Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 491 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Do Your Planning – Proverbs 24:17-34

Thank you for joining me for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 491 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the 2^nd half of chapter 24.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On the day this podcast is released, Paula and I will be heading to Arizona to work with our partners on our construction projects in Mesa. Phase I of the project is winding down, and we are starting to plan Phase II. The beginning of the next phase is dependent on sales of the units that are currently built, so the actual start date is not known for sure. Since our company is the general contractor and not the actual developer, we do have some other projects that may fill the gap between the two phases.

Planning is so important in projects large and small, and King Solomon was considered one of the greatest builders of all time. He addresses this in the passage that we are exploring today when he tells us in verse 27…

Do your planning.

Let’s start our trek with verses 17 and 18…

¹⁷ Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall;
don’t be happy when they stumble.
¹⁸ For the Lord will be displeased with you
and will turn his anger away from them.

Our natural tendencies are to rejoice or gloat when something bad happens to those that have hurt us or are against us. We should do the opposite, though. We should love them, help them, and pray for them. God may be taking them through a time of testing to bring them to Him. If we rejoice and gloat, God will be displeased with our actions, and turn His trials away from them.

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¹⁹ Don’t fret because of evildoers;
don’t envy the wicked.
²⁰ For evil people have no future;
the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.

It is so easy to get caught up in the lifestyle and habits of those who desire to do evil. We may even become attracted to it. We should not be fooled. Those who practice evil have no hope because their hope and faith is based on falsehood.

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²¹ My child, fear the Lord and the king.
Don’t associate with rebels,
²²     for disaster will hit them suddenly.
Who knows what punishment will come
from the Lord and the king?

God has control of the leaders of every country. He allows certain leaders to be in power and others to be disposed. We should not rise up with those who rebel against the God permitted authorities. This is especially true in free countries where we have the opportunity to vote and even participate in the process. If we do associate with those who rebel, we should not be surprised if we also suffer the consequences of our actions.

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²³ Here are some further sayings of the wise:

It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment.
²⁴ A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations.
²⁵ But it will go well for those who convict the guilty;
rich blessings will be showered on them.

Injustice in any setting is disliked by God. This is especially true when it happens in a legal system. God is justice, and we are created in His image so justice should also be very important to us. Justice should be important to us in all situations. When we take justice seriously and practice it, then we will be blessed in many ways throughout our lives.

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²⁶ An honest answer
is like a kiss of friendship.

As we have referred to previously, honesty is always the best policy. To be honest and compassionate is like having a close friend that you can depend on and trust.

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²⁷ Do your planning and prepare your fields
before building your house.

This is an interesting verse because common thinking would be to build shelter first. Solomon was the wisest person of all time, and he had a different thought. In planning, if you invest the time to first build a house, then you would miss the planting season and, therefore, not able to harvest in the right season. The logic is to prepare the fields, and while the crops are growing, then you would have time to build your house. Once the house is built, then it will be time to harvest. The logic is there when you think like a farmer and practice the law of planting and harvesting.

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²⁸ Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause;
don’t lie about them.
²⁹ And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me!
I’ll get even with them!”

We are not to be deceptive with family, friends, or anyone that we know. We should not create rumors or tell lies about anyone. We should never seek retribution against others, even if they have wronged us. Several passages in the Bible tell us that God will provide justice. We do not have to seek retribution ourselves.

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³⁰ I walked by the field of a lazy person,
the vineyard of one with no common sense.
³¹ I saw that it was overgrown with nettles.
It was covered with weeds,
and its walls were broken down.
³² Then, as I looked and thought about it,
I learned this lesson:
³³ A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
³⁴ then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

This final section of Proverbs 24 speaks in depth about a person who is lazy. First, Solomon equates a lazy person as someone who does not have common sense. A lazy person will be easy to spot because their lives and their responsibilities will show evidence of their lazy lifestyle. The example given here is that their property will be overgrown and not taken care of. We can learn a lesson here. A person who is lazy will not fulfill their responsibilities, and as a result, they will be overtaken with poverty, as surely as a bandit or robber would steal from an un-expecting victim.

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Today we explored eight more wise sayings, which leave us with much to consider. Next Wisdom Wednesday, we will continue on this trail with more Proverbs that were assembled by King Hezekiah. These proverbs continue to provide us with more wisdom, insight, and understanding.

Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, if you follow the precepts in Proverbs, your life will be rich and satisfying. Take them and plant them in your heart so that you will reap a harvest of wisdom.

Tomorrow we will hike another short trail of Wisdom Unplugged and discover an inspirational wisdom quote. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. As you enjoy these daily doses of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person when you meet with them and invite them to come along with us each day. If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek so each trek will be downloaded to you 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:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. 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!