Wisdom-Trek ©

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 744 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Formula for Overcoming Discouragement – Mindshift Monday

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 744 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 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. I trust that you had a blessed Thanksgiving weekend. We have much to be thankful for.

Since we celebrated Thanksgiving with family the Saturday before, the weekend allowed us to get all of the leaves picked up, blow off the roofs, and clean out all of the gutters. We were also able to plant 12 flowering saplings that should have time to take root before winter sets in. It was a very productive weekend.

Our granddaughter Hazel had to receive a unit of blood on two occasions this past week, as the most recent round of chemo has depleted her blood counts. It will still take a couple of weeks before she is able to rebound on her own. This was expected, but still difficult to see her go through. If you would like to follow her blog written by her father Nat, go to basilforhazel.org. Watching Hazel go through her treatment regimen can cause discouragement since there is little that we can do to help her. So today we want to have a mindshift as we analyze…

The Formula for Overcoming Discouragement

Discouragement has the following effect on our lives:

Keeps us from becoming what God intends for us

Hides the beauties of life from our lives

Smothers our ambitions

Causes us to gravitate into the crowd of losers

Causes our light to flicker when it should be shining brightly for Jesus

Causes us to identify with failure

Causes doubts to control our actions

Freezes our creative minds

Paralyzes our faith

Magnifies our problems

Stifles our influence on others

Forces us into becoming introverted

Clouds our vision

Dashes our dreams

Discouragement is a terrible hindrance to effective living. It is Satan’s most effective tool, for it causes people to throw up their hands and quit. Although it is impossible to live in an atmosphere totally divorced from discouragement, there are a few positive steps that will help us to have a mindshift and be victorious when discouragement surrounds us. Here is the Formula for Overcoming Discouragement:

Add up all the successes of the past. Too many times when we are discouraged, we forget our past victories. Discouragement has a tendency to make us wallow in negative thinking until we think only of failure. You may say to yourself, “I’m no good,” or “I’m always making mistakes,” or “Why can’t I ever do anything right?” You need to stop dwelling in the dark of negativism. Allow the light of past victories to shine into your dungeon of discouragement.

Subtract all of your discouraging influences.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 743 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Wisdom of Credit Cards - Ask Gramps

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 743 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 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 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. As we now enter the holiday season of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, many people in the western countries will be faced with the choice of how much they should spend on gifts for family and friends.

Most of us are tempted to spend more than we really should. The unfortunate reality is that many people also make these purchases with credit cards when they have no plan or idea of how they will afford those same purchases. So the question for today is:

“Hey Gramps, ‘Is it wise to use credit cards, or do you advise not using them at all?’”

The Wisdom of Credit Cards

This is a tough question because there are no clear-cut answers. Some financial advisers, such as Dave Ramsey, teach that you should never use credit cards, and I understand why he teaches that. Many people do not have the financial discipline to use them prudently and effectively.

So my answer is, it depends. If you know that you are not disciplined financially, I would strongly suggest not using credit cards at all. They make it too easy to get trapped into the never-ending cycle of mounting debt, which can shackle you into the prison of financial bondage and limit the choices that you can make. When you are shackled financially, you are not be able to take advantages of wise choices and investments. You will be ever chained to a life of mediocrity with limited paths to free yourself. You will become a slave to the lender, or in this case, the loan sharks which we nicely refer to as credit card companies.

Uncontrolled credit card debt has destroyed marriages, uprooted families, and has caused untold misery to millions of people. As we are told in Proverbs 22:7, "Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender."

The sad part of this situation is that most credit card purchases are for things you don’t really need to impress people you don’t really like. When you are on a tight budget, it is nearly impossible to climb out of the abyss of credit card debt unless you are fully committed to making the sacrifices that are needed.

With that being said, you probably think that Gramps is completely against any use of credit cards, but that is not true. In fact, using credit cards prudently and wisely can actually m...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 742 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Live a Life of Thanksgiving – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 742 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 President John F. Kennedy, and it is, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

Live a Life of Thanksgiving

As we celebrate this special day of Thanksgiving in the United States, let us consider the words to this quote of gratitude. Being thankful is good. It is even better to express thankfulness to others. It is great when we are able to go beyond that and actively practice the spirit of Thanksgiving by living and showing others in tangible ways through actions that you are truly thankful for them.

