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Day 1470 – Hard Work – Wisdom Unplugged

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Welcome to Day 1470 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Hard Work – Wisdom Unplugged

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1470 of our Trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from  Helena Rubinstein, and it is:    I believe in hard work. It keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit.       

Hard Work

As I have mentioned in previous episodes, I grew up on an apple orchard and small farm. There were 12 of us living in an old farmhouse with one bathroom. We didn’t have much materially and would be considered poor by most modern standards. In spite of that, for the most part, we grew up happy and did not realize that we were poor. My parents taught my nine siblings and me how to love each other, even when you don’t feel like it. We learned how to love others, even when they did not deserve it. We also learned how to work hard in order to survive. You know what? I am so happy that I was able to experience all of that growing up. I do believe in working hard, and not being a victim in life. I never use my childhood as an excuse not to do my very best. As Helena said in our quote for today, hard work has and continues to keep me young. Hard work, indeed, does keep the wrinkles out of my mind and spirit. It allows me to be young of mind and spirit to continue on when others choose to quit.  So work hard. Choose to enjoy what you do and be satisfied with the results.  Hard work rarely, if ever, causes you harm, or will kill you.  Enjoy the journey. The book of Proverbs has several lessons on hard work. Here is one of them.

Proverbs 21:5

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

We are also encouraged in:

Romans 12:11

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 11,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’ If you would like to listen to any of our past 1469 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

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

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for Worldview Wednesday!

Day 1469 – Bible Study – Attention to Detail – Meditation Monday

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Welcome to Day 1469 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Bible Study – Attention To Detail – Meditation Monday

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1469 of our Trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy. For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life, Meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and in prayer. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and making sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you, too, will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind. 

We are continuing our series this week on Meditation Monday as we focus on Mastering Bible Study through a series of brief insights from Hebrew Scholar, Dr. Michael S. Heiser. Our current insights are focusing on study habits to build a strong foundation. Today let us meditate on:

Bible Study – Attention to Detail

·      Insight Seventeen: The Guidance of the Spirit Is Neither a Remedy nor an Excuse for Lackluster Bible Study

If you’ve watched a baseball or football game on television at some point this century, there’s no doubt you’ve seen players either ask God for success or thank him for it. Athletes today regularly do things like point to the heavens after crossing home plate or finding themselves in the end zone. Some will bow in a short prayer. It’s a nice sentiment and, for many, a testimony that transcends a token gesture.

Let’s be honest. Unless that football player gets in shape and memorizes the playbook, all the pointing to heaven in the world isn’t going to lead to success. You can say a short prayer on the mound or in the batter’s box, but unless you can hit the strike zone or a curveball, you’re going to fail. Pretty badly, in fact.

It’s the same in Bible study. All too often, people who sincerely want the feeling of knowing Scripture aren’t willing to put in the time it takes to get there. Instead, they’ll take short cuts and then expect the Spirit to take up the slack. The assumption seems to be that the promise of the Spirit to guide us into truth means the third person of the Trinity will excuse a lack of effort and give us the answers we need. The analogy that comes to my mind when I hear that is a little disturbing. The Spirit isn’t the kid sitting next to you in high school that lets you cheat off their exam. You must do your own work.

Setting aside for the moment the fact that passages like John 16:13 really aren’t about personal Bible study, the truth is that God expects effort in the pursuit of truth. The Spirit of God works in our hearts and minds, which are the terms Scripture uses for our intellectual faculties (i.e., our brains). He generally makes use of the content you’ve put there (in your mind) in your pursuit of the truths of Scripture. There’s no mental download from heaven coming. Rather than substitute the Spirit for personal effort, my advice is this: as you do the hard work of Bible study, ask the Spirit for insight to expose flawed thinking (your own or whoever you’re reading) and for the right questions to ask about the biblical text. The more of God’s Word you’ve devoted attention to, the more the Spirit can help you recall for understanding.

·      Insight EIghteen: Attention to Detail and Clear Thinking Are Not Antithetical to Loving Jesus

Sometimes people mistake inquisitiveness for criticism. Early in my adult life in my own spiritual journey, I was consumed with knowing Scripture. I’d ask questions, listen to answers, and then follow up with more questions. Sometimes the pastors or Bible teachers were uncomfortable with my inquiries. After all, I was told, the real point of Bible study was learning about Jesus and how to follow him.

