They Grabbed My Emotions!!!

Mainstream media plays with our emotions ALL the time.  Whenever I hear the song, "Arms of an Angel" by Sarah McLaughlin...I'll see images of abused pets in my mind.  Frank has to switch the channel, the images bother him so much.  Music is pretty powerful...AND...when you add graphic images, the effect is immediate and permanent.  One reinforces the other.  Which grabs at your heart more?  Abused pets or the fact that last year, 1.7 million children in underdeveloped countries died from diarrheal diseases due to tainted drinking water?  Sitting in your living room, watching TV...you are more inclined to respond to an image of an abused pet (cause you probably have a pet or have a friend who has a pet) than to images of malnourished children from a third world country dying from diarrhea.   We look around our neighborhoods and we see healthy children. Mostly, we've bought into the lie that we, in America, have an obesity epidemic in our children.  So the 1.7 million figure means little to us.

 

Retail conglomerates, marketing experts and ad agencies spend millions, if not billions, of cash on understanding what influences teen buyers and what catches their attention the most.  Manipulation of colors, music and expertly timed imagery guarantees buy in from the coveted teen market.  Generally, they appeal to teens' insecurities - wear this brand and you'll be like the cool people (idea: you'll be acceptable), use this phone and you'll be connected to so many people (idea: you won't be alone), drink this water and you'll be smart (idea: you won't look dumb), dress like this and you will be beautiful/sexy (idea: people will be attracted to you)...and the endless ploys to appeal to insecurities are blatant and subtle.

 

When I was a teen, I recall a Youth Speaker retelling a story of he and his dog to our Youth Group.  For about 10-15 minutes he had us mesmerized with this wonderful relationship he had with his dog.  We were convinced this dog WAS super-dog and his best friend.  We were mesmerized by his story.  We WANTED a dog like that!  We could envision playing frisbee or catch with this dog.  We could feel the warmth of the dog as it laid beside us at night.  We could giggle at the doggy kisses lavished upon us when we came home from school.  We also experienced the gut-wrenching horror of realizing this guy was going to finish his story by telling us the dog was hit and killed by a car.  And then the hook:  if we were so sad for a dog, why aren't we even more traumatized by the hell that waits for our family, friends and loved ones who don't know Christ?  We were all shamed for caring more about a dog than about people.

 

Were you shamed just a little bit?  I apologize, for that was not my intent.

 

The impact of that story stayed with me.  However, the desired result - for all of us to get motivated and earnest about evangelizing our friends was never realized.  Our youth group didn't grow exponentially.  No one suddenly made the decision to become a evangelist, pastor or missionary.  Life pretty much went on the same as usual.

 

This speaker tried to manipulate our emotions.

 

That is what the world tries to do...and is far more effective than this speaker was. Don't believe me?  What consumes your thoughts throughout the day?  If it isn't God, is it some object, person or event?  Objects - clothes, shoes, makeup, cars, toys, games, books, food, etc.  Person - guy, gal, enemy, friend, author, teacher, speaker, athlete, celebrity, band, singer, performer, etc.  Event - facebook, myspace, AIM, twitter, messaging, dance, party, vacation, destination, job, divorce, marriage, breakup, dating, movie, etc.  Think about it...

 

And, though God did create us to be emotional beings, which is pretty fantastic, He didn't want us to be carried away by our emotions.  He doesn't want us to follow our feelings...He wants us to know Truth and follow Jesus.

The world will try to convince you that Jesus isn't enough - Jesus isn't cool - Jesus isn't important.  Or even worse, the world will try to make Jesus another task on your list of things to do, achieve and experience.

 

Paul knew his readers needed to be convinced that all of life comes down to knowing and following Jesus. Nothing more. Nothing less.

 

Are you following your emotions and reacting to the lies of the world or following Jesus?

 

PlanetWisdom.com Devotionals

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Fine-Sounding Arguments Posted: 24 Jun 2009 03:20 PM PDT "I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is." (Colossians 2:4-5) A great argument between two skilled debaters can be mesmerizing and disorienting. If it's a subject you're not sure about, you can find yourself agreeing with one debater one minute only to be won over to the other side a few moments later by the other guy. Sometimes, a skilled debater can make it harder to see the truth. Paul knew his readers needed to be convinced that all of life comes down to knowing and following Jesus. Nothing more. Nothing less. Why? Because skilled debaters then and now work against Christians to persuade us that faith in Jesus isn't enough or that following Jesus in obedience to God isn't important. These "fine-sounding arguments" are persuasive to those who are not convinced. Think: Are you convinced that all the treasures of knowledge and wisdom are found in Christ? Are you convinced that faith in Him is enough to give you a right relationship with God and that following His path is the only life worth leading? Pray: Ask God to help you not to be deceived by fine-sounding arguments that distort who Jesus is and/or how much you need Him. Do: Read and think about 2 Timothy 1:12. Visit PlanetWisdom.com for more great resources!