Friday. [II Cor. 11:5-21; Mark 4:1-9]

   Behold, there went out a sower to sow. Since the time that this sower went out to sow, he has not ceased to sow. In the beginning he personally sowed, then through the apostles and at last through Divine Scripture and divinely-wise teachers. To this day the word of God’s truth is being sown everywhere. Just be prepared to show yourself as good ground and without fail you will be sown. God will raise up what has been sown. How do you make yourself into good ground? With attention and study of the word of God, sympathy and love toward it, and readiness to immediately carry out what you learn. With such a mindset, not a single word will lie on the surface of your soul, but all will pass within. Uniting there with the elements of the spirit which are native to it, it will take root and sprout. Being nourished then—from above through spiritual inspirations, and from below through good desires and labours—it will grow into a tree, give flower and fruit. God Himself arranged everything around us this way, and this is why we cannot but be amazed at our fruitlessness. But all of this is due to our inattentiveness and carelessness.

Saturday. [I Cor. 2:6-9; Matt. 22:15-22]

   Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s—render unto each person what is his. From here comes a law: do not please God in one way alone, but in whatever way you can and ought to please Him; direct all of your strength and every means toward serving God. Having said render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, the Lord showed that such work is pleasing to Him. If by the things which are Caesar’s you understand all routines of earthly life in general which are necessary and essential, and by the things that are God’s all routines of the Church established by God, then from here it turns out that all the paths of our life are filled with ways for salvation. Just take heed and use everything, and act everywhere in accordance with God’s will, as God wants from you—and salvation for you is at hand. You can set yourself so that not a single step is taken without a deed pleasing to God, and consequently, a step toward salvation, for the path of salvation proceeds along the path of God’s will. Walk in God’s presence, take heed, discern, and set immediately without self-pity to that deed which your conscience shows you at each given moment.