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 yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of 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.     Revelation 22:1-3 NKJV

I don’t know about you, but I love being around water. I love the peacefulness of water. It brings me peace watching a lazy river flow by and also watching waves crash to shore.

Years ago, when I had a house on the water, my mom would enjoy coming and spending time there. She enjoyed drinking her morning coffee on the patio watching the water with the ducks swimming and the occasional alligator floating by.

Now my mom is able to see the pure crystal water in the river of life mentioned here in Revelation 22. All who are saved and accepted into heaven will have the same opportunity to gather at this same river that flows by the throne of God as the song says.

In Revelation 22:7, Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” Quickly could mean now or it could mean a thousand years from now, we have no way of knowing. We don’t know the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36).

Anyone who has spent time boating on the rivers and waterways here in Louisiana knows it is against the law to not have a life preserver for everyone in the boat. It’s illegal to operate a boat while intoxicated. I always made it a point to ride with a skilled driver. You can put yourself in harm’s way by riding with someone who doesn’t know how to properly operate a boat.

Life on Earth is a lot like that. We should have a life preserver. Our life preserver, as Christians, is Jesus Christ. He provides all we need for salvation. He gives us eternal life if we are willing to accept it. Isaiah 43:2 tells us God will be with us when we pass through the waters and the rivers will not overwhelm us.

Peter warns us to be sober and alert as the devil is prowling around like a lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Ephesians 5:18 tells us not to be drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but to be filled by the Holy Spirit.

Last but not least, don’t ride with someone who is intoxicated or who is inexperienced in handling a boat. This holds true in our Christian lives. If you love the Lord and want to follow Him, be sure you sit under a pastor who preaches God’s word. Be sure you do not get entangled with a false prophet teaching false doctrine. Some of these pastors are intoxicated on money and power, be very careful.

Our pastor tells us all the time to bring our Bible to church and fact-check him. Matthew 24:24 tells us false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, even the elect. Matthew 7:15 says Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 1 John 4:1 warns us to not believe every spirit but to test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

If you want to gather at that pure crystal river, draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). Confess your sins to Him and He will cleanse you of all unrighteousness. Trust in Him today. Urge your friends and loved ones to prepare to gather there with you.

I pray that someday I will be gathered at that pure crystal river that flows from the throne of God. I pray that my friends and family will be there beside me.

Have a great day!