Of the four seasons of the year, fall is the most difficult one for me. It is hard for me to forget about spring where life begins again and summer, which is so full of life.
      Under the hot sun of fall, the leaves begin to exchange their green hue for red and yellow shades, the final moment of their existence. In the cold mornings and evenings, the leaves begin to wither as the tumbleweeds tumble away along with the memories of the past months.
      As I walk along on a fall day, I recall those who have left this world before me, and I fall into a melancholic state.
      Why does the time fly so fast? Why are people born in this world, suffer many hardships, and pass into death? Life is like a dream. Joy and sadness pass through my life and become distant memories. The lamentation in Ecclesiastes seems so real (Ecc 1:2-11).


1. There is nothing eternal in this world (Job 14:1-2, 7-12)
   1) Status and honor
   2) Power
   3) Wealth and glory
   4) Youth
   5) Achievements
      None of these things can be retained forever (Ge 3:19; Jas 4:14).
      An individual disappears from this world after death. Perhaps some are remembered
      through the pages of history or through home photographs, but what good are they
      to the one who died? To those who cannot live eternally, they are all meaningless
      and empty (Isa 40:6-8).

2. Christ brought eternity to this world
   1) Many general philosophies or other deliverance religions attempt to overcome this
      hopelessness of life through self-discipline or meditation (Col 2:8,23; 2 Co 10:5; Ps
       39:4,5).
   2) Salvation of Christ
      (1) He is an eternal God (Jn 1:1-3; Heb 1:1-3; Isa 9:6.7).
      (2) Christ came to this limited world and life - Shared the limitation of people and
           personally experienced various hardships in life (Heb 2:18).
      (3) He experienced death, which is the final experience of the limited life, and was
          resurrected after three days (Heb 2:14,15; Ac 2:24).
      (4) He came to this limited world and life, accomplished eternity by conquering the
           limitation (Jn 11:25,26).

3. A life of eternity in a limited world
   1) When we accept Christ as Savior, the limited life is embraced by eternal life
      (Jn 1:12,13; 14:1-3).
      Example of baptism - Through Christ, imitation can be breached to achieve eternity
      (Ro 6:4,5).
   2) What is not eternal?
      (1) A cultural Christian
      (2) A traditional Christian
      (3) A ritualistic Christian
      (4) A scholastic Christian (Jn 14:6; 17:3; 5:24)

4. Happiness brought by eternal life
   1) Continuation of the life we know
       Life now, not lost or forgotten (1 Th 4:14-18)
   2) An eternal reward for the use of talents in this life (Mt 25:21)
   3) An eternal reward for service and devotion now (Da 12:2,3; 1 Co 15:58; Mal 3:16)
   4) Resurrection (1 Co 15:42-49, 51-57; Heb 9:27; Jn 5:28,29)


      When seeing the leaves flying in the fall wind, young people laugh and are joyous while the elderly shed tears. However, sooner than they expect, the young ones will reach old age.
      Life outside of Christ is ultimately one of meaninglessness, emptiness, and hopelessness. However, when we accept the eternal Christ into our limited hearts, such an ultimate end makes way for an eternal life of faith, hope, and love.