Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 1273 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
The Choices You Make – 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 1273 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, there are some big decisions and choices that are coming up in my life. How can I make sure that I make the right choices when there are so many options available?”
The Choices You Make
Every day we have choices to make. Sometimes they are big and life-changing choices, but most choices that we make each day, don’t seem to make that big of impact. What you may not realize is that all big decisions and choices that we make are an accumulation of many seemingly insignificant choices that we have made.
For example, if you spend $5.00 each day to buy a cup of gourmet coffee, that may not seem like much of a choice and would not have a major impact. If you saved that $5 per day, the savings would accumulate to over $18,000 over the next 10 years, not including interest that you earned. Now is that such an insignificant choice? Every choice has consequences, which may be positive or negative. Also for every YES choice that we make, we are by default making many NO choices. This goes both ways, wise or unwise.
The single most important choice in life is your choice to follow God and accept Christ as your substitution for your sins. God gave this choice found in Deuteronomy [30:19]-20 to the nation of Israel, and it still applies to us today.
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
So let me ask you a few questions. What are some of the right choices you have made? Your choice of a spouse? Disciplining and earning the respect of your children? Staying at home or staying in a lower paid job because it was best for your family? What rewarding consequences did your choices bring?
Have you made some small and large wrong choices? How about taking a promotion you knew would keep you away from your family without seeking God’s will and your family’s input about it first? How about choices about drinking, drugs, or pornography, which led to addictions in your life?
Of course, what I have listed in both the right and wrong choices above seem like major choices, but what about the choices that you face each day? Your choice to use hurtful words in anger? What about staying in seemingly smaller addictive lifestyles like working at the expense of your family, or eating that extra donut each morning? Or cheating on your expense reports at work or your tax return? Let it be known that continuance in small wrong choices will lead to many major wrong choices.
Let’s look at a couple of examples from the Bible. Consider the choices made by Joseph in Egypt or King David in Jerusalem. In Genesis 39, Joseph, as a slave, flees from the advances of his employer’s beautiful, but seductive wife. Because of this choice he later gains respect and position because of his integrity as he became the 2nd in command of all Egypt, right under the Pharoah. On the other hand, King David, who could have nearly anything he wanted, commits adultery with a married woman, and that choice causes a terrible series of choices as he spirals down into deception and murder of Uriah. David pays a huge price in the end where his own children try to depose him of his crown.
As the Bible passage I read from Deuteronomy advises, God gives you choices that have monumental consequences. It is up to you to make the right choices each day – choices of integrity and character at home, at work, and in your walk with the Lord. There is nothing better than the joy and peace that comes from obeying God.
Resolve today to prayerfully seek God’s wisdom and guidance regarding every choice you make in life. In order to make sure you have the wisdom to make the correct choice, let us read James 1:5-8, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”
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 1267 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 importantly, your friend as I serve you through this 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 on Monday!