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Day 1220 – Love Your Work – Wisdom Unplugged

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1220 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Love Your Work – Wisdom Unplugged

Unplugged1-1024x609

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, and 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 1220 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 Robert Louis Stevenson, and it is, “If a man loves the labor of any trade, apart from any question of success or fame, then God has called him.”

Love Your Work

Maybe we should redefine what true success and fame are.  If you enjoy, yes I might add, love your work, regardless of how financially rewarding or attention-grabbing it is, shouldn’t you be considered a success, as you bask in the satisfaction of a job well done?  This thought reminds me of two verses in the Bible that the wisest man on earth, King Solomon, wrote.  The first is Ecclesiastes 2:24, “So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.” The second one is Ecclesiastes 5:18, “Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.”

To be satisfied and content with your work and life, regardless of your status, regardless of what others may think, regardless of the size of your bank account…is a life well-lived.

God has created each of us uniquely with certain abilities, talents, intellect, and gifts.  We should rejoice in how He created us.  We are only responsible for how we utilize what God has blessed us with. We are not to compare ourselves to anyone else. God desires that we live fully as we work together building His kingdom here on earth. As you are faithful and content with what you have, God may provide you with more.  This basic principle is found in Luke 16:10,“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”

Learn to love and enjoy what you already do. It is then that you will find contentment, success, and fame.

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. As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1219 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 of all, your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

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

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 1219 – A Father’s Love – Meditation Monday

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1219 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

A Father’s Love – Meditation Monday

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, and 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 1219 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 praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make 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.

How do you view God, your heavenly father? It makes a huge difference in your life. In today’s meditation, let us consider…

A Father’s Love

One of the most beautiful and well-known parables in the Bible is the parable of the father of the prodigal sons (Luke [15:11]–32). Many commentators call this the parable of the prodigal son, but the real hero of this story is the father and his love for his two prodigal sons. It’s a parable that Jesus used to skillfully unveil to us the true heart of our gracious and loving heavenly Father.

Please take a few minutes to read through the full parable, and as you read through it, consider this: What is your opinion of God, especially when you’ve made a mistake? Do you see Him as an all-powerful, distant, and unfeeling judge who is angry whenever you fail and who constantly has to be appeased? Or do you know Him as your Daddy, your Abba Father whom you can run to anytime, even when you have fallen short? Do you see Him as unwaveringly and patiently waiting for you to return to Him and then racing down the road to meet you with tears streaming down His face, embracing you, and raining His kisses upon you?

Let me read to you a portion of the parable when the one son, who had taken all of his inheritance and squandered it and was now completely destitute returns to his father. In his own eyes and in the world’s eyes, he was worthless, but not the eyes of his loving father. I will read Luke 15:20-24, “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.”

Did you catch his father’s response? His father acted like he did not hear what his son had said because, to the father, it did not matter.

As I was studying the Word, the Lord revealed to me that many believers have come to a place where they have forgotten their heavenly Father. They have forgotten about His love, His grace, and His loving-kindness. They relate to God in a judicial and transactional fashion, coming before Him with apprehension and trepidation, presenting their failings to Him and quickly leaving before they get the punishment and condemnation they think they rightly deserve from Him. They perceive Him exclusively as a God of holiness, judgment, and justice—His face steely and stern, His mighty arms folded in dissatisfaction and disapproval. They see a God who is easily displeased, quick to anger, perpetually disappointed with them, and waiting impatiently to be placated.

This wrong belief of who God really is has driven many into fear, guilt, depression, and insecurity. And that is why it’s so vital we see the heart of the Father as unveiled by Jesus in this timeless parable.

My friend, do you see His heart of love for you? There is a vacuum in our hearts that can only be filled by the Father’s love. I believe that if you would allow the Father to come into your heart today and fill you up with His perfect love, you would find the joy, confidence, fulfillment, and freedom that you have been looking for in life. The Father’s Love is never-ending, and He wants to restore you to your rightful position within His family.

