Imagine a carpenter with the crudest of tools. It takes him many days to make a simple table; and its quality is so low that the price he obtains for it is poor. He has a choice: either he can spend all the money he earns on food and drink, or he can set some money aside, even if it means going hungry, in order to buy better tools. If he does the latter, then he will soon be making good tables much more quickly, and so his earnings will quickly rise. This choice is analogous to a spiritual choice that each of us must make. Either we can spend for our own pleasure all the wealth we possess or we can set aside part of our wealth to give to others. If we do the latter, then we may sacrifice a few immediate, earthly pleasures; but the joy we earn for ourselves in heaven far, far surpasses the pleasure we have lost on earth. Every act of charity on earth is an investment in heaven.

-St. John Chrysostom.

Wow, so I have to think about this one a while - that is why I am posting these one at a time anyways. It really speaks to what I have been mulling over tonight, a topic that comes up often. That is, how do we reconcile the way we spend our time or money to heavenly expectations? If I don't watch THAT TV show I am missing out on entertainment and potential bonding with the folks at work. But if I am avoiding something immoral, or am doing something helpful with my time, it is worth it, right? I don't think we have to live a miserable life - that is not what I am saying. But sometimes living a life of a Christian is not as fun as the life others live. How "un-fun" are we willing to go if it means doing the right thing? The thing we know is right? And also, what is the depth to which God calls us on these right things? Is watching a bad TV show really immoral if we are not behaving as the characters on the show? Or does it corrupt our minds? What is hot and cold and lukewarm? How do we know when we've reached them?