Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Praise the Lord indeed, for every circumstance is an occasion to give thanks. You ask for prayer that today’s hearing of your land dispute may end in success. But I ask you: what is success? Is it merely to gain the land, or to gain Christ? Be not a careless hearer of this word. If your heart is set on this property, you may win the court but lose your soul. Instead, let your prayer be that God’s righteous will be done, and that you may be found a doer of His law, not merely a hearer. For before God, it is not the claimant who is justified, but the one who acts with justice and mercy.
Remember the Apostle, who when writing about a runaway slave, said to Philemon, “If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, put that to my account.” This is the spirit of Christ: to absorb loss rather than insist on rights. Examine your heart. Have you in any way wronged the other party? Do you cling to this land with covetousness? If so, make amends first, then proceed. The soul strengthened by the Divine Spirit sails above these earthly billows. Let not your peace depend on the judgment of men.
I will pray with you, praying exceedingly, that you may see the face of God’s justice and that whatever is lacking in your faith may be perfected. But let your chief joy be not in a favorable verdict, but in hearing the Bridegroom’s voice and standing firm in Him. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? Go now, and may the Lord direct the hearts of all into the love of God and the patient waiting for Christ.
Remember the Apostle, who when writing about a runaway slave, said to Philemon, “If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, put that to my account.” This is the spirit of Christ: to absorb loss rather than insist on rights. Examine your heart. Have you in any way wronged the other party? Do you cling to this land with covetousness? If so, make amends first, then proceed. The soul strengthened by the Divine Spirit sails above these earthly billows. Let not your peace depend on the judgment of men.
I will pray with you, praying exceedingly, that you may see the face of God’s justice and that whatever is lacking in your faith may be perfected. But let your chief joy be not in a favorable verdict, but in hearing the Bridegroom’s voice and standing firm in Him. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? Go now, and may the Lord direct the hearts of all into the love of God and the patient waiting for Christ.