Let us make it a habit to live a life of thanksgiving and gratitude by encouraging and helping others with acts of kindness. Let us express in word and in deed all that we are thankful for. There are so many people and situations that we can be thankful for. Let us show them.

Our first and foremost thanksgiving should be to God, the maker of heaven and earth.  The One who made us and gives us each breath that we breathe. The one who sent His Son to die on the cross so we might have life eternal.

As King David tells us in Psalm 100:4, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name."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 736 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 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 on Monday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 741 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Particular Applications of a Biblical Worldview - Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 741 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. We continue this Wednesday to explore new trails on how to gain wisdom through a Biblical worldview. The first few weeks we are 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.

Once we lay the foundation, we will then look at current issues that impact our world and society and explore 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. This week of Thanksgiving in the United States is a time for reflection and thankfulness of the freedom that we have. Freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom to work hard and prosper.

As Christ followers, this freedom allows us to explore and discuss why we view our world through the lens of a Biblical Worldview. We should be thankful and never take it for granted.

Last week on our Wisdom Wednesday we explored the General Implications of a Biblical Worldview, and today we will conclude our introduction with just some highlights of what we will be exploring in the coming weeks. If you missed listening to the last four Wisdom Wednesdays, it would be good to go back to understand the foundation of a Biblical worldview. Today we will explore…

Particular Applications of a Biblical Worldview

While many examples could be offered, here are six particular applications where a Biblical worldview provides a difference in perspective:

Technology—Technology can become either an instrument through which we fulfill our role as God’s stewards or an object of worship that will eventually rule us. A Biblical worldview provides balance and insight for understanding this crucial aspect of twenty-first-century life.

Sexuality and Marriage—Sexuality has become a major topic for those entering the third millennium. Much confusion exists among Christians and non-Christians. Sexuality is good in the covenant relationship of mutual self-giving marriage. Sexual intimacy, separated from covenant marriage, in heterosexual or homosexual relations is sinful and has a distorted meaning, a self-serving purpose and negative consequences for the Christ follower.

The Environment—Environmental stewardship means we have a responsibility to the nonhuman aspects of God’s creation. Since God’s plan of redemption includes his earthly creation, as well as human (as is listed in Romans 8:18–27), we should do all we can to live in it carefully and lovingly.

The Arts and Recreation—The arts and recreation are understood as legitimate and important parts of human creativity and community. They express what it means to be created as God’s image bearers. We need to develop critical skills of analysis and evaluation so that we are informed, intentional, and reflective about what we create, see, and do.

Science and Faith—For almost two centuries science has been at the forefront of our modern world. We must explore how we see scientific issues from the vantage point of a Biblical worldview. An understanding of God includes the knowledge we gain thr...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 740 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Be Thankful for What You Already Have – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 740 of our trek, and it is time for our 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 Jim Rohn, and it is, "There is no better opportunity to receive more than to be thankful for what you already have. Thanksgiving opens the windows of opportunity for ideas to flow your way."

Be Thankful for What You Already Have

We all tend to desire that which we do not have, whether we already have little or much. The only path to true joy and happiness in life is to be thankful for what we already have.

When we practice this mindset of thankfulness, then opportunities will open up to receive even more. When we are ungrateful for that which we already have, then we will not have the opportunities to receive more. In fact when you are unthankful, then that which you already have will be diminished.

Even during hard times and times of scarcity, we must possess a heart of thankfulness, and proclaim that thankfulness to others. As the Apostle, Paul instructed us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."In one of His parables, Jesus taught us the principle that God expects us to follow, which is to be thankful for all that He has given us regardless of whether it is a lot or a little. If we practice thankfulness in all circumstances, then more will be given to us.  Jesus says in the parable in Matthew 25:29, "To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away."Let us be thankful for all that we have and in every circumstance.

