Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 1243 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Help My Unbelief – 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 1243 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday, we will 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.
So the question for this week is…
“Hey Gramps, at times, I lack the faith to believe that God will truly help me in my time of trouble. Do you have any wisdom bits that will help me when I start to doubt and struggle?”
Help My Unbelief
The Bible tells us that we can have faith to move mountains, but I think all of us doubt that we personally have that type of faith. Do you have faith to move mountains? Mountains are pretty big. With all of us, our faith can rise and fall. Sometimes we feel strong in our faith, and other times we wonder if we have any faith.
You want to know a secret? Here is the good news…It’s not up to our faith to move mountains, because we have nothing to do with it. Only God does. God is in the mountain-moving business, not us. At times, we may feel that it is up to us to muster up the faith to make something happen. It is not about muster (effort), it’s about mustard. Jesus said nothing is impossible for the person who has faith the size of a tiny mustard seed.
Instead of concentrating on the strength of our faith, we should focus on the object of our faith, which is Jesus Christ. In the good news of Mark, a father brings his son to Jesus for healing from an evil spirit that the disciples couldn’t cast out. I will read Mark 9:23-24, “What do you mean, ‘If I can’? Jesus asked. Anything is possible if a person believes. The father instantly cried out, I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!’”
Jesus said anything is possible if a person believes, to which the boy’s father cries out, help me overcome my unbelief. Then Jesus heals the man’s son.
Was the boy healed because of the quantity of the father’s faith? No, the father had little faith that Jesus could heal his son. In fact, he even admitted his lack of faith. What little belief the father had, he placed in the right person. The father had little strength in the faith department, but he believed in the one who can overcome. God’s power can help our little bit of faith accomplish mountain moving things. He just wants our trust. As we learn to trust God on the little things, He will grow our faith.
Don’t be overly concerned about how much faith you have today. You can grow your faith. Just put your faith in the right person, Jesus. Put your focus on Him and His grace, not yourself and your faith.
Even those who were the closest friends and constant companions of Jesus struggle at times with their faith as we read about in Matthew 14:28-31, “Then Peter called to him, ‘Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.’ ‘Yes, come,’ Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. ‘Save me, Lord!’ he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. ‘You have so little faith,’ Jesus said. Why did you doubt me?’”
Our faith starts small, but it can grow as we invest more time in our fellowship with Jesus. Luke 13:18-20 reads, “Then Jesus said, ‘What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.’”
So when you lack the faith to carry on and your mountains seem so high, realize that the object of your faith will either move your mountain or give you the strength to climb it.
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 when 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 1242 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:
- 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 Monday!