Why I agree with Craig
If you had told me at the beginning of the semester that I would grow closer to God by wearing the same t-shirt for the week, I probably would have laughed at you. Some of you might be laughing right now, asking what I'm talking about.
Since Monday, I have been wearing a green t-shirt with the words "I agree with Craig" screen printed on the front. Who is Craig and why do I agree with him?
Craig is a junior here at SU. I agree with him because of a statement he wrote in the D.O. Here's the statement:
I believe...
the powerful, persistent, and unfathomable love of the one true God is for all people of all backgrounds at any age. Placing Him first in your life leads to a more fulfilled, content, and joyous life. The God of the universe wants to get to know us; He is alive and actively pursuing those who don't know Him.
the Bible is without error and the complete, inspired word of God. The God who created you and me is not about a list of dos and don'ts, but about a true relationship with Him. Heaven and hell are very real, and no matter how good we are we will never be good enough to get into heaven on our own.
without God there is an emptiness that cannot be filled by anything but God's love and that no matter what you have done in the past God loves you and wants you to put your trust in Him. God calls for us to live our whole lives in an all-consuming, passionate, and life-defining relationship with our Creator. We messed this relationship up because we are all lost and guilty of wrongdoing, separated from God because of our shortcomings.
God sent Jesus, who was both 100% God and 100% man. Jesus walked on this earth, died on the cross, and overcame death to restore our broken relationship with God. Everyone can receive this totally undeserved gift of eternal life by placing his or her trust in Jesus. Deep down many people wonder if this God thing is right or true and many push off the thought of God until a later time in their life, but no one should wait to decide about beginning a relationship with Jesus.
Ultimately I believe that God absolutely, undeniably, unconditionally, and unmistakably loves you and accepts you just as you are!
Do I struggle with some of that? Yes. Everyday. But that's part of the beautiful thing about faith.
I agree with Craig because I feel that human beings were made by a loving Creator, that we were made with some desires that can only be satisfied by knowing our Maker. I believe that because of the Fall of man, we were separated from God. I believe that God sent Jesus, His son, who was both man and God, to Earth, to remedy that ruptured relationship. Jesus had compassion on the people: he loved them, he taught them, healed them and was a physical incarnation of God with us. He was more than that though, Jesus was also the sacrifice that healed our relationship with God. I believe that through his death on the cross, we are forgiven of our sins.
In Judaism, the high priest made a sacrifice on behalf of the people, a blood sacrifice, to atone for their sins. But like the people, the priest was also with sin. This was all a foreshadowing of what was to come. Jesus came as a sacrifice without sin, being both God and man. He was the perfect sacrifice, the sacrifice to end all sacrifices.
I believe that through accepting the forgiveness and the love God offers us through Jesus' death on the cross, we are able to enter into a relationship with Him, the relationship that I think deep down every human being is yearning for. I believe that the reason that many people are dissatisfied with their lives is because they do not know their Maker.
Life did not become perfectly peachy keen after I became a Christian. I have struggled with depression in the past and I still struggle with depression right now. This world is not perfect, we do live in a fallen world. But I believe there is more to life, I believe that this world is not my own. I believe that through my time here on Earth I am able to learn about God and love Him more.
Heaven is perfect, there will be no suffering or sorrow, God will wipe away all of our tears. But how can our tears be wiped away if we have never cried? By experiencing suffering and living on this world, I believe we are better able to understand God's deep care for us. Life isn't always easy, but I know it is good because my God is good and my God loves me so much, more than I can comprehend. And I believe that He loves all of His creations. And those beliefs transcend all the things I don't understand. Faith would not be faith if it were not a mystery.
By wearing the same t-shirt this week, I have been saying yes, I do agree with Craig. This week is about telling others what we believe, not forcing anything on them, but opening up a dialogue for those that are curious to what we as Christians believe and why we believe them. It is your choice to agree or disagree with Craig.
As I have worn that gree shirt, I have been realizing what my faith means to me. As I put it on every morning, I have been reminded just how deeply God loves me and that He does have a plan for me, a good plan. And that makes my life worth living.
For a long time, I've been feeling like my heart has been out of whack. I knew I still believed in God, but I didn't feel it. I did not have the same feelings I once did, and I was relying on my knowledge of God, reminding myself that my feelings do not change who God is.
