my next thirty years...

Have you ever felt out of the loop? Well, that is what I've noticed lately about my own life. I'm taking a Bible class and the things I'm studying I feel like I've just read for the first time in my life! Why is that? I accepted Christ as Lord and Savior when I was 10 years old. Though I've not always lived like a believer, I have read His word. Today, my 30th birthday by the way, I reread for the 2nd time this week Matthew 24:42-44.

• Matthew 24:42-44 (New Living Translation)
  “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

What am I prepared for? What should I be prepared for? I'm learning how important it is to be prepared for eternity. I have realized how fearful I've been of sharing my faith with those who don't believe or who say they believe but have no fruit to show. What can man do to me that will affect my eternity...NOTHING! So what will my next thirty years look like...I am praying that they will look very different from the first thirty. My desire is to know Christ more and to make Him known!

• 1 Peter 3:15-17 (New Living Translation)
  "Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!"

I want to live in such a way that my life reflects my relationship with Christ. That others can see a difference in my life and in the way I live when they look at me compared to society's standard. But not only me, my family. It is becoming more and more important to me that the lifestyle my family chooses reflects that of Christ. For me, He (Jesus Christ) must become greater and I must become less (John 3:30)!