Day 296 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Cultivation

March 22, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III 1 Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 296 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Cultivation

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 296 of our trek, and yesterday we hiked on the 16^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of Help. Today we will explore the importance of balance in all areas of our life as we hike the Trail of Cultivation.

There is a total of 18 trails on the trek, we call the Principles of Spiritual Growth, which is adapted from a short book written by Miles J. Stanford. These practical lessons were instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. As we continue on each trail of our overall trek, I trust that you will also find this information valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. 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 and read the daily journal.

trail of cultivation — Trail of Cultivation

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. There is a lot of activity in and around The Big House this week. Sunday afternoon I invested several hours varnishing the woodwork in the library. I have the trim on two more walls to apply the 2^nd coat to, and then it is onto the floor. Hopefully, we will have the library completed by the end of this week, and then we will move onto the other front room, which we call the parlor.

Our pair of hawks have been extremely busy this week and spending more time near their nest, which is right outside of our upstairs office, so it is enjoyable watching them. We can’t tell if they have actually laid their eggs yet as we do see both of them still flying around, but there is usually one of them near or on the nest. The female is noticeably larger than the male of this particular pair. If this is the same pair of hawks as in previous years, this is either their 5^th or 6^th year using the same nest.

As spring is manifesting itself with daylight lasting longer, the temperature rising, and flowers blooming, it is time to start cultivating our gardens and fields in preparation for planting crops. As we head out on our hike for today, we want to explore this important concept of our spiritual lives on the Trail of Cultivation. This is the 17^th of 18 trails, which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Cultivation

The cultivation of good habits and character traits in all area of our lives is very important. As our children were growing up and still to this day, I emphasize the importance of balance in everything that we do or are involved in. There can be little question concerning the importance of balance. It is so vital in the mechanical, physical, aesthetic, and spiritual realms. Faulty balance often results in the breakdown and possible devastation to the surrounding area. This is true as we think about the cultivation and growing of crops in our spiritual lives.

In the agricultural world, there has to be the balance of the proper amount of rain, sun, nutrients, and temperature for proper growth to occur with any type of crop. When there is the proper balance, then the crops will produce a bountiful harvest that can be shared with many. As the crops are properly cultivated, all of its resources are initially used so that plant can grow to maturity. Once mature, it can then start producing what will later become the harvest.

Cultivation_of_peanut_crop_in_Junagadh_region_of_Western_India — Properly Cultivated Crops

It is the same with our spiritual lives. Each of us must be thoroughly cultivated before we can effectively cultivate others through us. As we are maturing, there will be areas of service that we can provide for God. It is important to realize, though, that until we are spiritually mature most of our service on the way to maturity is for our own development, not so much that of others. At first, as a growing believer we think, or would like to have others feel, that all our service is effective; but in time, we come to realize that the Lord is not doing so much through us as He is in us. Our Lord always concentrates on the greater need.

We are not saved to serve. We are matured to serve. Only to the extent, that cultivation reveals self for what it is are we in the position to assist others in their cultivation. We can best discover how to help cultivate others after we have been properly cultivated and understand ourselves as Proverbs 29:19 indicates, “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.” Just as it takes a period of time for crops to mature and produce a harvest, to counterbalance knowledge of self, God enables us to mature over a period of time as mentioned in 2 Peter 3:18, “Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

As we mature spiritually, in our excitement as Christ followers, we are tempted to immediately pull or push others toward spiritual maturity, and then we wonder why they are so slow to learn and seemingly apathetic in their understanding and concern. We soon forget the many years it took, and the wandering in our wilderness ways that our Lord had to traverse with us in order to bring us over our Jordan and into Canaan.