God is the love of my life, I know this deep within my heart. And it is a beautiful and wondrous thing.
Since Monday, I have been wearing a green t-shirt with the words "I agree with Craig" screen printed on the front. Who is Craig and why do I agree with him?
Craig is a junior here at SU. I agree with him because of a statement he wrote in the D.O. Here's the statement:
I believe...
the powerful, persistent, and unfathomable love of the one true God is for all people of all backgrounds at any age. Placing Him first in your life leads to a more fulfilled, content, and joyous life. The God of the universe wants to get to know us; He is alive and actively pursuing those who don't know Him.
the Bible is without error and the complete, inspired word of God. The God who created you and me is not about a list of dos and don'ts, but about a true relationship with Him. Heaven and hell are very real, and no matter how good we are we will never be good enough to get into heaven on our own.
without God there is an emptiness that cannot be filled by anything but God's love and that no matter what you have done in the past God loves you and wants you to put your trust in Him. God calls for us to live our whole lives in an all-consuming, passionate, and life-defining relationship with our Creator. We messed this relationship up because we are all lost and guilty of wrongdoing, separated from God because of our shortcomings.
God sent Jesus, who was both 100% God and 100% man. Jesus walked on this earth, died on the cross, and overcame death to restore our broken relationship with God. Everyone can receive this totally undeserved gift of eternal life by placing his or her trust in Jesus. Deep down many people wonder if this God thing is right or true and many push off the thought of God until a later time in their life, but no one should wait to decide about beginning a relationship with Jesus.
Ultimately I believe that God absolutely, undeniably, unconditionally, and unmistakably loves you and accepts you just as you are!
Do I struggle with some of that? Yes. Everyday. But that's part of the beautiful thing about faith.
I agree with Craig because I feel that human beings were made by a loving Creator, that we were made with some desires that can only be satisfied by knowing our Maker. I believe that because of the Fall of man, we were separated from God. I believe that God sent Jesus, His son, who was both man and God, to Earth, to remedy that ruptured relationship. Jesus had compassion on the people: he loved them, he taught them, healed them and was a physical incarnation of God with us. He was more than that though, Jesus was also the sacrifice that healed our relationship with God. I believe that through his death on the cross, we are forgiven of our sins.
In Judaism, the high priest made a sacrifice on behalf of the people, a blood sacrifice, to atone for their sins. But like the people, the priest was also with sin. This was all a foreshadowing of what was to come. Jesus came as a sacrifice without sin, being both God and man. He was the perfect sacrifice, the sacrifice to end all sacrifices.
I believe that through accepting the forgiveness and the love God offers us through Jesus' death on the cross, we are able to enter into a relationship with Him, the relationship that I think deep down every human being is yearning for. I believe that the reason that many people are dissatisfied with their lives is because they do not know their Maker.
Life did not become perfectly peachy keen after I became a Christian. I have struggled with depression in the past and I still struggle with depression right now. This world is not perfect, we do live in a fallen world. But I believe there is more to life, I believe that this world is not my own. I believe that through my time here on Earth I am able to learn about God and love Him more.
Heaven is perfect, there will be no suffering or sorrow, God will wipe away all of our tears. But how can our tears be wiped away if we have never cried? By experiencing suffering and living on this world, I believe we are better able to understand God's deep care for us. Life isn't always easy, but I know it is good because my God is good and my God loves me so much, more than I can comprehend. And I believe that He loves all of His creations. And those beliefs transcend all the things I don't understand. Faith would not be faith if it were not a mystery.
By wearing the same t-shirt this week, I have been saying yes, I do agree with Craig. This week is about telling others what we believe, not forcing anything on them, but opening up a dialogue for those that are curious to what we as Christians believe and why we believe them. It is your choice to agree or disagree with Craig.
As I have worn that gree shirt, I have been realizing what my faith means to me. As I put it on every morning, I have been reminded just how deeply God loves me and that He does have a plan for me, a good plan. And that makes my life worth living.
For a long time, I've been feeling like my heart has been out of whack. I knew I still believed in God, but I didn't feel it. I did not have the same feelings I once did, and I was relying on my knowledge of God, reminding myself that my feelings do not change who God is.
God is the love of my life, I know this deep within my heart. And it is a beautiful and wondrous thing.