Take time to meditate on this today.

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 our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1218 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 each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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.

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

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!

Day 1218 – Addictions Destroy Lives – Ask Gramps

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1218 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Addictions Destroy Lives – Ask Gramps

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, and 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 1218 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday, we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time when we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason, you are unable to. No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask Dad or Gramps questions about life in many areas.

We may mix it up a bit on our Friday episodes, but we will strive to keep them down to earth and enjoyable. If you have any questions that you would like to ask Gramps, please email them to guthrie@wisdom-trek.com.

The question for this week is…

“Hey Gramps, I am struggling with drinking too much. I can usually control myself when life is running smoothly, but with the pressure of finances, working, raising the kids, and being a good husband, I lapse back into drinking too much which, I know is not what God desires. I fear that I am becoming addicted to drink. Do you have some wisdom tips you can share that would help me avoid drinking when I am under stress?”

 Addictions Destroy Lives

Let me start with a story about someone who ended up paying the ultimate price because he did not overcome his addiction. Jeffrey Motts was executed by lethal injection for the 2005 murder of a fellow inmate at the Perry Correctional Institute in South Carolina. He was originally jailed for murdering two elderly people in 1995. What was particularly revealing was a comment he made in his final statement, which was read by his attorney. “I was the child everyone wanted their children around, that is, until I got addicted to drugs. Drugs have destroyed my life.”

The sad thing is, Jeffrey Motts was a good kid, as most kids start out in life. Unfortunately, he became addicted to drugs through initially casual use, until it controlled his entire life. He is not alone, and as the question which was asked today, it is so easy to slip from a functioning addiction to one that completely consumes you. Many people today struggle with addictions. If not drugs or alcohol, it may be gambling, sex, pornography, food, shopping, or the more socially acceptable addictions of exercise, work, and internet habits. These were once considered compulsions or weaknesses, but anything that controls and consumes us is an addiction.

I know it is not a pleasant way to think of it, but addictions remind me of Proverbs 26:11, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.” It is hard to accept, but addictions are foolishness because we are relying on something other than God to help us deal with life. We must be willing to clothe ourselves with a life that is pleasing to God. Romans 13:13-14 tells us, “Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.  Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”

Addictions destroy lives. They undermine confidence and self-respect. They produce painful, destructive patterns. They create a black hole of despair. They make people insensitive to the feelings and needs of those who care for them because addicts, when fully consumed, will stop at nothing to feed their addiction. Addictions rob children of loving parents. Addictions rob people of health and well-being.

Solomon, in the book of Proverbs, paints a grotesque picture of the addict as one who keeps going back to his “drug of choice” over and over again, thinking surely this time it will satisfy.  But as with any addiction, it never does. It will only continue to get worse apart from God’s liberating intervention. Let me read Proverbs [23:29]-35. This passage deals with alcohol, but see if you have these same feelings about the addiction that you may be struggling with.

Who has anguish? Who has sorrow?
Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining?
Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns,
trying out new drinks.
Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is,
how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down.
For, in the end, it bites like a poisonous snake;
it stings like a viper.
You will see hallucinations,
and you will say crazy things.
You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea,
clinging to a swaying mast.
And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it.
I didn’t even know it when they beat me up.
When will I wake up
so I can look for another drink?”

This is a pretty sobering account of any type of addiction, isn’t it?  It does not only apply to alcohol.

So how do we recover from addictions, or stop ourselves from sliding down the slippery slope into an addiction? First, get rid of any triggers that may drag you closer to it.  For instance, don’t have alcohol in your house if drinking is a weakness. Setup safeguards on your computer, if you struggle with pornography. Be accountable to your spouse or close friends. Be involved with wholesome activities that will distract you from your addictive cravings. Help others that are less fortunate than you are and in need of assistance.

Addictions, while being attractive initially, are not glamorous. The next time you are tempted, flee to God for strength and help. Ultimately only through His Word will you be rescued. Long term, though, you MUST renew your mind through saturating it with God’s Word. God’s Word is like a water filter in your mind. As the attractions and garbage of everyday life flow into your mind, God’s word filters out the bad elements so that you can build a solid Biblical worldview.

