Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 1364 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Where Is Your Joy? – 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 1364 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.
Covid-19 has implanted within most of us a sense of uncertainty. Your life has been completely disrupted, even if you are still gainfully employed. You may be working from home now and trying to balance a life that is unfamiliar to you. You may be homeschooling your kids or just anxious about being separated from your family, your routine, and those with whom you work and socialize. Have you lost your joy in life? Today, let us meditate on…
Where Is Your Joy?
During these uncertain times, you may feel anxious instead of joyful. I can understand these feelings. Even though our work and schedules have remained pretty much the same for both Paula and me, we find ourselves feeling somewhat anxious due to the global uncertainties. As Christ-followers, we have a hope that should provide a continuous flow of joy in our hearts each day. How do we maintain that joy? Let’s explore some passages that will give a firm foundation for our joy and happiness.
Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.
Did you catch what our lives can be like when we meditate on God’s Word? Like trees planted along a river, abounding with fruit.
Even when we are weak and at the end of our strength to carry on, God will empower us with His power and restore the joy within us.
Psalm 28:6-8
Praise the Lord!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
The Lord gives his people strength.
He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.
While trials and tribulations can be the result of our lives being lived in disobedience to God’s Word, most times, it is for a much higher purpose that may be difficult for us to understand. A worldwide pandemic is one such case. God is not punishing the world, nor is he punishing you as a person, even if it seems like your world has collapsed around you. God does have a purpose for such an event, though.
Since it is impacting the world as a whole, God may be setting in motion a significant change in the hearts of humankind. It is a chance for the church to rise up and continue to build His kingdom here on earth, as it is in heaven as we read in Matthew 6:10, "May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."
Not that any of us want troubles and problems in our lives, but God has a purpose for them, and we should not lose our joy when we experience hardships and uncertainties. Jesus’s half-brother James, who was a leader in the 1st-century church, understood this as he shares with us in James 1:2-4, "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."
Let us count this time of hardship and uncertainty as an opportunity for great joy. Let us not allow our current situation to be a joy robber.
Yes, you may find yourself anxious and unsure of how to proceed. Yes, your world may have been shaken to its foundations. Our current situation reminds me of the starting phrase from Charles Dickens’s book, A Tale of Two Cities. “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
We are not the first generation to have suffered through this type of pandemic. The world is so much better prepared with our modern medicines than at any other time in human history. So instead of being discouraged and losing hope and joy, let us follow the exhortation found in Hebrews 12:1-2, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne."
Meditate and ponder the phrase, “Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” Let us strip off every weight that slows us down and be full of joy each day.
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 1363 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, 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 tomorrow!