Topic : Reaction
On Natural man
Georges Gurdijieff, on natural man: Each man has a definite repertoire of roles which he plays in ordinary circumstances. But put him into even only slightly different circumstances and he is unable to find a suitable role. For a short time, he becomes himself.
Taken Off Guard
Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. If there are rats in a cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way, the suddenness of the provocation does not make me ill-tempered; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am.
Readiness
- Ready to answer— 1 Peter 3:15
- Ready to preach— Romans 1:15
- Ready to distribute— 1 Timothy 4:18
- Ready for every good work— Titus 3:1
- Ready to die— Acts 21:13
- Ready to meet the Lord— Luke 12:36
- Ready to enter the glory— Matthew 25:10
Pony Express
When it comes to being on the alert and ready at any moment to do the job, it’s hard to beat the Pony Express. This historically famous mail service between St. Joseph, Missouri, and California depended on constant movement and readiness. Relay stations were established every ten to fifteen miles. A rider would shout aloud as he approached a station, giving the station master very short notice that he needed to be outside waiting with a fresh mount. Even when a rider came to the station where he was to spend the night, another rider was already mounted and waiting, ready to grab the first rider’s bundle of packages and continue the trip.
The completion of the transcontinental telegraph system rendered the Pony Express obsolete after just eighteen months. But we have this service’s intriguing example of what it means to be ever watchful. Jesus used two parables to teach us the value of readiness and watchfulness as His servants.