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 739 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

I am 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 739 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Power of a Thankful Heart – Mindshift Monday

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 739 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. This past weekend we celebrated an early Thanksgiving and a belated 87th birthday for my Dad with four of my nine siblings and other family members. We had a total of 23 people here in all. It certainly was not what we consider a large family gathering, but one of great joy, celebration, and thankfulness. Since this week we do observe Thanksgiving in the United States, today our mindshift is to consider…

The Power of a Thankful Heart

The Apostle Paul encourages us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

It is not always easy to give thanks, but this is the very thing we must do in order to see God's will accomplished in our lives. This is how we move into higher realms of faith for ourselves, our city, our nation, and indeed for the Kingdom of God.

Thanksgiving has great power to bring joy and break the power of the enemy. Whenever you give thanks to God despite the most difficult circumstances, the enemy loses a big battle in your life. When you give thanks in the midst of difficulty, you bring pleasure to God's heart. He is looking for Christ-followers who live in a realm of praise and thanksgiving where the enemy no longer has an ability to hold or manipulate that person. Satan is defeated when we have a thankful heart because thankfulness during difficulty is a sacrifice pleasing to God.Are you thankful? Are you thankful for your present circumstances? Are you thankful for your salvation, your friendships, your job? Thankfulness is a key to your life. It is the key that turns your situation around because it changes you, your outlook, and your attitude. There is power in a thankful heart.

· Thanksgiving Brings Contentment

Begin to thank God for all the blessings he has given you instead of dwelling on the negative. Discontentment dries up the soul. Consider what missionary Elizabeth Elliott, who lost her husband on the mission field and has faced multitudes of hardships, says about loving God's will and being content, "To love God is to love His will. It is to wait quietly for life to be measured by one who knows us through and through. It is to be content with His timing and His wise apportionment. It is to follow in the steps of the Master, as did Paul, who was able to say that he had learned contentment no matter what the circumstances. His circumstances when he wrote that? Prison. No easy lesson, but great gain which is the sum of godliness plus contentment.” I Timothy 6:6 - Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.Look at the example of Jesus.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 738 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Value of Relationships - Ask Gramps

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 738 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 when we can "Ask Gramps." Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason, you 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], 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. This past week I was in Arizona working on our construction project. It was a very busy, productive week, and we were able to lay out the "Schedule of Values" for the entirety of Phase II.

I am sure that we will have some modifications and adjustments, but we made very good progress. Just like we create a schedule of the values within a project, we personally need to take the time to create values within a relationship, especially with a spouse or close friend. So the question for today is...

Hey Gramps, “How can I create a valuable relationship with my spouse or close friend?”

The Value of Relationships

Before you can value others properly, you must first value yourself. You will never love or value another person fully if you feel that you are not valuable and loved. In order to do this, you must understand that your value is not necessarily based on who you are or what you have accomplished up to this point in your life, but whose you are.

As Christ followers, we are created by God to be bearers of His image. The Apostle Paul instructs us in Ephesians 2:8-10, "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."Once you understand that your value is based on the fact that God made you and considers you valuable, then you can realize that you are truly valuable. Jesus explained the concept of how important it is for us to love ourselves so that we can properly love others. Mark 12:30-31 says, "'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."

Paul drills down even further when he says in Galatians 5:14, "For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

So it begs the question, how can you love others if you do not love yourself?  You can’t.  If we all practiced this verse, there would be few problems in the world.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 737 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Always Be Full of Joy – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 737 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 Apostle Paul, and it is, "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again, Rejoice!"

Always Be Full of Joy

Dr. Victor Frankl, the author of Man’s Search for Meaning, was imprisoned by the Nazis in World War II because he was a Jew. His wife, his children, and his parents were all killed in the Holocaust. The Gestapo stripped him of his clothes. He stood totally naked before them.

As they cut off his wedding band, Viktor said to himself, “You can take away my wife, you can take away my children, you can strip me of my clothes and my freedom, but there is one thing no person can ever take away from me—and that is my freedom to choose how I will react to what happens to me!” Even under the most difficult of circumstances, joy is a choice which transforms our tragedies into triumph.

Let’s face it, not everything goes our way. Things don’t always work out as we planned. Some days are disasters. Other days are worse than that.

