OBEDIENCE IN THE LITTLE THINGS!  DO 1781  1984
--After a Talk on Saving Water & Taking Care of Pets!

         1. YOU SAY, "DAD, YOU SURE DO TALK ABOUT A LOT OF SILLY THINGS THAT AREN'T IMPORTANT TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD & Heaven & our great task of evangelising the World!" Let me tell you, if you're not faithful in that which is least, you're not going to be faithful in that which is much! (Luke 16:10) And maybe that's what you're learning from these little lessons we teach you around the house.
         2. AS YOU'VE HEARD, WE'VE RECENTLY HAD SOME TROUBLE WITH PEOPLE IN ONE OF OUR TOP UNITS. They're the kind of people who won't take suggestions & who won't listen to instructions about little things. They think as long as they're big shots & do the big things they don't have to listen about the little things. Nobody can tell them anything, they're too independent & too smart & know it all & they do it their own way. Sorry, we don't have room for people like that--people who know it all & can't learn & can't change & can't take advice & counsel & instruction & even orders from top leaders bigger than they are. There isn't room for that kind of people in this Family who don't care about the little things!
         3. SO LITTLE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT, EVEN LITTLE KITTENS, EVEN A LITTLE WATER. If it's important enough for me to go out there & work on the water & to teach the kids how to take care of kittens, it must be important! If you can teach them to be faithful in the little things, they can learn to be faithful in the big things. If they know they've got to be faithful in the little things, they certainly know they've got to be faithful in the big things.
         4. SO THOSE BIG SHOTS WHO ARE TOO BIG TO DO THESE LITTLE THINGS & were lax on the orders & the rules that we set down, they caused big trouble, & they're soon going to be very little shots if they're any shots at all! That's their situation.
         5. AND WHEN WE SENT PEOPLE TO SEE THEM, IT REMINDS ME OF THE WAY THE LORD SENT THE SERVANTS TO THE UNJUST STEWARDS OF HIS PROPERTY WHEN HE WAS GONE: "SOME THEY BEAT & SOME THEY STONED!" And finally He sent His Son, thinking they'd certainly respect Him, & they said, "Let's kill Him!" (Mat.21:33-40) That's just about what we did with them & their Unit & their house & they literally mistreated the people we sent to help them. It just is unbelievable that people could be like that, they're certainly not our kind of people!--In fact, I don't want them working in one of our most important Units!
         6. LET ME TELL YOU, A MERE SUGGESTION FROM A TOP LEADER & YOU SHOULD SAY, "THY WISH IS MY COMMAND!" I don't like to give orders. I don't like to say, "Here, you do this, do that!" You who work with me know how I work: I'll say, "How about this? Don't you think we ought to do that? How about doing so-&-so?" I suggest things. When I get to where I point my finger & start yelling at you & say, "You'd better or else!" it's getting pretty late & your time's about up! If you can't take a hint, you don't belong here! Amen?
         7. WHEN ANY OF THE TOP LEADERS MAKE A SUGGESTION TO YOU, YOU JUST COUNT THAT AS AN ORDER! We just can't stand any more of that high-&-mighty old Chain attitude that can't even take orders from leaders, won't take orders from anybody.
         8. THEY'RE LIKE THE GUY WHO TOLD ME, "I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU OR YOUR WIFE OR ANYBODY BUT GOD!" I said, "Okay, buddy, get out of my trailer & out of my yard & get out there where all you have to do is serve God & that's fine with me! Vamoose! But as long as you're living in my yard & my trailer & eating my food, you're going to take orders from me! Period!"--And that's the last I saw of him & his wife & his nine children, they went mooching off some other preacher.
         9. LET ME TELL YOU, PEOPLE THAT THINK THEY DON'T HAVE TO TAKE ORDERS FROM ANYBODY BUT GOD DON'T BELONG IN THIS FAMILY!--They don't belong in the office or in the kitchen or in the yard or anywhere! I don't like to give orders, & normally most people here know I don't get tough & give orders, I don't have to. The minute you find out I want something this way or that way, you're happy to try to please & do it! In fact, you fall all over yourselves trying to please & keep us happy & well-fed & comfortable, God bless you all! But I'll tell you, people like that who are so selfish that they think the Letters are not for them & the orders are not for them & the rules for TRFs are not for them & they don't have to obey, they're going to find out real quick!
         10. WE PUT UP WITH THEM FOR YEARS BECAUSE THEY WERE VALUABLE PEOPLE, talented people, good people & could be trusted with some jobs--we thought--or at least we tried. But I don't give a damn how good you are at your job if you can't obey & you can't do what you're told to do & the way you're told to do it! You're not a God damned bit of good to us or anybody else & you won't be a damn bit of good to God either if you can't obey & keep the rules!--And they have defied the rules so many years it's pitiful!
