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!