THE TREES OF THE FIELD

The colors of life are in the fall
where God’s bright truths are shown to all.
The trees of the field will clap their hands
and spread God’s love throughout the lands.
 
The warmest brown leaves will tell it straight:
that all have sinned and tend to hate.
And red shiny leaves will sing of love
that comes from God who reigns above.
 
The brightest orange leaves will make all see
that Christ bore all iniquity.
And pure yellow leaves will give a smile
to be with Him in just a while.
 
The colors of fall are rich to see
the Painter of Eternity!
The trees of the field, forever true,

display God’s love for me and you.

 

For ye shall go out with joy,
and be led forth with peace:
the mountains and the hills
shall break forth before you into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Isaiah 55:12

 

THE TREES OF THE FIELD

John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine if fulfilled."

John 3:27-29

What was John the Baptist saying? He was saying he was not the Christ but the one sent to prepare the way for the Christ. And who is the bride? And who is the bridegroom? And who is the friend of the bridegroom? We learn as we search the scriptures that the bride is the redeemed of the Lord—the people who have put their trust in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The bridegroom is Jesus Himself who, one day, will return for His bride. And the friend of the bridegroom is John the Baptist (as well as any of us who love Jesus and call Him our Friend.) 

As I continue to write about this year's word, Heaven, the beautiful imagery of marriage comes to mind. It is the truth of sacrificial love from the Creator's Son to the created. It is the holy and righteous marriage where, in eternity, nothing impure or immoral has any presence. It is the marriage of the church and Jesus who builds it. Nothing which defiles or causes an abomination or a lie will ever be in Heaven.

Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast."

Matthew 9:14-15

We learn, again, that Jesus is the bridegroom. He says it of Himself. This was said before He went to the cross to die for our sins, rose again, and then ascended back into Heaven. Now we, the church, the faithful, wait for His return. It could be any time! He has finished all the work His Father sent Him to do before the rapture. The next big thing will be the marriage. The church readies herself. The church remains faithful to Him during the engagement time.

"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom."

Matthew 25:1

Five were wise. Five were foolish. The five wise made ready. They bought oil. They didn't want to miss their opportunity to go to the wedding. But the five foolish didn't bother to buy any oil. Maybe they figured they would have plenty of time, even after they took a nap. When it was announced that the bridegroom was seen coming, the foolish ones woke up with the wise and asked the wise for some of their oil but the wise answered no. They wanted enough for themselves. They told the foolish to go buy their own oil, like they had already done before the nap, being so wise. And their watchfulness was rewarded. With the bridegroom, they went into the wedding and He shut the door. When the foolish virgins called out from the other side of the shut door, the bridegroom responded that He did not know them. So, when the door to the kingdom of Heaven is shut and your on the other side... well, you don't want to be there. 

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

Ephesians 5: 25-29

The church is the bride. Not the spotted, wrinkled, blemished church. Not the unholy church. Not the doing-church-in-the-human-flesh church. The bride is the church of believers trusting Jesus and His atoning blood shed for the forgiveness of sins. The bride is the church of believers convinced of Christ's resurrection. The bride, or Lamb's wife, will be the redeemed people of God, the receivers of eternal life, the people raised incorruptible, raised in glory and power. At the trumpet sound, the change that happens in a twinkling of an eye.

And the word of God instructs husbands to love their wives. Those men who beat their wives are disobeying God. God, being just, dealt with Adam and Eve's disobedience. And in the end, God, when He says so, will cast the chief disobedient, Satan, into the lake of fire to be forever tormented for his deception, lying and wickedness.

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."

Revelation 21:9

In the last book in the Bible, we read about the future glory of the people who are redeemed, the bride joining the bridegroom, the wife joining the husband. A great city will descend from Heaven. We read about its light and precious stone construction and pearly gates and names on the gates and high walls and angels and the measurements and the 12 foundations of the wall from verse 9 to the end of the chapter. This beautiful city is filled with beautiful people because of what Christ did for them on the cross. These beautiful people walk in light. The names of these beautiful people are written in the Lamb's Book of Life, not because of anything they did to earn their salvation but because they accepted the free gift of salvation from God the Father through Jesus Christ, His Son.

"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

John 3:18

It's real, folks. God's Word is no fictitious story. You want to be on the right side of the door in Heaven. You want to go to the wedding!

FOR THE JOY: Poems Reflecting on Christ's Death and Resurrection

Here is the new cover to my Easter poetry collection to be published in spring 2027! I hope to encourage readers to trust God's infallible and inerrant Word through poetry and illustrations. If you would like to have a part in the launching of For the Joy, please pray that my poems and painted illustrations convey the clear Gospel message. If you love poetry that honors Christ and is true to the Biblical narrative, I'd love to invite you to experience these poems. 

This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

John 2:11

This beginning of signs took place at a wedding! Jesus' first written miracle was that He turned water into wine at the wedding. May you be encouraged to trust God's deliberate message, pray faithfully, and set your sights on the marriage supper of the Lamb in Heaven.