Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 69 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Remove the Pebble from Your Boot

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 69 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at the 6 essential components for a rich and satisfying life and realized that it is the simple and small things of life that make a difference. Speaking of small things, today we will look at what we should do when we get a pebble in our hiking boots.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. When this podcast originally airs, we will have about 30 family members joining us for the weekend. It is always a great time of fellowship and fun. Although The Big House is always in some state of renovation, we did get most of the rooms back into a livable order for the weekend, as we will be having all six of the bedrooms occupied. Everything will fall into place as it should.

As we now shift our focus to our Trek today, we want to learn why we need to take care of the small details when they occur to prevent them from turning into major details.  When we hike the rough mountainous trail of life, it is very important that we have the proper boots or shoes on for the type of trek we are taking. We need to make sure they fit correctly and are laced up snugly.

Boots and other types of shoes have always played a role in history and culture. Everyone knows the story of Cinderella and the glass slipper or the tale of Puss and Boots. Remember Dorothy's magic ruby shoes in the Wizard of Oz?

Language is littered with references to shoes. We wait for the other shoe to drop, or try to experience life in another person's shoes. One has big shoes to fill when he takes on a new challenge. There is the phrase, "If the shoe fits, wear it."

Shoe design can indicate a person's wealth and social position, as reflected in the quality of material or the complexity of the workmanship used to make shoes. Shoes can show membership in a particular group, like cowboy boots or motorcycle boots. High heels make a social statement, as do a sensible pair of Oxfords. Celebrities are known for the number of pairs they own.  For me, my favorite pair of shoes are my Birkenstock Super Noppy Sandals.  They have small nubs on them which massage my feet all day.  Since I use a standing desk at all times, I find myself on my feet for 10-12 hours each day, and these sandals are the only shoe that allows me to do so.   My mom got me hooked on these in my early adult life, after she had purchased a pair for herself and I tried them out.

What one does with shoes also makes a statement. Mine is for comfort, but in Middle Eastern counties, for example, throwing shoes at someone is an insult.

Wearing the correct shoes or boots for the situation or occasion is important.  This is especially true when you are hiking through rugged terrain over many miles. Even when you do have the correct boots and make the proper preparations, you can still get small pebbles in your hiking boots. At first it may not be noticeable and not present an issues, but let us look how the small, seemingly insignificant issues in life can create a major problem.

The following parable should help you to understand. A man was hiking on a steep mountain the other day when a tiny pebble about the size of a grape nut kicked up and landed in the heel of his boot. At first the pebble was barely noticeable, so he kept going. Then it began to be more and more noticeable and started hurting badly until eventually the pain subsided and his heel was numb. When he got home from the hike, his heel was bleeding, and it took a while for his foot to recover.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 68 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

6 Essentials for a Rich and Satisfying Life

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 68 of our Trek, and yesterday we set up the framework to establish habits for "Creating Positive Results in our Lives." We move on down the trail a bit today and look for the 6 essential elements to live the good life.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We did find out today that our contractor was delayed returning to town, so our final trim work won’t be completed before our Jarvis family gathering. While we are a bit disappointed, we realize it is trivial compared to the time we can spend together with around 30 family members on Paula’s side of the family. We love hosting family activities at the Big House and are fortunate to be the managers of the family home. We have also been enjoying watching the mama deer and her twin fawns grazing in our back yard the past few days.  The babies are growing, and it is great to take the time to enjoy watching them.

It is now time to break camp today, armed with the knowledge of overcoming self-limiting beliefs that allows us to create results in our lives each day.  We not only want to live life, but we also want to live it fully. Jesus put it this way in John 10:10, "The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give you a rich and satisfying life."

I have adapted this journal from one of my mentors, Jim Rohn, and want to share 6 essential elements that will help you to live a rich and satisfying life. You might think of them as the values that make up the foundation of a life well lived — and, no surprise, money isn’t one of them.

The ultimate expression of life is not a paycheck. The ultimate expression of life is not a thing or outward trapping. The ultimate expression of life is not even a million dollar bank account or a large and fancy home. The ultimate expression of life is living a rich and satisfying life.

Here's what we must ask constantly, "What, for me, would be a good life?" And you have to keep going over and over the list — a list including areas such as spirituality, economics, health, relationships and recreation.

