Episodios

  • Day 2714 – A Discerning Life – Dealing With Deceivers 1 John 2:18-27
    Oct 14 2025
    Welcome to Day 2714 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2714 – A Discerning Life – Dealing With Deceivers 1 John 2:18-27 Putnam Church Message – 09/14/2025 Sermon Series: 1, 2, & 3 John “A Discerning Life: Dealing with Deceivers" Two weeks ago, we explored 1 John 2:12-17 as we learned how to live a ‘Clean Life’ with “Strong Warnings About the World.” This week, we continue through the letter of 1 John, and we will explore how to have A Discerning Life: Dealing with Deceivers" from 1 John 2:18-27 from the NIV, which is found on page 1900 of your Pew Bibles. Warnings Against Denying the Son 18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.[a] 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life. 26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. Opening Prayer As we continue in John’s first letter, the tone shifts from serious to severe. The warnings against sin and the world in the previous section now give way to portents of spiritual dangers—often invisible—that can lure unbelievers to hell and send a Christian’s faith skidding into the ditch. The specter of spiritual deception doesn’t have to win. Just as Spirit-enabled fellowship with the Father and the Son produces a joyful life (1:1–10) and a clean life (2:1–17), it also produces a discerning life (2:18–4:6). A close relationship with God requires an understanding of His truth. All too often, though, even seemingly mature Christians struggle to discern between true...
    Más Menos
    30 m
  • Day 2713 Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 86:11-17 – Daily Wisdom
    Oct 13 2025
    Welcome to Day 2713 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2713 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 86:11-17 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2713 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2713 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The Path of Truth and the Mark of God's Favor Today, we reach the powerful conclusion of our conversation in Psalm 86, covering verses 11 through 17 in the New Living Translation. In our last trek, we explored the first half of this deeply personal Prayer of David. We heard his desperate cry for God to "Bend down... and hear my prayer," pleading for help based on his covenant loyalty and trust. He grounded his hope in the magnificent truth that God is "so good, so ready to forgive," and that "You alone are God"—unrivaled by any pagan deity. Now, David shifts from affirming God's character to asking for divine instruction, recognizing that a proper relationship with the Most High requires understanding His will. His prayer moves from dependence to direction, culminating in a powerful affirmation of God's steadfast love and a request for a visible sign of God's favor to silence his adversaries. This final section is a masterclass in how to ask God for guidance and how to confidently claim His mercy. So, let's open our hearts to David's earnest request, learning the wisdom of seeking God's path and resting in His enduring love.
    1. The Prayer for an Undivided Heart

    Psalm 86:11-13 Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me singleness of heart, that I may fear your name. With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever. For your unfailing love is great. You have rescued me from the depths of death. Having established God’s greatness and unique power, David’s first request is for instruction: "Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth!" . This is the ultimate expression of submission and discipleship! David isn't praying for wealth or comfort; he's asking for wisdom and direction. He wants to know God's "ways" (derekh—His path, His pattern of acting) so that his life can align with God's "truth" (’emet—His faithfulness and reliability). This is the prayer of the mature believer: Show me how to live in a way that truly honors who You are. He immediately connects this knowledge to internal integrity: "Grant me singleness of heart, that I may fear your name." The Hebrew phrase translated "singleness of heart" (yaḥad lēḇāḇ) means "to unite the heart." David recognizes the divided, often-conflicted nature of the human heart, which pulls us in different directions. He asks God to make his focus singular, eliminating all spiritual distraction, so that his reverence and awe (fear) for...
    Más Menos
    9 m
  • Day 2712 Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 86:1-10 – Daily Wisdom
    Oct 10 2025
    Welcome to Day 2712 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2712 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 86:1-10 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2712 Wisdom-Trek: The Helpless Plea and the Unrivaled God - A Trek Through Psalm 86:1-10 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2712 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today, we begin a new, deeply personal, and highly encouraging trek through Psalm 86, covering its opening verses, 1 through 10, in the New Living Translation. This psalm is a Prayer of David, a compilation of fervent pleas and confident affirmations, drawing wisdom and themes from many other laments and hymns throughout the Psalter. It moves from a desperate cry for immediate help, anchored in the psalmist's humility and helplessness, to a magnificent declaration of God's unrivaled greatness and universal sovereignty. In the preceding psalm, Psalm 85, we found the people waiting and listening for God's peace and the divine harmony where love and truth would meet. Psalm 86 is the personal response to that longing: a realization that the first step toward receiving God's peace is to humbly and completely cast oneself upon His mercy. It reminds us that our smallness is precisely what qualifies us for God's greatness! So, let's open our hearts to David's personal plea, learning how our deepest distress can become the foundation for our most powerful declarations of faith.
