The Choice is Yours Luke 23:39-43

As we reflect on the great sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, most of us know the conversation that occurred between the two thieves that were on either side of Jesus.

Both men were convicted criminals who were punished for their crimes. 

One of the thieves says to Jesus, “If you are Christ (the anointed Messiah) then save yourself and us.”  The other thief rebukes him and says “Don’t you fear God? We deserve to die for what we have done, but this Man has done nothing wrong!” That thief addresses Jesus and says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.” Jesus replies, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

The one thief asked Jesus to remember him. By Jesus’ statement, the thief was saved from that point on and went to Paradise/heaven when he physically died. That thief  had enough faith to ask Jesus to remember him as he was dying and in his last moments before death. The other thief had the same opportunity after mocking Jesus and being rebuked by the saved thief, but chose not to reconsider and ask Jesus to remember him as well. 

Two men, with the same opportunity, make different choices. You may think that if you live a good life, unlike these thieves, you will go to heaven when you physically die. The Bible says that “all  have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” or have fallen short of God’s standard. The only one who was sinless and met the standard was Jesus. We can never meet God’s standard even if we think we are good people. The Word of God says,  “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:17) The Bible also says that hating your brother/sister is like murder (I John 3:15) and “whatever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). What about things that are in your heart but you don’t act on them? Jesus Christ said, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery;' but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart." (Matthew 5:27)

The point is, whether you think you have lived a good life or deserve punishment like the thieves, you have a choice to make to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior or to reject Him. If you were born into this world you are automatically a sinner no matter how good or bad your behavior is. When you receive Jesus, you are reborn in your spirit-being and God sees you through the blood of Jesus which has cleansed you of all sin. In God’s eyes you have met the standard because of Jesus. Does this mean you will never sin again? No, your spirit is reborn in Christ and God sees you righteous (in right standing with God) but you still have a body with fleshly desires, a soul with a mind, will, and emotions that need renewing by the Word of God each day. (Romans 12:2) 

Once you have received Jesus, as long as you are not on your deathbed, you have a great earthly journey ahead of you. You are a baby Christian who has an exciting life ahead to grow each day and become stronger in your faith. God has a promise “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29: 11) 

If you haven’t made that decision yet, don’t wait until you are physically dying, today is the day of salvation. (Hebrews 3:13; John 3:16)

Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/the-choice-is-yours