The condition for eternal life remains unchanged: it has always been perfect obedience to the law of God and perfect righteousness, just as it was in Paradise before the fall of our first parents. If we, as disciples, claim to abide in Christ, we ought to walk as He walked. Many people trust various institutions and will not doubt their services; institutions such as banks, schools, cafeterias, shops, and hospitals, while often neglecting the divine agency established by God and the Father through Jesus Christ, which offers the salvation of God: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, life, hope, strength, joy, peace, etc.
The opposite of eternal life is perdition, while the opposite of salvation is worldliness. We are meant to be saved from the world. As long as we belong to it, we remain in a state of perdition. The Father takes no pleasure in seeing His children suffer; instead, He delights in our joy. He never closes the avenues of joy to His creations. The divine requirements compel us to avoid indulgences that lead to poverty, shame, suffering, and disappointment, which in turn close the doors to happiness and heaven.
The Redeemer of the world accepts people as they are, with all their needs, anxieties, fears, imperfections, and weaknesses. He not only cleanses us from sin and grants redemption through His blood, but also satisfies the heartfelt longings of all who choose to bear His yoke and carry His burden. It is His work to impart peace and rest to all who come to Him to partake of the Tree of Life. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. He asks us, His disciples, to fulfill only those duties that will elevate us to heights of bliss which is unattainable to the disobedient.
You must, as a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ, come to that point in your life where you shut out the world and its cares. Close the door of your senses to all distractions and focus them solely on God and His Word. In our time, our Father needs people who know how to bear the cross far more than He needs those who merely preach about it. Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23.
Avoiding the cross will only lead to cycles of frustration, but if we approach it with determination and are willing to bear His burden, we will undoubtedly find rest.
