Interesting note

It was interesting to hear some of the details of the pope’s last will and testament. Essentially he had no possessions to leave to anyone and he even stipulated that his written papers be destroyed. He entered the world with nothing and upon his departure he left nothing. The tremendous news is that what he now takes with him as he enters into God’s eternal kingdom is a lifetime of good works. This is a reminder to us that when it is our time to close our eyes for the last time, we will take nothing to the next world but our life’s experiences – good and bad works.



When I heard that the pope even wanted the papers he wrote destroyed, essentially leaving no material possessions of any kind behind, I wondered why. My guess is that this humble man of peace did not want the world’s adulation. He realized he was after all just a man who deeply loved the Lord. This man often spent five hours per day praying in a prostrate position with his face pressed against the floor. He loved Jesus Christ with all of his heart and devoted his entire existence to Him. When he was young before he became a priest, the pope was actually very popular in school; he was a soccer player, and was academically at the top of his class. The pope wrote some poetry that suggests that at some point he probably experienced love in his life prior to taking his vows. With his charisma, good looks, and God-given ability he certainly could have excelled in business or virtually any profession, married a beautiful woman and raised some wonderful kids with material possessions galore. Instead of reaching for everything the world had to offer, this talented, charismatic man sacrificially chose to pursue a life of celibacy and TOTAL dedication to the Lord. I think the last thing the pope wanted is to put the spotlight on himself after his death and deflect any attention from his cherished Savior.





I wish the Lord would let him come back to earth and confirm to everyone that his was an extraordinarily good decision to reach for the Lord instead of the world’s offerings. His eternal reward from God for a lifetime of service far exceeds anything the world could have rewarded him in material possessions or anything else it has to offer. The Bible clearly states that not everyone is suited for celibacy, teaching and fulltime clerical positions. It does state that we all have gifts and those gifts should be used to glorify the Lord. Think about your gifts and God’s purpose for your life. One day, like the pope, you will face the Lord, what will you bring with you?



Phil. 1:21

For me to live is Christ, and

To die is gain.







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