Glorifying God

'We glorify God by being content in that state in which Providence has placed us. We give God the glory of His wisdom when we rest satisfied with what He carves out to us. Thus, Paul glorified God; the Lord cast him into as great variety of conditions as any man, 'in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft' (2 Cor.11:23). Yet, he learned to be content. Paul could sail either in a storm or a calm, he could be anything that God would have him: he could either want or abound (Phil.4:13).
A good Christian argues thus, " it is God that has put me in this condition. He could have raised me higher if He pleased, but that might have been a snare to me. He has done it in wisdom and love, therefore I will sit down satisfied with my condition."
Surely this glorifies God much, God counts Himself much honoured by such a Christian."Here", says God, "is one after mine own heart; let me do what I will with him. I hear no murmuring, he is content." This shows abundance of grace: when grace is crowning, it is not so much to be content. But when grace is conflicting with inconveniences, then to be content is a glorious thing indeed. For one to be content when he is in heaven is no wonder; but to be content under the cross is like a Christian, for he shows all the world that though he has little meal in his barrel, yet he has enough in God to make him content-he says, as David, 'the Lord is the portion of mine inheritance; the lines are fallen to me in pleasant places".(Psalm 16:5)

From Thomas Watson's sermon 'Man's chief end is to glorify God'
Fire and ice sermons

Battle of the mind

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”(2Corinthians 10:3-5)

The solution to these strongholds is they have to be broken, pulled, and torn down. They cannot be converted or remodeled. That is one of the most serious and frequent mistakes we make. We feel we can somehow convert or change these strongholds for the good. Thus we see people ministering from a platform of pride, or channeling their anger into their preaching or finding an outlet for their lust for power and money in the church. There are countless ways in which the strongholds of the flesh are given a make-over and presented as something useful to the Kingdom. That was precisely Paul’s struggle with the antagonists in the Corinthian church.These strongholds cannot be converted; they are in their very essence opposed to God and His principles. They can only be dealt with in one way – they have to be torn down. But how?

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my nature

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My nature is the same as in the
harlot, the drunkard, the murderer!

(James Smith,
"MARY; Or, The Power of Penitence"
1856)

"If this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him
and what kind of woman she is--that she is a sinner!"
Luke 7:39

This woman was a sinner--an open sinner. One who had violated
the laws of decency, as well as the law of God. She is condemned
and despised. Many are more ready to condemn--than to pity; to
despise--than to endeavor to reclaim.

We forget when we look at the profane--that we have the same
seeds of profanity in our hearts! We forget that evil human nature is
essentially the same in all. We forget that education, circumstances,
providence, or the grace of God--make the only difference
between us and the vilest man that ever lived!

We are all one man's sons. We were hewn out of the same rock--we
were dug out of the same pit. My
nature is the same as in the harlot, the drunkard, the
murderer; and if left to myself--I would have
been as depraved as they are! Humbling
consideration this!

While I condemn sin--let me ever pity the sinner. While I mourn
over the fallen--let me ask the question so well put by the
apostle, "For who makes you different from anyone else? What do
you have--that you did not receive?" 1 Corinthians 4:7.

Am I vile? Let me take the blame and the shame to myself.

Am I saved and holy? Let sovereign grace have all the
glory and praise!

HT-grace gems

Are Homosexual Relationships based on Love?

I have repeatedly heard from homosexuals insisting their relationships are based on love; I find just the opposite in God's word...
We will start with Matthew 15:19-20 to understand where this sexual sin is birthed, "for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man." These words are spoken by the Lord Jesus Himself as to what defiles, we focus on the origin...the heart. In the original language heart means 'thoughts, feelings, the mind; the seat of everything: of the soul so far as it is affected and stirred in a bad or good way, the soul/mind as the seat of sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions'. This is evidence sin is birthed in the thoughtlife. We now focus on fornication, which translates 'adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, illicit sexual intercourse'. In Christ's own words, homosexuality and lesbianism are a defiling act which means 'unclean, pollute, to make profane, render unhallowed'. If homosexuality and lesbianism are defiling, how can it be called love?
The clearest picture on what homosexuality is based on is found in Romans 1:26-27, 'for this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions: for their women exchanged natural (produced by nature, inborn) relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed (to set on fire, to be kindled) with passion (lust-excitement of the mind, a longing after, desire, craving for) for another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error'. Here we see what happens when sinners suppress the truth of God's word, He lets men go headlong into sin, turning them over to what they desire most by not restraining their unbridled passions: the result is moral decay. What comes natural has now been shunned for what is contrary to nature, what was instilled at birth has now been exchanged for a forbidden lust. So if at birth, we were instilled with what comes natural, how is it the homosexual claims they were born that way? The only answer is they choose to follow their own lustful desires, which is what God's word proclaims.
Here lies the key to what homosexuals base their relationships on...lust. Their relationships are fueled by a burning desire that consumes and drives them. This is the reason for turbulence in these types of relationships, they are like wild animals who stalk their prey, launch their attack and conquer. Lust is never satisfied, it must be fed over and over and over; it does not care who or what must be conquered to satisfy. It does not feel love for its prey, it only thinks of 'self' and consumes the homosexual to repeatedly feed his/her craving. Love, on the other hand, is giving and is made manifest in doing for others, especially husbands towards wives and wives towards husbands. The intimacy of love between a husband and wife is one of giving, not taking; to please another and not self: it is filled with a trusting heart as well as tenderness and faithfulness. Love is God's gift between a man and a woman, lust is a result of rejecting true love with a desire to only please 'self'.

the crushing of Christ

Here is a sermon by Paul Washer...

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=45111218320

sin's ruthlessness-J.R. Miller

One day when the tide was out, a man went out to gather sea plants
on
the rocks, and in stepping from ledge to ledge--his foot slipped
down
and became jammed in a crevice. He attempted to pull it out--but
could
not. He cried aloud, he shrieked, he prayed--but all in vain--no
one
heard him! So the tide came rolling in, and rose up higher and
higher
until it rolled over him and drowned his last gurgling cry in its
remorseless waters.

In the same ruthless way--sin
clutches men! Even one sin, one secret sin, one evil habit--may
hold
the soul that indulges it--until the floods of judgment come and
roll
over it, engulfing it in eternal damnation!

From grace gems

the grim reality of the last days

This is an excellent sermon to listen to, especially with the recent release of CBN's video concerning the Mahdi.
John MacArthur does a wonderful job laying out the end time scenario, even as it unfolds before our eyes. Do give it a listen here