TCOB (Takin' Care of Business)

Mis. 230:1-25
Improve Your Time
    Success in life depends upon persistent effort, upon
the improvement of moments more than upon any other
one thing. A great amount of time is consumed in talking
nothing, doing nothing, and indecision as to what one
should do. If one would be successful in the future, let
him make the most of the present.

    Three ways of wasting time, one of which is con-
temptible, are gossiping mischief, making lingering calls,
and mere motion when at work, thinking of nothing or
planning for some amusement, — travel of limb more
than mind. Rushing around smartly is no proof of ac-
complishing much.

    All successful individuals have become such by hard
work; by improving moments before they pass into hours,
and hours that other people may occupy in the pursuit
of pleasure. They spend no time in sheer idleness, in
talking when they have nothing to say, in building air-
castles or floating off on the wings of sense: all of which
drop human life into the ditch of nonsense, and worse
than waste its years.

“Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.”




John 9:4
4I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

Eccl. 10:18
18¶ By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

Matt. 25:14-30 (to :)
14¶ For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, whocalled his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
19After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and thenat my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness:

Luke 12:48 unto
48unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Song 7:12 (to :)
12Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whetherthe tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth:

Ruth 2:1-17
1And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
2And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
3And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
4¶ And, behold, Boaz came from Beth–lehem, and said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered him, The Lord bless thee.
5Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
6And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:
7And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.
8Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:
9Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
10Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
11And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
12The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
13Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
14And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
15And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
16And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them,that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
17So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.

Prov. 20:11-13
11Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.
12The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them.
13Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.


Matt. 12:1 Jesus; 13:1-3 (to 1st ,), 10, 11, 24-30
1Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
1The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
2And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3And he spake many things unto them in parables,
10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
24¶ Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Prov. 19:15, 16 (to ;)
15Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
16He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul;



SH 261:9-16 (np)
Unreality of painIf one turns away from the body with such
absorbed interest as to forget it, the body
experiences no pain. Under the strong im-
pulse of a desire to perform his part, a noted actor was
accustomed night after night to go upon the stage and
sustain his appointed task, walking about as actively
as the youngest member of the company. This old man
was so lame that he hobbled every day to the theatre, and
sat aching in his chair till his cue was spoken, — a signal
which made him as oblivious of physical infirmity as if
he had inhaled chloroform, though he was in the full pos-
session of his so-called senses.
Immutable identity of man
    Detach sense from the body, or matter, which is only
a form of human belief, and you may learn the meaning
of God, or good, and the nature of the immu-
table and immortal. Breaking away from the
mutations of time and sense, you will neither
lose the solid objects and ends of life nor your own iden-
tity. Fixing your gaze on the realities supernal, you will
rise to the spiritual consciousness of being, even as the bird
which has burst from the egg and preens its wings for a
skyward flight.
Forgetfulness of self
    We should forget our bodies in remembering good and
the human race. Good demands of man every hour, in
which to work out the problem of being. Consecration
to good does not lessen man’s dependence on God, but
heightens it. Neither does consecration di-
minish man’s obligations to God, but shows
the paramount necessity of meeting them. Christian
Science takes naught from the perfection of God, but it
ascribes to Him the entire glory. By putting “off the old
man with his deeds,” mortals “put on immortality.”

    We cannot fathom the nature and quality of God’s
creation by diving into the shallows of mortal belief. We
must reverse our feeble flutterings — our efforts to find
life and truth in matter — and rise above the testimony
of the material senses, above the mortal to the immortal
idea of God. These clearer, higher views inspire the God-
like man to reach the absolute centre and circumference
of his being.


SH 240:21-4
If at present satisfied with
wrong-doing, we must learn to loathe it. If at present
content with idleness, we must become dissatisfied with
it. Remember that mankind must sooner or later, either
by suffering or by Science, be convinced of the error that
is to be overcome.

    In trying to undo the errors of sense one must pay fully
and fairly the utmost farthing, until all error is finally
brought into subjection to Truth. The divine method
of paying sin’s wages involves unwinding one’s snarls,
and learning from experience how to divide between sense
and Soul.

    “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth.” He, who
knows God’s will or the demands of divine Science and
obeys them, incurs the hostility of envy; and he who
refuses obedience to God, is chastened by Love.

SH 494:5-9
Inexhaustible divine Love    Is it not a species of infidelity to believe that so great
a work as the Messiah’s was done for himself or for God,
who needed no help from Jesus’ example to
preserve the eternal harmony? But mortals
did need this help, and Jesus pointed the way for them.


SH 18:5-9
His mission was both in-
dividual and collective. He did life’s work
aright not only in justice to himself, but in mercy to
mortals, — to show them how to do theirs, but not to do
it for them nor to relieve them of a single responsibility.


