Tag: Revelation

Christian

Tuesday’s Verse, 12/12/23

Cindy Dawson

“Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained;
But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].” Proverbs 29:18 AMP Proverbs 29:18 in all English translations

My thoughts: You may have heard it said, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” KJV (leaving out the second part of the verse). When we look at the whole verse, it is clear that the word vision does not refer to some dream of success a person may have but to God’s Word. Unrestrained means that without the guidance of God’s Word, people abandon themselves to their own sinful ways.

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

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Christian

If Jesus Sent a Letter to YOUR Church, What Would It Say?

Cindy Dawson

Jesus said we are blessed if we read the book of Revelation. I also realize that studying Revelation can be overwhelming! So let’s break it down to one bite-size piece.

Interestingly, in chapters 2 and 3 Jesus expresses serious concerns for 5 of the 7 churches, and He has made them known to us by including them in the Scriptures. With that in mind, shouldn’t we give it careful attention and ask ourselves if we are guilty of the same things? Here is a list of those concerns:

  1. To the Church in Ephesus… “You have forsaken the love you had at first.” (Revelation 2:4) He goes on to say that if this doesn’t change, He will remove their lampstand, meaning the church will not continue to exist. They were commended for their hard work, perseverance, and discernment. They also endured hardship and did not grow weary. But all of this could not excuse their diminishing love for Christ. Having lost the zeal and enthusiasm they had at first, they were just going through the motions.
  2. To the Church in Smyrna…no criticism
  3. To the Church in Pergamum… “There are some who hold to the teaching of Balaam… You also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” (Revelation 2:14-15)
  4. To the Church in Thyatira… “You tolerate that woman Jezebel.” (Revelation 2:20)
  5. To the Church in Sardis…“You are dead. Wake up!” (Revelation 3:1-2) Have you ever been to a dead church? This church was filled with people going through the motions of dead religion. 
  6. To the Church in Philadelphia… no criticism
  7. To the Church in Laodicea… “You are neither cold nor hot…You are lukewarm… Because you are lukewarm I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16) That sounds like apathy. Perhaps they were allowing “the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things [to] come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:19).

These concerns can be put into 2 main categories: a decreasing love for God (Ephesus, Sardis, and Laodicea) and tolerance of false teaching (Pergamum and Thyatira). These are serious problems that the church today should be aware of and look out for. For now, I want to turn our attention to the problem of allowing our love for God to wane.

A Decreasing Love for God

Consider this: When asked, “What is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:36-38

I asked the Lord, What does that mean? What does it look like? Here is what I found in the Word:

1. We show our love to God when we make decisions to obey His every command.

Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them… Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” John 14:21, 23-24 (emphasis mine)

2. We show our love to God when we worship the God of the Bible, not a god we have created to be what we want him to be. Idols are gods of our own creation. They promise to give us what we want.

“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol,” Exodus 20: 3-4 NASB

“… true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers. God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24 AMP (emphasis mine)

“For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold,” 2 Timothy 4:3 AMP

3. We show our love to God when we persevere.

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

4. We show our love to God when we obey our calling and seek to do His will.

“Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” John 21:16

Are there other ways we can show God our love? Of course! These 4 things may not be what you expected to find on the list, but I’m pretty sure that if we are doing these things, we are showing God that we love Him! On the other hand, if we are not doing these things … we should examine our hearts.

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

All Scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

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Christian

Quote of the Week, 8/23/23

Cindy Dawson

Preoccupied with mystical encounters and emotional ecstasies, [many] seek ongoing revelation from heaven – meaning that, for them, the Bible alone is simply not enough. [With them], biblical revelation must be supplemented with personal “words from God,” supposed impressions from the Holy Spirit, and other subjective religious experiences. That kind of thinking is an outright rejection of the authority and sufficiency of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16–17). It is a recipe for far-reaching theological disaster.

John MacArthur

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

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Christian

“Whose Image?” Quietly Roaring

Cindy Dawson

The new Mission Impossible movie showcases what the world could be brought to the brink of, if AI technology got that smart. Hmm…is the idea that AI could outsmart humans one day really that far-fetched?

Can you sense what will happen if critical thinking goes even further out the proverbial window?

The university I am studying my Masters through has just made an official statement about the use of AI by students. Basically, most Australian universities are taking the stance that there is little they can do to detect or prevent students from using AI. If anything, universities state they will need to change the way they teach and assess students to ensure students are actually learning.

AI is simply advancing at a rate that ethics codes, practices, and the law itself cannot keep up with.

Despite some of the unquestionable benefits of AI, especially in the field of medicine, why does most of what I learn about AI make me feel increasingly ill at ease? Is it just me?

It seems the more I look into it, the more it makes me ponder whether humankind has got too “smart” for its own good.

So, with lots of pondering, I’ve reached a conclusion that may seem pretty far-fetched, but nevertheless, it’s where your mind may also land if you pause to think about things from a theological perspective.

“God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them…..Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.”(GEN 1:27, 31)

Humans are the pinnacle of God’s good creation.

So, doesn’t it make sense that the father of lies, the master of counterfeits, the hater of everything good that God has created, the very devil himself, will continue to do all he can to destroy that image of God in humans?

