Noah B.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
The image I chose depicted a man falling over a waterfall to His death. If not for the cross acting as a bridge the man would most certainly fall. He holds on with desperation to the cross as His only source of life. Beyond the bridge he sees two paths that the cross leads to. One path shows a stairway to salvation and the other to a forgiven life filled with opportunities. When I look at the man, I see a person who is desperate, scared, and helpless. One of the first things I had to realize in my faith walk was that I am a sinner and just like the man in the photo, I am desperate for God’s love, desperate for His guidance and desperate for the forgiveness He gave to me through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross.
Once I accept that I am unable to help myself and am fully reliant on God, it is important to understand who God really is. I have faith that He is everywhere at all times, He is all powerful and can do all things, and He knows all my thoughts and actions. I believe in a triune God which means three persons yet one. He is Father. The creator of heaven and earth and all life. He is Son, sent from heaven to deliver me and all who believe in His life and miracles, and His death and resurrection. He chose to be true man so he could relate with my pain and also true God so He could take away the sin that caused my pain. He is Holy Spirit. The one who guides my faith and shows me my sin and points me back to the Him.
One main way He points me back to Him is through The Lords Supper. When I take communion I imagine am physically swallowing more of Jesus inside me. Which naturally means I am swallowing more of the Holy Spirit in me. Having more of the Holy Spirit inside of me makes me more aware of my sin and hungry for more of Jesus and the forgiveness that only He can give me.
Another way he points me back to Him is through the Ten Commandments. Although the Ten Commandments are God’s laws for our life, he never intended for us to feel constrained or controlled because of them. He gave them to us because he loves and cares about us. He doesn’t force us to stop being jealous of the people around us, he doesn’t force us to tell the truth, he doesn’t even force us to stop using his name in an unholy way. Instead he gives us a way to live our life and find happiness. This gives me the will to try and follow the Ten Commandments to the best of my ability. Although I break these commandments every single day, I have a loving God who will forgive me in a heartbeat.
In closing, if I had to sum up my faith statement in a couple words I wouldn’t have to think very hard. The Cross. I live and die clinging to the cross what Jesus did on it. Nothing will ever come between me and the cross, God has promised He will not allow it, it is the rock of my faith. I think as a human race we tend to always over think everything and try to put things in the most logical terms and explanations. But, with Jesus there is no need to over think or live in fear, all you need to do is trust that the war has already been won and you are saved. I believe that is the best faith statement for a Christian to hold to and to share with others who may be lost and hurting.
Thank You