So, what would constitute a rich and satisfying life?

The Six Essentials for a Rich and Satisfying Life

1. Productivity

You won't be happy if you don't produce. The game of life is not rest. Yes, we must rest, but only long enough to gather strength to get back to productivity.

What's the reason for the seasons and the seeds, the soil and the sunshine, the rain and the miracle of life? It's to see what you can do with it — to try your hand to see what you can do.

2. Good Friends

Friendship is probably the greatest support system in the world, so don't deny yourself the time to develop it. Nothing can match it. It's extraordinary in its benefit.

Friends are those wonderful people who know all about you and still like you. A real friend is someone that would go to any length of pain and discomfort to help you out. A friend will laugh with you and cry with you.

And we've all got casual friends, who if we called them, they would say, "Hey, if you get back, call me, and we'll have a party."

Proverbs 18:24 puts it this way, "There are 'friends' who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother."

You’ve got to have both real friends and casual friends in life. Enjoy both for what they are.

3. Your Culture or Heritage

Your heritage and culture with its language, music, ceremonies, traditions,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 67 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Creating Results in Life

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 67 of our Trek, and now that we have learned how to overcome our self-limiting beliefs during the last two days, we are shifting our focus to "Creating Results in Life."

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We have plenty to accomplish this week before heading back to Charlotte on Sunday. Just so that you realize that we are just simple ordinary folks dealing with the same issues as you do, this week we have had to spray and knock down a large hornets nest under the eve in the front of our house, discovered the ice maker in a fairly new refrigerator is not making ice, and realized the lawn mower is not functioning properly which prevented me from mowing this week.

I am sure all will be taken care of, but if I had my choice, I would prefer not having to deal with any of these issues. But, that is the stuff that life is made of, and I am very thankful that the issues will be resolved. In the middle of this we are finalizing our plans for the family gathering this weekend and are looking forward to it. Please feel free to share with us through email or in the comments on the daily journals, so that we can help each other along life’s trails.

Over the past two days, we have conquered the trails of self-limiting beliefs in our lives. Now that we recognize and are in the process of overcoming those limitations, we will now head up the trail with vigor and explore the possibility of creating great results in life.  This does not imply that it will be easy, but we are not going to allow any limitations to hold us back.

Creating Results in Life

There are some basic principles that you will need to adopt to achieve success and happiness in life. Additionally, there are some fundamental processes that will shape your reality, and you have the power to use and control those processes to create happiness, success, and peace, at least on a daily basis. There is a chart in today’s journal that shows the flow that I will discuss on Day 67. Here is how I believe your reality and the results you get in life are shaped.

 In life, we receive endless information input, or what we sense with our bodies. These inputs have massive influence on our thoughts and on how we perceive reality. This perception of reality shapes our attitudes, or how we feel about and relate to reality. Our attitudes have a huge influence on our actions, or what we do in the world, which ultimately drive the results and shape our reality. This reality then becomes input which perpetuates the cycle. (This cycle is adapted from Joel Gardner, Ph.D.)

Using The Cycle for Success and Happiness 

We have the power to take advantage of this cycle and use it to achieve goals of happiness, success, and peace. Each of these elements – inputs, thoughts, attitudes, and actions – can be used to our advantage.

Inputs – We can choose to place information that is positive and true into our minds. It should be positive and provide motivation to act in a proactive manner. It should be true or based on what is real and useful.Here are a few tips.

Do:

Read motivational, empowering books by authors such as Stephen Covey, Zig Ziglar, and Jim Rohn.

Read sacred literature – the Bible.

Surround yourself with positive people who have similar goals and ambitions in life.

Listen to music and spoken words that are positive and uplifting.

Don't:

Spend time with people who are negative or who complain excessively.

Watch mindless television or waste time excessively on the internet.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 66 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Train Your Fleas

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 66 of our Trek, and we will spend another day considering the obstacles and self-limiting beliefs that we face each day. Many times these obstacles are in our mind, and we need to learn to overcome them so we don’t continue to bang our heads on the false barriers that we impose on our lives. Let us not be like fleas that are so easily trained to limit themselves. We are certainly smarter than fleas, so let us break free from self-imposed limitations and jump to new heights in our lives.

