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

Reflecting Christmas: The Poinsettia

Today is 12/12/15 and believe it or not it's a National Holiday. What Holiday you may ask? Well, it is National Poinsettia Day. So, there is no better day than today for me to share this next chapter from our upcoming eBook "Reflecting Christmas." This is probably one of the more significant chapters and I really enjoyed what I learned as I wrote and researched this section.  

Please feel free to share your thoughts, remember the 5 people who give the most feedback will get a free digital copy of this eBook once it's released. We will only be releasing two more chapters here and I think you will be excited to read them. The rest will be available once "Reflecting Christmas" is published.

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 The Poinsettia is a very special flower to many during the Christmas season. They are used for decoration in churches, hotels, businesses and many other places. The question, though, is why?  At first glance there doesn’t seem to be anything special about them.  Some say that when they bloom, the combination of the red and green leaves create what looks like a star, but how does that connect with the holiday season? 

Photo Credit: www.theblaze.com

Well, many in the Christian faith believe that these leaves that form the shape of a star are symbolic of the Star of Bethlehem, which led the Wise Men to the new born Savior. Others would say that the red leaves symbolize the blood that would be spilled during the resurrection of that same Savior.17 The only question left to be asked in this case would be, “What about the pink, the yellow or even the white poinsettias?” All are important colors and need to be remembered, but I just want to highlight the red ones for now.

Photo Credit: whychristmas.com

 There is an interesting legend that has found its way into the history of the Christmas Poinsettia, about a young child who was on her way to a special church service on Christmas Eve. She wanted nothing more than to give the baby Jesus a gift.  Because of this, her heart was filled with sadness instead of joy. A young boy then tells the young girl that even the most humble gift given in love would be acceptable in His eyes. In response to this, the young girl spots some pretty green blossoms on the side of the road, picks them up and turns them into a bouquet. 

Upon giving this gift to baby Jesus at the nativity, suddenly the green leaves turn red. Legend says this happened because the young girl had given the gift of sincere love.18 Since then, the poinsettia has been given the name 'Flores de Noche Buena', or 'Flowers of the Holy Night',17 thus becoming a living representation of the love that was brought into the world on that cold winter night. The symbolism in this alone is a very powerful reminder of what “Reflecting Christmas” is all about.

Photo Credit: www.pinterest.com

 We are given the opportunity each day to be a living representation of the love that was brought into the world that cold winter night. How and if we decide to do this is based on how we view each day we encounter.  Let us not miss out on this opportunity, but become imitators of God as dearly loved children and live in love (Ephesians 5:1-2 NET). Let us remind ourselves that just as Christ is the living representation of love, we can be as well. 

Each time we see the Christmas Poinsettia, let it instill in our hearts the desire to show love to those around us.  Love is the most powerful attribute a person can ever have the joy of experiencing and we can bring that joy to those around us. All we have to do is imitate Christ as the passage in Ephesians stated. As you begin to search for ways to embrace the Christmas Poinsettia in the year ahead, seek to embrace the joy that loving others can bring you as well.

Thanks again for visiting "The Gathering Room"

Stand Strong and continue to believe the teachings given to you... (2 Thes. 2:15b NCV),

M.E.