Throughout history, we have seen the hand of evil. Humans kill other humans through wars and genocide. Deceived by their own sinful natures, humans abort their babies, enslave the poor and victimize the weak. Today we also witness the twisting of what it means to be male and female and the gradual decline into a gender-neutral society… ideologies hideously designed by Satan to remove humankind further and further away from recognizing that they are made in God’s image.

And now we have AI. So what? How is it any different from any other new technology?

The difference is it thinks for us. It can sound like us. It can look like us. Did you know there is Hybrid Human Artificial Intelligence (HHAI). Think carefully about where that could lead.

What or whose image is humankind being conformed to?

Let’s ponder some more and take it a step further.

What if the coming person of the anti-Christ is something or someone made in man’s image? If you have bothered to google HHAI and learned that it “fuses human abilities and AI capabilities into a unified entity”, then the thought may not seem so absurd.

Since this pondering has landed us in Revelation, what if the mark of the beast is something that humans are going to willingly line up for and, in fact, worship? With the rapid advancement in medical AI, perhaps it will be some type of medical breakthrough that promises (the counterfeit version) of eternal life?

Whoa. Time to pull up! I’m NOT into conspiracy theories but I do like to be curious and think outside the box.

I realize this post hasn’t been my usual Quietly Roaring style. But I do hope it has given you something to ponder! I will return to my usual style of writing in my next post.

In the meantime, power to the humans! 😜

©Quietly Roaring, 2023. All Rights Reserved.

(Visit Jo’s excellent blog, Quietly Roaring, to read the original post and comments.)

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

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Christian, God

Verse for Meditation, 3/23/23

Cindy Dawson

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” Revelation 1:3 NIV Read full chapter

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Billy Huynh on Unsplash

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Christian

Tuesday’s Verse, 11/29/22

Cindy Dawson

“The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” Revelation 1:1-3 NIV Read full chapter

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

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Christian

“Can Unexpected Things Happen?”

Cindy Dawson

Suddenly, all the lights went out in the middle of our Sunday morning church service! If you hadn’t been paying attention, you were now. It was dark and a little scary.

Our pastor was in the middle of his sermon entitled, “We Endure Patiently” based on James 5:7-8.

“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” James 5:7-8 NIV (emphasis mine)

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Matthew 24:37-42 NIV (emphasis mine)

 “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Matthew 24:44 NIV (emphasis mine) Read full chapter

The pastor, always ready, promptly said, “Can Unexpected Things Happen?”

I don’t know about everybody else, but God had MY attention!

I always ask the Lord to speak to me through our service. Interestingly, the thing that has been most on my mind is Jesus’ return. I recently finished reading the book of Revelation and now I am reading an excellent book, Revealing Revelation by Amir Tsarrfati.

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” Titus 2:11-14 NIV (emphasis mine)

“For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven.”  Hebrews 13:14 TLB (emphasis mine)

Jesus’ return is our blessed hope. We are to be looking forward to His return! Are we? Or are we consumed with the things of this world, never giving thought to His soon return? Jesus is coming soon, maybe sooner than you think!

Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

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Christian

Monday’s Verse, 11/7/22

Cindy Dawson

“He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20 NASB Read full chapter

Do you want to know more about Jesus? Read my page Who Is Jesus?

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Christian

Verses for Meditation, 1/21/21

Cindy Dawson

“3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21: 3-4 NIV

With Love, Cindy

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

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Christian

My First Love

Cindy Dawson

I was stopped in my tracks as I read the letter to the church in Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-6).

1″I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary … 6You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”

It sounds like a strong church! But one thing is going to bring them down. What is it?

4 “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

How had they changed? What things did they stop doing?

The Amplified Bible says, “… you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me].”

When Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” he replied,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37

I began to ponder this. How do we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind? Would we even know if we, like the Church at Ephesus, left our first love? I’m sure the Ephesians thought they loved the Lord with all their hearts. After all, look at all the great things they were  doing. But something must have changed.

I have searched the Scriptures, prayed, and asked other Christians, seeking the answer to this question: What does it mean to love the Lord with your whole heart?

Is it an emotion? An act of our will? Obedience? Praise?

Is it possible that the Ephesians went about the activities of church life, minus the passion of one who has been forgiven? Did they forget how thankful they once were for His forgiveness and love?

I can only infer that as we go about the business of “church”, it is possible to do many good things, yet forget how we first loved Him.

Perhaps now we are busy doing (like Martha) instead of sitting at His feet (like Mary).

The importance  of “loving God with all my heart” has been on my mind for several weeks. I ask myself, Do I love Jesus with all my heart? And more importantly, what does Jesus think?

I started thinking about how I show love to my children. For one thing, I tell them – a lot!. So last night I started my prayer like this:

Lord, I love you. I love you with all my heart and soul and mind. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins. I remember how on fire I was for you when I first experienced the forgiveness that “washed me white as snow” and “removed my sins “as far as the east is from the west”.

 My heart was flooded with peace because the heaviness of my soul, the anguish of guilt vanished.. I remember how I devoured the Scriptures as I discovered your promises. Give me a heart like David, whose Psalms reflect his deep love for you …..

So let us think back to how we first loved Him. Let us ask ourselves, Do I tell Him that I love Him everyday? And let us ask Him to help us to never forsake the love we had at first.

Scriptures

 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; Psalm 103:11-13

Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18 

With Love, 

Cindy

This is My Journey Unscripted.

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

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