 

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. The preparations continue for our family gathering this weekend as we clean inside and out. Our contractor who is helping with some renovations for The Big House is also in this week, finishing up some trim work in a couple of the rooms.

If we were to hike on rough trails with chains and shackles on, it would make the hike nearly impossible. At best, the progress that we would make would be very slow, and the danger of harm would be great. In the same way, if we allow the chains and shackles of our past to hold us back in our trek of life, any progress that we do make will be significantly limited.

As we start on our trek today, we make some good progress as we have removed the chains and shackles from yesterday. We come around a sharp curve in the trail to discover that a boulder rolled into the path last night and has completely blocked the trail before us. Since the path is so narrow at this point, we wonder how we will continue. The boulder is too large to climb over, and we can’t go around without falling off the cliff. Is it time to give up?  We know that this path is now blocked "forever," so we turn back.

For most people in life, once we run into these types of roadblocks, we never try again. We become fleas with the limiting belief that once we run into a block we can never get through it, so we adjust our expectations to the lower level. Let’s take a look at how this type of thinking can really stifle our potential in life.

Yesterday we looked at training the largest of animals, the elephant. Today we are looking at training one of the smallest of insects, the flea.

Your beliefs about yourself have a profound influence on your success in learning and your success in life. Your beliefs are the foundation upon which you build many of your thought patterns, your attitudes, and your actions. Unfortunately, these beliefs, particularly self-beliefs can be limiting in nature.

The Scenario

We can learn about this principle (surprisingly) from a jar full of fleas. If you fill a jar with fleas and place the lid on the jar, the fleas will jump and hit their heads on the lid. But leave them for a few days, and the fleas will adapt to their environment. To avoid the pain of hitting their heads, eventually they will not jump as high as the lid. A very interesting phenomenon with the fleas is that once they have learned to jump only so high, even their offspring that are born after the lid is removed will not jump any higher than their parents.

The Lesson

So, what do we learn from these fleas? Just as the fleas began with the capacity to jump higher than the lid of the jar, we as human beings have the capacity to accomplish great things. However, through your experiences and your own reasoning, you sometimes come to believe that your ability to succeed is limited. As with the fleas, many times our children and grandchildren will not excel further than we do.

Paula and I have had the opportunity to work with many busin...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 65 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Unchain Your Elephant

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 65 of our Trek, and today we are going to look at overcoming the obstacles on the trails of life. Many times obstacles are self-imposed or caused by self-limiting beliefs. We need to learn how to un-chain the elephants in our lives.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This week we are preparing to have Paula’s three siblings, their spouses, a few nieces and nephews, and four of our five children in for a gathering on Friday night and Saturday. It will be a great time together, and we feel very fortunate that we can host many family gatherings at 'The Big House."  There is a lot to do, both inside and out, before Friday, so it should keep us plenty busy.

It is time to break camp and begin on our Trek. We are setting out on a different trail today, and as we gaze up the trail, we see that it is very steep with many rocks, trees, and other obstructions in our way. Additionally, the trail is narrow with a solid rock face on one side and steep cliffs on the other.

As you look at the trail before you, you think to yourself, "I have never hiked on such a dangerous trail before. I don’t think I can do it." Your thoughts continue, "After all, I have been told many times before that I am clumsy, and that I never am able to complete tasks."  You convince yourself that maybe it would be better that you stay at camp today, or better yet, you should  just quit all together.

This is the type of thinking that limits so many people from achieving all that they could with their lives. If you are susceptible to this type of thinking, you will never to be able to reach your full potential to become all that God has destined for you. In our analogy today, we want to look at what causes these self-limiting beliefs and this "learned-helplessness" and determine how you can break free from the chains and shackles that bind you. So, let me share some interesting nuggets to help you today. You may have heard some of this information before, but it is always good to review and apply it anew to your life. This is the story of "Unchaining Your Elephant."

Do you know what they do to keep a circus or zoo elephant from running away? They tie a metal chain onto a collar around the mighty elephant’s leg and tie it to a small wooden peg that’s hammered into the ground. The 10-foot tall, 11,000 pound hulk could easily snap the chain, uproot the wooden peg, and escape to freedom. But, it does not do that. In fact, it does not even try. The world’s most powerful animal, which is nimble enough to pick up a blade of grass with its trunk, can also uproot a tree as easily as you and I can break a toothpick, and yet they remain tied down by a small peg and a flimsy chain. How come?

