Wisdom-Trek ©

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 754 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Joseph - Trial by Faith – Meditation Monday

 

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 754 of our trek, and today we are transitioning our focus from mindshift to meditation.

So starting today, we will be calling our segment 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 a 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 your mind.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We are quickly approaching Christmas and then New Years. 2017 has been a challenging time for our family. Businesswise, we are battling the ever-changing fluctuations in the oil and construction sectors. Familywise, our world was shaken to its foundations when our granddaughter Hazel was diagnosed with Leukemia on April 15th.  Our lives and perspective of life will be forever changed. As Hazel goes through the treatment regimen that will last over two years, we are adapting to a life which is much different than we anticipated.

On July 8th, I fell from a ladder and broke my femur bone right below the ball socket of the hip. I am still recovering from that as I go through the healing process. The bone is healing well, but rebuilding the muscles and tendons through daily exercise is certainly more painful than exercising was before the fall.

Unexpected events and trials can certainly rock our world. As I reflect during this Christmas season, I realize that many of you go through trials and challenges too. Today in our Monday Meditation, let us consider such a trial from one of the key members in the story of Christ’s birth. Today let us reflect on…

Joseph – Trial by Faith

Most of us really dislike tests. I was not a stellar student in school, so tests brought a certain amount of stress although I certainly had some control over the outcome if I chose to. As we have experienced this year with Hazel and her numerous medical tests, these test results are completely out of our control.

As we have experienced and so have many of you, other tests are life tests. They have to do with tough times in your lives, times that are hard, painful, and discouraging. They may involve a time of illness, hardship, persecution, marriage problems, family upheaval, job difficulties, loneliness, grief, or a host of other painful experiences. Some tests are a result of the choices that we make, but many of these tests come because we live in a broken world.

Some periods of testing invade your lives because other people do evil things or make unwise choices. Sometimes, times of testing come because Satan wants to discourage you and lead you to doubt God’s love and grace. Sometimes testing comes because of your unwise or sinful choices. Bottom line: The fallout from times of testing can blow into your world and wreak havoc in your lives. Sometimes trials come because we are grasping for things to make us content instead of being content in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Hebrews 13:5 tells us, "Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, 'I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.'"

As we reflect on Christmas,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 753 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Seasons of Life - Ask Gramps

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 753 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time where we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason are unable to.

No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask Dad or Gramps questions about life in many areas. We 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], send me a message at the bottom of any page on wisdom-trek.com, or text me at 740.350.5732, and I will answer your questions on our Friday podcast.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Hazel’s blood counts rebounded enough this week, so she is back at Nationwide Children’s Hospital for her next set of treatments, which include an IV of chemo and steroids along with another lumbar puncture to administer another type of chemo.

This season of life as grandparents to Hazel has been somewhat challenging since we do not have any control over her battle with leukemia. It does bring us comfort that Nat and Elizabeth are completely engaged and are excellent parents to Hazel and her siblings as she goes through her regimen of treatments and the side effects of them.

As grandparents, we are able to engage by assisting with the other kids, their dogs, and other areas to help alleviate at least some of the surrounding details of life. As we consider our lives, just like the transition from fall to winter this month, many people struggle with preparing for and adapting to the various seasons in their life. So the question for today is:

Hey Gramps, “How can I adjust to the various seasons of life that we all go through so that I can have an even greater impact on others as I go through these times of transition?”

The Seasons of Life

Just like the world in which we live that is comprised of four distinct seasons but is actually transitioning on a daily basis, so is our lives. Our lives are made up of four progressively changing seasons. We have our childhood, which is the spring season of life where everything is new and fresh. Our young adult years are represented by summer and usually include getting married, having children, and beginning to build a career. The fall season of life is when the children start to leave home and is a time for the building of assets and settling into a pattern of life that may not be so rapidly changing and hectic. The winter season usually begins when we transition from a full-time career to a part-time vocation or hobbies and begin to enjoy life at a slightly slower pace, depending on the foundation we have built in the previous seasons.

As our culture changes and medical technology extends our lifespans so we can live a quality life much longer, these seasons are shifting based on our health and expected longevity of life. In the past 100 years, most working adults would consider “retiring” around...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 752 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Accept Yourself As You Are – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 752 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 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 the Maxwell Maltz, and it is, "Accept yourself as you are. Otherwise, you will never see opportunity. You will not feel free to move toward it; you will feel you are not deserving."

