Wisdom-Trek ©

Creating a Legacy ™

How to Prosper In Life

by Leave a Comment

Live Long and Prosper

What do you desire to accomplish? What is your destination? As we trek together, 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 insights, 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 towards 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 have 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 long and prosper.”

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.”

God’s Love Every Day

by Leave a Comment

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 can celebrate every day. 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 of 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 which means something – a life that has worth, a rich (full) and satisfying life. A life with a purpose. A life which 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. 10 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. On Christmas and every day, take the time to reflect on the wonderful gift that God has given us, and fulfill your purpose of bringing glory to God.

Using Time Wisely

by Leave a Comment

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 towards 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 mountain side 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. As listed in 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.”

The Happiness Conundrum

by Leave a Comment

Searching for Happiness

When you search for happiness, don’t fall for the “if-then” or “when-then” traps … “I’ll be happy if I get that job,” “I’ll be happy when I get that house,” “I’ll be happy if I get that relationship,”, and so many more scenarios that we think about every day.

It’s easy to put your happiness “out there” instead of “right here.” You know what happens when you finally climb to the top of the mountain? There’s another mountain.

That’s the happiness conundrum.

The effective strategy is to enjoy the journey. Find your happy now, here, with what you’ve got, from where you are. You can choose what you focus on. Focus on the things in your life that lift you. That’s the happiness way.

Happiness doesn’t depend on what we have, but it does depend on how we feel toward what we have. We can be happy with little and miserable with much. Being happy is an attitude of mind, born of the simple determination to be happy under all outward circumstances.

Most importantly, remember that it’s the journey and the destination, and sometimes the journey is all we’ve got, so make the most of it. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Be wise. Be happy.

Proverbs 3:18 says, “Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.”

Finding Happiness

by Leave a Comment

Choose Your Happiness

“Everybody can find happiness. It is just a matter of choice to be compassionate, wise, generous, and loving,” Kurt W. Denard.

As we ponder this quote, I would like to ask you: What brings true happiness into your life? Contrary to what we think many times, it is not purchasing things that brings happiness because we may be content for a little while, but it will not be long before we desire something more or something different. As with most aspects of life, happiness is a choice that we make every day. The choices that bring lasting happiness in our own lives is when we choose to positively impact the lives of others. It is really up to you.

Dale Carnegie summed it up pretty well when he said, “Everybody in the world is seeking happiness – and there is one sure way to find it. That is by controlling your thoughts. Happiness doesn’t depend on outward conditions. It depends on inner conditions.”

Do you desire to be happy? Then choose each day to be kind, be compassionate, be wise, be generous, be thoughtful, and be loving with an unconditional love toward others. It is then you will find the path to true happiness.

Ephesians 4:32 instructs us, “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”