Promises And Rewards

Ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτὸν ἐξανθήσει τὸ ἁγίασμα μου. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτὸν; Ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν. Τὸ ἁγίασμα ἕτερος Τὸ κέρας εἶπεν. Ἄλλος Ἀφόρισμα αὐτοῦ. Ἄλλος, Τὸ ἀφωρισμένον αὐτοῦ. Τί ποτ' οὖν ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον; Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ τὴν εὐπραγίαν λέγειν, τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, τὴν ἰσχὺν.Ἄπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀφώρισα αὐτῷ, ταῦτα μενεῖ ἀνθοῦντα, φησὶ, βρύοντα, οὐ μαραινόμενα, οὐδε καταπίπτοντα· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ἔσται, τοῦ διορισμοῦ τοῦ ἔμπροσθεν εἰρημένου μένοντος. Ποίου δὴ τούτου; Ἐὰν φυλάξωνται οἱ υἱοί σου τὴν διαθήκην μου. Οὐ γαρ μόναι αἱ ὑποσχέσεις τοῦ Θεου παρέχουσαιν ἡμῖν τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ἂν μὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ποιῶμεν, οὐδὲ χρὴ τούτοις προσέχοντας ἀναπεπτωκέναι, καὶ ὑπτίους εἶναι. Πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὦν ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ Θεὸς οὐ ποιεῖ, τῶν τὰς ἐπαγγελίας δεξαμένων ἀναξίων εὑρισκομένων· ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ κακὰ, ἂ ἠπείλησεν, εἰς ἔργον οὐκ ἄγει, τῶν παροξυνάντων αὐτὸν ὕστερον μεταβαλλομένων, καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν ἀποκρουσαμένων. Ταῦτα οὖν εἰδότες, μήτε διὰ τὰς ὑποσχέσεις ῥᾳθυμῶμεν, ἵνα μὴ καταπέσωμεν, μήτε διὰ τὰς ἀπειλὰς ἀπογινώσκωμεν, ἀλλὰ μεταβαλλώμεθα. Οὕτω γὰρ δυνησόμεθα τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτυχεῖν ἀγαθῶν. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος Εἰς Τον ΡΛΑ´ Ψαλμον Source: Migne PG 55.384

Over him my sanctification shall flourish. 1 What is this, 'Over him?' Over the people. That which is called sanctification is also named a horn. 2 Otherwise His separated ones. What then is said here? It seems to me that it speaks of prosperity, security, and strength. Those which I separated from the beginning, these, He says, shall continue to flourish, prospering, not withering, not falling away. But all these things shall be only if the first condition spoken of shall remain. What is this? 'If your sons guard my testament.' 3 God does not only give promises of good things to us, but we must also do things for them, not neglecting our care for them and turning away. For God does not bring about the many goods promised if those who received the promises are then found to be unworthy, just as when evils are threatened against the doing of some deed, if those who had vexed later change, then the anger is put aside. Thus knowing these things, let us not be neglectful of those things which have been promised, lest we be ruined. Nor let us dismiss threats, but change. Thus we shall be able to come to future goods. Saint John Chrysostom, On The Psalms, from Psalm 131 1 Ps 131.18 2 Ps 131.17 3 Ps 131.12