GodlyDevotion

I believe the reason could be because of fertilizer. Most countries rely on imported fertilizer and one-third of its global supply comes from the gulf countries. With the strait closed, it will indeed cause a global shortage in food production. Still, I believe there will be alternatives as momentum shifts to other countries.

This was the premise of your argument that I had in mind when responding. I am also against using AI to formulate your thoughts. My point is, it is getting harder to distinguish if a content is AI-generated based on how it’s written. Likewise, writing style alone shouldn’t be used as a basis for judging whether something is AI-generated. I’m glad we can both conclusively agree that the opinion matters.

And I don’t disagree with your statements. My observation is that identifying AI-generated content and human-written content is becoming increasingly blurred and a perfectly written content does not make it AI generated.

Careful — if I add one more, a moderator might flag me as a ChatGPT in disguise 😬

I agree, but there are nuances here too. Before the AI thing, I worked as a writer during the pandemic. And some of my editors preferred em dashes while others leaned towards semi colon. Now, that preference has become more complicated. Em dashes, in particular, are starting to raise concerns because of their overuse in AI-generated content. In fact, certain words that used to be pretty common when I wrote for publications are now flagged as AI indicators. A few months ago, it was easy to spot AI-generated text due to repetitive phrasing, overused expressions, and a noticeably robotic tone. But it’s becoming harder for editors to differentiate between the two. At the same time, I don’t see AI use as inherently negative. For someone who isn’t fully fluent in English, using AI to refine their writing can significantly improve clarity—and that clarity is valuable.

Also, take Lloyd’s of London for example. A huge portion of global shipping contracts use English law. Shipping doesn’t move without insurance. And that’s where Lloyd’s of London comes into the picture. It is a global hub for maritime insurance. They cover oil tankers and war risks (very important for straits like Hormuz). Whoever insures the ship has leverage over global trade. So, the United States is not the absolute world power.

No, not quite. There were many world powers in the past that lost wars and were still dominant. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Ancient Greece, Roman Empire, have all faced terrible defeats while still maintaining world dominance. We cannot use wars as the only measuring stick for global dominance. Also, the United States is not the only absolute king of the south. It’s UK/US (the Anglo-American world powers). The UK has a great deal of influence in transnational capital. In fact, it is the largest trading hub in the world. The US has the most powerful military in the world. I don’t think that will change. However, I am also reminded of Revelation 17:12-14. Ten Kings will receive authority for one hour. Here is a snippet of the Revelation Book, “Hence, in the first century, the ‘ten horns had not yet received a kingdom.’ But now in the Lord’s day, they have “a kingdom,” or political authority.” We don’t know who they are. If I am to guess, I would say France, China, Japan, etc. There is a lot we don’t know about power struggles in the final part of the last days.

I’ve noticed that we often feel a strong urge for the end to come, and it is driven by deeply personal convictions. In many (if not all) cases, this longing is sincere. We are tired, we are hurting, and we want relief. I really do. But could it be that we sometimes miss a vital part of the picture? The vindication of Jehovah’s name. When our focus shifts too heavily toward wanting the end to arrive simply so our problems will disappear, we risk losing sight of one of the foremost reasons the end matters at all. The issue is not only our relief, but Jehovah’s sovereignty and name. While the end has not yet come, we are still living in a truly remarkable spiritual environment: one that offers access to understanding, guidance, and unity that no generation before us has experienced in this way. Jehovah, on the other hand, continues to have his name misrepresented by the greater populace. If the end had come twenty-seven years ago, I would not have been born. I would not have had this opportunity to know him, to reason, to choose, or to grow. That realization leaves me with no room for telling Jehovah what to do; only gratitude. Many times, it brings me right to the core of my emotions, because I recognize that Jehovah patiently waited for me. It doesn’t change my belief that the end is close (even way closer), and I know many feel the same. However, I find it valuable to engage in what I call scenario analysis, deliberately considering the less comfortable and ugly possibility: what if it does not come as soon as we expect? What if it takes another seven years… or fifteen… or even twenty? What would life (our lives) look like then? Is there something — even something small — that I could adjust now? Could I set a meaningful spiritual purpose for that span of time? Could I learn a skill that could be useful in the new world, especially in the early years? Planning for the new world is one way we get ourselves busy. I am working on cloud technology currently. I intend to apply it in the early years of the new world. I am so widely optimistic about it, lol. But someone needs to keep JW.org active in those early years before it is discontinued if it ever is. And if I can start now, maybe I can be useful for that purpose then and even now in the branch. I am just offering another perspective that could help us endure this system if it persists. Instead of anchoring ourselves to a single outcome, we prepare for scenarios and faithfulness over time. It helps us remain steady, productive, and spiritually focused even if our expectations are delayed.