I disagreed then and still do. Wanting to know why women who had their periods were considered unclean, what the Urim and Thummim were, or why some English translations of John 5 don’t include verse 4 isn’t about wanting to know more about Jesus. I consider these good questions. Frankly, there are a lot of passages in the Bible that have nothing to do with Jesus. The fact that they are in the Bible means they’re just as inspired as any passage that is about Jesus. We either believe what we are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right,” or we don’t.

You don’t need to repent if you’re not content with someone’s explanation of a passage. It’s not a spiritual flaw to want details and precise answers, especially regarding something as important as the Bible. Saying the goal of Bible study is about being a better disciple misrepresents both Bible study and discipleship. They’re related but not synonyms. Dampening someone’s thirst for knowing Scripture by making them feel less spiritual isn’t part of discipleship. In my experience, it’s more a sign of personal insecurity. We should be thrilled when we encounter someone who just can’t get enough of the Bible.

Bible study is about learning what this book that we say is inspired actually means. Knowing what all its parts mean will give us a deeper appreciation for the plan of God for humanity, the salvation history of God’s people, and the character of God. Jesus is at the core of all that, but there’s more to the Bible than the story of his life, death, and resurrection. If that was all God wanted us to know, he’d have given us only the four Gospels. It’s evident he had more in mind.

Joshua 1:8

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

That is a wrap for today’s Meditation. Next week we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’  If you would like to listen to any of the past 1468 daily treks or read the daily Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this 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

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow!

Day 1465 – I Believe – Wisdom Unplugged

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Welcome to Day 1465 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

I Believe – Wisdom Unplugged

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1465 of our Trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from  Jewish refugee, World War II, Poland, and it is:   I believe in the sun, even when it isn’t shining. I believe in love, even when I am alone. I believe in God, even when He is silent.      

I Believe

In order to function and remain sane in a world of ever-increasing chaos requires that we are grounded in a belief system that is grounded in something, or someone that has complete control over every situation we face in life. When you wake up in the morning, and it is cloudy or stormy out, do you think that the sun has completely vanished? Do you believe that you will never see the sun again? Of course not, you know that it is only a temporary and needed situation for life to be sustained on earth. You have faith that someday in the not too distant future that the sun will shine brightly once again. When you are alone or lonely, do you believe that you will never be loved again in your lifetime? The first principle of love is that you must love yourself properly before you can love others properly. When you love others, then, in turn, they will love you. Even when you are alone, you believe that, indeed, you will feel the love of others soon. When it appears that God is silent in your life, and not providing peace and guidance, you must believe that He has a purpose for this season of silence. It may be that you are holding onto that which cannot provide safety and security in your life. We are told in Hebrews 13:5. Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

When you cannot see the sun, or feel the love of others, or when God is silent, you must turn to God in faith. It is then that our vision becomes clear, and we can be at peace and understand those difficult times in life.

Hebrews 11:1-3

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.  Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.  By faith, we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 11,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’ If you would like to listen to any of our past 1464 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

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

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for Worldview Wednesday!

Day 1464 – Bible Study – A Variety of Methods – Meditation Monday

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Welcome to Day 1464 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Bible Study – A Variety of Methods – Meditation Monday

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1464 of our Trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy. For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life, Meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and in prayer. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and making sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you, too, will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind. 

We are continuing our series this week on Meditation Monday as we focus on Mastering Bible Study through a series of brief insights from Hebrew Scholar, Dr. Michael S. Heiser. Our current insights are focusing on study habits to build a strong foundation. Today let us meditate on:

Bible Study – A Variety of Methods

·      Insight Fifteen: Use a Variety of Methods in Bible Study

Variety is the spice of life, so the saying goes. It’s good advice for Bible study. The principle is obvious. While there’s security in routine, it’s nice to mix things up once in a while or try something new. Change invites our problem-solving intelligence to kick in and, consequently, to stimulate our brain.

There are a lot of approaches to Bible study. You might want to try as many as you can discover, or master just a few.

Since most people graduate to Bible study from Bible reading, the verse-by-verse method is often where people start. The technique involves moving through a paragraph or passage looking up cross-references, picking words to study, and figuring out what every sentence means within the larger unit.

