Tolstoy, after Rousseau, on Knowledge and Wisdom

“Real wisdom is not the knowledge of everything, but the knowledge of which things in life are necessary, which are less necessary, and which are completely unnecessary to know. Among the most necessary knowledge is the knowledge of how to live well, that is, how to produce the least possible evil and the greatest goodness in one’s life. At present, people study useless sciences, but forget to study this, the most important knowledge.”

Occupation: Evangelism

"The major preoccupation of any man's life is his daily employment. But if Jesus Christ has no part in that major occupation of your life, then he is Lord only of the margins. The spare time. The left-overs!

Did you ever notice that the important figures of the Bibles are not the monks and priests? They are shepherds and fishermen and tax gatherers and soldiers and politicians and tentmakers and physicians and carpenters. These are the ones who occupty the center of the stage. You can tell good news about God's actions among men at a water cooler in an office or over a lunch bucket. you can heal a hurt in a car while you are driving home. You can teach the truth that frees and enlightens anywhere."

Ray Stedman, from his sermon on Ephesians 4:11-12, "The Contemporary Christ."

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