Here’s a snippet from Chapter 4: The Date:
The number one danger for college students dating lies in the practice of settling. It normally falls out like so: A young lady attended a True Love Waits rally when she was sixteen, and during that weekend, she wrote down the characteristics of the man that she believed God desired her to marry one day. He was to be passionately following Jesus, faithfully growing, respectful of all people, and aware of how a godly guy should treat a lady. She had that ideal in her mind when she was sixteen, but the older she got, the more she came to believe that the guy of her dreams was just that. Approaching college graduation, she was unwilling to wait any longer on God’s standard, and she settled. She settled for way less than a godly guy all because she refused to be lonely.
I can always tell if a college student is settling. If I ask about the guy a girl is dating and the response is, “he’s a good Christian guy,” I am confident we have trouble. Normally, the phrase, “a good Christian guy,” means a guy who got saved when he was seven years old, but when he got into high school, he turned into a drunk, and he slept around a lot. He at least goes to church every once in a while if he is begged to go and none of his buddies are doing something more appealing on Sunday morning. This description does not classify a good Christian guy.
A good Christian guy has more good to say about him than that simple phrase. A guy following after Jesus doesn’t have to be bragged on; he’s already heard about. He is leading others closer to Jesus. He treats ladies with dignity and respect and not as a sexual object. He not only goes to church, but also gives of his time, money, and efforts back to the church. In a time when they are scarce, make no mistake about it, you will hear about a guy who is a growing disciple of Christ.
Leading up to the time around when I get to release Freshman 15, I wanted to provide you a snippet every day for 15 days at 15:00 in the afternoon.
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
