From the Darkside of the Light

“When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.” – Jonah  3:10 (NLT)
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Sometimes it is hard to really grasp what God is trying to say to us, isn’t it?  We live our live in the moment, as we should, and it just seems that finding Him at work is almost impossible at times. All to often we talk so much about the Love of God that we forget about His wrath, His judgement and His reactive spirit.

It took me a great deal of time to realize this but every time I see God at work in one of those three fashions, I am seeing Him work in Love. God reveals His love to us in so many ways  and we will never be able to comprehend them.

In the instance of the passage above, God had just told the Ninevites that he was going to destroy them. At first he was, but when they repented, He relented His Judgement. In our lives, there may be those moments in which we feel as though we are getting hit way more with the bad things of this world than the Good. Many would even say, it often seems as though He is letting more of the bad happen then the good.

I don’t agree with this assessment, because we live in a fallen world and because of that one fact, we will always have to face the consequences of a world that has turned it’s back on God.

Don't get me wrong, there are still a faithful few but the world we, as believers, claim to love so much has turned its focus away from the one who created it. To be completely honest, I don't really think that it’s really a fair gesture that we have to deal with these consequences, but it’s reality, so what are you going to do, right?

We can’t change what’s happened in the past but we can change will happen in the days to come. God used a very dark message to bring a heavenly outcome in the history of Nineveh. The King’s willingness to bring His city into a repentant mind set changed a dark and gloomy future into something bright and beautiful. He can do that in your life today if you let Him.   

Today, I believe I share a calling that few have been given. It’s a call to speak of the repentant heart. As I begin to embrace this calling those that read my content will see a change in venue, so to speak. I will begin to speak from the dark side of the light. For the longest time It was my passion, my desire to share content that is both simple and positively encouraging but times have changed and God has placed this passion upon my heart.

I believe that you will begin to see a darker side to what I post. In the midst of this dark tone, I also feel that there be an encouraging flair to what I share. Just as the Prophets of Old spoke through lamenting, cautionary thoughts and bold warnings, it has been placed upon my heart to do the same.

This is only the beginning and I truly hope you will join in as we journey together into a bright and beautiful future. 

Stay Tuned,  

Blessings in Christ and Thanks again for visiting us at "The Gathering Room."

"Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord." 45.3.20

M.J. Elliott

A Journey with ACTS 2:14-16

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.

- Acts 2:14-16 NLT

This is what we’ve all been waiting for, the explanation; The answers to many of the questions that have been spurring in our thoughts. Peter being the brave man he has now become stands, addresses the crowd with a fire no one had ever seen before. This is where we see him break out of the cocoon, so to speak. As something that becomes a typical thing with Peter, he starts off with what could be called a joke today saying ‘these guys aren’t drunk, it’s only nine in the morning.’ Then once he get their attention, Boom the hammer comes down, ‘NO, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.’

What a sight to see, I imagine with the first statement he got a few laughs or crooked smiles, only to blast those listening to him with a powerful statement that one would not commonly hear from a fisherman. I’m sure that felt like a smack in the face to some of those that were laughing. The metamorphosis has begun, Peter is beginning to spread out his wings and take up the mantle passed on to him by Jesus. Peter would be the rock that would bring everyone together and take Christianity to the next level.

This has always struck a chord with me, because I’ve always wanted to be the person that takes something to the next level, whether it be a ministry I’m serving in, a project I’m working on, what I do for a day job now or something else.  I’ve always had that desire to do this and honestly have not had much of an opportunity, until recently.  This passage reminds me that there are those who build and there are those who prepare. Peter was a builder and Jesus is a preparer. He prepared the way for the church to begin and Peter, among others, were the ones that built it.

6/29/16 10:05pm

Revised 8/10/16

Blessings in Christ and Thanks again for visiting us at "The Gathering Room."

"Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord." 45.3.20 M.J. Elliott