7324	Forums / Theology Forum / Women In The Church	on: June 17, 2007, 01:30:28 PM
Quote Quote God has not chosen to do anything where He has not blessed to accomplish His purposes to bring Himself glory. It is God who raises one up and brings another down, and there is only one purpose in His doing this, to bring Himself glory. God gives to men positions of power in order to discipline them. He makes men rich in order to accomplish the His moral purposes through their pride. God will not be mocked. When God disciplines through adding wealth or power He sends a wasting disease with that earthly happiness. Is there a 'direct connect' some of us don't know about? Of course, \"to God be the glory\" but with stuff like this, no wonder timeout has a problem with our Father. So God takes us up and then brings us down... just for His enjoyment? Then why do we need faith? Come on! God saves us from ourselves and our own pride. He didn't create puppets. And if we're happy while we're on earth through Him, I think we just might be reflecting Him. Did Neb give God the glory prior to getting the rug yanked out from under him? Is man ever going to take responsibility for their own sin... aka shortcomings? God doesn't 'cause' sin! If He does, we're ALL screwed. Quote What is your monument? Is it buildings with you name attached at the bottom? Is it you name on the pew? Is it your world view where play and work are one and the same importance based upon the numbers? Is it your radio programs, your books with your names? How about... God (not church... BIG difference), family, work, play... in that order... for 'monuments'? Who gives a flip about anything else during a 'vapor of a life' on earth? Have a 'play-full' weekend! earnestt earnest, Thanks for the directness. If there was one thing you could do to make the salvation process acceptable to God then salvation would be a heavy weight around your neck. There are only three states of being in life. The fallen state, the regenerated state, and the heavenly state. When we are born we are born in sin. That means we can do nothing to please God. We only sin continually. Our mouths are a sepulcher, that is there is no life on our lips because what comes out of the darkness of the heart is the evidence that the heart is dead spiritually. Its not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man , but what comes out of that man. In other words man cannot glorify God because man in his natural state does not want to give all the glory to God in praise and adoration. Man does not really believe there is a God. They say in every action that there is no God. They are foolish in their thinking. God deserves all of the praise of everything that exist, or is in the process of changing, or is under dark circumstances. By the word of God do the heavens exist, He melts the snow on the mountains by His word. So that even the natural process of existence is brought about by the decrees of God from eternity. Mans heart is restless until he finds his rest in God. And the only thing that can change mens hearts is Gods gracious decree of salvation. God saves because He deserves praise for all of His works. Gods work of salvation is His display of love , faithfulness, long suffering, and free grace. When God saves a man , He does it strictly by His work and His power. If God can create the universe by the word of His mouth, then He shows forth His work for His glory by the word of His mouth, so that every man may conclude that all men are under the wrath of God and cannot do one work to reverse the decree of God against sin. If man cannot effect the change then God must receive the glory of His decree in His willing according to His design before the creation of the world. God is not only glorified in His working in creation and in the salvation of men, but God is glorified in His wrath being poured out on man because of sin. God is angry at sinners every day. Because sinners have no power to change they are always working against God, against His unfailing love, against His goodness, against His patience, against His faithfulness. God always uses mens rebellion against themselves by giving them their hearts desire. The truth is that mens rebellion does not change the plan of God one bit. When men rebel, they just make their own lives more miserable. They dig their own hole. They never make it difficult for God to protect the righteous. They work in behalf of Gods glory to prove that God is just and rite in His word. The righteous are encouraged by Gods word of faithfulness, His work of unfailing love and His rescuing them from the evil of the wicked designs. The wicked continue to dig their own hole, and telling themselves that God does not care to see. But God is working to break their bands and render them powerless. God will avenge the righteous. One thing that i must say is that the righteous are not embroiled in this war on their own. Because Gods unfailing love, faithfulness, patience and goodness are bigger than their failures. So that the righteous are shielded not by their own goodness, but by Gods love that reaches farther and wider than they could ever comprehend.  We don t create our own safety, but we have a refuge that is outside of our abilities, so that when we take refuge in God we experience His greatness, His eternal attributes,  His command to save. We live in another s victory over the enemies. This is why salvation is of God.