Many unsaved people practice astrology (i.e., horoscopes) and other unscriptural use of the signs in the heavens. Believers should reject these practices.
God wants believers to serve Him in truth. In fact, it is this very issue that will determine “of what sort” our work is at the judgment seat of Christ.
God looks for opportunities to show Himself strong in the lives of His saints. This is true both historically and in the lives of His people living today.
Sin withholds good things from man that he would otherwise have opportunity to enjoy. Instead of peace, sin brings unrest, frustration, and heartaches.
Each believer will, at some point, be confronted with the conflicting choice to obey God rather than to obey men’s anti-scriptural precepts.
In every country, believers should be the most faithful and conscientious citizens. Believers are to do this, not for personal gain, but for the Lord’s sake.
The Bible likens jealousy to a weapon. Lives are spared when this weapon rests in the bosom of someone with righteous motives. Yet, when the foolish wield this weapon, jealousy leads to destructive outcomes. The very thing that the Lord possesses to protect His people, His land, and His name, can push the ungodly men into an uncontrollable rage. God’s jealousy protects the righteous and consumes the guilty. Yet, the jealousy of an unrighteous man has consumed the lives of many innocent people. The Bible states that “jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame” (Song of Solomon 8:6). Misplaced jealousy is a most dangerous weapon.
There are certain areas where the Lord shows some of His greatest care and concern. He takes great offence and moves swiftly in their defence when men abuse these areas. For instance, the Bible says that the Lord is jealous for His “holy name” (Ezekiel 39:25). Perhaps, with this in mind, the Lord said, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). The Bible also says that God is jealous for Jerusalem (Zechariah 1:14; Zechariah 8:2), which is His land (Joel 2:18). When people abuse His name or His land, God takes these things particularly personally. Unfortunately, in these last days, men are increasingly abusing both His name and His land.
Christians frequently find it difficult to consistently make their practice align with their position in Christ. The saints of God are positionally blameless in Christ, but practically, each believer must strive daily to “be blameless and harmless . . . in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation.” In this world, believers represent the Lord as sons of God. As such, they should “do all things without murmurings and disputings.” Why is this so very important? The importance points to the fact that believers are to “shine as lights in the world.” It is imperative that every believer strives daily to live a godly life and preserves a godly testimony in a world that has little to no knowledge of God (Matthew 5:16).
Stewardship requires one predominant trait, that being faithfulness. People are gifted with many assorted skill sets requiring varying degrees of expertise. Yet, stewardship demands only a single element—faithfulness. The master of the house can teach his steward how to think ahead or how to deal with problems and even problem people, but the master cannot teach faithfulness. A wise master knows that his greatest need in a steward is faithfulness (Luke 12:42). In like manner, believers, as stewards of God, may be inadequately qualified for every needed task, but the importance of faithfulness must never be underestimated. No man can be a good steward if he lacks faithfulness.