I am also thinking of it albeit some caveats. Somehow this will require a lot of planning. I strongly believe that the organization would not use closed-source models like OpenAI, Google’s Gemini, or Claude, for its internal workflow through APIs. On the other hand, training an AI model is very expensive, costing a lot of GPUs and tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. The other alternative is using open-source AI models. These don’t carry privacy risks. Two options for this. The organization fine-tunes the model or retrains it. Fine-tuning an open-source model is like teaching a Bible student new Bible truths. The Bible student might still hold on to past habits and find it hard to break away from them. Hence, the open-source model might still hold on to previous biases. These may cause hallucinations and inconsistencies in its output. Retraining is like stripping away the old habits and putting on a new personality. The issue is retraining an open-source model is also expensive. I see this as a route for the organization, but it’s a very lengthy process and requires lots of expertise. Also, having an AI infrastructure integrated with MEPS would be very useful for all branches. The speed of spiritual provisions in many languages would accelerate faster than ever.

Oh dear. This could grow into a long text. One of the talks I am currently working on involves the events that happened in 66 C.E. I only recently realized how strongly Matthew draws parallels between those events and Jesus’ prophecy about the “last days.” In Luke 19, Jesus openly weeps over Jerusalem. He sees the future destruction of the city, and in that moment he pronounces a prophecy against it. However, just a couple of days later, Jesus was back in Jerusalem with his disciples. He noticed the poor widow contributing her two small coins, and the disciples began marveling at the temple and its beauty. It seems clear that they did not fully grasp what Jesus had meant earlier when the crowds tried to make him king. So Jesus repeated the prophecy again; this time in the temple itself. This leads directly into the scene preserved especially vividly in Matthew 24. However, it seems that the occasion is somewhat different from Matthew’s perspective. To him, he wrote When Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, his disciples approached him privately and asked: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?” But Luke says, “When will these things actually be, and what will be the sign when these things are to occur.” Here, “when will these things be?” clearly refers to the destruction of Jerusalem. The disciples seem to be trying to understand why Jesus wept over the city, and why he repeated the warning at the temple. They were curious and confused. But then they asked two more questions: the sign of his presence and the conclusion of the system of things. This is significant. Jesus’ answer blends the destruction of Jerusalem with the sign of his future presence. Why? Because the disciples asked about both, and Jesus gave an answer that addressed their time and ours. There are indeed strong parallels between the experience of early Christians and the conditions Jesus said would mark his presence. Here is what I deduced: The “sign” and the “conclusion” appear to be two distinct phases. In Matthew 24:6, Jesus said that “these things” — the signs — must occur, but the end is not yet (Luke 21:9). If we follow that, then most, if not all, major features of the sign have already appeared. So we are either near the conclusion or in the final part of the sign of Jesus’ presence. Another important detail: Jesus said that when Jerusalem was surrounded by armies, its desolation was near. That surrounding was the final sealing of the prophecy, marking the beginning of the end for the city. In our time, the proclamation of “peace and security” seems to act as a similar final marker, an event that signals the beginning of the end. My personal opinion — and I acknowledge it could be wrong — is that the proclamation of “peace and security” may overlap with the destruction of Babylon the Great. Here is why: In 66 C.E., various Jewish factions overthrew the Roman fortresses, killed High Priest Ananias, and drove the Roman governor out of the city. Then the Romans tried to capture Jerusalem not once, but twice. But the days for meting out justice started when they surrounded the nations in 66 C.E. And it triggered the beginning of the end. But the prophecy was fulfilled in 70 C.E. So I think the cry of “peace and security” may be tied to the removal of false religion. And I think the cry of peace could happen in intervals too. I believe a series of peace and security could trigger a final assault on False Religion, which will lead the mission to be finally fulfilled. Since Jesus’ presence in 1914, we have seen the peace accord with the League of Nations, and the United Nations and countless peace accords. Maybe the finale of that peace and security is the end of the mother of the disgusting things (Babylon the Great) Again, I know I may be wrong, but I found this comparison interesting and worth exploring as part of my research. Wow. I didn’t know this would be too long

It’s understandable to feel strongly on this sensitive matter. Sadly, no human government can solve any of these problems 😔 Let’s keep praying for Jehovah’s kingdom to come soon 🙏…

Also, friends, I know this is a very sad situation. But please, don’t quickly be shaken by sudden reports and news from the media. While the area I stay is relatively calm and I don’t keep up with the news anymore, I have learned to not trust everything the media says. If it was a situation of national emergency, I would know and others in my area would know. Truth is, the killings of Christians and Muslims have been happening for a long time. I have learned to deal with it as part of the sign of the last days. “The love of the greater number will grow cold.” There is no evidence that the government is protecting them. As Christians, we need to avoid repeating hearsay and rumors from others. We would never give the impression that we are compromising our neutrality by criticizing the government. Please, refrain from this my brother. Please.