Accept Yourself As You Are

Yes, I realize that all of us have areas in our lives where we can improve, but we need to accept ourselves today with all of our warts, weaknesses, and flaws if we ever expect to take advantages of the opportunities that will allow us to improve. If we do not accept ourselves, others will not accept us either.

This is not an ego-driven self-love, but a realization that we are created by a loving and gracious God who loves us as we are today, not what we should be tomorrow.  God does not make any mistakes and you are created to be His image bearer and to not accept yourself is to not accept what God has created.

You must move confidently forward to reach your God-given potential in life.  Otherwise, you will languish in the cesspool of mediocrity. When you accept yourself for who you are today with the desire to reach your potential, then others will also accept you and the opportunities to grow will flow your way.Even the Apostle Paul who wrote many of the letters in the New Testament accepted himself with the realization that he was still fulfilling God’s calling to be a bearer of His image. In Philippians 3:13-14 he writes, "No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing. Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."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 751 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.

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

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 751 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Two Opposing Worldviews - Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 751 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. We continue this Wednesday to explore our trek of life through a Biblical Worldview. It is important as a Christ follower to interpret life through the lenses of a Biblical Worldview.

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. As more and more homes are decorated for Christmas, I enjoy looking at the beautiful homes. It reminds me that as part of my Biblical Worldview, we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world.

A biblical worldview begins with God in Genesis 1:1. A Biblical worldview is viewing the world, the beginning of the world, people in the world, the problems in the world, governments in the world, issues in the world, solutions for the problems in the world, and the future of the world – through God’s Word.

When you boil it all down there are only…

Two Opposing Worldviews

While there are really only two opposing worldviews, in today’s world, as it has been since the beginning of time, all of us have a mix of worldviews that make up our personal worldview.  The key for the Christ-follower is to continually refine your worldview to be more and more in alignment with God’s Word.  It is an unfortunate fact that many Christ-followers don’t know God’s Word well enough to have a strong Biblical Worldview.

A biblical worldview requires that you know what the Word of God teaches!

Everyone has a worldview whether they realize it or not. Your response to news about an abortion clinic is based on your worldview. Your response to school shootings is based on your worldview. Your response to evolution is based on your worldview. Your response to issues of sexuality is based on your worldview. Your response to issues of life and death is based on your worldview. Everyone has developed a "system of beliefs" and core values that they operate from. The goal is to be sure that this "system of beliefs" is based completely on the Word of God!

It is also an unfortunate fact that each of us mixes our own partiality based on our own weaknesses, biases, addictions, genetic makeup, and environment into our worldview.

This is even true of those who are in what we consider full-time ministries, such as pastors and priest. Even as Christ-followers if we do not have a good understanding of the entirety of God’s Word from the perspective of the authors and their culture, our worldview will be a hybrid between a humanistic worldview and a Biblical worldview. A pure Biblical worldview cannot be based upon any human system of beliefs and values.

The best way to define a worldview is "simply how you see the world." If you were to put on a pair of glasses that had "blue lenses" everything you see would be "blue." If you were to put on a pair of glasses that had "green lenses" everything you see would be "green.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 750 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Wisdom Without Love Is Foolishness – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 750 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 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 John Owen, and it is, "That wisdom which cannot teach me that God is love, shall ever pass for foolishness."

Wisdom Without Love is Foolishness

All true wisdom comes from God and God in His very essence is love. Therefore all wisdom will ultimately teach us about God and His love for us. To grow in wisdom is to grow in our understanding of God, and it is our responsibility to follow His commands which are given to in His Word.

To grow in our knowledge of God requires spiritual wisdom. As the Apostle Paul shared with the Christ-followers in Ephesians 1:16-18, "I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.  I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance."So as we grow in wisdom, we will also grow in our love for God and for others. This is such a profound truth that Jesus taught us that the entirety of the laws and prophets of God can be summed up in two commands in Mark 12:29-31 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord, our God, is the one and only Lord.  And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’  The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”Wisdom comes to you when you love God and love others.

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 our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past 749 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 for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you in 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

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 749 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Hope For The World – Mindshift Monday

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 749 of our trek, and it is time for our Mindshift Monday series. Wisdom-Trek’s primary focus is to assist you in creating your living legacy.

Creating your living legacy can only be accomplished by gaining wisdom in many areas of life. You can only gain wisdom by changing what you allow to go into your mind, which is a result of changing the way you think. In other words, to create your living legacy you must choose to be in a continual mode of mindshift.

