November 4: Clear as crystal

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.  (Revelation 22:1-5 — New American Standard Bible)

This passage describes heaven, a place that every single person can gain entry to as long as they are ready to pay the price: the surrender of our will to God. Anyone can be saved regardless of how good or bad their past is. One critical detail is that there are no second chances; our decision to follow Him must be made this side of death. Once our life comes to an end, prayers and repentance no longer have any effect, we will be judged by our life on earth — even though some, like the thief on the cross, will find God in the very last moments of their lives.

There is a crystal clear river in heaven, filled with the water of life, and flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. This reminds us of Jesus’ promise that streams of living water will flow from within us. This could be a symbol of the Holy Spirit, or the Word of God, but either way it brings life and is pure and clear as crystal. This will be true of everything in heaven — everything has life and is pure, and our lives right now should be the same. How can we expect to enter heaven when we are not pure and full of life? We should be doing all we can to ensure this purity and life, and to make sure that the streams of living water are flowing from within us now — a sign that we will one day see the large river.

The tree of life and its twelve different fruits, healing, the absence of curses, the throne of God and of the Lamb, God’s face, His name on our foreheads, the light of God that makes lamps and the sun unnecessary — these are what is waiting for us when we get to heaven. They will be exquisite, mind-blowing experiences like nothing we have ever seen. In contrast, the devil tempts us with the things of this world that, if we are not careful, appear to outshine the things of heaven. Determine that you will not be deceived by him or this world. Meditate on heaven and the amazing things you will experience there as insurance against the lies and filthy promises of Satan.

Jesus went to prepare a place for you in heaven. Make sure your place is filled, and bring as many as you can with you.