All His benefits… (Ps 103)

 

The chanter says in the Psalm: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits” (Ps 103:2).

 

It is hard for us to remember all His benefits because

they are non countable. But here we will only talk

about main points concerning God’s care for the

human and his many benefits.

1. The first benefit is that He has granted us

existence and specifically speaking, He

created us on the sixth day after He

prepared everything for us…

He prepared nature for us: water and air, the Sun

to lighten the day and the moon and the stars to light

the night. He also prepared the plans for us, and

animals to serve us and we talk about all this in the

liturgy of St Gregory and say: “For my sake You

bridled the sea. For my sake You have revealed the

nature of the animals.” “You set up the sky for me as

a ceiling. You made the earth firm for me so that I

could walk on it.”

Meaning that God, after preparing all the comfort

means for the human, finally created him. He did

after preparing the Garden of Eden for him to live in

(Gn 2).

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2. Of God’s benefits also to man was that He

created man on His image.

The only creature on Earth about who was said

that he was created on the image of the Lord and

according to His Likeness was the human. And what is

meant by the divine image is the image of God in

Holiness and righteousness, in mind and speech, in

free will and in His image of authority. God said to the

first man: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and

subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea,

over the birds of the air, and over every living thing

that moves on the earth.” (Gn 1:28).

And thus the human was God’s steward on Earth.

And the human remained so until he sinned and lost

some of his authority. Then came the Lord Jesus

Christ to return to the human his first image. So may

every human remember that he was created on the

image of God so that he does not sin …

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3. Among God’s benefits to the human is that

he is called son of God.

And if we remembered this, we, as sons should

be following the will of our Heavenly Father. Because

when Jews took pride in that they are sons of

Abraham, the Lord said to them: “If you were

Abraham's children, you would do the works of

Abraham” (Jn 8:39). And so we as sons, should be

following the Father’s will and fight until we reach

perfection as the Lord said to us: “Therefore you shall

be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

(Mt 5:48).

4. We are not only God’s image and His sons

but we also are God’s temple and the Holy

Spirit dwells in us as was said in (1Co 3:16).

The apostle repeated this fact in (1Co 6:19).

Meaning that we are sacred churches for God and we

should preserve this sacredness as was said in the

psalm: “Holiness adorns Your house, O LORD,

forever” (Ps 93:5).

You, my brother, are God’s temple, built of living

stone, comes out of you hymns, praises and spiritual

songs. And you as a sacred church were consecrated

with the holy Myron after your baptism so preserve

you sacredness…

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5. You too have a communion with God in

work.

Especially the communion of the Holy Spirit. As is

said to the prayers at the end of meetings: “The

grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you

all.” (1Co 13:14). The Holy Spirit not only participates

with you in all you do but He works in you, using you

and with you. He works with you in building the

Kingdom and spreading the Kingdom and virtuous

life…

Make sure then in every action you do that God’s

Spirit works with you in it. And for every work you

see that the Holy Spirit is not with you in it, keep

away from it with all your strength.

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6. And of God’s love and His benefits that He

called you a brother and a friend.

And said: “No longer do I call you servants, but I

have called you friends” (Jn 15:15). And it was said

about Him that He resembled His brethren in

everything except sin. And He is not ashamed to call

them brethren. (He 2:11). And He said to Mary

Magdalene and the other Mary after His resurrection:

“Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there

they will see Me.” (Mt 28:10). And He did not say that

only about His apostles the saints but also about the

poor and needy saying: “inasmuch as you did it to

one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to

Me.” (Mt 25:40).

So, after the Lord, in his humility, lowered

Himself and called you a brother, will you deny Him,

give up His love and keep away from Him!!!

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7. Also of God’s benefits to us is that He made

us of His own, and made the relationship

that binds us and Him is a love relationship.

It was said that He “loved His own who were in

the world, He loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1). And

it was said that the greatest commandment in the

Law was God’s love. And that what came in the

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Deuteronomy book: “You shall love the LORD your

God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with

all your strength” (Dt 6:5). And He is the one calling

in the Song of Solomon Book saying: “Open for me,

my sister, my love, My dove, my perfect one; For my

head is covered with dew, My locks with the drops of

the night.” (Sgs 5:2).

And of God’s love to you is that He aims for

you even when you are in sin.

And knocks on your door saying: “Behold, I stand

at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and

opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with

him, and he with Me.” (Rev 3:20). Will you open your

heart to Him or will you ignore His love in aiming for

you!!!

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8. Another benefit of God’s benefits to the

human is that because of His love and will to

redeem him, He made Himself of no

reputation and incarnated (Phil 2:7) and

suffered and died the death of the cross.

And it was said “For God so loved the world that

He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes

in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

(Jn 3:16). As was also said about the Father in St

John’s first Epistle: “In this the love of God was

manifested toward us, that God has sent His only

begotten Son into the world, that we might live

through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God,

but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the

propitiation for our sins.” (1Jn 4:9,10). Also was

written in the Epistle to Romans that “God

demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while

we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Ro 5:8).

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9. Of God’s benefits to us also is that He made

us members in His body.

And He resembled Himself to a Vine and us as

branches (Jn 15) we abide in this vine and its juice

come to us and we live by it.

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10. And of God’s benefits is that he gave us the

Eucharist Sacrament.

And said “56He who eats My flesh and drinks My

blood abides in Me, and I in him.” and “Whoever eats

My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I

will raise him up at the last day.”(Jn 6:56, 54).

How wonderful is that great sacrament that

angels desire to get to know closely.

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11. Also of God’s love and benefits to us is that

He gave us a lasting life after death. And

promised us eternal life.

No single earthly creature got that promise but

the human alone. And so we pray saying “For there is

no death for your servants but passing” and truly it is

passing to a better life whether in Paradise with Christ

or to the Kingdom later after rising from death…

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12. And of God’s benefits to us is that we will

rise in spiritual bodies.

In glorified bodies (1Co 15:43, 44). It was also

said in the Epistle to Philippians about resurrection

that the Lord Jesus Christ “will transform our lowly

body that it may be conformed to His glorious body”

(Phil 3:21). Truly, how great will be this glory that we

will have in His Kingdom.

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13. Of God’s benefits to us is the everlasting

luxury that we will enjoy.

And it will be in Heavenly Jerusalem “the

tabernacle of God is with men” (Rev 21:3). And what

was said about it that "Eye has not seen, nor ear

heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The

things which God has prepared for those who love

Him.” (1Co 2:9).

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Truly the story of God’s relationship with the

human is a love story since He created the

human and until the end of the world in the

Heavenly Kingdom.

The Lord says in His love “I will come again and

receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you

may be also.” (Jn 14:3).

Yes, of the abundance of His benefits is that

He is Immanuel (God with us).

With us on Earth, after death, and in eternity that

is everlasting.

And of the abundance of His benefits for us is the

grace He gave us, about which St Paul the Apostle

said “by the grace of God I am what I am” (1Co

15:10).

May we remember God’s benefits and love Him

back as He loves us.