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Creating a Legacy ™

Live Your Best Life

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Live Long and Prosper in 2017

What do you desire to accomplish in 2017? What is your destination? As we trek together over the next 12 months and beyond, let me help you along the way. For myself and our time together on our Wisdom-Trek, let’s make it our combined purpose to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insight, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. This is an effort that will be much easier as we assist each other. In doing so, we will set up the framework in our lives that will truly allow us to “Live Long and Prosper.”

I believe that most of us would desire to live a long life and to prosper. Prospering, though, will take many different forms. It could be financial, but that does not need to be our primary way of prospering. Becoming wise and creating a living legacy by making a positive impact on our world will allow us to truly prosper. The primary purpose for us pursuing and obtaining financial prosperity is to allow our impact to be even greater.

We need to be a river and not a reservoir with our financial gain. Allowing financial prosperity to flow through us to others, instead of hoarding it for ourselves, will help us to gain wisdom.

In addition to setting a destination, our best hope of arriving safely is to have suitable navigation tools. We need to follow a GPS, map, compass or other tools that will allow us to be reasonably sure that we are on the right path. These tools are important, but are only useful, if we follow them.

As I am sure each of us has experienced, even with the best GPS or map, we sometimes end up on a wrong road, and so it is with the trails in life. We may find ourselves at places or in situations that we never expected, either through our own choices or the choices of others.

We may get off the planned trail, but with the right tools, we can still head toward our destination. While my primary map in life on my Wisdom-Trek has been The Bible, I have also studied and followed many others that have traveled before me.

My parents have had a major positive impact on my life along with my wife Paula. Some of my “virtual mentors” that have already reached their destination in this life are been Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, and Earl Nightingale. One of my goals and objectives is to be your virtual mentor throughout this next year. Let me know how I can serve you more effectively.

Using the combined resources of God’s Word and encouraging mentors, when I have found myself on an unexpected trail in life (which there have been many), I am able to head in the correct direction because my destination remains the same. There have been and will continue to be many steep uphill climbs and some dark valleys, but as we continue our trek together, assisting each other, we will have the strength to continue.

Let us all look for ways to encourage and help others as we begin our trek into another year. In doing so, we all will be able to live our best lives.

As the wisest person to ever live King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”

Love At Christmas

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A Story of Christmas Love

Today let’s explore the ultimate gift, which is God’s gift to us – salvation through Jesus Christ whose birth we are celebrating. Today we are exploring the first part of our story.

How do you measure the value of a present? How do you judge its worth? By its size, or by its weight? Do you judge it by its cost, or perhaps by its usefulness?

Let’s examine God’s present to us. It was wrapped up in strips of clothes instead for fancy foil paper. It was laid in a smelly feeding bin, and not placed neatly under a scented pine tree. Regardless of these humble beginnings, God’s gift is the most important gift we will ever receive. It is a gift that we can share with everyone and yet retain it for ourselves.

Let us examine God’s Word in 1 John 4:9-11, “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”

How do you measure the value of God’s gift to you? I would suggest three ways.

1. God’s gift to you is measured by its usefulness.

What is the usefulness of His gift to us? Notice the usefulness of the gift in verse 9 above, “…so that we might have eternal life through him.”

Jesus said it this way in John 10:10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

What a promise that is! Not just life, not just existence, but a life that means something–a life that has worth, a rich, full, and satisfying life. A life with a purpose. A life that has value. A life with meaning. A life that will have eternal consequences and benefits.

Ephesians 1:4 says, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”

FACT: You are here for the glory of God.

Your purpose is to live a life that magnifies the Lord, to encourage and support fellow Christians, to become more like Christ, to use your gifts and talents in helping others, and to tell those who don’t know Jesus that there is Good News. Your purpose is to bring glory to God in all you do and say. And when all is said and done, you should long to hear the words written in Matthew 25:21, “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’”

God says you have brought me glory. You have enlarged the kingdom of God. You have done well. God’s gift of salvation to us is useful. It gives us meaning and value. Our purpose is to bring glory to God.

Because of God’s love for us, He has provided the best Christmas gift to us–a rich and satisfying life on earth and a life for all eternity. God, through Jesus Christ, took on human flesh and dwelt among His creation so that He could redeem us. This Christmas take the time to reflect on the wonderful gift that God has given us and fulfill your purpose of bringing glory to God.

2. God’s gift to you is measured by its cost.

As we serve such a loving and Holy God, we are to give Him our best. He doesn’t want our leftovers. He doesn’t want cheap stuff. He wants the best you and I can give Him. Remember the story of the wise men when I referenced how King David insisted on paying the price for his offerings in 2 Samuel 24:24, “But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.’ So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.”

David said if he was going to give a sacrifice to the Lord he was going to give his best – something of value, something of worth. Why would David say that? Because that is what God has done for us. He has given us the most precious gift He could possibly give–something of worth, something of value, something that is one of a kind. He gave us His son.

