April 8: Believing His Salvation.
HIS QUALIFICATION.
"Truly to you I say today with Me you will be in paradise."--Luke 23:43*
A preacher was accompanying a celebrity on a trip to the Middle East. On arrival, the security was tight as the bodyguards surrounded the luminary. At one point the preacher had fallen behind and tried to rejoin the group. He explained to the guards that he was part of the group, but to no avail. Then, from a distance, the celebrity noticed that the preacher was missing and turned around, announcing in a loud voice, "He is with me!" Immediately the tight circle of security parted, and the preacher was able to walk in, just because he was with him.
The shocking response of Jesus to the thief on the cross applies to each one of us. The above rendition of Scripture reflects the original Greek word order. Let's notice four elements in our text: "today," "you will be," "paradise," and "with Me." In this devotional, we will look at the second and fourth elements, while tomorrow we will address the first and third. You will be. The assurance Jesus gives to the evildoer is in the second person singular and in the future tense, and it is a sure promise. It's not you might be, but you will be. This man was totally undeserving, yet there was a future for him. His presence with Jesus in His kingdom was not a possibility but a reality. This is the radical difference that separates the biblical gospel from a pseudo gospel. The false gospel offers the possibility of salvation; but the real gospel gives the assurance. Yet this man does not qualify! Why would he be there? That's where the other element comes in. With Me. In Greek, the weight of the content is in the middle of the sentence, and "with Me" is in that spot, at the very center. Jesus was saying to him, "You will be in Paradise because you are with Me. I am the One who qualifies! And you get in with Me!" If you know yourself unqualified for heaven, cling to this promise of Jesus to the thief on the cross. I like to imagine myself one day walking the streets of gold, and other people objecting to me being there. "What are you doing here?" they will wonder. Well...I can't wait for Jesus to turn around and in a sweet but thunderous voice announce, "She is with Me!"
My Response:___________________________________________________________
* J.D. Douglas, The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament, 4th rev. ed. (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1993).
HIS QUALIFICATION.
"Truly to you I say today with Me you will be in paradise."--Luke 23:43*
A preacher was accompanying a celebrity on a trip to the Middle East. On arrival, the security was tight as the bodyguards surrounded the luminary. At one point the preacher had fallen behind and tried to rejoin the group. He explained to the guards that he was part of the group, but to no avail. Then, from a distance, the celebrity noticed that the preacher was missing and turned around, announcing in a loud voice, "He is with me!" Immediately the tight circle of security parted, and the preacher was able to walk in, just because he was with him.
The shocking response of Jesus to the thief on the cross applies to each one of us. The above rendition of Scripture reflects the original Greek word order. Let's notice four elements in our text: "today," "you will be," "paradise," and "with Me." In this devotional, we will look at the second and fourth elements, while tomorrow we will address the first and third. You will be. The assurance Jesus gives to the evildoer is in the second person singular and in the future tense, and it is a sure promise. It's not you might be, but you will be. This man was totally undeserving, yet there was a future for him. His presence with Jesus in His kingdom was not a possibility but a reality. This is the radical difference that separates the biblical gospel from a pseudo gospel. The false gospel offers the possibility of salvation; but the real gospel gives the assurance. Yet this man does not qualify! Why would he be there? That's where the other element comes in. With Me. In Greek, the weight of the content is in the middle of the sentence, and "with Me" is in that spot, at the very center. Jesus was saying to him, "You will be in Paradise because you are with Me. I am the One who qualifies! And you get in with Me!" If you know yourself unqualified for heaven, cling to this promise of Jesus to the thief on the cross. I like to imagine myself one day walking the streets of gold, and other people objecting to me being there. "What are you doing here?" they will wonder. Well...I can't wait for Jesus to turn around and in a sweet but thunderous voice announce, "She is with Me!"
My Response:___________________________________________________________
* J.D. Douglas, The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament, 4th rev. ed. (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1993).
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