Topical Bible study is an entirely different method. Topical Bible study is just what it sounds like—discovering what the Bible says about a given topic. This method would require tools that can get you started in sketching out a topic, like Bible dictionaries. You need to know upfront what the keywords are that relate to a given topic. For example, if you wanted to study Old Testament sacrifices, you wouldn’t just use a concordance to look up the word “sacrifice.” You’d also want to look up words like “offering,” “blood, “sprinkle,” and “atone. Once you have a range of keywords, you’ll discover the key passages.Another method is doing character sketches, also known as biographical Bible study. This approach focuses on a single Bible character, searching for every passage where he or she appears.

In this method, you need to be on the alert for where the character’s name doesn’t appear, too. Sometimes a character is just named by a pronoun (“he” or “she” did this or that). The goal is to build a profile of what that person was like. How did your character react in given circumstances? What can the episodes of his or her life tell you about their personal strengths and weaknesses? How did they relate to God? Sometimes unnamed characters can be the focus of this kind of study. A Bible study on women in the Gospels, named or unnamed, could be quite interesting.

Even this handful of methods can keep you engaged for a long time. Be on the lookout for others, and try something new!

·      Insight Sixteen: Questions Are Not Answers

There’s nothing better for keeping you humble as a Bible teacher than a critique by your spouse or close friends.

Let me present a scenario. Say that I have a habit of leaving questions unanswered when I taught Scripture, I’ll admit that I like to do that. My reason is that people need to know that there’s a lot to think about in the Bible—that they don’t have it down like they think they do. I also want them to keep coming back for more.

While I think my reasons make sense, I also have to admit that being critiqued is valid and essential too. People don’t like to be left in an intellectual and spiritual lurch when it comes to the Bible. Many people desire definitive answers to their Bible questions. Bible scholars thrive on open questions. It’s like releasing a squirrel in front of a dog. I realize that most of us want closure on whatever is being talked about. Those of us who spend a lot of time in Bible study need to remember that, since we’re often the ones who will be teaching others.

It’s a hard lesson to learn. Serious Bible students like pursuing questions too. There’s a certain “thrill of the hunt” feeling that comes with detecting a problem, framing it, and then attacking it. There’s also a compulsion, to be honest. Sometimes conclusions really aren’t available or aren’t clear in our minds. Think of how frustrating it would be if, in the process of doing research, the sources you depended on were ambivalent, never quite coming to a conclusion.

This advice is pertinent to Bible study itself. We should seek conclusions when we study Scripture, especially when a passage is crucial to some point of doctrine. Granted, the Bible is more explicit in some places than others. Still, if your Bible study results in everything being open-ended, there’s a problem with either your method or analysis, and perhaps both. The moral of this story is that you need to land the plane in Bible study, even though you know it’ll take off again. It’s okay to reach tentative conclusions and allow yourself to revisit an issue later. At least come down somewhere, for your sanity and the sanity of others.

Joshua 1:8

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

That is a wrap for today’s Meditation, next week; we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’  If you would like to listen to any of the past 1463 daily treks or read the daily Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this 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

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow!

Day 1460 – All In! – Wisdom Unplugged

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Welcome to Day 1460 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

All In! – Wisdom Unplugged

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1460 of our Trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from  Vincent van Gogh, and it is:  I am seeking, I am striving, I am in with all my heart.      

All In!

How committed are you in the various segments of your life. How committed are you to your family and preserving a loving relationship? How committed are you to physical fitness and living a healthy lifestyle? How committed are you to improving yourself mentally and intellectually? How committed are you to maintaining healthy personal and social life with others? How committed are you to be prudent and wise in your financial dealings, and staying out of debt? How committed are you to your work and career, so you are successful in whatever job you do? Finally, how committed are you to maintaining a healthy, growing, and vibrant spiritual life where loving God and loving others is your highest calling?  In all seven areas of life, to live to fulfill your God-given potential, you need to be continually seeking, to be continually striving, to be all in with all of your heart. It is then you can reflect and know that you are ALL IN! So continue on, because God is not finished with you until He calls you home to be with Him.

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.

1 Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 11,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’ If you would like to listen to any of our past 1459 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

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

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for Worldview Wednesday!