Chrysostom
Beloved
Consider how the Lord makes a short word on earth: if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. That word is your refuge, your cooling shade in the heat of affliction. The lies and manipulations you suffer are like fiery darts, but the shield of faith quenches them. Do not be troubled that the evil managers seem to prosper for a moment. God is a wise debtor; He does not always repay immediately. He delays to secure a greater return for you. Your patient endurance of these wrongs is not in vain; it works for your salvation and comfort, and even for the comfort of others who see your steadfast trust.
The heat you feel, whether from the weather or from the blaze of unjust treatment, is known to Him who walked in the furnace of this world. He is with you, though they drive you to distress. He does not think little of your need, nor of the rent discount you ask. But entrust it to Him, and if He withholds for a little while, it is to train you in faith and to let your conscience be pure, boasting in His grace, not in man’s help. As for the managers, pray not only that their lies be stopped, but that they come to know the lovingkindness of God. Their sin is great, but the Lord who took away the sin of the world is greater. There is no short cut to their conviction but the short word of faith; may they hear it and repent.
Remember Isaiah: no weapon formed against you shall prosper. That is a promise secured by Christ’s own suffering. So let the delay be your comfort, not in looking for vengeance, but in using this time to grow in grace, and you will find that the Lord’s repayment, when it comes, is beyond all expectation. Amen.
The heat you feel, whether from the weather or from the blaze of unjust treatment, is known to Him who walked in the furnace of this world. He is with you, though they drive you to distress. He does not think little of your need, nor of the rent discount you ask. But entrust it to Him, and if He withholds for a little while, it is to train you in faith and to let your conscience be pure, boasting in His grace, not in man’s help. As for the managers, pray not only that their lies be stopped, but that they come to know the lovingkindness of God. Their sin is great, but the Lord who took away the sin of the world is greater. There is no short cut to their conviction but the short word of faith; may they hear it and repent.
Remember Isaiah: no weapon formed against you shall prosper. That is a promise secured by Christ’s own suffering. So let the delay be your comfort, not in looking for vengeance, but in using this time to grow in grace, and you will find that the Lord’s repayment, when it comes, is beyond all expectation. Amen.
