Chrysostom
Beloved of All
You cry out about debts and bills that press upon you, and your heart is filled with panic. But consider: you make your demand of men and of your own resources, which are poor and failing, when you have a far greater Debtor who waits for you to call upon Him. Why do you hasten past God, who is rich beyond all telling, and hammer at the door of your own weakness? He is not displeased when you demand the debt of Him; He is insulted when you think Him too poor or unwilling to pay.
Look at His unspeakable treasures, His indescribable munificence. Lay hold on Him, for what you truly owe and cannot pay is not merely silver and copper, but the great debt of your sins. And here is the remarkable exchange: God wills you to take the lead in bounty, not by hounding your neighbor for what they owe you, but by forgiving their trespasses against you. For if you forgive a debt of money, you have not imitated God, but if you forgive a trespass, you become like Him.
You need no bodily strength, no power, no wealth for this; only the will. So turn your demand from your empty purse to the lovingkindness of the Lord. Forgive whatever grudge you hold, however small, and you will have confidence to say, "Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors." Then you ask not as a beggar, but as one demanding a debt from a God who is bound by His own mercy to repay with increase. The money you lack is a small thing He appointed for you to manage; the mercy you can show is a great crop you can make grow to heaven itself by your will alone.
Let that be your first payment, and watch the treasury of heaven open for your need.
Look at His unspeakable treasures, His indescribable munificence. Lay hold on Him, for what you truly owe and cannot pay is not merely silver and copper, but the great debt of your sins. And here is the remarkable exchange: God wills you to take the lead in bounty, not by hounding your neighbor for what they owe you, but by forgiving their trespasses against you. For if you forgive a debt of money, you have not imitated God, but if you forgive a trespass, you become like Him.
You need no bodily strength, no power, no wealth for this; only the will. So turn your demand from your empty purse to the lovingkindness of the Lord. Forgive whatever grudge you hold, however small, and you will have confidence to say, "Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors." Then you ask not as a beggar, but as one demanding a debt from a God who is bound by His own mercy to repay with increase. The money you lack is a small thing He appointed for you to manage; the mercy you can show is a great crop you can make grow to heaven itself by your will alone.
Let that be your first payment, and watch the treasury of heaven open for your need.
