In the middle ages, the famous Chinese poet Xin Oiji (Shin Chee-gee) pleaded with the emperor to withstand the Kin invaders, but it was a generation of appeasement and indulgence. The emperor’s ministers advised him to wait, not recover lost territories, and consolidate what was left in the South. It was a time of short-sightedness, and the Liao Dynasty fell to the Kin. The last Liao emperor lost his chance for glory and, ultimately, his head.<\/p>\n
The poet Xin penned a famous poem in the last days in which there was the immortal line,<\/p>\n
“Large material put to petty use,
\nSince the beginning, people have sighed at such waste.”<\/blockquote>\nMy Chinese friends tell me that the idiom “Da Cai Xiao Yong” is challenging to bring literally into English (“Great Ability, Raw Material Petty\/Small Use”). Imagine a woman cutting a small scarf out of the middle of a large bolt of silk, and you get the idea. It reminds me of visiting the castles of England and China in all their gilded splendor and unbelievable wealth for indulging one family. While the commoner who worked all day in the field starved in his hovel, the plump lord had rooms into which he had never stepped. The Liao emperor had wasted his empire by not using it against the enemy.<\/p>\n
We also are engaged in a great war with one who would destroy us, and as faithful warriors, we are to fight the good fight of faith (I Timothy 1:18-19; 6:12). Our glory is to be found in our work to spread the gospel. “For what is our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? Fro ye are our glory and joy<\/em>” (I Thessalonians 2:19). How sad if we were to conserve our great wealth, evangelistic ability, heritage of faithful Bible study, wisdom, and strength instead of using it for a glorious victory against Satan and for God. What would we call putting the seed back on the shelf but “Da Cai Xiao Yong?”<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffery Kingry via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 1, March 31, 1990 In the middle ages, the famous Chinese poet Xin Oiji (Shin Chee-gee) pleaded with the emperor to withstand the Kin invaders, but it was a generation of appeasement and indulgence. The emperor’s ministers advised him to wait, not recover lost territories, and consolidate…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[691],"class_list":["post-85643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-stewards"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":25115,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/was-the-titus-in-the-bible-the-same-as-titus-vespasianus\/","url_meta":{"origin":85643,"position":0},"title":"Was the Titus in the Bible the same as Titus Vespasianus?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is Titus Vespasian, who was involved with Bernice, the same as the Titus who traveled with Paul? Answer: Then as now, just because a person has the same name, it doesn't mean they are the same person. There is only one Titus mentioned by name in the Bible and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26346,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/proclaimed-in-all-creation\/","url_meta":{"origin":85643,"position":1},"title":"Proclaimed in All Creation","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 7, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant via\u00a0Biblical Insights, March 2011, page 9. Some thirty years after Christ's death, Paul wrote to the Colossians. A year later, an earthquake destroyed Colossae along with Laodicea and Hierapolis. Among the interesting things in Paul's letter is the statement in Colossians 1:23, wherein he urges them\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Extends_of_the_Tabula_Peutingeria-1024x715.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Extends_of_the_Tabula_Peutingeria-1024x715.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Extends_of_the_Tabula_Peutingeria-1024x715.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Extends_of_the_Tabula_Peutingeria-1024x715.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17486,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-regret-breaking-up-with-my-boyfriend-what-should-i-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":85643,"position":2},"title":"I regret breaking up with my boyfriend. What should I do?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 18, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Many thanks for the comprehensive answers that you give to our questions. I had been dating my boyfriend for some time, but then I ended the relationship for some reasons and I told him my reasons. The reasons were a bit petty, but I still ended the relationship. Now\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3324,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-mistranslation-of-jesus-is-the-666-in-revelation\/","url_meta":{"origin":85643,"position":3},"title":"The mistranslation of “Jesus” is the 666 in Revelation","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 18, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Does it mean that the verb \"count\" in\u00a0Revelation 13:18\u00a0must be ignored? Does it mean that the counting operation in\u00a0Revelation 13:18\u00a0leads to no result at all? I have found that if you assign numeric values to the alphabet from 1 to 26, then Iesvs (74) + Jesus (74) + Joshua\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":69242,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-is-the-1000-year-reign-of-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":85643,"position":4},"title":"When Is the 1000-Year Reign of Christ?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 10, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by\u00a0Robert Harkrider via Timberland Church of Christ One of the most highly publicized teachings today in the religious world is the 1,000-year reign of Christ. 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