By John Larkins
With respecting to our mutual focus on what is the highest priority for our lives right now, I suggest we consider our eternal destiny.
Let’s not make this issue of salvation some kind of theoretical activity that will cease to matter over the length of our days. As I write and you read this column, we have proof that we are still alive. That’s the point – we will not always be alive, and when we die, we have every reason to expect an immediate meeting with Jesus Christ.
The result of that meeting will be a destination for our immortal soul. I cannot guarantee this process, but rather present the best knowledge that I have been able to gather during about 85 years of study and data gathering. I’m that old, but there may have been some lag in getting started. I was baptized at birth into Jesus Christ’s Church and soon began gathering information about Him and His plan for me.
Each of us has a record of knowledge which serves as the basis for our interest in our eternal salvation. Our common interest may include some data points. We can agree that we will die and that will experience an afterlife centered on God and his angels. We should expect to be judged on how our lives conformed to the expectations we were taught by our parents, relatives, teachers and other authority figures, as well as society in general.
The way we guided our lives may not depend upon others, but there is strong evidence that God revealed to our hearts and minds of that what He expected of us. Most important in our preparation for death. Have you carefully considered that this is what our lives are all about, which preparing for this final interview with Jesus Christ? Please stop and think before the door closes. Will we be caught flat-footed and unprepared for the most important moment of our life?
The single most important fact I know about God is that He is very emphatic that we treat Him as the very source of authority and truth. He will not tolerate those of us who ignore or contradict Him or blurt out that “This is my body, and I will do with it what I want!” At the very least, we are told that “Every knee will bend before Jesus Christ.”
We have been told that God’s son Jesus Christ was given all power on heaven and earth as a reward for the awful suffering, death and glorious resurrection that He endured as the Son of Man about 33 AD. How will Jesus judge us, his most precious friends, for whom he gave His human life? He said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” The Ten Commandments given to Moses by God in the Old Testament are the same demands that Jesus fulfilled and revitalized in the New Testament (after some material was deleted that had been added by Jewish priests). Jesus prioritized the adoration and love of God. He then directed us, His friends, to love one another.
Jesus Christ formed and then gave us two powerful sources of grace for our salvation. First, by His act of sacrifice, He was given the power to forgive our sins. Jesus delegated this power to the priests of the Church He founded. Think about that – Jesus knew that we were weak and could not keep his commandments. So, when we predictably failed (and if we were sorry), we could go to his Church for forgiveness.
What a powerful gift! In order to allow us to participate in His victory, Jesus gave us a sacrament called The Eucharist, which is the gift of sharing of His actual body and blood in an act of love and acceptance of Him as our savior. Jesus said, “Unless you eat my body and drink my blood, you have no life within you.” Although other people try to imitate this act, only Jesus’ Church was empowered to do so. Today, we will see obituaries for our fellows. We can only hope that they were not caught without warning.
If there is any way I can be of service, please email me at johnlarkins@bellsouth.net.
To our newsletter