         11. IT REMINDS ME OF WHAT THE LORD SAID ABOUT THE JEWS: "MY PEOPLE HAVE FORGOTTEN ME DAYS WITHOUT NUMBER!" (Jer.2:32) They have forgotten us & the rules & you'd think they didn't even belong in the Family! (Maria: And they can't get along with their co-workers.)--Because their co-workers read the Letters & they know how things are supposed to be!
         12. SO GOD HELP YOU TO LEARN HOW TO TAKE SUGGESTIONS! If you can't even take a suggestion, you're probably not going to be willing to take an order. And if you can't take an order, you're not going to be obedient; & if you can't be obedient, let me tell you, you're not going to be in the Family very long.--Because this is an Army run on basic army principles, & that is you've got to follow orders & take commands!--And if you're real smart, you'll even take suggestions.
         13. WE SENT ONE OF OUR TOP OFFICERS THERE TO TAKE THE THING OVER & REPLACE THEM WITH A GOOD STAFF THAT WE HAVE KNOWN PERSONALLY FOR YEARS & WHO KNOW HOW TO OBEY & DO WHAT THEY'RE TOLD, & they treated them like the servants on the piece of property that the king went away & left them in charge of! They just treated them like dirt! They should have been rolling out the red carpet & treating them with kid gloves, but instead of that they just as good as said, "Oh, get your own, do your own, take care of yourself!" Imagine! They must have thought they were pretty well "in", that they were going to survive anything! Some people seem to think they're indispensable, but let me tell you right now, nobody is indispensable!--Especially if they can't obey & follow orders!
         14. SEE, PEOPLE WHO ARE EASY ON THEMSELVES, THEY THINK IT'S MERCY, THEY THINK IT'S KINDNESS & LOVE TO GO AROUND BEING VERY VERY EASY ON EVERYBODY ELSE BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO BE HARD ON THEM. Well, that's not my idea of "doing unto others as you'd have them do unto you." If you go around letting everybody else sin & everybody else do wrong just so you can get away with the same, that's not what the Lord meant by that Scripture. He was talking about love, loving others, helping others, doing for them what you would like people to do for you if you were in the same position. Well, that's what they did, all right, they forgave'm for everything like the unjust steward. (Luke 16:1-8) And I'll tell you right now, that's not the way we run this Army!
         15. WE CAN'T HAVE DISOBEDIENT, REBELLIOUS, WILFUL, STUBBORN SOLDIERS WHO CAN'T TAKE ORDERS & follow commands & even follow suggestions, not in this man's army! And that's one reason we're still here, Beloved, because we believe God expects us to obey & we expect you to obey! Let that be a warning to you!
         16. HOW COULD I GET FROM CATS & KITTENS TO TOP LEADERS OF A TOP UNIT?--WELL, IT'S PRETTY CLOSE TO THE SAME SITUATION. If you children can't go out there & do what Grandpa tells you to do about feeding the cats & washing their dishes & keeping things clean & obeying orders in these little things, watch out you don't grow up to be like these people we're having all this trouble with, who are handling big things & important things & still disobeying orders & still not doing what they're told! So it's important for you to do those little things, isn't it?
         17. YOU'LL FIND THAT CATS & KITTENS CAN BE FUN IF YOU'LL BE FAITHFUL IN THE LITTLE THINGS & take care of them & show responsibility & consideration & love & kindness & faithfulness! Then when it comes to big things you'll be faithful in those things too! PTL! Well, it's time to quit & time to pray.
         18. AMEN, LORD, THANK YOU FOR SUPPLYING ALL OF OUR NEEDS & COMFORTS & conveniences & even luxuries to make us happy, because You love us & You like what we're doing. If we're pleasing Thee, Lord, & we're delighting ourselves in Thee, You're giving us the desire of our hearts. (Psa.37:4) Just like a parent, Lord, You just can't do enough for us because we please Thee. We're helping others & blessing the World, so You're happy with us & we're thankful that You're happy with us, Lord.
         19. YOU SHOWER US WITH GIFTS & SHOWER US WITH PLEASURES & SHOWER US WITH BENEFITS, shower us with even luxuries, Lord, because we're doing Thy Work & a good job & what we're supposed to be doing. We're doing well so You treat us well. Help everyone to realise, Lord, that if they'll treat You right, You'll treat them right. But Lord, if they treat You wrong, You have no obligation to be extra good to them, You'll even let them suffer for it! So help us Lord to remember these things we learned tonight, in Jesus' name, amen. God bless you all, I hope you learned something.--Did you?