Remember Me~

Greetings,

Luke 23 in the Bible details the crucifixion of Jesus, and we learn in verse 32 that two other men, convicted criminals, were also crucified – one on each side of Christ. Verse 39 says one of them "hurled insults at Jesus." Verses 42, however, paints a different picture of the other criminal: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

How did Jesus respond?

“Today you will be with me in paradise.”

No harsh words about a crime-filled life. No judgment, no condemnation, no criticism. The criminal wanted forgiveness, and Jesus gave it.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, today we unite our voice with the forgiven criminal who realized his need for Jesus and say, "Remember us!"  We look forward to being with You in Paradise. In the meantime, thank You that You are with us each step of the way on planet earth. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Our Lord Responded~

In Tuesday's DEVO we learned that Jesus forgave the criminal who was crucified next to Him. 

I want to go back and take another look at this passage because we need to remember that the whole exchange between Christ and the criminal took place while Jesus Himself was nailed to a cross.

In the midst of His suffering He takes a moment to reassure the poor lost soul next to Him.  It would be hard to blame Jesus if He would have kept to Himself. But He didn't. A saved criminal is in Heaven today because our Lord responded.

I don't know about you, but I feel as though I have no excuses.  It doesn't matter if I am having a bad day, if I have a flat tire, if Hershey Pie dug a trench in my newly-planted grass, if my bank took it upon itself to send me a new credit card because they suspected a breach, and I spent a very frustrating hour entering in the new info for all the folks I have on auto-pay...

If someone reaches out to you or me, let's view it as a Divine assignment and respond.  Amazing things will happen when we do!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for the example of Christ.  If He can respond, then so can we.  And thank You that You always hear our prayers! In Jesus' name, AMEN. 

No Questions Asked~

Luke 23 contains the details of Jesus' crucifixion, and we learn in verse 32 that two other men, who were criminals, were also going to be crucified. Verse 39 says one of the them "hurled insults at Jesus." Verses 40-42, however, paint a different picture of the other criminal.

He says, "We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But Jesus has done nothing wrong.”  Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

These two men represent the two types of people in our world today - those who want nothing to do with Christ and those who realize their great need for Him. (I have something in common with the criminal who needed Jesus, and I hope you do too.)

Nevertheless, verse 43 is what makes Christ so awesome, so great, so wonderful, so selfless..."Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise."

So simple, really. No harsh words about a crime-filled life. No judgment, no condemnation, no criticism. The criminal genuinely wanted to be forgiven, and Jesus gave it. No questions asked.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Today we unite our voice with that forgiven criminal and say, "Remember us!" We look forward to being with You in Paradise. In the meantime, thank You that You are with us each step of the way on planet earth. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Are You Wiser Than a Criminal?

Monday greetings,

I spent a lot of time thinking about Psalm 23:6 this weekend.  "Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life..."

If we take this promise at face value, and we should, this means that every single day we are alive we can be certain that God's goodness and love are in our lives.

But before we go any further, let's clarify something: The promises of God are not for everyone. 

Say what?

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  

His promises are for those who believe in Him.  For those who allow themselves to be caught by the goodness and the love that steadfastly pursue.  Everyone is pursued, but some folks just run away even harder.

Consider the two criminals on the cross on either side of Christ.  

Luke 23:32-41 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with Christ...They were also crucified - one on His right and one on His left...One of the criminals hanging beside Him scoffed, "You're the Messiah...Prove it...Save Yourself and us...!" The other criminal protested, "Don't you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve it, but Jesus hasn't done anything wrong."  Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Both criminals had the same opportunity, but only one believed.  Only one realized that even though his life of poor choices had led to a sentence of death, Christ was able to save him.  What a wise criminal.  This criminal would die on earth, but it was a stepping stone to an even better life - the best life - eternal life!

Luke 23:41 And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with Me in paradise."

I always get the goose pimples and jimjams when I read this verse!  As soon as we say yes to Jesus, yes to His love, yes to His goodness, everything immediately gets better!  TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE! Amen!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We say, "YES!" to You.  We stop running right now and allow ourselves to get caught by Your love and goodness.  Thank You for Your immediate and total forgiveness no matter what we have done.  In Jesus' name, AMEN!