A Journey with ACTS 2:22-24

“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene[d] by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. - Acts 2:22-24 NLT

The idea the God has publicly endorsed any one is a special one to think about in times like the ones we share in today’s world. There is so much hurt and brokenness thought, that sometimes we just can’t see where God is doing this.

The miracles that we see today are so much different than they were back then and yet we do not see them, or even care to look for them. In many ways we have tied God’s hands behind his back, so to speak, by not taking more time to look for those places that he has done great and mighty things for us today.

We can find our way back from this untimely ‘death of a miracle’.  As we go about our day we can take the time to look for God in the things around us. We can find those places that God is publicly working through in this day and age, just as the believers did back then.

Life, as I’ve always said, is full of God's wonders and it is up to us to identify where they are at and whom He is working through. The People of Israel saw what God was doing and in many ways, denied some of the possibilities that could have come out of Jesus’ Ministry.

Instead of focusing on ourselves today, let's take a few moments to focus on what's going on around us. When we do this, wholeheartedly, God still protects us from the dangers around us, but He will also bless us in immeasurable ways when we realize just whats He’s doing in the midst of the world around us.

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

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