    1. The Urgent Plea of the Helpless Servant

    Psalm 86:1-5 Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry out to you all day long. Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive. You are filled with unfailing love for all who ask for your help. The psalm begins with an immediate, physical, and urgent plea for God’s attention: "Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help." The image of God having to "bend down" speaks volumes! It paints a picture of the psalmist being utterly low, perhaps bowed down by trouble, while God is high and majestic. It’s an urgent request for the transcendent God to condescend, to lean in, and to acknowledge the smallness of the one who prays. David anchors his plea in his current state, identifying himself through multiple titles of vulnerability and faith: "Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God." He uses three compelling reasons for God to intervene:
    1. Devotion: "I am devoted to you," or "I am holy" (hasid)—meaning he is a loyal, faithful follower of God.
    2. Service: "I serve...
    Más Menos
    9 m
  • Day 2711 – Theology Thursday – “Not of This World” – Supernatural
    Oct 9 2025
    Welcome to Day 2711 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – “Not of This World” – Supernatural Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2711 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2711 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today, we continue with the 14th of 16 segments of our Theology Thursday lessons. I will read through the book "Supernatural," written by Hebrew Bible scholar, professor, and mentor Dr. Michael S. Heiser, who has since passed away. Supernatural is a condensed version of his comprehensive book, ‘The Unseen Realm.’ If these readings pique your interest, I would recommend that you read ‘The Unseen Realm.’ Today, we will read through chapter fourteen: “Not of This World” In Jesus’ well-known prayer in the garden of Gethsemane before he was arrested for trial, he said of his followers, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:16). Believers were certainly in the world, specially tasked by God to carry the gospel to every nation (Matt. 28:19–20), but they were not of the world. This paradox—being in the world but not of it—was telegraphed to early Christians in several memorable ways… Sacred Space, Holy Ground, and God’s Presence… In chapter 8 we talked about the concept of sacred space. For Old Testament Israelites, God was completely other. The space his presence occupied was set apart from all other space. That wasn’t a denial that God was omnipresent—in all places at all times. Rather, it was a way of marking the territory on which he chose to meet with his people. That was one of the purposes for having the tabernacle and the temple. The concept of sacred space was not only the rationale for many of Israel’s laws and rituals, but it also reinforced the idea of cosmic geography​—how the world was divided among the lesser gods and the Most High God, the God of Israel… The notion of sacred space gets brought into the New Testament in a dramatic way. All we need to ask is, “Where is the presence of God right now?” While God is everywhere, he specifically dwells within each believer. Believe it or not, you are sacred space. Paul very clearly wrote that “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19)… The same is true of the ground where believers gather as a group. Writing to the church at Corinth, Paul told them collectively, “You are God’s temple” (1 Cor. 3:16). He told the Ephesian believers they were “members of the household of God … a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19, 21–22)… The implications are startling. Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ statement, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20 leb). But viewed in the context of the Old Testament idea of sacred space, that statement means that wherever believers gather, the spiritual ground they occupy is sanctified amid the powers of darkness… Yahweh’s final chosen dwelling place in the Old Testament was Israel—the temple in Jerusalem. Israel became holy ground because that’s where God’s presence resided. But that holy ground was threatened by the nations that surrounded it and their hostile gods. In the same way, believers today are in a spiritual war. We are now...