It is easy to get stuck in a mindset that your current circumstances cannot be changed. This is not true, but you must understand this fundamental principle: In order to change your life, you must change how you think and what you think about. Our Mindshift Monday podcast and journal will be to provide you practical ways to make a mindshift to a rich and satisfying life. 

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. During this Christmas season, it brings a feeling of hope that regardless of the turmoil in the world that is accentuated by news media and social media that we can have peace.

Peace between countries and cultures. Peace between political parties. Peace within families. Most important is peace within ourselves. It is when we lose hope that we lose our peace. So today we want to have a mindshift as we explore…

Hope for the World

I read a story about a man who is going through very difficult times and had sought out the council of his pastor. His work was not going well. Some of his grown children had left the principles they were taught and not living as they should, and he was worried about that. The straw that finally drove him to seek council was that his wife decided to leave him. As he sat there talking with the pastor, he was slumped over in despair. It was his final sentence that was alarming when he said, “I have nothing to live for. I have lost all hope.”

The pastor shared with him that hope was the one thing he could not afford to lose. He could lose his business, his money, and even his family and still be able to rebound in life if he kept a glimmer of hope alive. It is the core that allows us to get up one more day and continue on, even when circumstances are dismal.

We can think of Abraham and Sarah who were well past childbearing age, and yet in Romans 4:18 we read, "Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!"

Campbell Morgan tells of a man whose shop burned during the disastrous Chicago fire that happened on October 8-10, 1871. A man whose shop burned completely down arrived at the ruins the next morning carrying a table. He set the table amid the charred debris, and above it, he placed this optimistic sign, “Everything was lost, except wife, children, and hope. Business will resume as usual tomorrow morning.”

Many people become bitter towards life because of the unfortunate circumstances in which they find themselves. Many quit. Others have taken their own lives. What is the difference in how a person reacts to the difficult situations of life? It certainly is not talent, ability, or intellect. The only difference between those who throw in the towel and quit and those who get back up one more time and keep going is found in the word “hope.”

Romans 5:3-5 shows us a better way, "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 748 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

What Is Your Calling? - Ask Gramps

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 748 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time 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 you 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], or send me a message at the bottom of any page on wisdom-trek.com or text me at 740.350.5732, and I will answer your questions on our Friday podcast.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. During this wonderful almost magical time of year where we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I tend to get wrapped up in the Christmas season.

As Christmas Day draws closer, it is more difficult to stay focused on work and other responsibilities that must be fulfilled. I would rather sit in front of a roaring fire, look at the Christmas tree, and reflect on the season.

There is a time for that, but it can’t be the entire month of December. You may find yourself having a difficult time enjoying your work or staying focused on your work most of the year. Many people do not like their work or job and have a difficult time staying focused and motivated to do good work. So the question for today is:

Hey Gramps, “How can I stay motivated and enjoy my work every day?  I find it so difficult to do so.”

What Is Your Calling?

First let me start out by saying that it is unrealistic to think that you will be overjoyed every day at work, no matter how much you love what you are doing. We all have days where we don’t feel well physically, mentally, or spiritually.

With that being understood, as with all of life, enjoyment first comes when we choose to enjoy our circumstance or situation regardless of how difficult it may be. Our happiness may be impacted on our current situation or happenstance, but deep abiding joy is grounded in the fact the God is in control of every situation, and He will provide us with the peace and joy needed to endure it.

Another, maybe even more crucial point, is the understanding that as a Christ-follower our work or occupation is our calling. This may be a stay at home parent (which is very honorable), a laborer, a business owner, a doctor, a lawyer, a pastor, or an executive in a worldwide company. Whatever God has called you to do for this season of life is your calling and purpose to advance His kingdom throughout the world. As long as your work is not immoral or illegal, no work should be considered unworthy of your best effort.

During the time that most of the New Testament was written within the Roman Empire, up to 50% of the population were either slaves or indentured servants. They had no choice of occupation,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 747 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Life Rushes On – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 747 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 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 the George Benjamin Curiel, and it is, “You get old too young, and wise too old.”

Life Rushes On

Life rushes by so quickly and the older you are, the faster the years seem to slip by.  When you are young, you have so many ambitions, dreams, and plans. As the years click off in rapid succession, you soon realize that you are not as young as you once were. With advances in medicines and technologies, our lifespans are being extended to well over 100 years.