I know of no better advice than to invest more and more time in God’s Word each day. Pray that God will give you strength for each day and bright hope for every tomorrow. You must transform your mind to overcome addictions. I know I use this verse quite often, but it is so true and valuable.

Romans 12:2

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Lastly, surround yourself with Godly mentors, family members, and friends to help you to stand when you are too weak to stand on your own. Don’t try it alone; you are not Superman or Superwoman – your addiction is your kryptonite. The wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 4:12, “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.”

That is a wrap for today’s question. Join us again next Friday for another question on our “Ask Gramps” episode. Our next trek is Mediation Monday, where we will help you reflect on what is most important in life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along on Monday for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1217 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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.

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

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you on Monday!

Day 1217 – No More Fishing – Humor Unplugged

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1217 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

No More Fishing – Humor 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, and 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 1217 of our trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini-trek called Humor Unplugged. Our Thursday podcast will provide a short and clean funny story to help you lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life – something to cheer you and provide a bit a levity in your life.

We are told in  Proverbs 15:30, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.” We are also encouraged in Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” Consider this your vitamin supplement of cheer for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s funny, which is titled…

No More Fishing

John, who hadn’t attended church in years, suddenly began attending faithfully on Sunday mornings instead of going fishing, as was his normal habit.

Pastor Smith was highly gratified, but said nothing for several weeks, thinking that John must have seen the light. Pastor Smith had also convinced himself that his excellent preaching probably played a major factor in John’s decision to come back to church and attend so faithfully.

Pastor Smith could contain himself no longer, so at the end of service one morning he told him, “Brother John, how wonderful it makes me feel to see you at services with your good wife, Margaret!”  Thinking that he already knew the answer, Pastor Smith could not help himself, so he asked, “John, what changed in your heart that you have been so faithful in attendance these past few months?”

“Well, Preacher,” said John the fisherman, “Quite honestly, it’s a matter of choice. I’d much rather hear your sermon than hers.”

I hope that brought a smile to your face today. If it did, pass your smile onto some else. We all could use a good smile. Our Thursday thought is “Don’t ask the question if you can’t handle the answer.”

Ephesians [4:15]

Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

As you enjoy these nuggets of humor, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1216 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, 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

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!

Day 1216 – Disciples Accept God’s Forgiveness and Study – Worldview Wednesday

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1216 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Disciples Accept God’s Forgiveness and Study – Worldview Wednesday

What is a Biblical Worldview 1

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, and 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 1216 of our trek, and it is Worldview Wednesday.  Creating a Biblical Worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events.

To establish a Biblical Worldview, you must also have a proper understanding of God and His Word.  On our Worldview Wednesday episodes we are in a series in which we are covering another detailed review of a book from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. We are taking a deep dive and will share Dr. Heiser’s insights into the question, which is also the title of his book “What Does God Want?”

Disciples Accept God’s Forgiveness and Study

Last week we studied how disciples fast and worship. This week we will explore two more specific responsibilities for a disciple.

The first one is disciples confess sin and accept God’s forgiveness.

One of the things a disciple has to come to grips with as soon as their journey of following Jesus begins is that they will fail. None of us is sinless like Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:21-22; 1 John 3:5), nor can we hope to be. The Bible is clear on this point. The disciples sinned (Mark 14:30, 68, 72). One of them, John, wrote later in life 1 John 1:7-10, “But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.”

It’s wonderful to know, though, that our membership in God’s family is not due to our performance. Our good works cannot put God in our debt. He never owes us everlasting life on account of any merit we might think we have. Our performance (or lack thereof) did not move him away from us. God loved us as we are reminded in Romans 5:8, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Consequently, we must remember that since salvation could never be gained by moral perfection, it cannot be lost by moral imperfection.

