1. Thomas experiences the presence of the risen Christ and he responds by saying "MY LORD AND MY GOD!" Thomas addresses Jesus in the same language in which Israel addressed Yahweh. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. (Isa. 18, 19. This is living with God. Our relation toward such a God should be 1. So that whenever we are on the point of doing or saying anything cowardly, or mean, or false, or impure, or proud, or conceited, or unkind, the remembrance that God is looking on shall instantly flash across us and help us to beat down our enemy. Get a grip at this, thou troubled one, and by a personal faith say, "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." In the day when I cried Charles KingsleyOut of the DeepWherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind32. I will ask you three questions suggested by the words themselves, and according to your answer to these three questions, shall be Charles Haddon SpurgeonSpurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859Question of the Contemplative LifeI. One day the Lord spoke to me through a particular scripture. : The fact that God is always present and knows every minute trifle in our lives, and that His unerring judgment will assuredly take count of every detail of our character and our conduct, neither exaggerating nor omitting, but applying absolute justice; this truth is one of those which lose force from their very universality. In the day when I cried Charles KingsleyOut of the DeepWherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind32. 12), while the devil was exulting against us;--then God, in His loving-kindness, not willing man made in His own image to perish, said, Whom shall I send, and who will go?' GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN MIGHT, BUT DOES NOT, KNOW OF HIMSELF. The worst thing that can happen to anyone is for the mercy of God to depart from the person. And this perpetual though not always conscious sense of God's presence would, no doubt, if we would let it have its perfect work, gradually act on our characters just as the presence of our fellow-men does. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. When I was young, I used to make a lot of wishes using wishing bones or when blowing out my birthday candles. Psalms 138:8 - The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: th - GodTube It did not look very likely, but since such was the Eternal purpose, there was no keeping the son of Jesse out of the throne. Human inspection is very limited. If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. 2. 3. Now, in this condition of things, God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life. His omniscience. 7 Bible Verses About God's Perfect Timing - Abide and Seek Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. . 8). Our Role. Being rich he becomes richer; being already high born, of still nobler lineage; being illustrious, he gains greater renown; and--what is more than all--once a sinner he is now a saint. Does the Contemplative Life consist solely in the Contemplation of God, or in the Consideration St. Those who are always hearing pure and high principles set forth as the guides of life learn to value and to know them even faster than they can learn to live by them. He bringing me home, Timothy, and I'm going to see his face. THE DIVINE OMNIPRESENCE (vers. The mountains; the obstacles and hindrances before you have a spiritual ear. (Isa. II. (Admonition 23.) And here let us look upon the bright as well as the dark side of this subject. Letter Xliii a Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN KNOWS OF HIMSELF. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . Rom. For those that are at variance are to be admonished to know most certainly that, in whatever virtues they may abound, they can by no means become spiritual if they neglect becoming united to their neighbours by concord. To Dominicus, Bishop. THE PSALMIST'S TRIUMPHANT CONVICTION. III. v. 22). And though we thought that we had suffered loss from the tardiness of their coming, yet we find gain from their more abundant charity; seeing that from this delay in point Saint Gregory the Greatthe Epistles of Saint Gregory the GreatThe Coming Revival"Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?"--PS. Wherefore a few witnesses, which the Lord deigns to suggest to my mind, I proceed to mention, from out the teaching of Christ concerning humility, such as perhaps may be enough for my purpose. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. There is, therefore, nothing wrong in our forgetting that we are in the presence of God any more than there is anything foolish in our forgetting that we need air to breathe or light to see by, or that if we fall we may hurt ourselves: just in the same way as we very often, and quite rightly, forget that we are in the company of men who will take notice of our faults. This is living with God. Does the Contemplative Life consist solely in the Contemplation of God, or in the Consideration, To Dominicus, Bishop. The word, "me," in the text, cannot be appropriated by any man, unless he, in some respects, resembles the character of David, who penned this psalm. the lord will perfect that which concerns me sermon He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. : The fact that God is always present and knows every minute trifle in our lives, and that His unerring judgment will assuredly take count of every detail of our character and our conduct, neither exaggerating nor omitting, but applying absolute justice; this truth is one of those which lose force from their very universality. A Psalm by David. His omnipotence (vers. If it is a concern to us, then it is a concern to God too because God cares for us. (Weekly Pulpit. "Show me as much as I can stand, Lord." So what did God show him. He professes his confidence in GodDictionary of Bible ThemesPsalm 138:86708predestination8125guidance, promise8441goalsPsalm 138:7-81265hand of GodLibraryFaith in PerfectionIn the opening, I must remark that this is not the heritage of all mankind. The self-knowledge, remember, must come in the one way or the other. The right state of mind plainly is to have the thought of God's presence so perpetually at hand that it shall always start before us whenever it is wanted. God has made us so. The LORD Will Perfect That Which Concerns You --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. 1. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. | 28:00 min. "Forsake not the works of Thine own hands." There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. 12), while the devil was exulting against us;--then God, in His loving-kindness, not willing man made in His own image to perish, said, Whom shall I send, and who will go?' Now, in this condition of things, God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life. S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. God has made us so. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said St. Being rich he becomes richer; being already high born, of still nobler lineage; being illustrious, he gains greater renown; and--what is more than all--once a sinner he is now a saint. 19-22).3. Rom. Does the Contemplative Life consist solely in the Contemplation of God, or in the Consideration St. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. (1)There is the error that supposes that formal worship can be of any real worth. 19 III. : While the Americans were blockading Cuba, several captains endeavoured to elude their vigilance by night, trusting that the darkness would conceal them as they passed between the American war-ships. In the day when I cried Charles KingsleyOut of the DeepWherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind32. v. 22). They cannot be numbered! "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. Lord this seventh month of the year, let Your hand of perfection rest mightily on me. His omnipotence (vers. AugustineOn the Good of MarriagePrayer Out of the Deep. 1, 2. He will revive us."--HOS. v. 22). 1. God Cares about Everything that Concerns Us - cswisdom.com ad probam IV. The thought will flash across us that God sees us. David praises God for the truth of his word4. 9 Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. 19 III. II. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius John Edgar McFadyenIntroduction to the Old TestamentLinksPsalm 138:8 NIVPsalm 138:8 NLTPsalm 138:8 ESVPsalm 138:8 NASBPsalm 138:8 KJVPsalm 138:8 Bible AppsPsalm 138:8 ParallelPsalm 138:8 Biblia ParalelaPsalm 138:8 Chinese BiblePsalm 138:8 French BiblePsalm 138:8 German BiblePsalm 138:8 CommentariesBible Hub, (1)Heaven. The daily prayer in the closet, the endeavour to keep the attention fixed when praying with others, either in our regular services or in family worship. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. That the Ruler Should be Always Chief in Action. We cannot live long with men without catching something of their manner, of their mode of thought, of their character, of their government of themselves. Psalm 138: God Will Perfect That Which Concerns Me 24).(W. To Dominicus, Bishop. Think of all those who, on the night of the Passover, came out of Egypt, but yet never entered into Canaan; their carcasses fell in the wilderness, because of their unbelief. Is it not a strange thing that the advanced believer, when he reaches to the very height of piety, just comes to the spot where he commenced? The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. iii. 2. If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative Life, Epistle Xlvii. lvii. And how it would bless us! (Isa. Though the transgressor is ignorant of much of his sin, because, at the time of its commission, he sins blindly as well as wilfully, and unreflectingly as well as freely; and though the transgressor has forgotten much of that small amount of sin, of which he was conscious, and by which he was pained, at the time of its perpetration; though, on the side of man, the powers of self-inspection and memory have accomplished so little towards this preservation of man's sin, yet God knows it all, and remembers it all. We could never discharge our duties properly if we were to be perpetually distracted by the consciousness of what was around us: and, above all, we might be daunted by the perpetual thought of the presence of God, and so be paralyzed instead of helped. AugustineOn the Good of MarriagePrayer Out of the Deep. Did the Almighty pause in the middle of creation and leave His work unfinished? vi. ID. Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? 1. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. Our relation toward such a God should be 1. "Where are you going?" Those who live much in refined and educated society acquire refinement insensibly. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. I will ask you three questions suggested by the words themselves, and according to your answer to these three questions, shall be Charles Haddon SpurgeonSpurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859Question of the Contemplative LifeI. To reprove some prevalent impieties in human conduct.(1)Atheism.(2)Indifferentism.3. That of a prayerful seeking of the Divine guidance (ver. It is perfectly plain from the elevated central point of view where we now stand, and in the focal light in which we now see, that no man can be justified before God upon the ground of personal character; for that character, when subjected to God's exhaustive scrutiny, withers and shrinks away. We do not agree with Momus, neither are we of his mind who desired to have a window in his breast that all men might see his heart. To follow Jesus means to take up his dream and work for it.". Specially with His people. We cannot live long with men without catching something of their manner, of their mode of thought, of their character, of their government of themselves. If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. lxxxv. Letter Xliii a Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey.