exercise. So our question for today is…

Hey Gramps, “I have a difficult time avoiding junk food. Even though I know I should make better food choices, I so often fall back into the habit of gorging myself with the food that is unhealthy and causes me to gain weight. How can I change?”

Why We Crave Junk Food

This is a somewhat complex question, so I am going to split my response into two parts. This week we will explore why we crave junk food, and next week we will explore how to change your eating habits.

I want to ask you a question before we dive in. Do you really desire to change? No amount of scientific proof or logic will cause you to change unless you accept responsibility for yourself and choose to change your eating habits.

Most of us know that junk food is unhealthy. We know that poor nutrition is related to heart problems, high blood pressure, and a host of other health ailments. You might even know that studies show that eating junk food has been linked to increases in depression.

But if it's so bad for us, why do we keep doing it?

There is an answer, and it has much more to do than just your willpower. If you understand the scientific reasons why you crave junk food, then you can make a choice to also avoid it.

Much of this information comes from a report titled “Why Humans Like Junk Food” written by Steven Witherly, a food scientist. He explores the scientific reasons why junk food is so desirable to all of us. According to Witherly, when you eat tasty food, there are two factors which make the experience pleasurable.

First, there is the sensation of eating the food. This includes what it tastes like (salty, sweet, spicy, etc.), what it smells like, and how it feels in your mouth. This last quality, known as “orosensation,” can be particularly important. Food companies will invest millions of dollars to discover the most satisfying level of crunch in a potato chip.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 867 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

A Prepared Marriage – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 867 of our trek and time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Humor Unplugged. Our Thursday podcast will be a short and clean funny story to help you lighten up toward the end of each week - something to cheer you and provide a bit a levity in your life.

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

A Prepared Marriage

Two elderly women, Maggie and Sue, met for the first time since graduating from high school. Maggie asked Sue, "You were always so organized in school. Did you manage to live a well-planned life?"

"Yes," Sue said. "My first marriage was to a millionaire; after he died my second marriage was to an actor; unfortunately he died also, and my third marriage was to a preacher, and after his untimely death I am now married to an undertaker."

Maggie then asked Sue, "Oh my, with so much misfortune in your life, what do all those marriages have to do with a well-planned life?"

Well, Sue said, "One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go."

As we conclude our story, let me leave you with a Thursday’s Thought:

Each day I try to enjoy something from each of the four food groups: the bonbon group, the salty-snack group, the caffeine group, and the "whatever-the-thing-in-the-tinfoil-in-the-back-of-the-fridge-is" group.

King Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 9:7, "So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!"

Make it a day full of cheer.

Sourced at: www.mikeysFunnies.com

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

Just as you enjoy these nuggets of humor, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past 866 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on Apple Podcast or Google Play so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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

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 866 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

There's a Devil in the Details - Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 866 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. The past several months on Wednesday we have been focusing on interpreting current events through a Biblical worldview.

To establish a Biblical worldview, it is important that you also have a proper understanding of God’s Word. Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors. In order to help us all have a better understanding of God’s word, we are investing the next several months on Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser which he has compiled into a book titled I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. There is an old idiom which says, “The devil is in the details,” which means “The details of a plan, while seeming insignificant, may contain hidden problems that threaten its overall feasibility.” In today’s essay, we want to look at an Old Testament Jewish Holy Day where literally…

There’s a Devil in the Details

Yom Kippur, which is the Day of Atonement described in Leviticus 16, is a central element of the Jewish faith, even though it is not practiced today as it was in ancient times. Although many Christians have heard of the day, most would be startled to learn that a sinister figure lurks in the shadows of Leviticus 16.

The Day of Atonement ritual required a ram, a bull, and two goats. The ram was for a burnt offering intended to please God. The bull was taken “from the herd and served as a sin offering for Aaron, the high priest, and his family.” In this case, the sin offering restored the priest to ritual purity, allowing him to occupy sacred space and be near God's presence, which we reviewed last week.

Curiously though, two goats taken “from the congregation” were needed for the single sin offering for the people. Listen as I read Leviticus 16:3-5, “When Aaron enters the sanctuary area, he must follow these instructions fully. He must bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.  He must put on his linen tunic and the linen undergarments worn next to his body. He must tie the linen sash around his waist and put the linen turban on his head. These are sacred garments, so he must bathe himself in water before he puts them on. Aaron must take from the community of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.” Elsewhere the sin offering involved only one animal (e.g., Lev 4:1-12). So why two goats?

The high priest would cast lots over the two goats, with one chosen as a sacrifice “for the Lord.” The blood of that goat would purify the people. The second goat was not sacrificed or designated “for the Lord.” On the contrary, this goat, the one that symbolically carried the sins away from the camp of Israel into the wilderness, was “for Azazel.”

Leviticus 16:8-10 reads, "He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the Lord and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel.  Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by lot for the Lord.  The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by lot to be sent away, will be kept alive, standing before the Lord. When it is sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified and made right with the Lord."

The Hebrew term Azazel occurs four times in Leviticus 16 but nowhere else in the Bible.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 865 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

A Minor Lapse of Integrity – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 865 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 Tom Peters, and it is,"There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity."

A Minor Lapse of Integrity

We are all prone to occasionally make decisions that, in hindsight, are not wise, or are lacking prudence.  There is a stark difference between those decisions and decisions made based on our core values.

Our integrity is built on the bedrock of our values.  Our decisions, therefore, will always be in line with those bedrock values.  Decisions that result in Infidelity, theft, murder, lying, hate, and prejudice are all based on what we allow to harbor in your mind and heart.

For instance, infidelity is never a minor lapse of integrity but is a result of thoughts which we have allowed to permeate into our thinking process and which have corrupted our bedrock values on which our integrity is rooted.  To have never changing integrity we must have a firm foundation of values from which all decision making is based.

Instead of making excuses for a lack of integrity in your decision making, take responsibility for your decisions and actions and build a stronger moral foundation from which your integrity is based.  A life of integrity is a treasure that lasts through eternity.   Proverbs 2:7 reads, "He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity."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 864 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

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!