It’s because when the elephant was a baby, its trainers used exactly the same methods. A chain was tied around its leg and the other end of the chain was tied to a metal stake on the ground. The chain and peg were strong enough for the baby elephant. When it tried to break away, the metal chain would pull it back. Sometimes, tempted by the world it could see in the distance, the elephant would pull harder. But, the chain would cut into the skin on the elephant’s leg, making it bleed, and creating a wound that would hurt the baby elephant even more. Soon, the baby elephant realized it was futile trying to escape. It stopped trying!

And now, when the big circus elephant is tied by a chain around its leg, it remembers the pain it felt as a baby. And, it does not try to break away. So, even though it’s just a chain and a little woo...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 64 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

It's Only Money (Part 7)

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 64 of our Trek, and today we are finishing up our series on acquiring and investing wealth. Wealth accumulation serves us two purposes. One is that it frees us to be able to make wise choices in life that are not dependent on being a servant to others, and second, it allows us the ability to make a positive impact on the lives of others through the distribution of that wealth. As we practice this each day, it will create the living legacy, not to honor ourselves, but to honor our creator.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This morning, we worshipped with Paula’s mom at the church where she used to attend when we lived in Marietta full time.  This evening we were blessed to share time with our middle son Barnabas, his wife Leesha, and other family and friends at a baby shower for our soon to arrive granddaughter who is due in late September. As proud grandparents we are excited and looking forward to our sixth grandchild.

We are concluding our “It’s Only Money” Trek today. We have explored a different trail each day on our Trek to true wealth. As we approach our destination on this important trek, the land of financial freedom is in site, and I would like to share some concluding thoughts. So, let’s head out for another day and accumulate the additional wisdom nuggets that we find along the path.

Our guiding map for our Trek this week has primarily been the book of Proverbs, and we have learned that we must be willing to work in order to obtain wealth. There are no shortcuts on this trek of life. After you have done your part in planning, preparing, and executing your work, you must also realize that when you do prosper in any area of life, it is ultimately God that prospers you. When you forget where your material provisions come from, you start down the slippery trail of pride and arrogance thinking you have succeeded on your own. In reality, we are on this Trek together, and we should do all that we can to assist one another.

Here our four areas to consider.

1. Material wealth does not come to everyone. It is a gift that God has given some. In the eyes of most of the inhabitants of this world, all Americans are wealthy, and to a certain extent we are.  Many people, though, are living a false sense of wealth that is dependent on loans and credit cards. There are certain natural and Biblical precepts that, if followed, will allow anyone to be in a position where they can use their wealth, whether it is small or great to positively impact the lives of others.

If you have material wealth now or obtain it in the future by practicing the principles we have gathered this week, please take to heart this advice that the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to his Protégé Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:18-19, "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share."

2. We should always look at our material possessions in terms of the principle of stewardship. A steward does not own anything, but he has been put in charge of its use. This is hard for many to grasp, and I think it is more prevalent in America where we take great pride in ownership.

If you think about this principle, you will realize that all of life is this way. We come into this world with nothing, and we certainly cannot take anything with us ...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 63 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

It's Only Money (Part 6)

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 63 of our Trek, and today we will look at setting the proper priorities for the use of wealth. Setting priorities in all areas of your trek of life is important, but how you set priorities with money will largely determine how you are able to set priorities in other areas that impact building your living legacy.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. In addition to the yard sale this morning, we had the blessing of sharing the 4th birthday with our granddaughter Aurora. She is "Princess Aurora" to family members, and we shared the afternoon with Aurora, her three siblings, and other family.  My Dad and Paula’s mom were also there. It is grand to see four generations of family celebrating together. As a proud Gramps, I have included a couple of pictures in today’s journal – Day 63.

We are continuing today on our “It’s Only Money” Trek. Each day we will explore a different trail on our Trek to true wealth.  As we accumulate wealth, it is also important to set priorities for the use of that wealth. So, let’s continue on our trail to financial independence as we examine these truths.

Biblical Priorities for the Use of Money

Proverbs has much to say on the subject of our financial obligations. While there may be some disagreement with the exact order of the priority of the following obligations, I believe that we will all agree that these should be priorities which govern the use of the money God has permitted us to manage.

