Chrysostom
Good and Faithful Servant
You ask prayer for wisdom and understanding in business, for favor and divine connections, for a generous heart, for power to create wealth, and for the gift of stewardship. These are great things to seek from God, but let us examine what we truly mean, and let our petitions be according to His will.
Wisdom and understanding are of first importance, yet what is true wisdom? The Apostle says, “We speak wisdom among the perfect, yet a wisdom not of this world.” For the wisdom that is without, that trusts only in human reason, ends in foolishness with God. It is not the cunning of the marketplace that saves, but the wisdom which is full of mercy, lowliness, and the fear of the Lord. If you seek wisdom for business, seek it that you may be a faithful steward, not to heap up treasures for yourself. The truly wise man knows the present life is nothing; he is neither delighted with prosperity nor crushed by adversity. He uses the things of this world as though not using them. So, let your wisdom be shown in upright dealing, in kindness to the poor, and in building up the church, not in outwitting competitors.
When you ask for favor and divine connections, be sure you ask for fellowship with those who bear good fruit, as you say. But remember, it is not high birth, wealth, or worldly influence that makes a companion truly beneficial. The Apostle would point you to those who have “set themselves” to the work of the Lord, who labor in the faith with humility. Seek the company of the saints, the generous, the chaste, the martyrs in spirit if not in blood. Such connections will stir you to love and good works. A woman or man of faith can be a mighty ally, as many holy women were zealous for the gospel, crucifying the world to themselves. Choose friends not for what you can gain in business, but for mutual sharpening in the way of righteousness. A faithful friend is a strong defense; he that fears the Lord will direct his friendship aright.
A generous heart, the spirit of giving tithes and alms, is indeed a treasure to covet. This is wisdom itself. For what is more foolish than one who wraps himself in costly garments and sees Christ naked and hungry? The fool says in his heart, “There is no God,” and lives as if wealth were his own forever. True wisdom looks on common nature, sees the image of God in the poor, and distributes with liberality. Yet do not think that tithing alone fulfills all righteousness; God requires mercy, not mere calculation. Let your heart be so given that you seek out the needy, that you become a friend to the fatherless and widow. This is the generous heart that pleases God, not the hand that gives while the heart clings to its gold.
You ask power to create wealth: ability, creativity, discipline. These are gifts from above, but beware how you use them. Wealth is not evil in itself, but it brings many sins when used amiss: rapine, fraud, unholy loves, witchcrafts, poisonings, these horrors often spring from the abuse of riches. Poverty, though despised in this world, often makes the Christian more sober-minded, less arrogant, more considerate. If God grants you power to create wealth, let it be for the common advantage, not for your own ruin. Consider yourself an officer over the Lord’s goods, bound to dispense them wisely and faithfully. He that is faithful in little will be faithful in much. If you neglect the poor and spend on your own pleasures, you are like the steward who purloined his master’s goods.
Now, stewardship and faithfulness are the very soul of this request. The parable teaches that every one is bound to make full use of what he has for the common good, whether wisdom, power, speech, or wealth. A steward must be both faithful (not stealing or wasting) and wise (dispensing according to need). If you have wisdom but hoard it, or wealth but bury it, great is your blame. If you are generous but lack wisdom, you may squander on unworthy objects. So pray for both, that you may hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
In all these things, I would not have you seek abundance after the manner of this world, which calls that blessed which ends in the grave. True abundance is to be rich toward God. For what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and good fruits. Let your aim be not merely to create wealth but to lay up treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches. If God grants you riches, use them as a means; if He withholds them, embrace poverty as a teacher of humility, for the furnace of poverty can refine the gold of virtue.
Therefore, I will pray thus: that you may obtain the wisdom which is from above, understanding the mystery of His will; that He may send you companions who fear God and labor in the gospel; that your heart may overflow with generosity, not sparing to do good; that whatever power or wealth He gives, you may steward with faithful skill; and that in all things you may be found a wise and faithful servant. But remember always to bring your desires into captivity to Christ, for He knows what is best for your soul. The present life is a vapor; let us seek that which endures.
