A Future Promise

Wrap up and let us go outside this autumn morning! The sky is gray and mist swirls over the hills, but the trees are fluttering with color. Just look around and count the colors. Yellow and orange on the cherry tree, honey gold on the birch, red and pink on the maple, brown on the oaks. Only a month ago the trees were alive and green. Now the cold winds have come and they must prepare for winter.

Do you like taking a walk during the crisp days of fall? I do. The geese fly overhead in flocks. They are going south. Tree branches sway and leaves tumble down around us. The dry grass is dead and broken. Dead leaves crackle under our feet. It seems like everything is leaving or dying, and the world will soon be bleak and barren. The colors of the leaves will fade away and the trees will be dead and gray. The promise of spring seems so far away!

Life sometimes seems like the dying leaves. When we see so many people doing wrong, it seems like maybe God’s goodness and love are far away. Do you ever feel afraid and wonder what might happen to you? Maybe you hear of others that have been hurt or killed, and the future seems dark and scary. But Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled… believe in me. I go to prepare a place for you.” He has promised to take us safely to heaven if we will let Him.

Does heaven seem far away? Look outside again. The branches of the maple are bare and brown now. But wait! Just look at those red buds. Those are the promise of spring. It is in the future now, but it will come. Heaven is in the future now, but it is just as true as spring. Will you be ready to live there with Jesus? Only those that are pure and right can go there. Just like the trees that are getting ready for spring, ask Jesus to make your heart ready for heaven. Heaven will come.