| Lest you be unfruitful like the fearsome fellow who would not attempt to make gains from the talent given to him, you are [[encouraged]] to bear in mind the [[necessity]] of fruitful [[service]] and herein is the phrase about presuming upon divine mercy important. | | Lest you be unfruitful like the fearsome fellow who would not attempt to make gains from the talent given to him, you are [[encouraged]] to bear in mind the [[necessity]] of fruitful [[service]] and herein is the phrase about presuming upon divine mercy important. |
− | One night in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butler,_Pennsylvania Butler] we discussed contentment as [[compared]] to [[complacency]] and I suggested that contentment was the cat that curled up in front of the fireplace and purred contentedly, happily, about the warm, safe [[hearth]] and [[home]] -- an admirable state; but complacency was the cat who, in the same circumstance, looked up, noticed a mouse walk past, and went back to [[sleep]]. He had not invested well, you see. He was not on [[duty]] to follow through with what he had been entrusted with. He had become complacent. | + | One night in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butler,_Pennsylvania Butler] we discussed contentment as [[compared]] to [[complacency]] and I suggested that contentment was the cat that curled up in front of the fireplace and purred contentedly, happily, about the warm, safe [[hearth]] and [[home]] -- an admirable state; but complacency was the cat who, in the same circumstance, looked up, noticed a mouse walk past, and went back to [[sleep]]. He had not invested well, you see. He was not on [[duty]] to follow through with what he had been entrusted with. He had become complacent. |
| Now before you think that I am trying to be a driving [[force]], think again, for there is no amount of driving or herding that will [[atone]] for the individual [[choice]] of seeking to serve. Are you a better [[righteousness]] recommender this year than last year? Are you a more [[effective prayer]] today than you were yesterday? Are you more [[intimate]] with your [[Indwelling Adjuster]] than you were last year? Are you more astute at recognizing the [[presence]] of [[God]] in your fellows than you were once before? | | Now before you think that I am trying to be a driving [[force]], think again, for there is no amount of driving or herding that will [[atone]] for the individual [[choice]] of seeking to serve. Are you a better [[righteousness]] recommender this year than last year? Are you a more [[effective prayer]] today than you were yesterday? Are you more [[intimate]] with your [[Indwelling Adjuster]] than you were last year? Are you more astute at recognizing the [[presence]] of [[God]] in your fellows than you were once before? |