Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1368 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Share Some Good News – 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, 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 1368 of our Trek and time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday, we will ponder some of the fundamental 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 where we can ‘Ask Gramps.’  Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason, this is not possible. 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 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, I have many family members, local friends, and online friends who are very concerned about their future. I am sensing that they are on the brink of desperation. What can I do to encourage them while we ride out the shelter in place orders throughout the world?

Share Some Good News

If you spend much time watching or reading news from the mainstream news outlets, or much of what is on social media, you need to stop now, and encourage those you know to stop. For the most part, they are talking heads, and their purpose is to sensationalize the news to attract viewers. This is not the type of communication that we need now, or ever.

There is an alternative. Let us share some good news. There’s nothing more natural than sharing good news. Good news is for sharing. Think about it, even during these times of crises for many, when we land a new job or have a new baby, we want to tell other people about it. In any different situation, when we find a restaurant we like or watch a well-made film, we want others to have the same experience. You can still do that for those food establishments who deliver or have take out. Let us make sure we treat everyone we interact with, pleasantly. Thank them for all they are doing. It’s a natural thing to share good news. It should be no different now. Now, more than ever, we need to actively promote hope and encouragement to those who may be wavering in their faith and confidence.

Far too often, we make telling others about Jesus into an unnatural exercise. Sometimes we do that by making people memorize polished presentations of the gospel. Other times, we limit evangelism to mission trips to faraway places. We forget that the story of Jesus is good news, something that should be naturally shared with people we know.

Just ponder a little bit about how great it is to live in a time where our technology is so advanced that we know on an hourly basis the status of this pandemic worldwide. We see equipment and medicines created in record time. For the most part, our grocery stores are still well-stocked, and no one is starving through the minor inconvenience of social distancing.

In addition to these physical blessings, if you are a Christ-follower, we have within us The Good News that will last for eternity. So, part of our sharing of the good news should naturally be the hope that we have within us. 1 Peter 3:15

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.How can we make sharing our faith into a regular part of our lives? Here are a few ideas:

• Learn to appreciate the wonder of what God has done for us. Sometimes we have trouble sharing the gospel because we have forgotten what’s good about the news of Jesus! Before we can tell others about the joy of being a Christian, we need to experience that joy ourselves. Before we can help others experience freedom from darkness, we need to know what it is to walk in the light.
• Recognize that we can share good news even when we don’t tell the whole story. Not every conversation has to be a full presentation of the story of salvation. When Jesus healed the man who was possessed by a legion of demons, he told the man in Mark 5:19, But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” A great place to begin when sharing our faith is to merely point out good things that God is doing in your life.
• Love your neighbor as yourself. That’s very basic, I know, but it’s also easier said than done, even during this time of social distancing. If we believe that the greatest possession we have is God in our lives and that others can have that as well, doesn’t it make sense that we would want them to know that? Focus on love. Speak motivated by love. Let love shape your speech and your actions toward others. Doing that will make telling others about Jesus a natural occurrence.
• Pray. Prayer is an essential part of every step we take as a Christian. It’s especially important when dealing with others. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:6, I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. So each day, we can plant and water, but only God makes things grow.

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 ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’If you would like to listen to any of the past 1367 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 that 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 in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this Trek of life 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!