Philippians 1:21- In Preparation

"For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me."
Philippians 1:21-22

These two verses have penetrated my heart and mind since the beginning of the summer. Since then, I have begun to really understand what those two verses mean and how I can apply the meaning to my life. God has shown me a lot of things about what it is to be a child of His in this world.

What He showed my I did not like. I did not like the idea that Joel's little wants are not part of the plan. I wanted to base my walk with Christ on how comfortable I can be and still serve Him. But God taught me otherwise. Because the reality is, that we serve a big God with big plans. While yes, God does care about my little wants, should I care so much about them? Should those things be the things that I struggle and strive for? If we served a small God with merely good intentions and a teddy bear like quality, the answer is yes. But we do not serve that God. Our God has more than just good intentions, He is the definition of truth, and ALL good things come from Him. He is more than a cuddley teddy bear that can comfort, He is the definition of love, mercy, and grace. He is full of passion for the lost people in my town and all the nations alike, and He is in the midst of a great redemptive plan.

How crazy is it for me to serve the most high God, with His redemptive plan in motion, only to stop and refuse to go on until I am good and ready. If living this life means Christ and fruitful labor, then that is insane. My hope is this: That I will find God to be all satisfying in my life, and that the ability to join Him in His redemptive plan will be all rewarding for me. I hope that as I live life, I can fully grasp that the life I live is no longer my life, but Christ's life.

Peace,
JOel

Hands On Africa Fall 2008

I am leaving for Tanzania soon. I will be there kind of a long time. More to come.