So while life does rush by, you may have many more years of life where you can positively impact the lives of others. While our bodies may age more rapidly than we would like, we need to do all that we can to take care of them by eating right, exercising, and getting adequate sleep.

We need to take care of our minds by learning new information and remaining mentally active. We also need to take care of our soul by studying God’s Word and communing with Him in prayer. If we do these things, we will be less likely to get old too soon and wise too late in life. Seek wisdom as you take care of your body, mind, and soul. As we are told in Job 12:12-13.

Wisdom belongs to the aged,

and understanding to the old.

But true wisdom and power are found in God;

counsel and understanding are his.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 746 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.

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

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 746 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

6 Conflicts with a Biblical Worldview - Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 746 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. We continue this Wednesday to explore the trails through a Biblical worldview.

We have invested the past five Wednesdays plotting out what a Biblical worldview is, and why it is so important as a Christ follower to interpret life through the lenses of a Biblical worldview. We are now exploring current issues that impact our world and society and comparing them through the lens of a Biblical worldview, 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. 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. With the Thanksgiving holiday behind us and Christmas just before us, many people during this season will at least acknowledge Christ’s birth and participate in many Christmas events and traditions. It is a good thing to take time to pause and reflect during this time, but if it is not driven by a true Biblical Worldview, it will be short lived once the season is over.

In order to live as a Christ-follower all year long, your life must be based on a core set of beliefs that are in line with the precepts of the Bible, which is God’s Word. I realize that there have been a lot of misinterpretations, false teachings, perversions of passages, and abuse of the Bible over the centuries, but that is why it is so important to study God’s Word for yourself and learn from a wide spectrum of viewpoints. This is not an easy habit to establish, but its value is far greater than the world’s riches.

Before we drill down on particular issues that influence our lives in our modern cultures and society, we will explore…

6 Conflicts with a Biblical Worldview

Christ followers don’t have problems with the Biblical worldview, right? After all, it is the belief system that they should claim as their own.

The truth is, a very large percentage of self-identified Christ followers, many who are even active in church, have mixed other beliefs in with their Christian faith. Some of these other beliefs are overtly non-Biblical, such as a belief that the Bible is not the authoritative revelation of God, or that naturalistic evolution reflects the truth about human origins.

Other of these mixed in beliefs are of a different nature. Many who self-identify as Christ followers are, in fact, what could be referred to as cultural Christians. That is, they identify as Christians not because they believe and live out the teachings of the Bible, but because they were born in a “Christian family,” a “Christian country” such as America, or were baptized or confirmed when they were young.

A worldview is more than just an intellectual belief. Belief at a worldview level originates at a gut or unconscious level. Worldview beliefs are such that it is almost impossible to live in a way that is contrary to the tenets of those beliefs.

So, even though people may call themselves Christ followers, many of these same people don’t see any problem living a lifestyle or believing things which go against biblical teachings. Many will rationalize their lifestyle based on feelings or prevalent societal thought instead of understanding God’s Word. In other words,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 745 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Clever Answers or Wise Questions – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 745 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 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 Naguib Mahfouz, and it is, "You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions."

Clever Answers or Wise Questions

Is it better to be clever or wise? These are not mutually exclusive to be sure. To be clever is to be shrewd, astute, ingenious, crafty, cunning, or knowing. Each of these synonyms leaves us with a slightly different impression.

A person can be wise and clever.  Wise and shrewd.  Wise and ingenious.  To be clever without wisdom usually leads to arrogance and an inflated ego. A clever person likes to be thought of as wise, but many times their answers are often in the form of sarcasm, which can really hurt another person, which is not at all wise.

When I was younger and starting out my adult life as a business owner, I used to think I was quite witty with my answers, which were usually in the form of sarcasm. It took me many years before I gained enough wisdom to realize that I was hurting many people's feeling in the process.

The more wisdom I gained, the less clever and overtly sarcastic answers I provided to others. I realized to really help others, it is much better to ask probing questions so that I could really gain insight into the needs of others.

It certainly is best that we ask wise questions first before providing clever and shrewd answers that are filled with wisdom. The fact is Jesus commands us to be shrewd as we trek through this life building His kingdom as is He tells us in Matthew 10:16,  “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.”We are to be shrewd but never to the extent where it becomes harmful to others. To be shrewd is to be discerning, perceptive, sharp, and insightful as well as wise as we live in a world that needs the love of God shining through 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 our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past 744 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 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 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

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!