Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Fleeing from the region where these wicked men have plotted against you is a course both prudent and obedient to the word God has given you. Yet while you go, carry away no root of bitterness in your heart. To be slandered, to suffer loss of livelihood and good name, to endure the hidden assaults of those who love darkness, this is a heavy cross. But remember that the Lord sees every secret thing, and He will bring every work into judgment, whether good or evil. Do not therefore return slander for slander, nor allow your mind to dwell on schemes of public vindication through your own strength. The Scriptures declare, “By your words you will be condemned,” and they speak not only of false words, but even of true ones spoken with a vengeful spirit. The Pharisee told the truth about his deeds, yet he went home without justification. Commit the uncovering of wickedness to God alone. He who knows the hidden things of shame will reveal them in His time. Your part is to walk in simplicity and godly sincerity, renouncing every cunning and deceitful response, even when you have been treated unjustly.
Consider the apostle Paul, who was driven from city to city, beaten, slandered, and treated as the offscouring of the world. And yet he could say that he had renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness. The very infirmities and temptations that came upon him, his spiritual children did not despise; they received them as a proof of his love. In the same way, your present affliction, though it seems like a temptation to those who might observe you, is a platform for God’s grace. If you bear it patiently, refusing to curse or to grasp at your own defense, you will show forth the image of Christ, who when He was reviled did not revile in return, but entrusted Himself to the One who judges righteously.
As for those who have plotted your harm and spread lies to destroy your name, know that they have already wounded themselves more deeply than they could ever wound you. Every slanderous word they have spoken is recorded, and they will give an account for it before the judgment seat of Christ. Your soul, however, remains secure if you do not repay evil with evil. Do not let the poison of their malice seep into your own spirit. Rather, bless and pray for them, so that you may be a child of your Father in heaven.
Since you have heard a word from the Lord to depart, do so without delay and with a quiet heart. He will hide you in the secret place of His presence from the plots of men; He will shelter you under His wings. Your vindication will come, not necessarily in the courts of this world, but in the clearer light of eternity, and perhaps even in this life when God sees that your soul has been purified through the trial. Lay all your fears and the injustice you have suffered before His mercy, and trust that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. The enmity that sin causes, Christ has slain on the cross. Let no new enmity rise up within you through carnal thinking, but let the peace of God rule in your heart.
Go, then, and start afresh in the place He shows you. Walk in humility and integrity, and leave the hidden works of darkness to be exposed by the Light of the world. May the Lord grant you safety, provision, and a quiet habitation, and may He turn this bitter cup into a well of refreshment for many. Amen.
Consider the apostle Paul, who was driven from city to city, beaten, slandered, and treated as the offscouring of the world. And yet he could say that he had renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness. The very infirmities and temptations that came upon him, his spiritual children did not despise; they received them as a proof of his love. In the same way, your present affliction, though it seems like a temptation to those who might observe you, is a platform for God’s grace. If you bear it patiently, refusing to curse or to grasp at your own defense, you will show forth the image of Christ, who when He was reviled did not revile in return, but entrusted Himself to the One who judges righteously.
As for those who have plotted your harm and spread lies to destroy your name, know that they have already wounded themselves more deeply than they could ever wound you. Every slanderous word they have spoken is recorded, and they will give an account for it before the judgment seat of Christ. Your soul, however, remains secure if you do not repay evil with evil. Do not let the poison of their malice seep into your own spirit. Rather, bless and pray for them, so that you may be a child of your Father in heaven.
Since you have heard a word from the Lord to depart, do so without delay and with a quiet heart. He will hide you in the secret place of His presence from the plots of men; He will shelter you under His wings. Your vindication will come, not necessarily in the courts of this world, but in the clearer light of eternity, and perhaps even in this life when God sees that your soul has been purified through the trial. Lay all your fears and the injustice you have suffered before His mercy, and trust that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. The enmity that sin causes, Christ has slain on the cross. Let no new enmity rise up within you through carnal thinking, but let the peace of God rule in your heart.
Go, then, and start afresh in the place He shows you. Walk in humility and integrity, and leave the hidden works of darkness to be exposed by the Light of the world. May the Lord grant you safety, provision, and a quiet habitation, and may He turn this bitter cup into a well of refreshment for many. Amen.