SH 79:17-5
    Jesus cast out evil spirits, or false beliefs. The Apostle
Paul bade men have the Mind that was in the Christ.
Jesus did his own work by the one Spirit. He said: “My
Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” He never de-
scribed disease, so far as can be learned from the Gospels,
but he healed disease.
Mistaken methods
    The unscientific practitioner says: “You are ill. Your
brain is overtaxed, and you must rest. Your body is
weak, and it must be strengthened. You have
nervous prostration, and must be treated for it.”
Science objects to all this, contending for the rights of in-
telligence and asserting that Mind controls body and brain.
Divine strength
    Mind-science teaches that mortals need “not be weary
in well doing.” It dissipates fatigue in doing
good. Giving does not impoverish us in the
service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us.
We have strength in proportion to our apprehension of
the truth, and our strength is not lessened by giving
utterance to truth. A cup of coffee or tea is not the equal
of truth, whether for the inspiration of a sermon or for
the support of bodily endurance.

SH 128:4
Practical Science    The term Science, properly understood, refers only to
the laws of God and to His government of the universe,
inclusive of man. From this it follows that
business men and cultured scholars have found
that Christian Science enhances their endurance and
mental powers, enlarges their perception of character,
gives them acuteness and comprehensiveness and an
ability to exceed their ordinary capacity. The human
mind, imbued with this spiritual understanding, becomes
more elastic, is capable of greater endurance, escapes
somewhat from itself, and requires less repose. A knowl-
edge of the Science of being develops the latent abilities
and possibilities of man. It extends the atmosphere of
thought, giving mortals access to broader and higher
realms. It raises the thinker into his native air of insight
and perspicacity.

SH 385:1-27
Benefit of philanthropyIt is proverbial
that Florence Nightingale and other philanthropists en-
gaged in humane labors have been able to
undergo without sinking fatigues and expo-
sures which ordinary people could not endure. The ex-
planation lies in the support which they derived from
the divine law, rising above the human. The spiritual
demand, quelling the material, supplies energy and en-
durance surpassing all other aids, and forestalls the
penalty which our beliefs would attach to our best
deeds. Let us remember that the eternal law of right,
though it can never annul the law which makes sin its
own executioner, exempts man from all penalties but
those due for wrong-doing.
Honest toil has no penalty
    Constant toil, deprivations, exposures, and all untow-
ard conditions, if without sin, can be experienced with-
out suffering. Whatever it is your duty to do,
you can do without harm to yourself. If you
sprain the muscles or wound the flesh, your
remedy is at hand. Mind decides whether or not the
flesh shall be discolored, painful, swollen, and inflamed.
Our sleep and food
    You say that you have not slept well or have overeaten.
You are a law unto yourself. Saying this and believing
it, you will suffer in proportion to your belief
and fear. Your sufferings are not the penalty
for having broken a law of matter, for it is a law of mortal
mind which you have disobeyed.

SH 387:3
Mind heals brain-disease    Because mortal mind is kept active, must it pay the
penalty in a softened brain? Who dares to say that actual
Mind can be overworked? When we reach
our limits of mental endurance, we conclude
that intellectual labor has been carried sufficiently far;
but when we realize that immortal Mind is ever active,
and that spiritual energies can neither wear out nor can
so-called material law trespass upon God-given powers
and resources, we are able to rest in Truth, refreshed by
the assurances of immortality, opposed to mortality.


SH vii:23-25
It is the task of the sturdy
pioneer to hew the tall oak and to cut the rough
granite.

SH 323:9
Beholding the infinite tasks of
truth, we pause, — wait on God. Then we push onward,
until boundless thought walks enraptured, and concep-
tion unconfined is winged to reach the divine glory.



Hymn 17

Hymn 17
Edmund Beale Sargant*
Words by permission of the author
(17)
WALSALL
Attributed to Henry Purcell
Words by permission of the author
Be firm, ye sentinels of Truth,
God’s day of rest is near;
All scowling shapes of darkness flee;
The morning star shines clear.

Your constant challenge, Who goes there?
As idle words must cease.
How can the prince of this world now
Delay the Prince of Peace?

With healing in his wings he comes,
God’s messenger of love,
’Tis yours to sound the trumpet call,
His Science yours to prove.

Hymn 41

Hymn 41
Jane Borthwick
Adapted
(41)
QUI LABORAT ORAT
Hugh P. Allen
Music by permission of Hugh P. Allen
Come, labor on:
Who dares stand idle on the harvest plain?
While all around him waves the golden grain,
And to each servant does the Master say,
Go work today.

Come, labor on:
Claim the high calling that we all may share;
To all the world the joyful tidings bear;
Redeem the time: its hours too swiftly fly,
Harvest draws nigh.

Come, labor on:
Away with gloomy doubts and faithless fear.
No arm so weak but may do service here;
By means the simplest can our God fulfill
His righteous will.

Come, labor on:
The toil is pleasant, the reward is sure;
Blessed are they who to the end endure;
How full their joy, how sweet their rest shall be,
O Lord, with Thee.


Hymn 538
O Come, All Ye Faithful