Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 133 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs Chapter 3:7-12 Trusting the Lord #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 133 of our Trek, and we are remaining at camp this week as we dig for the nuggets of wisdom contained within the book of Proverbs.  As the prospectors of old would pan for gold in the creeks and rivers, let us wash away the dirt from the many modern media outlets that want to pollute our minds each day and find the pure gold of wisdom that is located in the streams of Proverbs. Yesterday we began Chapter 3, and today we will continue to explore in Chapter 3 as we pan for additional nuggets of wisdom.

Once we complete the entire book of Proverbs, we will make the entire commentary available in an eBook although we will be going on many treks between our times at camp. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and we are busily completing the work that needs done and the podcasts that will be airing while we are on our short trip to Phoenix.  Life seems to always be full, rich, and exciting.  While we have the opportunity, we will continue on.  As the old saying goes, you have to make hay when the sun shines.

As we enjoy our time sitting around the campfire, let us share more wisdom nuggets from Solomon to see how they apply to our trek of life.  For me, campfires have always been a time for reflection and relaxation.  Cherish every moment of life to learn, to grow, to create a legacy of wisdom, and to seek out discernment and insight.

The title of Chapter 3 is…

Trusting in the Lord

Wrong types of wisdom and intelligence

Today we are starting with verse 7.

⁷ Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

There is a wrong type of wisdom. Verse 7 mentions “your own wisdom.”

There is also a wrong type of understanding, which we looked at yesterday in Verse 5 that mentions “your own understanding.”

There is a difference between our own wisdom and God’s wisdom. Also, there is a difference between our own thoughts and God’s thoughts. God is wiser than we are, and God is more intelligent than any person is as is stated in Isaiah 55:8-9.   

⁸ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
⁹ For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

We must not be proud. All true wisdom comes from God. Our own ideas may be good, but they are never better than God’s wisdom.

God teaches his wisdom to us. It is God’s gift to us. Do not confuse your own ideas with God’s wisdom!

⁸ Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.

Sometimes unwise choices cause illnesses. For example, consuming excess alcohol or eating the wrong food or too much food will make us ill. But, God’s wisdom does not hurt us. God is kind to us, and He helps us. He cares about our bodies. He also cares about our spirits. Nobody will be ill in heaven as Revelation 21:4 reveals, ⁴ “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

So the wisdom that we need is God’s wisdom.

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Next in verses 9-10 Solomon teaches us about priorities with money when he writes…

⁹ Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the best part of everything you produce.
¹⁰ Then he will fill your barns with grain,
and your vats will overflow with good wine.

In Malachi 3:6-12, Malachi accuses the people. He says that they have stolen from God. This is because they have not given their gifts for God’s work.

The truth is that all our possessions belong to God. He made the world, so he made everything that we have. Our own lives belong to him. As Christians, we should be generous. We should give for God’s work. We should also give to help poor people.

People may say, “If I give, then I won’t have enough for myself.” We should be sensible, but we must also trust God. For in Psalm 50:9-10 God says,

⁹ But I do not need the bulls from your barns
or the goats from your pens.
¹⁰ For all the animals of the forest are mine,
and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.

If we give our money for God’s work, then God will provide for us. Jesus said, ³⁸ “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back,” Luke [6:38].

God does not need our wealth. However, he chooses to work with us. We should be glad to give to God. ⁷ “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully,” 2 Corinthians 9:7.

As we give to other people, God gives good things to us. ¹⁰ “‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’” Malachi [3:10].

So that is our lesson on finances in this passage. Now on to discipline in verses 11-12.

¹¹ My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
¹² For the Lord corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Many people do not want to learn how to behave well. They want to choose how they will live their lives.

God is our father. As a father teaches his son, sometimes the father must correct his son. In the same way, God corrects us.

God does not correct us because he is angry. God corrects us because he loves us. A human father should not punish his child because the father is angry. Rather, the father corrects the child because the father loves his child. If God corrects us, then we should be glad. His correction teaches us to do the right things. His correction will save us from troubles.

God does not forget about us. He watches us. He sees our errors. In love, he corrects us. He might correct us by some word that we read in the Bible. He might use the advice of other people, such as a minister or friend. Hebrews 12:5-6 tells us,

⁵ “And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,

‘My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t give up when he corrects you.
⁶ For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.’”

Sometimes correction includes learning. ¹¹ “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way,” Hebrews [12:11].

Today on our Trek of Proverbs, we learned to not be impressed by our own wisdom but by God’s wisdom. We also learned the law of giving and receiving from what is entrusted to us by God as we are to be wise managers of it. Lastly, we understand that each of us needs discipline at times because it helps us to grow and mature. Think about these three points for today and join us tomorrow as we continue with Proverbs 3 and learn about the wrong types of wisdom and intelligence on another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom on Wisdom-Trek.com, or subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, or YouTube so the episodes will be downloaded to you automatically each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek 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!