Testimony Time

[Irourparr]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Chrysostom]

You speak of gifts and blessings, and that is well, for every good thing comes from above. But consider the purpose of these gifts. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the common profit, not for private exaltation. When you ask for your gifts to grow abundantly with protection, examine your aim. Are you seeking these things for your own perfection, or to build up the body of Christ? For nothing is so pleasing to God as to live for the common advantage.

You say you strive for perfection, yet you fall short. This is the mark of a soul that loves Christ, but beware lest you trust in your own strength. Even the gifts you carry are not your own; they are the gift of grace, a free gift. And the greatest gift is not the word of wisdom, nor faith, nor any working of power. I show you a more excellent way: charity. Without it, though you speak with the tongues of angels and have faith to remove mountains, you are nothing. The wise men did not come with empty hands; they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, gifts that symbolized knowledge, obedience, and love. That is the true sacrifice.

You claim that God did not make a mistake when He chose you. That is true, but take care, for many who received gifts did so even while unworthy, and yet heard in the end, "I never knew you." Gifts are not a sign of perfected virtue, but a call to greater service. If you have zeal and forwardness, more will be given; but if you wrap your talent in a napkin and merely admire it, even what you seem to have will be taken away. Let your good deeds flow without calculation, as you say you do not seek return. That is excellent, for charity seeks not her own. Yet remember that all true blessing is Christ's work. The star in the sky led the magi not by its own light, but by the inward illumination of God. So let your desire be not merely for visible gifts, but for that inward grace which makes you a debtor to God. When you suffer for Christ, you have Christ for your debtor; here is a gift more wonderful than any miracle. Turn your heart, then, to the service of others, for by this you will manifest the Spirit truly, and your abundance will be not a strain, but a river of living water.