Today you will be with me in paradise!

Exodus 6; Exodus 7; Exodus 8; Luke 23

Scripture

Luke 23:39-43

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."


Observation

I often wonder why people don’t get it when the Bible says that salvation is a “Gift”. You can’t earn it, you don’t deserve it, but God is willing because of His mercy to give it to us as a free gift. I received in the mail yesterday a letter from someone letting me know that I was wrong about salvation and this person insisted that you have to work to keep it! We didn’t work to get it and if we had to work to keep it then it would not be a gift. This thief on the cross did not deserve to go to “paradise” with Jesus, but Jesus told him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” You and I don’t deserve to be with Jesus in paradise, but if we accept the gift of eternal life that Christ paid for with his very blood and life then we will be there with him forever. It is as simple as that!



Application

The Good News is what people need to hear! The Good News is that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. And everyone that turns from sin and self receives Him, and has Eternal Life.



Prayer

Heavenly Father, give me patience with people that want to insist that you have to work to have, or insist that you have to work to keep the gift of salvation. Open his or her eyes to your Truth and guide me to someone today that needs to hear about you.



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