Before I Die..

Have you ever thought about how you would like to die? I was walking through the woods near my house one day praying and the weirdest thought came to my mind. "Joel, how would you like to die?" It is very strange, but as I thought about all of the heroic ways to die, I decided that I was not ready to die. I thought of two things that I would like to be confident about before I die(To work on). The first is this: I would want to know without a doubt that I lived a life worthy of spending eternity in Heaven. Now I know that it is impossible for us to be "worthy" of Gods gift of eternity with him, it is a gift given to us through Jesus. What I mean by being Heaven worthy is this: that I know in my heart that I truly loved God and took up my cross. Lived a life committed to the Lord. I believe that this culture has made the Christian walk so easy to the point of little commitment. That is far from the scripture that I read. Read Matthew 10:37-39³⁷“If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.³⁸If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.³⁹If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. 
Are we holding on to the pleasures of this life? When I die I want to know that I picked up my cross and lived all out for Christ. As often as we want to forget about these scriptures, you can't. They should be foundations for your relationship with Christ. It is easy to get lost in the culture that we live in but that is when we have to ask ourselves if we are holding on to this life or giving God our everything.
The second thing that I thought of while I was walking was: what impact will I make? We, as christians, are to make an impact in the areas of which we live. When you die, would you be able to say that you affected several lives in a positive way? I know at this point my answer would be no, but as I walk with Christ I know that he will place me in situations where I can make a difference in someones life. The Bible tells us that we are to be salt and light. Salt and light are both agents of impact and change. That is what we are to be to others around us. I will be the first to admit that I have not been salt and light all the time. The word also says that we are not to conform to the things of this world, but are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. 
So instead of looking at life the same as everyone else, look at it through the eyes of faith. Believe that you are going to make a difference and then start making a difference for Christ. Don't wait! When you die will you be able to say that you lived for Christ's purpose alone and that you impacted the lives around you? If the answer is no, than pray about what you can do to influence those around you. God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called. You don't have to be famous to make a difference! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEuMZOZV4fM&feature=related

This video is very eye opening, it just shows what goes on in other parts of the world that we don't even realize.

"And When He Had Said this He Fell Asleep"

At the moment it is 2:42 in the morning and I am writing a blog. You see, I was trying to sleep but God laid something on my mind and I just couldn't stop thinking about it. It was persecution. I know that  the thought of persecution can be unsettling at times, but it is something that I have come to the realization that it is something necessary to talk about. While I was trying to sleep but at the same time thinking about this subject, I was thinking how awesome it would be to have a youth service dedicated to martyrs for Christ. After thinking about this idea of a youth service dedicated to martyrs, I had a thought laid in my head that I just had to write down. I got a pen and started writing the thought down and then I remembered the scripture where Stephen is stoned to death for Christ's sake. I read the scripture and the part where Stephen said, " Lord do not charge them with this sin." And then the rest of the verse says, " And when he said this he fell asleep." What!? He fell asleep? How do you fall asleep while someone is throwing stones at you? I believe that the scripture said it this way to show you how comforting it was for Stephen to die. He was at peace to die for his savior and enter his new reward. After I read about Stephen, I continued on reading about the persecution of the early church. It said that due to persecution the church was scattered. " Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word." -Acts 8:4  You see when they were scattered they preached the gospel to wherever they went and the church flourished. I think of the times when someone asks me what school I go to and how reluctant I am to say "christian" at times. But the early church wasn't only not afraid of persecution, but they would even preach the word after persecution. Are we going to continue telling Christ to the world no matter what trial comes our way? It took persecution to get the word of God to spread and I wonder what it will take to get it to spread in America? I am not trying to scare anyone, but this is something that we have to realize, how deep do we want to go with God? Will we take punishment for the awesome savior of this earth? I sure hope so, but we have to put on the full armor of God and make sure that we are prepared to go through anything with Christ. Notice that I said " with Christ," this life is not meant to be taken alone. Please pray that God will make us strong until the end, even through the rough times of life. Americas Christian population is very low compare to what it should be and believe me, God notices.

      I mentioned about a thought that was laid upon my heart earlier, it was simply this: " Do not get so comfortable in this life that you forget to give everything to Jesus!"  It was not  a super profound thought but it stuck out in my head. How many times we get so comfortable in the culture that we live in that it makes it harder for us to give everything up to God. But if the martyrs were so on fire for God that they gave up their life and literally gave it up to God, shouldn't we completely devote our lives to God no matter what our profession. You don't have to be in "ministry" or old to live all out for God. We need to remind one another constantly that life is just a gust of wind and that we must take every chance we have for Christ. Don't hold onto your life, but give it Jesus who will take care of your every need.              "And when he had said this he fell asleep" - Acts 7:60

What's Our Purpose?

" I want to know you, let you're spirit overwhelm me, let your presence overtake my heart." This is the cry of a man that wants to be completely sold out to Christ. Think about it, telling God that you want to be personal with him, that you want to be awed by his awesome spirit, and that you want his presence to totally consume your inner man. How much do we know God? When God says go, can we hear his small whisper? We always think of God as someone with a thundering voice and when someone hears from him, its through a great revelation. A matter of fact, its often the opposite with God. God will speak in small ways to do big things at times, and if we aren't close enough to hear him, we could miss out on a life changing experience. When  I think about the times that I was a witness of Gods awesome power, it was at a time when I least expected it. It was at a youth camp that I was there expecting to have a nice refreshing time with God, not a wake up call. It was at a wednesday night youth group that I almost skipped going to because I was tired. It was a night in prayer that God laid on my heart to start a one month fast. God works in ways that we cant trace. He is all powerful and mysterious. That is what is so great about God. He is the perfect king and no matter how much you study him, there will always be more to learn about him. So let us make sure we don't grow apathetic in our walk with Christ.  We are here to know God, and to do that, we must be seeking him constantly. It seems to me that Christians these days are scared to get too close to God. Wether it is the thought that they might be known as a, " holy roller," or if they just don't want to sacrifice, is something I have often wondered. Please, please, please! Do not be afraid to live all out for God, it is our very purpose in this life. God wants to know you, to fill you with his spirit, and to overwhelm you with his mighty presence. Don't settle for less of God. We sometimes only allow God to rattle our cages, while God is thinking more on the path of turning you're life completely around.  I want to answer the question, what is our purpose? It is to know God and everything he has to offer you, to give you life and life more abundantly. Remember, we were born to praise him.We need to wake up each morning reminding ourselves of our purpose, which is to worship the king.

Nubee

Lets see how it works