Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 281 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Purpose #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 281 of our trek. Yesterday and today we are hiking on our 4^th trail on our current trek which is the Trail of Purpose.

This entire 18 trail trek is adapted from a short book called Principles of Spiritual Growth written by Miles J. Stanford. This practical information was instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. I trust that you will also find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of your spiritual background or perspective. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We made good progress with the tax returns and other financial work that we needed to accomplished this weekend, which gives us a great sense of accomplishment. We were also able to attend our local church here in Charlotte. With us traveling back and forth to Ohio, we are only able to attend the services once or twice a month. It is always good to worship with our local Christ followers as we have the opportunity.

As we start this new work week, it is now time to break camp for today and head out on the 2^nd part of the Trail of Purpose. This is the 4^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Purpose #2

Yesterday on the first part of the Trail of Purpose, we came to understand that regardless of our status or situation on our trek of life, our purpose in life is to reflect and then become more like God’s image.  This is possible as 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells  us, “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”

It is one thing to know what God’s purpose is for our lives, and it is quite another to know how we integrate that purpose into the very fabric of our lives. One of God’s most effective means is through the process of failure. Most people, including believers, are simply frantic over the fact of failure in their lives. We will go to all lengths in trying to hide it, ignore it, or rationalize about it. All the time we may very well be resisting the main instrument in the Father’s hand for conforming us to the image of His Son!

Failure, where self is concerned in our Christian life, is allowed and often engineered by God. His purpose is to turn us completely from ourselves to His source for our life—Christ Jesus, who never fails. Instead of dreading failure, we are to rejoice in our need and hunger of the heart. Jesus told us in Matthew 5:6, “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.”

We integrate more and more of God’s image as we recognize the fact that our old nature has been crucified with Christ which is told to us in Galatians  2:20, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

By our very nature, we will conform to those things in life that we focus our attention, interest, admiration, love, and time.  In his book The Great Stone Face, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote this sentence, “Then, too, think of Germany some years ago, full of little Hitlers all because of fanatical devotion to a second-rate paper hanger!” Are we so different in our culture today? We have radio, TV, movies, and the internet that contribute to a rising generation of people young and old who try to emulate their entertainment or sports heroes.

What about the believer? If we are attracted to this present evil world, we become increasingly worldly. If we pamper and live for self, we become more and more self-centered. On the other hand, when we look to Jesus Christ, we become more and more like Him. Think about this…If we are to be like Christ, then God in His grace must be the change agent. The sooner we come to recognize this the sooner we will be delivered from the shackles that keep us imprisoned within our self-centered world. In everything, we take on the attributes and habits of what we focus on. We cannot and will not fulfill our purpose of becoming like God’s image through our own efforts. Throw down every endeavor and say, you cannot do it on your own, the more you try, the farther you get from His likeness. God is the only one who holds the keys that will unlock our shackles. What should you do? In Matthew 11:28, Jesus gives us the answer, “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’”

Don’t try to be like Him, just come to Him and look to Him. Just be occupied with Him. Forget about trying to be like Him. Instead of letting that fill your mind and heart, let Him fill it. Just behold Him, look upon Him through the Word. Come to the Word for one purpose and that is to meet the Lord. Not to get your mind crammed full of things about the sacred Word, but come to it to meet the Lord. Don’t necessarily strive for Biblical scholarship, but in fellowship with Christ. Observe the Lord. Learn to meditate on God’s Word, which is Christ. As David wrote in Psalms 145:5, “I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor, and your wonderful miracles.”

As we allow God’s Word to permeate the very fabric of our lives, it will help us to understand Philippians 2:13, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” And what is His “working in you?” He is working everything together for this one purpose: 2 Corinthians 4:11 says, “Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.” Also so that we can live for Him. Philippians [1:21] – For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we explored the second part of Trail of Purpose. On these two days, we discovered that God’s purpose for our lives is to take on His image through His son, our savior Jesus Christ. As we become more like Christ, it will then become clear what particular trails that we will need to complete on our trek of life to fulfill that purpose. For most of us, it may not be anything out of the ordinary, it will just require that we remain faithful in our everyday tasks of life.  We will have the most positive impact on our world if we continue on steadfastly with consistency and persistence doing our best each day. Keep in mind that we are to live our legacy today, so that we will leave a legacy for generations to come.

During the next two days, we will hike the Trail of Preparation where we will explore how to prepare for the trek of life that God has for us in the future. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose 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, so they can come along with us each day.

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 each day.

As we take this trek 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!