Luke 23: 39--41
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
--KJV
In the name of the One Who hath done nothing amiss, amen.
I had a professor who always said, "You commit enough sins by the time you're twenty to keep you awake at night when you are forty!" Wise words. It is very true, and sometimes as we lie awake at night we start to think that our sins might be too bad to forgive. We can be haunted by the ghosts of our youth. We can also be haunted by the ghosts of today. "Why didn't I let that elderly lady go in front of me at the grocery store?" you might ask. "I shouldn't have stretched the truth on my tax return last April," might be a nagging thought. Fill in the blank; you know your sins.
But there He is next to you, the crucified Christ. He is the Innocent One. Little by little from the conversation around you, you begin to realize why He gave Himself into death. It was so that worthless creatures like yourself could have some value. And what value! From sinner to saint by Jesus' willing sacrifice.
Faith was created in the heart of the dying thief when he heard the Gospel as it was spoken bit by bit that fateful day. And did that faith show itself in deeds? It certainly did. The dying thief rebuked the unbelieving scoffer and confessed the truth. So it is with you. You have heard the Gospel. Christ gave himself into death for you. Those things that keep you awake at night belong to Jesus. What belongs to you is the promise of Paradise. May your lips confess the glory of His name. Amen.
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, remember us in Your Kingdom. Remember us because of Your great sacrifice, amen.