Greetings my friends, grace, and peace to you in the name of God our father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. I thank God for the opportunity to share His word with you. Hopefully, we are able to bring one another to a higher understanding of the great love that God has bestowed upon us by the sacrifice of His son for the payment of our sin. Lord guide my thoughts so that I may express exactly what needs to be said to help someone receive the overwhelming desire to come to Jesus for the forgiveness of their sin, and receive from you the gift of eternal life, and much, much, more. Thank You, Lord, in Jesus name, Amen.
As soon as Jesus was nailed to the cross He asked God to forgive those who crucified Him. The great sacrifice He made to purchase and procure for us, the forgiveness of sin, this He prayed for. Jesus was crucified between two thieves, one whose heart was hardened to the end, the other thief heart was softened at the last, and he was snatched up, like out of a burning furnace. It is dangerous for anyone to wait until the time of their death beds to repent and think that they will find mercy. No one can be sure that they will have time to repent when they are about to die. One thing we can all be sure of is this thief was in a position of advantage being right there besides the Lord. He knew that the Lord did not do anything to deserve the vicious brutality which was being inflicted upon Him, as he reproved the other thief that was railing against Christ. He owned up to deserving what he was receiving and that Jesus had suffered wrongfully. In His prayer Christ was in the depth of disgrace, suffering as a deceiver, forsaken by His Father. Jesus made this profession when He said, My God, My God why have thou forsaken me? Startling the centurion who stood by.
The thief believed in the life to come and desired to be happy in that Life. Not like the other thief who only wanted to be saved from the cross. In his humility, he prayed, Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom. He was Humbled in true repentance, and show all its fruit. Christ on the cross is like Christ on the throne. He was in the greatest struggle and agony and He had pity on the penitent thief. By this act of grace, we understand that Jesus Christ died to open the Kingdom of Heaven to all penitent, obedient believers. This is a single instant in scripture that should teach us to despair none and that none should despair of themselves. One does not what to be in the awful state of the other thief who died hardened in unbelief although the crucified savior was near him. You can be sure that men die as they live.
The good news is that God offers you eternal life and that life is in belief in His Son and the suffering He did on the cross for you and for me, and the world. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life (John 3:16). Do you believe? Let me know, blog me, give me a like, tell me what you think. Amen, God bless you.
Rev. Reginald Stevens
