Two Sinners, Two
Decisions, One Redeemer:
The Choice is the Same
Today
Two others, both
criminals, were led out to be executed with [Jesus]. When they came to a place
called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also
crucified—one on his right and one on his left.
Jesus said, “Father,
forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers
gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.
The crowd watched and
the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he
is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked him, too, by
offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King
of the Jews, save yourself!” A sign was fastened above him with these words:
“This is the King of the Jews.”
One of the criminals
hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving
yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”
But the other criminal
protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We
deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then
he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
And Jesus replied, “I
assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:32-43, NLT)
Before
God the Father created the Heaven’s and the Earth,
you were on His mind. The Father wants to have an intimate relationship with
His creation. He wants to have an intimate relationship with you. He has
reached out to you with His loving arms, drawing you to the cross. Have you
accepted His offer of eternal life? The Father sent His Son to die in your
place. Have you gone to the Cross of Calvary, seeking the Redeemer of the
World? The decision is yours to make. Jesus has already paid the price for your
sins. What will you do with the man on the cross (1 Peter 1:20; Ephesians 1:4;
1 Corinthians 6:20)?
Two men
hung on the cross with Jesus. They saw the man who knew no sin. They saw the
man who came to die in their place. One chastised Jesus, asking for a sign. Are
you doing the same? The man asked Jesus to prove He was God by coming off the cross.
Do you ask Jesus to prove He is the One
who came to set you free? Do you believe you have all the time in the world to
make the right decision concerning Jesus? The man on the cross made a decision.
He chose to mock the One, who died for
him. He chose to reject God the Father’s offer of eternal life. Have you?
There
was another man on the cross that day. Though he echoed the rebuke of the other
at the beginning, he had a change of heart. Watching Jesus on the cross, this
other man recognized the innocence of the man in the middle. He knew Jesus was the
One, who came to die for him. He knew he
was in the presence of God Himself. At the cross, He asked Jesus to remember
him. He went from a sinner; dying on the cross, to a Child of God; freed from his
sins because of Jesus’ sacrifice for him on the cross. He made the right
decision. He chose to accept God the Father’s offer of eternal life. After
dying on the cross, he was with his Savior in Paradise.
How about you? Are you a Child of
God? He came to set you free. The curtain has torn. The tomb is empty. The
decision is yours. Come to Him today.
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