Those who meddle with astrologers and sorcerers (and like practices) put themselves on a collision course with God's judgment.
Men could know the truth if they desired to know it. Sadly, most men refuse to pursue and know the truth made so readily available unto them.
The Bible often defines words through their associations. For instance, the words salute, saluteth, and salutation involve a greeting.
A tremendous spiritual and physical battle wages around the value of life and the determination of when life begins. Unfortunately, Christians have incorporated the unscriptural terminology of the world by allowing the opposition to define these most important matters. This is especially true concerning the birth of a child. According to the Bible, a woman who is expecting is said to be “with child” (Genesis 16:11; Matthew 1:18). Modern terminology removes the direct association of the unborn to life. Sadly, the termination of the unborn life is simply labeled as an “abortion” rather than murder (the ungodly shedding of innocent blood). To abort means the cancellation of a mission. A woman who is “with child” has another living soul “with” her. As time progresses in the child’s development within the womb, the mother becomes “great with child” (Luke 2:5) until she is “ready to be delivered” (Revelation 12:4; see also 1 Samuel 4:19; Isaiah 26:17).
The true riches and honour come only from the Lord (1 Chronicles 29:12). Only the Lord has the infallible wisdom to determine the riches each man can rightfully possess in order to bring God the greatest glory. The Lord warned His people that as their riches increased, they would be tempted to forget the origin of those riches: God. He told them to remember that it was He that gave them power to get wealth in the first place (Deuteronomy 8:18). Solomon stated that the ability of men to possess riches and partake of those riches was the gift of God. Unfortunately, as men’s riches increase, many men lose sight of these truths.
Basically, a steward is one who oversees someone else’s possessions. The scripture shows stewards overseeing the substance and possession of the king (1 Chronicles 28:1) or administering the oversight of labourers within a vineyard (Matthew 20:8). The life of a steward was devoted to his master’s needs, wants, and demands. The job description was broad and comprehensive. Eliezer, Abraham’s steward (Genesis 15:2), ruled over all that Abraham had (Genesis 24:2) but also went forth to find a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac (Genesis 24:9). The master’s needs became the responsibilities of the steward. Simply put, the steward was responsible for what the master had placed under his care and supervision.
Even though God’s motive and desired outcome of chastening both prove to be a blessing to believers, believers do not always react properly to the chastening hand of the Lord. Some respond to God’s chastening by becoming bitter against the Lord, frustrated that they are reaping what they have sown. Others respond by becoming weary from the pressures of the process of chastening. Yet others might respond by running away from the things of God once they realize that God wants them to grow beyond their present level of Christianity. None of these are the proper reaction to chastening. The only proper response to chastening is given in Revelation 3:19: “be zealous therefore, and repent.”
In the most basic sense, punishment is directed toward those who have done wrong. Though any particular punishment may seem harsh by those receiving the punishment, God intended it to be a calculated response toward wrongdoing. Though there are some passages in the Old Testament that indicate punishment was directed toward the people of God (Ezra 9:13; Hosea 12:2), the vast majority of references demonstrate that it was intended for the enemies of God (Psalm 149:7; Proverbs 11:21; Isaiah 10:12; Isaiah 13:11; Isaiah 24:21; Isaiah 26:21; Isaiah 27:1; Jeremiah 25:12; Jeremiah 46:25). A careful study of the New Testament will strengthen the distinction as there are no references to God punishing His people.
The world places a premium on the concept of living comfortably. For instance, people desire comfortable clothes, comfortable beds, comfortable cars, comfortable furniture, etc. The list is unending. There are even foods designated as “comfort foods.” Yet, with this great emphasis upon comfort, the world seems to experience so little of true comfort. So, what exactly is comfort? Why is speaking of comfort so trendy and yet so hard to achieve? The word comfort is easily defined by breaking it down into two parts: com and fort. The prefix com means “with” and the word fort means “strength.” Simply put, comfort involves a strength that a person can carry with him. Immediately, every Christian should recognize that very little true comfort exists in this world. True comfort stems from the Lord and not that offered outside of Him.
Vengeance is not always executed in a swift fashion (Ecclesiastes 8:11). In fact, believers often grow weary because the wicked seem to prosper in spite of their evil deeds. Yet, the Lord will execute vengeance in His time. The Bible speaks often of “the day of vengeance” to come. This day is very likely a thousand year period (2 Peter 3:8) which will begin shortly before the second coming of the Lord and will end at the great white throne judgment following the end of the millennial kingdom. It will be a time when the Lord will refuse to spare the wicked (Proverbs 6:34) but will set things right for the Jewish people (Isaiah 34:8; Isaiah 61:2; Isaiah 63:4).
