Chrysostom
Beloved
You have piled up many verses and woven a garland of petitions, but beware lest this very abundance become a show of wisdom that lacks power. The Apostle warns of things that have a reputation of wisdom in self-chosen worship and humility and severity to the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. True wisdom is not a multitude of words, but the testimony of a pure conscience, that in simplicity and sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we conduct ourselves in the world.
You cry out for grace to worship, for mercy from the throne, for connection to the Vine. This is good. But consider: the grace of the Spirit is not summoned by the din of our speech. It is the gift of God, given to those who walk in lowliness and love. Our glorying is not in the recitation of texts, but in the conscience that bears witness without contradiction. If you seek wisdom from above, then let your study be diligent, but let your life be more diligent still. The fruit you long for does not spring from a flurry of holy words; it is borne in deeds, by the power of the Spirit, often in the quiet soil of daily obedience.
You ask for wisdom to make plans and accomplish works. Here is wisdom indeed: to know that all we receive is mercy, as a babe draws nourishment without earning it. Yet the Apostle also says, "Not that I seek for the gift, but I seek for the fruit that increaseth to your account." The fruit is not for you to admire; it is for the benefit of others and the glory of God. So tend your vineyard, keep your garden, but do so with a simplicity that shuns all pretension. The Spirit will bring to your remembrance the words of Christ in the hour of need, not because you have strung them together like beads on a cord, but because you have hidden them in a humble heart and walked in them.
Therefore, stand aloof from the theater of this world and from the clamor of your own many words. Seek the true glory, which is found not in the wisdom of men but in the grace of Christ. Let your prayer be a quiet turning of the soul, your worship an offering of a broken spirit, and your wisdom the meekness that confounds the wise. In this way, you will bear fruit that remains, and your joy will be full, by the grace and love toward man of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You cry out for grace to worship, for mercy from the throne, for connection to the Vine. This is good. But consider: the grace of the Spirit is not summoned by the din of our speech. It is the gift of God, given to those who walk in lowliness and love. Our glorying is not in the recitation of texts, but in the conscience that bears witness without contradiction. If you seek wisdom from above, then let your study be diligent, but let your life be more diligent still. The fruit you long for does not spring from a flurry of holy words; it is borne in deeds, by the power of the Spirit, often in the quiet soil of daily obedience.
You ask for wisdom to make plans and accomplish works. Here is wisdom indeed: to know that all we receive is mercy, as a babe draws nourishment without earning it. Yet the Apostle also says, "Not that I seek for the gift, but I seek for the fruit that increaseth to your account." The fruit is not for you to admire; it is for the benefit of others and the glory of God. So tend your vineyard, keep your garden, but do so with a simplicity that shuns all pretension. The Spirit will bring to your remembrance the words of Christ in the hour of need, not because you have strung them together like beads on a cord, but because you have hidden them in a humble heart and walked in them.
Therefore, stand aloof from the theater of this world and from the clamor of your own many words. Seek the true glory, which is found not in the wisdom of men but in the grace of Christ. Let your prayer be a quiet turning of the soul, your worship an offering of a broken spirit, and your wisdom the meekness that confounds the wise. In this way, you will bear fruit that remains, and your joy will be full, by the grace and love toward man of our Lord Jesus Christ.