    Más Menos
    15 m
  • Day 2710 Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 85:8-13 – Daily Wisdom
    Oct 8 2025
    Welcome to Day 2710 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2710 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 85:8-13 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2710 Wisdom-Trek: The Divine Harmony of Grace and Truth - Concluding Our Trek Through Psalm 85:8-13 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2710 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today, we reach the powerful conclusion of our conversation in Psalm 85, covering verses 8 through 13 in the New Living Translation. In our last trek, we explored the first half of this poignant communal lament. We heard the people's prayer for revival, anchored in God's past faithfulness: "You have restored the fortunes of Israel," and "You have forgiven the guilt of your people" (Psalm 85:1-3). Yet, their plea was urgent, asking God to "restore us again" and to "show us your unfailing love" (Psalm 85:4, 7). They were caught in the "in-between," that painful gap between the miracle of the return from exile and the full, glorious reality of true national revival. Now, the psalmist shifts from pleading to listening, confident that God will speak peace and provide the perfect vision for their complete restoration. This final section beautifully describes how God's saving presence will transform the land and the people, bringing a divine harmony where love and truth, justice and peace, meet and embrace. This vision of God's saving power is the glorious answer to their cry for restoration. So, let's open our hearts to this prophetic promise, recognizing the divine symmetry that only God can orchestrate. This first section it titled, The Promise of Peace and the Meeting of Virtues (Psalm 85:8-11) I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to foolish ways. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory. Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! The psalmist makes a conscious, deliberate choice here to stop pleading and start listening: "I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people." This is a pivotal moment in any lament! After pouring out our anxiety and our fears, the next step is to quiet our souls and incline our ear towards the divine. The psalmist expresses confidence that God will speak "peace" (shalom), which, in the Hebrew worldview, is not just the absence of conflict, but total well-being, harmony, and wholeness. This promise of shalom is conditional: "But let them not return to foolish ways." God’s people must actively participate in their own revival. The restoration is offered, but they must choose to walk away from the spiritual "foolish ways" that led to their former suffering. The warning is clear: true peace requires sustained obedience and...
    Más Menos
    10 m
  • Day 2709 – A Clean Life – Strong Warnings About the World 1 John 2_12-17
    Oct 7 2025
    Welcome to Day 2709 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2709 – A Clean Life - Strong Warnings About the World 1 John 2_12-17 Putnam Church Message – 08/31/2025 Sermon Series: 1, 2, & 3 John “A Clean Life – Strong Warnings About the World.” Last week, we explored 1 John 2:1-11 as we learned the seven rules on how to live a ‘Clean Life’ with “Wise Words from a Family Meeting.” This week, we continue through the letter of 1 John, and we will cover 1 John 2:12-17 as we explore how to live a ‘Clean Life’ with “Strong Warnings About the World.” Let’s read 1 John 2:12-17 from the NIV, which is found on page 1900 of your Pew Bibles. 12 12 I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. 14 I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. On Not Loving the World 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. Opening Prayer When danger draws near, a warning is in order. And the greater the danger, the more vital the warning. Let me share a story from a long-time pastor and President of Dallas Theological Seminary, Chuck Swindoll. I will share it in the first person as he did. /When I think of warnings, my mind goes back over sixty years to when I found myself standing on the deck of a massive troopship, seeing the city of Yokohama, Japan, in the distance, just across the Tokyo Bay. Our ship was slowly snaking its way through the bay because there were still some naval mines lurking beneath those waters—leftovers from World War II. As the pilot was guiding us carefully, a full colonel called some thirty-five hundred Marines to an assembly. He called us together to give us a warning. Great danger drew near. Not the physical danger of the naval mines. Those could be easily navigated. He had other dangers in mind … dangers lurking not in Tokyo Bay but in the streets of Yokohama, where thousands of pent-up Marines were about to be unleashed. “All of you, listen up,” he said. “For many of you, you will be the foreigner for the first time in your lives. You’re going to be walking in an area you’ve never walked before. You’ll be among people who speak a language you’ve never spoken before. You’ll be...
    Más Menos
    35 m
  • Day 2708 Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 85:1-7 – Daily Wisdom
    Oct 6 2025
    Welcome to Day 2708 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2708 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 85:1-7 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2708 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2708 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today, we begin a new and profoundly hopeful conversation, continuing our journey through the Psalms with Psalm 85 in the New Living Translation, encompassing its opening verses, 1 through 7. Psalm 85 is another Communal Lament, a prayer of profound longing for national revival and restoration. It is widely believed to have been written after the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon, a time when the physical journey home was complete, but the spiritual and political realities were far from the glorious restoration promised by the prophets. The Temple was still being rebuilt, the nation was weak, and the initial burst of post-exilic joy had given way to discouragement and doubt. This psalm is a beautiful and necessary transition from the previous psalms. In Psalm 84, we heard the joyous longing for God’s presence, declaring that "a single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else" (Psalm 84:10). Now, in Psalm 85, the people acknowledge that same presence but ask God to complete the work of salvation. They remember God's past faithfulness and use it as an urgent argument for Him to move again in the present. This is the prayer of a people who have seen God move, but whose current circumstances demand a fresh move of divine power. So, let's open our hearts to this fervent prayer for revival, feeling the weight of hope and the desperate need for God's face to shine upon His people once again.
