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)
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Personal Development Tip of the week:
How do you make good decisions? This is something that is so important to think about as you are building your relationship with God because every decision you make today will affect your life in some way that’s either positive or negative.
If we are to live biblical lives we have to learn how to walk in the spirit and not just to please our flesh.
In order to make good decisions more often in our lives, we have to think about the consequences of our decisions before making them. Ask yourself before making a decision you are unsure of, “Is this pleasing to God or not?” ‘Is this going to help me long-term or hurt me?” “Am I making this decision to just give myself immediate pleasure or will this decision help me long term?” Decisions that give us immediate pleasure typically are to feed our flesh vs the spirit and God wants us to work on walking in the spirit far more than just our fleshly desires.
Every decision has an outcome and knowing we are not always going to be perfect we have to think before we just act.
I also love to ask myself, “How can I make decisions today that are good for me, good for others, and serve God.
I know I can’t always be perfect nor can you but what we can strive to do is be a little bit better than we were yesterday.
Question for you? What decisions are you working on making more in your life that help you walk in the spirit more?
Prayer for the week:
Father God, bless me this week to make good decisions for my life today and also my future. I know there are temptations everywhere Lord but I know with your help I can walk more in your spirit than just my flesh. I am strong and confident in my abilities to do good this week for myself, for others, and for you Lord in Jesus name I claim Amen.
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Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be the leader of your life and forgive you of all your sins, this is the right time to act. Pray this simple prayer and believe it in your heart: “Dear God, Your Word says that You loved me so much that You sent Your Son Jesus to die on the cross for me. I want to be saved and have all my sins forgiven, past, present, and future. Forgive me now as I receive Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. You promised me salvation and an abundant life. I believe and receive Your free gift. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me grow stronger in You each day, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.” (John 3:16)
The Choice is Yours