I wanted to share some thoughts on this matter that has come up recently — a topic that touches on personal conscience and my relationship with Jehovah. It is very important to me. This may be the first time some of us are hearing that a few people may engage in birthday anniversaries or other social customs without consciously connecting them to their original meanings. But when we reflect on such practices, we’re reminded of a vital principle shared in the recent update: “Does this practice honor Jehovah? And does it show love and consideration for our brothers and sisters?” That question has stuck with me. It helps us view our decisions not only through the lens of personal freedom but through the lens of love. Because in this spiritual family, our decisions don’t stand alone. They ripple outward — touching hearts, memories, and sometimes, old wounds. For many of us who came into the truth, refusing to celebrate birthdays was one of the earliest — and most difficult — changes we made. Some of us faced mockery, emotional pressure, or even rejection from our families. And yet, we made that decision because we came to love Jehovah’s standards more than our own comfort. Why do we take such a clear stand? Because birthdays are rooted in paganism and linked to astrology, false gods, and spiritistic ideas about guardian spirits. Because the Bible’s two mentions of birthdays are both tied to violent, ungodly events: the execution of Pharaoh’s baker and the beheading of John the Baptist. Because no faithful servant of Jehovah in the Bible is shown celebrating a birthday — not Jesus, not the apostles, not the prophets. And, most of all, because birthdays often place emphasis on exalting the self. The focus becomes “my day,” “my gifts,” “my wishes,” rather than glorifying Jehovah or drawing attention to him. So for Jehovah’s people, the choice has been clear. We don’t celebrate birthdays — not because we want to be different for the sake of it, but because we want to be different for Jehovah’s sake. Today, however, toasting has largely lost those overt spiritual connotations. In many settings, it’s just a casual gesture — a way of saying “Cheers,” “Congratulations,” or “To your success.” The update helped me see why toasting is treated as a matter of conscience — not a congregational rule. But here’s where we have to be very careful. Just because something isn’t “forbidden” doesn’t make it spiritually wise. Some toasts still exalt human pride, wealth, or achievement, things Jehovah has warned us not to glorify. So the question is not simply: “Is this allowed?” But rather: “Does this bring peace?” “Does this build others up?” “Does this reflect my love for Jehovah and my brothers?” That’s the spiritual maturity Jehovah is drawing out of us — not blind rule-following, but discernment driven by love. Brother Lett used a powerful illustration of a child who needs to hold the hand of his mother before crossing the street. A mature adult would not need his mother’s hand to cross the street. What I got from that illustration is this: If the mother, while crossing the street, has an accident that kills the child due to negligence, she will answer to Jehovah. But for an adult, if he dies through his own negligence, he will answer to Jehovah. This is one of those situations where our actions now are being observed by Jehovah, and He will be keenly interested in how we display love and make decisions. With more freedom comes greater responsibility before Jehovah.

I love this point. It reminds me of the article I read a couple of months ago. When wolves were exterminated from Yellowstone National Park in the early 20th century, deer and elk populations exploded. These herds overgrazed trees and shrubs, especially near rivers. The entire ecosystem tipped into imbalance. What if humans were removed from earth? What if we are removed? Would the earth sustain itself? From a purely ecological or physical standpoint: Yes — the Earth’s natural systems (water cycle, carbon cycle, ecosystems, etc.) can continue functioning without human intervention. But from Jehovah’s perspective, earth was designed for us. It wouldn’t be earth without humans. It is our home, stage, and inheritance. We complete the earth. We sustain the earth. Imagine a violin that still exists, still vibrates in the air, still collects dust. But no one plays it. Is it “sustained”? Technically yes. Is it fulfilling its reason for being? No. Yes, Jehovah doesn’t need us. The earth doesn’t need us. But we are Jehovah’s creation and we bring and add meaning to his creation. We do this because we are image-bearers of him. We were not made out of necessity. But astonishingly, we were made out of desire. That is a raw kind of love.

I am a little off with the timeline of the books. I would love to get back to reading them, but I am missing the piece. Bro Walker, would you kindly share more insights on the order of the “between the verses” series?