Spiritual maturity takes time, and that timeline is different for each Christ follower. We need to allow God to cultivate us in our spiritual growth and maturity. Let us look at the example of Moses. Moses had all the wisdom of the Egyptians, yet his idea of delivering Israel was to slay an Egyptian! He had to be trained in God’s ways, which was spending forty years in Midian as a shepherd. After Moses had been cultivated sufficiently, he was sent back to Egypt. God said for him not to trouble about Israel but to go directly to Pharaoh, the cause of their chains. God didn’t train Israel at the first but a leader to lead Israel. God seeks to get leaders trained in the knowledge of His ways who will help lead His people.

moses-and-the-burning-bush-2 — Moses Spent 40 Years in Midian Preparing

To the extent that we learn how our Father has had to handle us through the years will we understand how He would have us share with others. We must be cultivated to be cultivators. It is not up to us to determine the spiritual growth timeline for another. We need to leave that in the hands of that master farmer. We cannot force growth in another person any more than we force an apple to grow and ripen before its time. If we try to force growth on another person, they will never mature properly or be able to live the rich and satisfying life that is possible.

Through the strength of Christ living in us, we are responsible for our growth, which should include walking a life of integrity before others, but we are not responsible for the growth of others. As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:5-7, “After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we learned the valuable lessons of growth on the Trail of Cultivation. We need to focus on becoming mature ourselves, and through our example and mentorship provide the proper cultivation for others to grow.

Tomorrow we finish up our current trek with the 18^th trail, which is the Trail of Continuance. 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:

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!

Day 295 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Help

March 21, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III 1 Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 295 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Help

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 295 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked on the 15^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of Rest. Today we will explore a trail that all of us occasionally require which is the Trail of Help.

There is a total of 18 trails on the trek we call the Principles of Spiritual Growth, which is adapted from a short book written by Miles J. Stanford. These practical lessons were instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. As we continue on each trail of our overall trek, I trust that you will also find this information valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. 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 and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We drove up to Marietta on Saturday and arrived late Saturday evening. The daffodils are in full bloom and are beautiful. I have included a couple of pictures in today’s journal. It was cloudy and a bit rainy when we arrived, so I will try to get some additional pictures when it is sunny out this week. We do have a full week with work projects and renovation work ahead of us, so we will need to stay focused to meet our expectations. It does require coordination with Paula and me having a clear understanding of our individual strengths, so we can best serve our clients. We do not have to beg each other for help. We understand that help is available at all times. This allows us to maximize our effectiveness as we work closely with our clients assisting them with their businesses.

File Mar 20, 6 33 57 PM — Granny’s Daffodils in Bloom

File Mar 20, 6 34 36 PM — Granny’s Daffodils in Bloom

As we head out on our hike for today, an important aspect of our spiritual lives is to understand where our help comes from as we explore the Trail of Help. This is the 16^th of 18 trails which makes up the Trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Help

I would like to take a bit of a different approach to this concept of help. For most of us, it is time to stop asking God for help. He didn’t help us to be saved, and He doesn’t intend to help us live the Christian life. Now, this probably sounds somewhat far-reaching, but stay with me as I explain. We need to know and understand that God’s help has already been set aside for us. It is up to us to appropriate and apply that help to our lives each day. We do not have to continually beg for his help. His help is ours for the taking.

There is no question where our help comes from. Psalms 121:1-3 tells us, “I look up to the mountains, does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.”

As a Christ follower, it is not a matter of continually asking God for help. It is Christ living His life in us that already has provided all the help and strength that we will ever need. Hebrews 13:6 explains the confidence that we can have, “So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’”

The evil one, Satan, wants to keep us in the place of continual defeat in our lives so that we remain ineffective. He wants us to be in the place where we are always asking for what God says He has already provided. This is a defeatist attitude that should not be part of our lives as Christ followers. This principle holds true for all aspects of our Christian life. In Christ, we are complete and have been provided with everything that we need. Colossians 2:9-10 says, “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

We do not honor and bring glory to God by our continual begging for help for that which He has already provided to us. Philippians 4:19 reminds us of this truth, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

Our responsibility is to see in the Word all that is ours in Christ and then thank and trust Him for that which we need.

Dr. A. W. Tozer puts it this way, “We are forever asking God to do things that He either has already done or cannot do because of our unbelief. We plead for Him to speak when He has already spoken and is at that very moment speaking. We ask Him to come when He is already present and waiting for us to recognize Him. We beg the Holy Spirit to fill us while all the time we are preventing Him by our doubts.”

