Part of my career has been spent creating marketing collateral such as printed ads, websites, flyers, brochures, PowerPoint presentations and videos. One of the oft used goals in graphics is to have your image(s) "POP"! This frequently is accomplished through some type of stark contrast. You want your ad or brochure to stand out, so you create this contrast between the background and a particular image that you want the viewer to focus on! When the foreground image blends with the background or the image you want to pop looks too similar to the objects around it, the image gets lost and loses it's focus. Viewers are likely to ignore the main image or not even notice it exists. This is the same reason we use bright colors for warning signs...to catch people's attention, warning them from danger.
This past week, I was at a study group and we were talking about Adam and Eve and how it must have felt when they first sinned against God in The Garden of Eden. One of the comments brought up was that there must have been a drastic difference between having this direct, intimate relationship with God verses the separation that occurred (for the first time ever with man) as the result of their sin. This contrast (being close to God, then distant) was probably overwhelming for the first couple; it must have hit them hard. There is something crucial to learn from this!
In the past, I have been blind to the importance of developing, fostering and maintaining a closeness to Jesus and I think one huge benefit of intimacy with God is just this: If we don't, then the distance we experience when we sin will not feel much different than any other time. If we are close to Christ and get to know deeply the beauty of His Grace, then when we sin, WE FEEL IT! The separation hurts!
We already live in a loud, disruptive, hyper-active world that is used by the enemy to drown out God's still voice. Even as Christians we surround ourselves with technology that often hinders closeness. (Hebrews 12:1 "...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.")
So, realize the value of intimacy with Christ! Place yourself in a position of sensitivity where the consequence of sin matters. Don't allow yourself to race through life feeling only the immediate "next thrill" or stress. We can end up here, even (and especially) in ministry. Rarely or never knowing/experiencing a closeness to God is dangerous! It's very easy to become desensitized to God's conviction. It's very easy to not even know when we are separated from God. The road sign is shouting to stop, but we are too busy or distracted to see the sign. The sign would stand out if we slowed down or removed our "hinderances".
This past week, I was at a study group and we were talking about Adam and Eve and how it must have felt when they first sinned against God in The Garden of Eden. One of the comments brought up was that there must have been a drastic difference between having this direct, intimate relationship with God verses the separation that occurred (for the first time ever with man) as the result of their sin. This contrast (being close to God, then distant) was probably overwhelming for the first couple; it must have hit them hard. There is something crucial to learn from this!
In the past, I have been blind to the importance of developing, fostering and maintaining a closeness to Jesus and I think one huge benefit of intimacy with God is just this: If we don't, then the distance we experience when we sin will not feel much different than any other time. If we are close to Christ and get to know deeply the beauty of His Grace, then when we sin, WE FEEL IT! The separation hurts!
We already live in a loud, disruptive, hyper-active world that is used by the enemy to drown out God's still voice. Even as Christians we surround ourselves with technology that often hinders closeness. (Hebrews 12:1 "...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.")
So, realize the value of intimacy with Christ! Place yourself in a position of sensitivity where the consequence of sin matters. Don't allow yourself to race through life feeling only the immediate "next thrill" or stress. We can end up here, even (and especially) in ministry. Rarely or never knowing/experiencing a closeness to God is dangerous! It's very easy to become desensitized to God's conviction. It's very easy to not even know when we are separated from God. The road sign is shouting to stop, but we are too busy or distracted to see the sign. The sign would stand out if we slowed down or removed our "hinderances".
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