“Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I’m well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle.
Revelation 2:5
God always has an easy answer. To the Ephesians who had lost their 'first love', He says "Turn back!" (I love that there is an exclamation mark. Who knew punctuation could be so inspiring?) This simple advice is the same basic message God has been giving His people since forever. "Turn back!" I think the simplicity is why we so often screw it up. We want it to be harder. We are so scared of grace that we cannot accept it. Not to step on any toes here but I think this is an area of Catholicism that is appealing to most people. Confess to a priest. Do the 'penance' they require and then be done with it. But look ya'll. You can say Hail Marys until your face falls off and you still won't be right with God. Just accept the fact that you screwed up again and stop. Then try again and hopefully leave out the screwing up part. Repeat for the rest of your stinkin' life.
“You do have this to your credit: You hate the Nicolaitan business. I hate it, too.
Revelation 2:6
What the what?!?!? I normally like to let scripture speak for itself but this deal required a bit of research. I was actually surprised that even Google could not give me a really definitive answer. (There were 22, 150 results though which,from what I can gather, are just a bunch of bloggers pretending they know.) The best I can deduce is that the Nicolaitians were a group guilty of idolatry and fornication. There is not a lot of agreement about this. But the other theories I read were wildly divergent and quite frankly, a little bit goofy. Feel free to research this on your own but consider yourself warned. 75% of what is written out there is pure drivel. Apply your most jaundiced eye to anyone who claims that their interpretation is the only 'true' answer. For my purpose here, I am not so much interested in what the Nicolaitians did but in how Jesus reacts to it.
Do you think Jesus is just a 'big picture' kinda God? Have you deceived yourself into believing that he doesn't concern himself with your 'business'?
Do you have some business going on at your church? Your workplace? Your home? Of course you do. We all do. Jesus knows all about it and, even better (or worse depending), is that He knows how you feel about it. You know, your real reaction to things. Not that fake smile that we plaster on so nobody gets their feelings hurt.
Don't miss the important part here. Jesus hates the 'business'. He doesn't hate the Nicolaitians.
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