Another area of weakness that we as Christ followers fall into is begging God to show us His will for our lives on matters that are clearly defined in His Word. We do not need to seek for guidance and direction in life, we need to know what is already proclaimed through knowing His Word. As we know His Word more fully, it will result in the fullness of Christ in our lives. Ephesians 3:19 provides further insight, “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Let us not forget that since Christ is the Word, the more we know God’s Word, the more Christ lives in us. John 1:14 says, “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.”

While I do not adhere to the “name it and claim it” in theology, when we are in the thick of a spiritual battle, when we are the object of attack, plead less and claim more, on the ground of the blood of the Lord Jesus. We do not need to ask God to give us victory, but claim His victory to be manifested in us.

While the we do not have to beg for help, we do have to thankfully appropriate that which is already his in Christ, for Hebrews 10:38 tells us, “And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

God has already provided all that we need, it is up to us to appropriate by faith those promises as it says in Philippians 1:6, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we learned on the Trail of Help that it is God who is our helper, and that help has already been provided to us. It is now our responsibility to appropriate that help in our lives on a daily basis.

Tomorrow we will move onto our next trail, which is the Trail of Cultivation. 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.

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:

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!

Day 294 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Rest

March 20, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III 1 Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 294 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Rest

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 294 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked on the 14^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of The Process of Discipleship. Today we will explore a very important aspect of our overall trek, and that is the Trail of Rest.

168247-angel-s-rest-trail-feature — The Trail of Rest

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. After several weeks of warmer than normal weather, it looks like this next week will be a bit cooler, especially since we will be farther north at The Big House for the next couple of weeks. As I mentioned, when we left from there the last time, the furnace has to be replaced due to a crack in the heat exchanger. Fortunately, the new furnace will be installed early this next week, so we should not be very many days without the furnace. All of the bedrooms do have gas inserts in them, and the kitchen/eating area has a separate large floor furnace. So, the house will not be without sources of heat. These situations are part of life, things wear out and break down, and we need to be prepared for these contingencies. In the same way, to make sure that our body, mind, and soul do not wear out prematurely, we need to exercise, eat properly, continue learning, and invest time in meditation and prayer. One very important area that I need to get better at is investing the proper time for sleep, rest, and relaxation.

As we head out on our hike for today, let us explore the very important Trail of Rest. This is the 15^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Rest

To become more and more like the Master Christ requires a significant amount of focus on discipleship, which we explored during the past two days. Remember, first we must die to self, then be diligent in our growth, so that we can produce an abundant harvest, which will allow us to use that harvest to feed others that hunger and thirst for God’s justice. This process may appear to be exhausting. What this scenario of discipleship does not take into account is that God has already provided us with rest through this process.

An analogy that is used in Hebrews 3-4 is the comparison that the nation of Israel who disobeyed God when they refused to enter The Promise Land, which is referred to as God’s rest for them. The nation refused to listen to Moses and forfeited the rest for 40 years. Now someone greater than Moses is here, which is Christ. In Hebrews 3:3-4 it explains this, “But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.”

What Moses and Joshua were unable to do was completely fulfilled in Christ. Hebrews 4:8-11 explains this, “Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.”

When we are obedient to the master, we will find rest in Him. We do not need to carry the burden of discipleship on us. To revisit a snippet of Galatians 2:20, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” Christ tells us how to obtain the rest that we need as His disciple in Matthew [11:28]-29, “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

When we view our work and ministry as a burden to be endured, we will never find rest and peace in it, and we will grow weak and weary. When we are disobedient to God’s precepts in His Word, then even our “good” actions in other areas of life will become drudgery for us.

We certainly do need to make sure that we get the proper amount of sleep, this is vitally important. Sometimes we also just need to unplug from our daily tasks and plug into God for recharging as our master did in Luke 5:16, “But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.”