    • Remembering Past Favor, Pleading for Present Peace

    (Psalm 85:1-3) Lord, you have poured out amazing blessings on your land! You have restored the fortunes of Israel. You have forgiven the guilt of your people— yes, you have covered all their sins. You have withdrawn your furious anger and turned away from your blazing wrath. The psalm begins not with a complaint, but with a confident historical acknowledgment of God's past goodness, a crucial starting point for any plea for revival: "Lord, you have poured out amazing blessings on your land! You have restored the fortunes of Israel." This immediately grounds the prayer in God's proven faithfulness. The psalmist remembers the great work God has already done, specifically the Restoration from exile. God had indeed acted, bringing the people back from Babylon, pouring out "amazing blessings" (literally, "been favorable" or "showed favor") upon their land. He "restored the fortunes of Israel" (shuv shevut), a technical term used by the prophets for the major act of bringing the exiles home and reversing their national calamity. This physical restoration was rooted in a spiritual reality: "You have forgiven the guilt of your people—yes, you have covered all their sins." The ultimate blessing of the return was not just the rebuilding of the walls
    Más Menos
    11 m
  • Day 2707 Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 84:1-12 – Daily Wisdom
    Aug 29 2025
    Welcome to Day 2707 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2707 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 84:1-12– Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2707 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2707 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today’s Wisdom Nugget is titled: A Thirst for Your Presence – The Pilgrim’s Joyful Journey - A Trek Through Psalm 84:1-12 Guthrie Chamberlain: Welcome to Wisdom-Trek, your compass for navigating the profound landscapes of faith and life. I’m your guide, Guthrie Chamberlain, and today, we begin a new and deeply moving journey, a beautiful pilgrimage through Psalm 84 in the New Living Translation, encompassing its entirety, verses 1 through 12. Psalm 84 is one of the most beloved psalms in the Psalter. It is attributed to the Korahites, a family of Levites who were gatekeepers and musicians in the Temple. It is a psalm of pilgrimage, a song of ascent, meant to be sung by those making their way up to Jerusalem for one of the three major annual festivals—Passover, Pentecost, or the Feast of Tabernacles. This psalm is a beautiful and welcome contrast to the communal laments we’ve recently explored. After the national despair of Psalm 79 and the urgent pleas for restoration in Psalm 80, Psalm 84 bursts forth with a joyous and profound yearning for God's presence. It shifts our focus from the desolation of a city to the spiritual longing of a soul, reminding us that even in times of national turmoil, the faithful heart finds its ultimate desire in God Himself and in the joy of drawing near to Him. This psalm is a timeless ode to the incomparable value of God's dwelling place and the blessings that flow from His presence. So, let’s join the psalmist on this pilgrimage, feeling the heart of a traveler yearning for home, a home found only in the presence of God.
    • The Soul’s Deep Thirst for God

    Psalm 84:1-4 How lovely is your Tabernacle, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. My soul longs, yes, faints with longing for your courts. My heart and body cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds a nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God! What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. Interlue The psalm begins with an exclamation of pure admiration for God's dwelling place: "How lovely is your Tabernacle, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies." "Tabernacle" here refers to God's sanctuary, the Temple in Jerusalem. "Lovely" (yādîd) implies something dear, beloved, and full of affection. The psalmist is expressing a deep, heartfelt love for this physical space, not for the building itself, but for what it represents—the tangible presence of God. The title "Lord of Heaven’s Armies" (Yahweh Sabaoth), used three times in this psalm, is significant. It reminds us that this beloved dwelling is home to a powerful, sovereign, and majestic God who commands all celestial hosts. This longing for God's presence is not merely a passing...
    Más Menos
    14 m