Look at 1 John 4:10 again, “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

God knew what had to be done. He knew what price had to be paid. He knew what it was going to cost Him, and He sent the best for you and me. He sent Jesus Christ–born as a child for the salvation of the world. If He gave that much to me, what should I give Him?

FACT: God’s gift to YOU is valuable.

3. God’s present to you is measured by its effectiveness.

If you get a toaster for Christmas, you expect it to be able to make toast. If you get a coffee machine, you expect it to make coffee. If you get a hair curler, you expect it to be able to curl hair. So the question that needs to be asked is “Is it effective? Does it do what it was intended to do?”

What is the love of God intended to do? CHANGE YOU.

Look at these three verses again in 1 John 4:9-11, “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”

To me, they seem almost like a mathematical formula. 1+1=2. See how it all adds up. God’s gift is useful PLUS God’s gift is valuable EQUALS we ought to love one another.

Verse 11 says this, “Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”

“Ought” sounds like a suggestion, but it’s not. It’s not just some suggestion that God is making to us. The Greek word for “ought” could be translated “must.” The root word actually means “to owe something.” You owe a payment. You are under obligation. You must pay it back! Let me restate the last part of verse 11 again.

…since God loved us that much, we MUST love each other.

Why? Because God is not done loving the world yet. He wants to keep loving the world–through you and through me. Jesus said it this way in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Does God’s love change you? Does it affect your behavior? Does it affect the way you treat people? You see that is what love is intended to do. It doesn’t make toast. It doesn’t make coffee. It does not curl hair. It changes us into loving compassionate people who care for the needs of those who around us. God wants to love the world, but He has a desire to do through you. Are you willing to let God show His love through you?

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other,” 1 John 4:9-11.

FACT: We certainly MUST love each other.

Because of God’s love for us, He has provided the best Christmas gift to us–a rich and satisfying life on earth and a life for all eternity. God’s love is useful, God’s love is valuable, and God’s love is effective. This Christmas, take the time to reflect on the wonderful gift that God has given us, and fulfill your purpose of bringing glory to God.

A Story of Christmas Courage

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The Other Character at the First Christmas

There is a story of courage that took place at the first Christmas. We often miss it because our focus is on a young mother and a baby. But the character I want us to focus on was in the story, too. He heard firsthand that his bride-to-be was pregnant, and he knew for sure it was not his child. This was difficult for him to deal with, but he wanted to handle the situation properly.

As he thought about what to do, he experienced a personal message from God because of the extraordinary event. Because of his courage, he stood by the manger where the baby was laid. He provided protection for the mother and child during the early years of the child’s life. The man’s name, of course, is Joseph.

In the midst of the story of the miraculous birth of Jesus, we find an ordinary man by the name of Joseph. Many of us don’t view biblical characters as ordinary, do we? Many times we attribute to them almost super-human powers. Most of the time that is not the case. They were people just like you and me. They had problems, fears, doubts, and worries just like you and me, yet God is able to use them. In fact, that is a major theme of the Bible.

Joseph was an ordinary man, but He was a man God could trust to be strong in the midst of crisis. He was strong and resilient enough to protect his family. Matthew says it this way, “He was a good man.” In other words, he was a man of honor. Did he have concerns? Yes, but he was a man, as the Scriptures tells us, that was “good.” Joseph was an ordinary man, yet he was a good man. What that means is that Joseph displayed moral courage. Joseph displayed the character of God in his own life. That’s tough to do sometimes, isn’t it?

We can only imagine how Joseph must have felt when he found out that Mary was pregnant. His natural response would have been that she had been unfaithful to him. He knew the child was not his. She must have been unfaithful. What emotions do you think he would have? Shock, disappointment, embarrassment, sorrow, anger…Probably a mixture of all. Yet Joseph’s character enabled him to keep a rein on his emotions. His love for God and for Mary compelled him to seek a way to protect her.

Joseph faced down his own emotions and courageously chose to protect Mary. Can you imagine rumors that must have spread through the community? The neighbors would have thought that they had broken the law. Obviously, the neighbors thought that they were having a sexual relationship.

Regardless of what others say or think, we must do what Joseph did. It is always the right time to do the right thing. God gives us the courage to face our own doubts and fears and also the rumors of others.

It would take unrelenting courage to deal with the life that Joseph had to face.

In the case of Joseph, he was given a vision – a dream to help reinforce his faith. He knew the neighbor’s opinion of him would change. He knew the rumors would be flying. But he also knew that God had spoken to him in a special way. The scriptures say, “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.”

More than likely, we will not receive a divine vision when we face times of crisis, but we do have the entirety of God’s Word available to us where all of the answers to life’s questions can be found.

When we face doubts, when we face fears, when we face an uncertain future, we are tempted to avoid the wilderness. We like our comfort zones. If we are approaching an area of the unknown, we try to find another way around or to make a U-turn to avoid it. We are afraid of the wilderness. There might be giants there. There might be bullies there. There might be rumors and teasing. There might be hardships and struggles. It is only by a journey through the wilderness that we will reach the Promised Land. If we make the journey, God will be with us. Think of what Joseph had to endure and remember…

God gives courage to ordinary people like you and me and Joseph.
God gives the courage to face our doubts and fears.
God gives the courage to face the future.
Trust in God. Believe in Him.