We also need to take the time to rest in God and his promises as described in one of my favorite passages Isaiah [40:28]-31,

Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we learned the vital importance of obedience and plugging into God on the Trail of Rest. There are two factors for our rest to be complete. First, we are to be obedient to His Word, and second we need to put our trust in God for the strength that we need. When we do this, we will be able to carry on effectively every day on our Trek of Life. Following these two important factors will allow us to find rest for our souls, and once we have rested, we will find new strength to carry on. Tomorrow we will move onto our next trail which is the Trail of Help. 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.

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:

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!

Day 293 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – The Process of Discipleship

March 19, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III Leave a Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 293 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – The Process of Discipleship

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 293 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked on the 13^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of Discipleship. Today we will explore a related trail which will help us to put practical content into what we explored yesterday as we hike the Trail of The Process of Discipleship.

As we continue on each trial of our overall trek, I trust that you will also find this information valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of the days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

22402290110_038e1089fe_k — The Process of Discipleship Trail

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. If all goes according to plan, we should be heading to The Big House on the day this episode releases. We hope to get a lot more renovation work completed while we are in Marietta this time.

Paula should be back from her visit with Aunt Pauline late Friday. It has been a great visit for her, and we are certainly glad that she made the choice to invest the time with her.

Speaking of investing time, as we head out for our hike, today we want to discover how best to invest our time in the process of becoming a disciple of Christ. As with every activity that we integrate into our lives, let’s change our mentality from spending time to investing time. When we invest time, it has a return on it, just like a monetary investment. The difference is when we invest time, it can have an eternal return that is part of living our legacy each day. Our trail for today is the Trail of The Process of Discipleship as we learn the process to become an effective disciple. This is the 14^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – The Process of Discipleship

One of the best analogies of the process of discipleship is found in the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8:15 where it says, “And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.” It shows a distinct process of growth through patience. A parallel passage to this which gives us an analogy of return is Mark 4:8, “Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” There is a theme throughout the Bible of what it takes for solid growth that produces a good return. It is integral to the process of discipleship if it is to be long lasting. A farmer completely understands that concept that is also mentioned in James 5:7, “Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.”

Within our lives, it has been a long season of growth from when the seed fell on the fertile soil of our hearts, sprouted, grew and is now producing an abundant harvest in our lives that is nourishing others. So many Christ followers only get to the 2^nd or 3^rd stage in this life process toward discipleship. If you are just growing and not producing an abundant harvest, then you will never be able to reach the level where you can feed others.

One important aspect that is missed by many Christ followers is that before the plant sprouts and grows, the original seed must die to bring out a new abundant harvest. As Christ was approaching His crucifixion and death, He knew that He must die to bring new life. John 12:24-25, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.”

To make sure that His closest disciples understood the Process of Discipleship, Christ provides further explanation in Mark 8:34-37, “Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”

When the believer takes up his cross through the process of discipleship, the process of death begins to set in. The disciple finds himself a seed sown by the Son, planted in a home, office, shop, hospital, church, or online social media, as their place of ministry. Whatever or wherever it is, through the process of discipleship, there will be the death from which resurrection life follows.

We need to enter deeply into the truth that Christ could not enter into the glory of heaven until He had first given Himself over to death. This great truth will help us to understand how in our life and in our fellowship with Christ, we have to first surrender ourselves, every day, to die to sin and self. It is then we can abide in the unbroken fellowship of discipleship with our crucified and risen Lord.

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we learned the precise path that must be taken on the Trail of The Process of Discipleship. Once we have fallen on the fertile soil of God’s Word, we must die to self so that we can grow, produce an abundant harvest, and will be used to feed those who hunger and thirst for God’s justice. We must be patient through this process because it requires the proper nutrients, care, weeding, and most importantly, time. There is no shortcut to the process of discipleship. Tomorrow we will move onto our next trail, which is the Trail of Rest. Throughout the process of discipleship, which will last our entire lives, there are times for rest. 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.

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:

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!

