Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27
“There is nothing colder than a Christian who does not seek to save others… Each one can help his neighbor if only he is willing to do what is in his power… The selfish are fit only for punishment. Such were those foolish virgins who were chaste, comely, and self-controlled, but did nothing for anyone. So they are consumed in the fire. Such are those men who refuse to give Christ food. Notice that none of them is accused of personal sins…only of not helping anybody else.”
John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) in Acts of the Apostles 20 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 558.
It’s been cold this week in Denver, so when I read this text, I felt the chill in his words with extra emphasis. Ponder this idea: “There is nothing colder than a Christian who does not seek to save others.”
Notice that the Scriptures tell us to do the good that we can.
Many see the problems of this world as so great that they don’t even get started in trying to make a difference. God does not want us to solve problems so much as to act obediently rather than selfishly.
It’s a powerful idea to see the selfish chaste consumed by fire.
But I believe Chrysostom makes the correct assessment, because in the biblical sense of the word, what we do as a result of what we believe, shows the reality of our faith. I pray this stirs you to action.
You may hear that GTP needs $198,000 by year-end or some other charity a similarly large number.
Don’t do nothing because you think your $100 or $1,000 will not make a difference is no reason to not give. Give something today that is within your power to act to GTP (click here) or some other ministry.