"I wish to share with you some more joyful things now that should lift your spirits," he said.

"In the kingdom of heaven it will give me great pleasure to honor those who have trusted in me. But there are criteria by which the measure of honor will come. By these you will know something of the joy that is awaiting those who believe and love me.

"First, be ready. You are the bride--my bride! When I come for you, have your hearts filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit and your lives illumined with the light of love, faith and truth. Do not neglect to nourish these qualities. Your preparedness in these things is the first criterion of honor. Remember, you do not know the day or the hour of my return or when any of this will take place. So be ready!

"Second, make your lives count. Invest your time, your gifts, your substance, and your energy for God. Do not hold back. Very likely what you love to do has been given to you by the Father. Develop it, hone it, share it. You will be rewarded accordingly.

"Finally, let me tell you how and where to invest your lives. Listen to this story which speaks of the third criterion: When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will come as a King sitting on his throne in heavenly glory.

"Then the King will say, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and thirsty and you fed me and brought me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in to your home, you gave me clothes when I needed them, when I was sick you looked after me, when I was in prison you came to visit me.'

"Puzzled, they answered him, 'Lord, we know of no time when did we these things?' You see, those whose nature it is to do good are often unaware that they do it.

"The King will reply, 'What you've done for the neediest of my people, you did for me.'

"Invest your energy into the lives of those impoverished in spirit or in the necessities of life or who are imprisoned. These may appear to be insignificant people to you, but they are of great value to me. If you do not give yourself to those I love, you do not give yourself to me."

"In these three examples, I have given you great wisdom. Be prepared in love, faith and truth! Invest your time, your talents and your money into the lives of those who need it more than you. Invest your lives into the lives of the least of these. For whatever you invest, you shall also receive much, much more shaken down and running over shall you receive when you stand before me."