Day 292 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Discipleship

March 18, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III 2 Comments

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 292 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Discipleship

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 292 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked on the 12^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of The Cross. Today we will explore a trail that we should seek after in many areas of our lives and that is Trail of Discipleship.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. I have been able to stay focused this week on the tasks that need to be completed, so we are able to accomplish a good bit. AT&T cell coverage where Paula is in Fort Myers is nearly non-existent. Although phone calls can be made, the signal is certainly not strong enough to use as a computer hot-spot. I have been able to pick up the required daily duties that Paula provides for our client’s, so we are able to cover our duties as she is away.

Paula’s visit with her Aunt Pauline is going well, and they are finalizing the details needed for when God takes Aunt Pauline home whether it is soon or months away. Paula is her executor, and although they had all the planning and paperwork completed several years ago, it is best to recheck to make sure everyone is prepared and nothing has changed.

As we head out on our hike for today, it is necessary that we are also prepared for our daily trek. Many times we can learn from those that have traveled this path before. This is referred to as being a disciple of a master. Our trail for today is the Trail of Discipleship as we learn from the ultimate master, Jesus Christ. This is the 13^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Discipleship

When we think of being a disciple of someone, it evokes the concept of learning. We are the student or the apprentice of someone who is a master in their craft or knowledge. As a Christ follower, we should desire to be a disciple of Christ. While the word disciple in my mind creates a positive image, the same root word discipline does not. How about you? Do these two words bring two different concepts in your mind? I like to think of myself as a disciplined person, but the thought of being disciplined by someone else does not give me the same sense.

Let’s explore what Biblical discipleship means. A disciple is one who first maintains the fellowship of the cross, which results in fellowship with his Lord or Master, which is discipleship. Christ is the master, but the cross is needed to clear the way for Him. It was because of the cross that He also became our master.

As a true master would, in spiritual progress Christ never pushes. He gently leads us step by step both in word and deed. We struggle and fail through our self-effort, which sets up a yearning and desire to overcome the times of failure in our lives. We learn from our master by observing Him as Hebrews 12:2 tells us, “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

The more we keep our eyes and mind on our champion, in time we see the scriptural facts of deliverance in the cross, which is our identification in Him. In turn, this produces the required hunger and desire to obtain the victory over self to enter into that freedom, freedom for fellowship with our risen Master, who initiates and perfects our faith. If we desire to become like the Master, then we must spend time observing Him and learning from Him.

As a disciple or apprentice, there are certain practices that we must become proficient at so that they become integrated into the very fabric of our lives. Christ tells us in Luke 9:23 what the initial requirements are “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” Are you willing to give up your life to become like the Master?

When the believer begins to really see the cross for what it is—a place of death, he is inclined to hesitate about choosing such fellowship. Our Lord Jesus understands this well, but there is no other way since that is the manner in which He finished the work on our behalf. So He simply allows our needs to continue their relentless pressure until we finally bend to His inevitable way of the cross. We need to understand the Master is not asking us to do anything that He did not do. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.

As we begin to glory in the cross, our very own freedom is awakened from all that enslaves, from all that would keep us from fellowship with our risen Lord. Our shackles fall from us, and we are set free from the treadmill of sin that so many believers find themselves chained to. As we begin to take up our cross, our liberation, our freedom from God, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ, begins to become evident in our lives. In most circumstances, a child must come of certain age in order to draw proceeds from a trust fund. In the same manner, as we become more like our Master, the personally finished work held in trust for us so long patiently begins to be released by the Holy Spirit as we begin to evidence God’s image in our daily lives. Talk about your trust funds. There is no better investment.

How do we grow as a disciple or apprentice of the Master? How do we obtain this coveted freedom that we all desire? Jesus gives us the answer in John 8:31-32, “Jesus said to the people who believed in him,’You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we learned what is required to become and start growing as a disciple on the Trail of Discipleship. We must keep our eyes and our mind on the Master, emulating Him and learning from Him. We must become like Him.

Tomorrow we will continue on a parallel trail as we hike on the Trail of the Process of Discipleship, which will provide us with some practical advice about the process of becoming more like the Master. 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.

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:

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!

November 2024
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