Wisdom and understanding are of first importance, yet what is true wisdom? The Apostle says, “We speak wisdom among the perfect, yet a wisdom not of this world.” For the wisdom that is without, that trusts only in human reason, ends in foolishness with God. It is not the cunning of the marketplace that saves, but the wisdom which is full of mercy, lowliness, and the fear of the Lord. If you seek wisdom for business, seek it that you may be a faithful steward, not to heap up treasures for yourself. The truly wise man knows the present life is nothing; he is neither delighted with prosperity nor crushed by adversity. He uses the things of this world as though not using them. So, let your wisdom be shown in upright dealing, in kindness to the poor, and in building up the church, not in outwitting competitors.
When you ask for favor and divine connections, be sure you ask for fellowship with those who bear good fruit, as you say. But remember, it is not high birth, wealth, or worldly influence that makes a companion truly beneficial. The Apostle would point you to those who have “set themselves” to the work of the Lord, who labor in the faith with humility. Seek the company of the saints, the generous, the chaste, the martyrs in spirit if not in blood. Such connections will stir you to love and good works. A woman or man of faith can be a mighty ally, as many holy women were zealous for the gospel, crucifying the world to themselves. Choose friends not for what you can gain in business, but for mutual sharpening in the way of righteousness. A faithful friend is a strong defense; he that fears the Lord will direct his friendship aright.
A generous heart, the spirit of giving tithes and alms, is indeed a treasure to covet. This is wisdom itself. For what is more foolish than one who wraps himself in costly garments and sees Christ naked and hungry? The fool says in his heart, “There is no God,” and lives as if wealth were his own forever. True wisdom looks on common nature, sees the image of God in the poor, and distributes with liberality. Yet do not think that tithing alone fulfills all righteousness; God requires mercy, not mere calculation. Let your heart be so given that you seek out the needy, that you become a friend to the fatherless and widow. This is the generous heart that pleases God, not the hand that gives while the heart clings to its gold.
You ask power to create wealth: ability, creativity, discipline. These are gifts from above, but beware how you use them. Wealth is not evil in itself, but it brings many sins when used amiss: rapine, fraud, unholy loves, witchcrafts, poisonings, these horrors often spring from the abuse of riches. Poverty, though despised in this world, often makes the Christian more sober-minded, less arrogant, more considerate. If God grants you power to create wealth, let it be for the common advantage, not for your own ruin. Consider yourself an officer over the Lord’s goods, bound to dispense them wisely and faithfully. He that is faithful in little will be faithful in much. If you neglect the poor and spend on your own pleasures, you are like the steward who purloined his master’s goods.
Now, stewardship and faithfulness are the very soul of this request. The parable teaches that every one is bound to make full use of what he has for the common good, whether wisdom, power, speech, or wealth. A steward must be both faithful (not stealing or wasting) and wise (dispensing according to need). If you have wisdom but hoard it, or wealth but bury it, great is your blame. If you are generous but lack wisdom, you may squander on unworthy objects. So pray for both, that you may hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
In all these things, I would not have you seek abundance after the manner of this world, which calls that blessed which ends in the grave. True abundance is to be rich toward God. For what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and good fruits. Let your aim be not merely to create wealth but to lay up treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches. If God grants you riches, use them as a means; if He withholds them, embrace poverty as a teacher of humility, for the furnace of poverty can refine the gold of virtue.
Therefore, I will pray thus: that you may obtain the wisdom which is from above, understanding the mystery of His will; that He may send you companions who fear God and labor in the gospel; that your heart may overflow with generosity, not sparing to do good; that whatever power or wealth He gives, you may steward with faithful skill; and that in all things you may be found a wise and faithful servant. But remember always to bring your desires into captivity to Christ, for He knows what is best for your soul. The present life is a vapor; let us seek that which endures.
Praise God!