No matter what you are going through He will be there with you.

What a marvelous story of courage that we find in this ordinary and humble man, Joseph. Dare to be a Joseph. Dare to be ordinary but good. We can be courageous and remain good in the face of hardships, ridicule, and slander. We should all endeavor to be like Joseph in our lives.

“God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.”

Look at how Paul states this fact in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.”

A Proper Mindshift

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The Importance of Mindshift

As we are coming to the end of another year, whether it has been a great year or not so good, I believe we would all like to see 2017 as our best year ever. There are some circumstances or situations that are out of our control, but the one thing we do have control over is how we think.  In order for next year to be better than the current year, we will need to have a mindshift.

Each day when we rise, we have some initial crucial decisions to make. How we start the day will largely determine how well the remainder of the day goes.  I am sure you have been able to tell I am generally a very positive person, but I am also rooted in the realities of life. You might say I am a positive realist. How we perceive each day is based on our paradigm tied to our attitude. Our paradigm is a framework containing our basic assumptions or our way of thinking.

Our basic assumptions or the way we think about life will in large part result in how our life will turn out. So in order to change the way we think about life we may very well need a paradigm shift (or mindshift)—a radical change in how we perceive each day.

Over the years of observation and experience, Paula and I have seen the self-fulfilling prophecy of a person’s basic attitude and beliefs many times. We’ve seen so many instances of lost jobs, broken relationships, and failed businesses primarily due to a person’s attitude and belief that the situation would not work out well.

On the converse, those that are hopeful and anticipate that life will go well overall usually experience success.

This is clearly evident in the Bible where the word mind and heart are many times interchangeable as is written in Proverbs 4:23, “Guard your heart (mind) above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

What we think about and how we allow it to permeate our life will determine the course of our lives. If we are fearful of stumbling over obstacles on the trail or falling down the slippery slopes of life, there is a great possibility that those fears will turn into reality.

If we keep in our minds that which is good and positive, then the fruit that is produced in our lives will be good, and the outcomes in life will be positive overall. Christ put it this way in Matthew 12:35, “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart (mind), and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart (mind).”

Some days our trails will be flat and smooth and it will be easy to start and remain positive. Other days we will wake up to find that a boulder has rolled onto the path right in front of us or a bear is lurking outside of our tent, and it will be difficult to even begin.

To be honest with ourselves, we have to admit that some of the difficult trails are caused by our own choices. I have observed over the years that some people enjoy living in crisis mode with much drama, for in some strange way that is their comfort zone. They are masters in self-sabotage.

Even when we have a positive, encouraging, and victorious mindset/outlook on life, we cannot always control how rough the trails of life may be, but we can control our attitudes about those trails.

In my life of faith, this is made possible by acknowledging and accepting the gift of God’s Spirit which Christ promised before His return to heaven, after His resurrection. This promise is found in John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

One of my favorite quotes from one of my Virtual Mentors Zig Ziglar is, “You are what you are and you are where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You change what you are and you change where you are by changing what goes into your mind.”

As we look with anticipation that 2017 will be our best year ever, it starts with a mindshift to make that happen.

Your Internal Compass

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The Compass and The Clock

The compass and the clock will only bring value to us if we know how to use them properly. These are two very important tools with two very different purposes. We do not want to confuse the two.

A compass determines our effectiveness on how well we stay on the trail and head in the correct direction toward our destination. The clock helps us to regulate how far we will travel each day. If we attempt to be overly efficient by completing too many activities, then we will burn out before effectively reaching our destination.

As an analogy to our trek, if we try to run too fast on this trail of life, we may very well find that we lose our footing and careen down the mountainside in a bloody heap of nothingness.

As this applies to our daily tasks, the compass helps us in doing the right tasks. A clock helps us to do the tasks with efficiency.

Each has its place. But, the compass must come before the clock; therefore, effectiveness before efficiency. The “mega priorities” of the compass (our destination) governs the “mini priorities” of the clock (daily tasks).

As a Christian, I look at it in this manner. To surrender our time to God is to be governed by a compass rather than to be controlled by a clock. A compass, therefore, becomes a symbol of an internal guidance system that provides us with our values and convictions, which mine happen to be based on God’s Word.

This non-negotiable governs our lives. In the same manner that the magnetic force pulls the compass needle, it is God who governs the drive of our lives. We surrender to His force and focus on those tasks that will ultimately help us to reach our destination. This is how we begin to create a living legacy.

The reason I am able to use God’s Word for guidance and direction is found in Psalm 119:105, “Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

Let’s keep balanced in life by effectively using the compass to guide our overall direction, as we daily use the clock so we can be efficient. And remember Ephesians 5:15-17, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”