Welcome to Day 1404 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
A Quiet Place of Rest – 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 1404 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.
I don’t know about you, but with the issues surrounding Covid-19 and now so much civil unrest, there are days where I just feel exhausted. This is a bit odd for Paula and me since our schedules and routines have not really changed all that much. We do work with some companies that have been impacted significantly, so that may be part of it. I also attribute some of this exhaustion to the cares we have for family members, friends, and business associates who have been impacted. Plus, none of us like the unknown, and in the past three months, there have been more unknowns that face each of us personally. In addition to that, the entire world has been impacted. So it is not surprising that all of us are more prone to being exhausted. We all need some time to reflect and recharge. Today let us meditate on:
A Quiet Place of Rest
How do you restore your energies after you have reached the exhaustion point? What do you do when the fatigue debt has mounted so high in every dimension of your life — physical, emotional, and spiritual — that you do not think you can do one more thing? Where do you go for renewal when plenty of sleep doesn’t relieve the bone-weariness that pulses through every fiber of your being?
These are not hypothetical questions. You probably know that from personal experience. There is a kind of tiredness that nothing seems to relieve. This kind of exhaustion comes at the end of a long spiritual battle or from being the long-term caregiver for a loved one. Maybe it stems from ministering to people repeatedly until you are completely depleted. Possibly you are battling a long and debilitating illness or from a myriad of other issues.
For many of us who have found ourselves in such wearisome conditions, retreat and rest are often prescribed. They are also much desired. Yet many find such restful retreats remedy their weariness for just a short time, only to learn its return has left them feeling entirely and perpetually “burned out.”
Elijah’s example of rest and refreshment after his exhaustion is a good one. Food and rest were not enough for Elijah to be renewed (1 Kings 19:1-7), although they were part of his healing. What Elijah needed most, however, was to be in the presence of God. He needed to have God minister to him and speak directly to his heart (1 Kings 19:8-18). God spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12) and called Elijah back into service, reminding him there were others out there still serving the LORD God (1 Kings 19:18). One of these, in particular, needed Elijah to prepare him to lead God’s people (1 Kings 19:15-17). This was Elisha, who would eventually replace Elijah when God called him home.
It is a precious scene where Jesus called his apostles to a quiet place of rest after a season of ministry in Mark 6:30-32. The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.
I am not surprised that when Jesus saw the weariness of his apostles, the Lord not only told them to go away to a quiet place, but he also called them to be with him. Getting away wasn’t enough. Resting and being alone, far away from the crowd, wouldn’t rekindle the holy fire they needed to minister. No matter how restful retreat from the maddening rush may seem at the time, getting away by itself will not restore what is spent. Only the presence of the Lord can renew, restore, revitalize, reinvigorate, and re-establish our spirits. Only the Spirit of God, the breath of heaven, can make dry bones rise again (Ezekiel 37:1-13).
You may find that your concern for people you love has left you exhausted and depleted. There is always still plenty of things to do. If Jesus Christ saw the need for the apostles to find a place of quiet rest and be renewed by Him, don’t you think He desires the same for you?
So, as you face the challenges of your life, please, carve out some sacred space. Carve out some holy time to withdraw from the maddening rush and pressures that have plagued us these past few months. It doesn’t have to be for an extended period, but at least a brief respite. Be careful, though. Don’t just withdraw; you must also draw close to the only one who can restore your soul!
Where do you go to be alone with Jesus? What do you do to listen for his voice and draw close to his presence?
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 1403 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:
- Live Abundantly (Fully)
- Love Unconditionally
- Listen Intentionally
- Learn Continuously
- Lend to others Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- 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!
Earlier, we saw that use of the term “Israel” varied in the Old Testament. Sometimes “Israel” referred to all twelve tribes, and other times it referred to the northern kingdom of ten tribes following the fracturing of the kingdom. The variation in meaning, then, was due to politics and geography.
Presuming they had access to the Scriptures, the Bible of the earliest Christians was the Old Testament. We have the Old Testament today, of course, but we look at it much differently than early Christians did. One reason is that we live at a time far removed from the days of Jesus, whom the early church expected would soon return. Another is that we live on the other side of the catastrophic events of AD 70, the year the Romans destroyed the Jewish temple.
There’s a reason for this seemingly odd omission. In New Testament theology, believers are the temple of God. They have replaced the temple. Believers indwelt by the Spirit are now the place sanctified by the sacrificial blood of Jesus, where God’s presence dwells. This temple was made at the resurrection and not by human hands in 
If you would like to listen to any of our past 1400 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.
I know for myself, and probably for most Christ-followers, we desire to have strong faith, but we would prefer to gain that faith through osmosis or a life of ease. Unfortunately, that is not how we learn strong faith. Just like the massive and sturdy oak tree, as with many other varieties of trees, they can only grow big and resilient through adverse conditions. When they have to face torrential wind and rain, it not only strengthens the very fiber of the tree, it also causes their roots to be driven deep into the soil so it can tap into the life-sustaining water supply. Contrast this to a tomato plant that may thrive in a hothouse, but when exposed to any harsh weather or natural elements, it would soon be destroyed. If you earnestly desire to have strong faith, then you must be willing to not only accept the trials of life, but look forward to them with joy. So ask yourself, do you desire to be a tomato plant which under ideal conditions may last for a short season, or do you desire to stand like a mighty oak which continues to grow to reach its branches to the heavens. The tomato will last but a few months, while the oak will last several hundreds of years. Which do you choose? If you choose the mighty oak, then you must look at the hardship and trials of life as the Apostle James did in his letter to the early church, which was driven away from Jerusalem because of the severe persecution they were experiencing. 
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 1399 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.