1. We should give to the furtherance of the Good News.

In the Old Testament, God carefully prescribed the tithes and sacrifices which He expected from His people. While we are no longer under the law, the spirit of giving still applies to us today. Proverbs teaches the need to give of the abundance He has provided, and that this will result in even greater blessings.

Proverbs 3:9-10, "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine."

Paula and I have personally found that our giving first to the Lord has developed our faith, and we have never lacked any necessity.

2. We have an obligation to pay our debts to others without delay.

Within the business world and for many personally, there is a tendency to withhold payment as long as possible. We should never withhold payments beyond the due date, even if there is a grace period. Others are depending on our prompt payments, even large companies. This also includes the taxes we owe. I don’t like paying more in taxes than is required, but if you owe it, then pay it.

Romans 13:6-7,  "Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do.  Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority."

If you are fortunate enough to own a business and have others working with you, always pay on time, including withholding taxes that are due.

James 5:4, "For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies."

3. We have a responsibility to provide for the needs of our own household.

While this concept is woven throughout Proverbs, it is clearly stated in 1 Timothy 5:8, "But those who won’t care for their relatives,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 62 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

It's Only Money (Part 5)

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 62 of our Trek, and today we will learn the wisdom needed to avoid the dangerous cliffs on life’s trails so that we do not cascade in to the abyss of debt. Excessive debt will certainly hamper your ability to build your living legacy.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. It's been another busy day in the office today. I was hoping to take a break in the afternoon to get some outdoor work completed, but the work activities of the day consumed my time. I was able to spray for mosquitoes and help prepare a little for the 2nd weekend of our yard sale, though.

Today we are continuing on our “It’s Only Money” Trek. Each day we will explore a different trail on our Trek to true wealth. As we work hard and follow sound principles to acquire wealth, it is very important that we know which trails not to hike. Those are the dangerous trails that would cause us to lose everything that we have gained.

How to NOT Lose Money

As well as teaching us how to earn money, Proverbs warns us of the many ways in which we can quickly lose money. The following are some of the most commonly mentioned pitfalls.

1. Don’t be lazy.

A lazy person not only fails to obtain wealth because of his laziness, but he also neglects the resources he has.

Proverbs 24:31-31, "I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down."

Proverbs 27:23-27, "Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation. After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in, your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field. And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls."

2. Don’t be greedy.

Strangely enough, if you are greedy it will often contribute to being in poverty.

Proverbs 11:6, "The godliness of good people rescues them; the ambition of treacherous people traps them."

Proverbs 28:22, "Greedy people try to get rich quick but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty."

Many company advertisements appeal to greed and pride. The companies have just the answer for us – a "limited time opportunity" that will fulfill our "needs" We see it so often in our society today because most people want instant everything, including wealth.

Proverbs 13:11, "Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time."

Proverbs 26:16, "Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors."

Proverbs 24:30, "I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense."

3. Don’t be impulsive.

If you are an impulse buyer, whether it is with things small or large, you will soon see any wealth accumulated quickly slip through your fingers. Worse yet is when you use credit to make impulsive purchases. Proverbs warns that being greedy and impulsive brings about poverty.

Proverbs 21:5, "Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty."

Marketers of all kinds of products and services entice all of us with sales through deadlines and scarcity. A good practice for you to follow is to ask yourself these questions before buying something on sale.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 61 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

It's Only Money (Part 4)

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 61 of our Trek, and today we will discover the wisdom tools needed as we acquire money and wealth of any type.  Let us trek together as we learn to build your living legacy each day.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Each day seems to bring new challenges and opportunities to learn. I do admit that sometimes those challenges can be well, challenging. I realize that you also go through "learning opportunities," and as we share together each day, we can assist and help one another in a meaningful way.

We are continuing today on our “It’s Only Money” Trek. Each day we will explore a different trail on our Trek to true wealth. Today we will see what part wisdom plays on the "Acquisition of Money" trail.

On the first three days on our Money Trek, we looked at the Book of Proverbs as we focused on a proper attitude toward money. Now we will concentrate on what Proverbs making about the making and spending of money. Today is filled with bullet points from Proverbs as we gather many wisdom nuggets along the trail.

