Glorious Colors

One of the most colorful times of the year is autumn. Color everywhere! Vibrant colors! Warm, earthy colors! All shades of orange, red and yellow! Autumn sunsets are amazing! The crimson, orange sky puts off such a glow that one might almost believe that the landscape has been magically turned to gold. It's hard to imagine that anything could be more lovely.... and yet, heaven will be... And there will be no autumn in heaven! The autumn colors that we see are a reminder of the death that is soon to come! The shorter days, and colder weather cause the leaves to change color just before falling from the tree. Then comes winter. In heaven, there will be no death! There will be no winter... no more night....

From Revelation 21 and 22 "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.' And He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' And He said, 'Write, for these words are faithful and true.' Then He said to me, 'It is done, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.' 'He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.....
... then one of the seven angels said, 'Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.' And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels....
.... the material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass, the foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysolprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.... Then he (the angel) showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him: they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.... The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost."

Our finite, human minds simply aren't capable of imagining heaven the way it really will be. We've never seen anything like it. Heaven will be far more glorious than the most beautiful autumn day. We won't miss what we have seen on this earth. Heaven will FAR surpass any earthly splendor. What we see and enjoy here on earth should draw us to the One who is the creator and sustainer of all things! He is the the faithful One who promises to meet all of our needs. He loves us more than any human being ever could. He will never betray, abandon or forsake His dear children. The glorious colors of autumn remind me that my God takes delight in His creation. His amazing creativity fills me with awe and wonder! That He would love me and take care of me is truly humbling.

"O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness." Isaiah 25:1

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together." Psalm 34:1-3

A hymn text written just a few years ago by the late James Montgomery Boice....

Come to the waters, whoever is thirsty;
drink from the Fountain that never runs dry.
Jesus, the Living One, offers you mercy,
life more abundant in boundless supply.

Come to the River that flows through the city,
forth from the throne of the Father and Son.
Jesus the Savior says, "Come and drink deeply."
Drink from the pure, inexhaustible One.

Come to the Fountain, without any money;
buy what is given without any cost.
Jesus, the gracious One, welcomes the weary;
Jesus, the selfless One, died for the lost.

Come to the Well of unmerited favor;
stretch out your hand; fill your cup to the brim.
Jesus is such a compassionate Savior.
Draw from the grace that flows freely from him.

Come to the Savior, the God of salvation.
God has provided an end to sin's strife.
Why will you suffer the Law's condemnation?
Take the free gift of the water of life.

Don't let the things of this life bog you down and distract you from knowing the only One who can satisfy your deepest longings and needs. This life is temporary! I was recently commissioned to paint a plaque with an old familiar saying... "Only one life, twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last." What profound words. I couldn't help but ponder on the meaning of them. Oh, that we might live each day with eternity in mind! Oh, that we might drink from the "Fountain that never runs dry."

blessings,
~Ruth