"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18 According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, this is the definition of the word, miracle: "an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs." I spent over twenty years in the creative and marketing areas of the advertising business so I know a little bit about branding, iconic symbols, the power of logo recognition and subliminal messaging. And in my humble opinion there is nothing that can compete with the cross when it comes to all of those things: The messages it sends out every day, likely received billions of times, is an important and very powerful element of Christianity and of modern society and it certainly meets the miracle prerequisite standards and the definition of a "divine intervention in human affairs." Here's how. Although I am reasonably knowledgeable about my faith, the bible, Christian history and scripture, I see Christianity as it impacts our world today and do not often look back at how it impacted our world two thousand years ago. I believe that Christ is more involved in our lives now than he has ever been and proof of this is all around us. The fact that Christ’s ongoing interaction with our planet is proof of his spiritual resurrection and that fundamental aspect of Christian history is the most significant part of being a Christ follower. Though his body may not be walking around the streets and villages of earth, everything he said and did and taught and stood for are very much alive and the cross is one of the best examples of that theory. And, through phenomenons like the cross his parade of miracles, his presence, his leadership is as powerful today as it was when he did physically walk the cities and villages of earth. "Crucifixion", Oil on panel, 36" x 24" (View this painting and hundreds of other pieces of my work by clicking the Christian and Fine Art links above.) Here's something to think about. Whether you are an atheist, a Buddhist a Muslim a Hindu or a believer or non believer of any other form of religion or worship, you can identify the cross and its meaning more readily than any other symbol you have ever been exposed to including those of your own faith. Consider the properties of that vast power of such a simple graphic emblem that takes just two quick strokes of the pen to recreate. It’s just a cross, you may say. No. It is a sign of the presence of Christ. It is, to the entire world, a constant reminder of the goodness of Christianity. It is a constant reminder of Christ's sacrifice and what it means to society. It is a beacon of light that the world looks to for justice and goodness. It means peace, sacrifice, charity, hope, love, acceptance, worship, sanctuary, a safe place to run to, brotherhood, community, God, and the list goes on. We may not realize it each time we see a cross but as they say in marketing, these images evoke deep conceptual, subliminal meanings. They trigger a response in our subconscious mind and that finds its way into our daily lives without us even knowing about it. There is no other symbol on the planet, never has been, that has represented anywhere near that much profundity to humanity. And this impact extends beyond humans for everything touched by our hands inherits the faith and principles of humankind and Christianity is easily the world's greatest spiritual influence so in fact all living creatures in some way are touched by the cross as well. It is so common to us that we lose awareness of the importance of the simple cross and its immense contribution to modern life. Christ brought it through the ages with him since his great sacrifice and for over two thousand years it has helped to guide our species and to remind us that he is not just from way back then, he is here in the now, and he is present more than ever in our lives and is continuing to impact our world on a daily basis. The cross, obviously, is one of the great miracles of Christ. It is his logo. And whether we are aware of it or not, it impacts our lives each and every minute of each and day and it brings us joy that we probably don’t appreciate nearly enough. Comments are closed.
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(For a complete archive listing click here: "ARCHIVES" or access them under the Blog link above) Bonepicking With Jesus Are New Testament Miracles Still Performed Today? The Eternal Love Buffet Of The Godly Heart DOG GOD DOGMA God's Sunday Morning Blah Blah Blah Blues Cafe Happiness In The Human Head's Solar System The Whale Of Armageddon And Our War Scorched Sky Alternate Earth And Plundering In The Name Of The Lord Ghosts of Bible Thumpers and a No Knocking God The Supreme Builder of Extremes 5 Types Of Prayer Kumbaya Muslims For Christ Christian Lives Matter Even Cavemen Had Hope Discipleship: The Paradigms Of Purpose Thoughts Of Veganism And God God's Only Perfect Flaw Of The Human Design Christian Persecution 2017 Second Thoughts The Miracle Of Forgiveness Wild Thoughts About Wild Things And Light And God My Welcome Blog For earlier posts click here: ARCHIVES
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