TEXT: REV. 4:11
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
God, in commanding and permitting the being of anything in heaven or earth, has His glory and pleasure in mind; whether He punishes or forgives, His glory is kept in view: all things must bring Him pleasure! The right use of anything, consists in the pleasuring of God therein; His glory and name must be advanced and stamped on the mind of men, for anything to deemed properly engaged. Whatever advances or promotes not His kingdom, is counted useless. The question that must find an answer before God commands or permits the happening of anything is this: 'Will this give me pleasure, if allowed? What gain is there for me if so and so prayer are answered?' Both riches and poverty; prosperity and adversity; health and sickness, all are for His glory and pleasure: all things are tools of His glory and pleasure. From our adversity, God can promote the kingdom of His grace in our hearts, particularly, the graces of patience and godly contentment. In the bowel of every lion of affliction that confront us, lies a pool of honey and sweetness. So, whether we have war or peace, riches or poverty, God has His glory in all of them. Adversity becomes evil, only when a man displeases God thereby: Lazarus was in rag; begged for food and full of sores, yet kept his soul's garment clean and became an heir to the bosom of Abraham. Riches remains innocent until it turns a man into an oppressor of his fellow man. No evil abides seminally in riches, save when it is used against the kingdom of God in the heart of man. Saints beloved, settled it in thine heart once and for all, that thy present lots are for God's pleasure and glory: we glorify Him, not only by our prosperity, but also by and in our adversary.