In light of our imperfection, the true disciple of Jesus must stay focused on the kindness and love of God. Look again at the passage from John’s letter. It tells us exactly what to do when we fail God, either by doing something that isn’t consistent with imitating Jesus or leaving something undone that is consistent with being like him, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

When we sin and fail, we must acknowledge it. That’s what confession means. We must not hide, excuse, or rationalize our sin. God wants us to admit it. Why? We need to be humbled. We need to remember that salvation is about what someone else—Jesus—did for us, not what we earn. Confession acknowledges that we are children of God because of Jesus. We can be sure that our sin will not separate us from God; we will not be kicked out of the family (Romans [8:31]-39). God knew before we embraced the gospel that we were flawed. It’s not something that surprises him. It doesn’t change how he feels about us.

An obvious question then is why we should care about sinning. The New Testament disciples came across that attitude in people. The apostle Paul brought it up in his letter to the Christians in Rome as written in Romans 6:1-2,12-16,“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it…Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.  Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.  Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!  Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.”

Notice that the Bible doesn’t say “Of course not! Don’t sin or God won’t love you anymore!” Rather, the concern is returning to the bondage of self-destruction. So, on the one hand, we will sin, but on the other hand, we should avoid sinning. This struggle is something the apostle Paul knew well as he further describes in Roman 7:7-25. Yet he was a remarkable follower of Jesus. The New Testament alerts us many times that there is a war going on inside us. Our hearts want to follow Jesus, but our unperfected selves want self-gratification and pre-eminence in how we live (1 Peter [2:11]; James 4:1).

As we seek to follow Jesus, it’s a good idea to, as the saying goes, to “keep short accounts with God.” The idea is that when we fail, we should be quick to confess it and thank God for his forgiveness. We should remember what our sin cost Jesus. We should keep following him in loyal love, being grateful that he went to the cross “while we were still sinners’’ (Romans 5:8) so we could be his brothers and sisters.

The next responsibility is disciples study the Bible.

In the early church, believers would listen to the apostles’ teaching and study Scripture. Paul and other missionary-apostles did the same thing when they started churches elsewhere (Acts [2:42]; 4:2; [5:42]; [17:10]-11; [18:11]; [20:20]). This was the more common method of learning the Bible in the New Testament era because most people did not have their own copy of the Bible. Many believers could also not read. Even though we are part of a literate culture and have access to the Bible, we can benefit from learning in community.

Learning the Word of God is necessary for following Jesus. How else can we learn about sin (behaviors and attitudes to avoid) and Spirit-filled living (the way we should behave)? Scripture teaches us in Ephesians 4:22-24 to “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” When we become part of God’s family through faith in the gospel, the Spirit indwells us (1 Corinthians 3:16- 17; 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:22) and helps us live fruitful lives. Fortunately, we have a list of character traits we should possess when the fruit of God’s Spirit is manifested in our lives. This is found is found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Disciples learn and live out the Word of God in their lives. This is how Jesus showed he loved God—he obeyed God’s will. Community is a significant help in doing that. In a community, we come into contact with mature believers who have followed Jesus for many years. We can learn how their lives changed as they learned to “put off the old and put on the new.” We can go to them for encouragement when we struggle in our pursuit of being like Jesus. They can remind us of God’s love and forgiveness. They understand, since every Christian struggles to turn from sin and do what’s right (I John 1:5-10). Even the apostles struggled against sin and doing what was right (Romans 7:7-25; Galatians [2:11]-14). Community means accountability, empathy, and encouragement as we seek to be more conformed to the example of Jesus.

That will conclude our lesson for this week from Dr. Heiser’s book “What Does God Want?” Next Worldview Wednesday we will finish our review of this book as we discover our final two traits for disciples, which are “Suffering and Making More Disciples.” I believe you will find each Worldview Wednesday an interesting topic to consider as we build our Biblical worldview.

Tomorrow we will continue with our 3-minute humor nugget that will provide you with a bit of cheer and help you to lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1215 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 of all, your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

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

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!