Wisdom and the Acquisition of Money

It matters a great deal how money is obtained. Proverbs reminds us that God is intimately concerned with the way you earn a living. God is not indifferent to the way you obtain money.

Proverbs 16:11, "The Lord demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness."

Proverbs 22:22-23, "Don’t rob the poor just because you can, or exploit the needy in court. For the Lord is their defender. He will ruin anyone who ruins them."

Money which is gained in an ungodly way will not bring us any lasting benefit; instead, it will bring about our own misery.

Proverbs 10:2, "Tainted wealth has no lasting value, but right living can save your life."

Proverbs 11:18,"Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last."

Proverbs 20:17, "Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth."

Proverbs 21:6, "Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap."

Some people make money by questionable, if not illegal, means, and then attempt to salve their consciences by giving a portion to the church or charity. In their minds, benevolence is the end that justifies their corrupt means.The tragedy is that there are all too many churches and organizations that are eager to relieve the guilt of unprincipled men by taking their money, helping them feel good about their dishonesty.

Proverbs tells us that no sacrifice is pleasing to God that is wrongly gained.

Proverbs 21:3, "The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just

than when we offer him sacrifices."

Proverbs 21:27, "The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable, especially when it is offered with wrong motives."

These principles sum up the teaching of Proverbs on how we should acquire money. Let me share this wisdom with a brief word of explanation on each.

1. Money should not be pursued without a cost to us.

You might call this the principle of toil and time. The fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden took place many centuries before Proverbs was written. The curse which God placed on man is found in.

Genesis 3:17, "And to the man he said, 'Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.'"

There is an underpinning of this principle of toil and time.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 60 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

It's Only Money (Part 3)

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 60 of our Trek, and today we will mine for some additional golden nuggets of wisdom. I hope you are ready to learn with me as you build your living legacy each day.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. It has been a hot and muggy week here in Ohio but somewhat typical for the last week of July.  Our client workload remains busy this week, but I look forward to each day where we can share our daily lives together.  It is my hope that this podcast and journal provide you with information that impacts your life in a positive way.

On our Trek this week, we started down new trails in a series “It’s Only Money” with the theme of being on the trail of true riches. Yesterday we hiked along the trails of "What Money Cannot Do For You" and "What Money Will Do For You." On both trails, we came to understand that money does not bring lasting security because we will never have enough. Money can also sprout wings and fly off like an eagle leaving us to wonder where it has gone. I know that you can probably relate to this. I know I can.

Today we are going to examine the trail of "Money Attitudes." So, let’s head on up the yellow brick trail to a land of financial contentment. This may very well be a foreign country to you.

There are a number of principles in the Book of Proverbs which should shape our attitude toward money. Some of these principles are:

1. Neither the possession of money, nor the lack of it are proof of your goodness or worthiness.

Within the faith community of our day, there are some that indicate that prosperity is proof of godliness. The rich, they suppose, are wealthy because they are more worthy. This camp gets caught up by the trappings of affluence. In other religious groups, there is a spoken or unspoken code that austerity of other is the sign of being spiritual, so their poverty becomes proof of goodness.

Both of these views are wrong for several reasons.

First, you may be rich for the wrong reasons. Illegal commerce or bad behavior, for example, could be the means by which you prosper.

Likewise, you may be poor for reasons other than being lazy. Some are poor due to injustice, not a lack of initiative.

Proverbs 13:23, "A poor person’s farm may produce much food, but injustice sweeps it all away."

Proverbs 19:22, "Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest."

Money is never an indicator of morality. What most of us fail to grasp is that money is completely amoral. It all comes from the heart and mind. It is how you handle the wealth that you do have that is important. Don’t judge others by their perceived lifestyles.

Proverb 13:7 shows why we should not judge by outward appearance.

"Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be poor."

True riches can never be measured in terms of money.

2. God has not promised to make every good or godly person wealthy.

The question which you must first ask is, “Does God in His Word promise to financially prosper you?  Is there a formula that will guarantee you financial success?" To be dogmatic about these questions would be foolish.

This is particularly difficult to understand in our western societies. Even the poorest of people would be considered wealthy in many other places of the world. Regardless of where you live or your standard of living, there are certain principles in the Bible that, if followed,