Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your prayer has been heard, and we shall lift up your needs before the Lord. But first, let us examine the root from which all these requests spring. You seek wisdom, guidance, and blessing in every area, spiritual, business, family, health, and this is good, for we ought to bring everything to God. Yet be diligent, as the Apostle exhorts, that no root of bitterness spring up within you, defiling your soul and troubling your prayers. For if you hold resentment against any, expecting “tooth for tooth,” you quench the spirit of grace. Let go of every vengeful thought; do not repay evil for evil, but pursue peace and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
For your bodily ailments, your teeth, eyes, leg, and those growths, know that the body is but clay in the Potter’s hands. He fashions some vessels for honor and some for dishonor, yet all for His glory. Entrust your health to Him with complete silence of soul, as clay yields to the potter. Do not be anxious about these pains, but use them to cultivate patience and to ponder how fleeting this life is. True healing begins with the cleansing of the soul; seek first His righteousness, and these things will be added.
Concerning a wife and family, your desire is honorable if it is according to godliness. Marriage preserves purity and prevents fornication, it is a safeguard, not a license. But do not fix your eyes on outward beauty; a virtuous and modest woman, one who fears the Lord, is a lamp shining in a dark house. Look not for the charm that fades, but for the holiness that endures. Prepare yourself likewise: be sober, restrained in appetite, a good steward, so that you may be a worthy head of a household that becomes leaven, transforming all around it into a godly lump.
In business and finances, remember that your true wealth is in heaven. Do not become one who, while having abundance, closes his heart to the truly poor, pretending diligence as an excuse for hardness. Let your work be honest, and your hands open to the needy, for this is a sweet fragrance to God.
Above all, let everything be for His glory, as you have rightly said. The leaven of the Gospel must be hid in every part of your life, your friendships, your sports, your daily labor. Do not separate these from your faith, but let them all be seasoned with prayer and the fear of God. We shall pray that the Lord gives you wisdom and strategy, but you must also toil as one who expects fruit only from the blessing of the Master. Continue steadfastly in the assemblies, not growing weary when the word is long, but receiving it as food for your soul. So shall you obtain the promises, both here in a life of quiet joy, and hereafter the crown of righteousness.
For your bodily ailments, your teeth, eyes, leg, and those growths, know that the body is but clay in the Potter’s hands. He fashions some vessels for honor and some for dishonor, yet all for His glory. Entrust your health to Him with complete silence of soul, as clay yields to the potter. Do not be anxious about these pains, but use them to cultivate patience and to ponder how fleeting this life is. True healing begins with the cleansing of the soul; seek first His righteousness, and these things will be added.
Concerning a wife and family, your desire is honorable if it is according to godliness. Marriage preserves purity and prevents fornication, it is a safeguard, not a license. But do not fix your eyes on outward beauty; a virtuous and modest woman, one who fears the Lord, is a lamp shining in a dark house. Look not for the charm that fades, but for the holiness that endures. Prepare yourself likewise: be sober, restrained in appetite, a good steward, so that you may be a worthy head of a household that becomes leaven, transforming all around it into a godly lump.
In business and finances, remember that your true wealth is in heaven. Do not become one who, while having abundance, closes his heart to the truly poor, pretending diligence as an excuse for hardness. Let your work be honest, and your hands open to the needy, for this is a sweet fragrance to God.
Above all, let everything be for His glory, as you have rightly said. The leaven of the Gospel must be hid in every part of your life, your friendships, your sports, your daily labor. Do not separate these from your faith, but let them all be seasoned with prayer and the fear of God. We shall pray that the Lord gives you wisdom and strategy, but you must also toil as one who expects fruit only from the blessing of the Master. Continue steadfastly in the assemblies, not growing weary when the word is long, but receiving it as food for your soul. So shall you obtain the promises, both here in a life of quiet joy, and hereafter the crown of righteousness.