Happiness comes easily when things go our way. Joy is different. It’s deeper. Joy is an attitude we select. Happiness is external and subject to what happens. Joy is an inside job in which we opt to rejoice regardless of the circumstances.

Don’t confuse happiness with joy. Happiness is a buoyant emotion that results from the momentary plateaus of well-being. Joy is bedrock stuff. Joy is a confidence that operates irrespective of our moods. Joy is the certainty that all is well, regardless of how we feel.

Joy is a divine dimension of living that is not shackled by circumstances simply because we have chosen to respond positively. Paul is saying in Philippians 4:4 that joy is not something that happens to me but rather something I deliberately and consciously select. Circumstances seldom generate lasting smiles and laughter. Joy comes to those who determine to choose it in spite of their circumstances.

So let’s read this quote from Philippians 4:4 once again, "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again, Rejoice!"

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 736 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 of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

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!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 736 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

General Implications of a Biblical Worldview - Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 736 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. We continue this Wednesday to explore new trails on how to gain wisdom through a Biblical worldview.

The first few weeks we are 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. Once we lay the foundation, we will then look at current issues that impact our world and society and explore 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. Last week on our Wisdom Wednesday, we explored the starting points of a Biblical Worldview, and today we will extend that subject and focus on the General Implications of a Biblical Worldview. If you missed listening to the last three weeks, it would be good to go back to Day 721, Day 726, and Day 731. So today we will explore…

General Implications of a Biblical Worldview

A Biblical Worldview becomes a driving force in life, giving us a sense of God’s plan and purpose for this world. Our very identity is shaped by this worldview. We no longer see ourselves as alienated sinners. A Biblical worldview is not escapism but is an energizing motivation for godly and faithful thinking and living in the here and now. It also gives us confidence and hope for the future. In the midst of life’s challenges and struggles, a Biblical worldview helps to stabilize life, anchoring us to God’s faithfulness and steadfastness.

Thus, a Biblical worldview provides a framework for ethical thinking. We recognize that humans, who are made to be God’s image bearers, are essentially moral beings. We also recognize that the fullest embodiment of good, love, holiness, grace, and truth is in Jesus Christ as we see in John 1:14–18.  

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.  John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’”  From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.  For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

A Biblical worldview has implications for understanding history. We see that history is not cyclical or random. Rather, we see history as linear, a meaningful sequence of events leading to the fulfillment of God’s purposes for humanity. Human history will climax where it began, on the earth. This truth is another distinctive of Biblical thinking, for Christianity is historical at its heart. In the sense that according to its essential teaching, God has acted decisively in history, revealing himself in specific acts and events. Moreover, God will act to bring history to its providential destiny and planned conclusion.

God who has acted in history in past events will also...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 735 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Do As The Romans Do – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 735 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 St. Ambrose, and it is, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Do As The Romans Do

Rome was the sin capital of the ancient world. It would have made Las Vegas look like a Sunday school picnic where the saying, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."  Rome was filled with every kind of sin, debauchery, and immorality, which was prevalent. And when in Rome what’s expected and accepted? “Do as the Romans do!” But a certain group of people refused to indulge in such sinful behavior. They had integrity and were filled with goodness.

In fact, the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 15:14, "I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them." To paraphrase this “In the middle of this cesspool, you are full of goodness.” What a testimony! What a reputation! What a life! Do you have that kind of reputation? Are you full of goodness?Consider a water-saturated sponge. If we push down with our finger even slightly, water runs out onto the table. We immediately know what fills the interior pockets of the sponge.

The same is true for people. What fills the inside of a person comes out under pressure. If we are soaked with God’s grace, generosity, and goodness, when we are pushed to our limits and pressed down, the goodness of God trickles out on everyone in our presence.

Let’s face it, most, if not all of us, will never be on a magazine cover, or sit as the chairman of the board of a major corporation, or have our names in lights, but we can be good. We can make a difference in our world by doing all the good we can with all the life we have. To make our mark means far more than fame or fortune; it means helping someone along the way to be a better person or to perform a noble task.

Go forth and be good.

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 734 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe on 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 of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

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!