Luke 23:32--43

What an amazing case of sovereign grace... at the outset he had joined in with the Jewish leaders, the Roman soldiers, and his fellow malefactor, as they all scoffed rudely, crudely at the One in the middle-- Who did not respond in kind. Like them he did not fear God... like his fellow thief he didn't feel his punishment was deserved... and like them he assumed that the One in the middle had surely done something to merit the beatings, the torture, the abuse, and now the exquisite pain He was enduring...

And then it happened.

The Lord quickened his spirit, opening his eyes to see clearly the spiritual situation around him. Between gasps for breath he found himself rebuking his former cohort in crime, "Don't you fear God?" The other man must have glanced at him in disbelief... had he heard right? But there was more-- "We are receiving what we deserve for our deeds.." The other brigand couldn't believe what he was hearing... this didn't sound like the same man who, just an hour ago, was scoffing at the One in the middle with the best of them. Then, finally, "... but this man has done nothing wrong." Painfully sliding up and down the cross, agonizing for every breath, the cynical thief wondered how on earth his changed companion knew anything about the One in the middle...

"Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" Pushing up on his nailed feet, for the few seconds that he could endure the pain, the believing thief made his request... humbly asking only to be remembered by the Savior when His kingdom is inaugurated. The plea evidences the work of salvation wrought upon his heart, infusing confidence in both Jesus' saving power and spiritual sovereignty.

The Lord Jesus responded, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." This wonderful "word" is the second of the seven declarations of our Lord from the cross on that momentous day. That it is brief is understandable. It is amazing that the Lord Jesus could say anything at all, given the horrendous trauma and physical exertions involved simply to continue breathing during crucifixion. Yet in its brevity is eternal comfort incomparable.

It is a beautiful assurance of salvation, a certainty for eternity, given to one who would experience the new birth for only a few earthly hours.

Note the solemnity-- "Truly I say to you.." a promise is only as certain as the dependability of the one making it... Deity in bodily form is promising eternal security! You can't get more certain than that! Note the immediacy-- "today".. physical death would overtake them both, yet eternal life was immediately next! No purgatory. No lengthy wait. Instantly into Paradise. Note, too, the promised Presence-- "with Me"... nothing could have been more reassuring, more encouraging, than to be told that he would be with the Savior forever and ever.

The scene on The Skull that day was a microcosm of the world as it relates to the Lord Jesus. There are those who revile Him, mock Him, hate Him, ignore Him, despise Him, living and dying as children of wrath, following their nature in unrepentant rebellion. The other thief begins the same way, entering this world with the same nature that opposes God's holy sovereignty. Yet, in His perfect time, for His own glory and pleasure, God intervenes by making him willing in the "day of His power." His Spirit quickens the sinner, and he eagerly looks to the Savior in repentance and love. He, too, is following his nature, his new nature, in gratitude for such grace and mercy shown to so great a sinner. What an amazing case of sovereign grace!

Psalm 122:6

"Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." Revelation 2:10

"The persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is on its way to reaching epidemic proportions," wrote Raymond Ibrahim, with the David Horowitz Freedom Center and Middle East Forum. He continued, "In Egypt, a Christian student was strangled and beaten to death by his Muslim teacher and fellow students for refusing to cover his cross. When the headmaster was informed of the attack in progress, he ignored it and 'continued to sip his tea.' "

"In Somalia, a 17-year-old was decapitated for converting to Christianity the previous week."

"And, in Pakistan, a Christian mother of four was slaughtered by a Muslim colleague in Pakistan after she resisted his attempt to rape her at the factory where they worked."

Such is the world of Islam. On her website, www.ArabsForIsrael.com, Nonie Darwish writes, "Crimes done by Muslims against other Muslims who are considered apostates should alert the American public of what is coming to American streets if Muslims start increasing in numbers. The dirty little secret of Islamic hate and intolerance is clear... and no one in the media cares to expose it and alert the American people."

Father, I would pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for those who are the apple of Your eye, in light of the promises You have made to the people of Israel. Praise to Your Name for the ways You have shown Yourself strong on their behalf through the centuries, even to the present day, in utter faithfulness. I plea that our nation would wholeheartedly love Your people, pray for them, and obey Your Word's commands related to the nation upon which You have set Your heart.

For brothers and sisters persecuted for their faith in You, Lord Jesus, I would also intercede... Your Word promises "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." As the times grow closer to Your return, the intensity of such treatment will increase... be pleased to grant grace to Your children to be faithful when needed most. Your Word tells us that the death of your godly ones is precious in Your sight... thank You for providing just what we need at the very moment it's required. May we live and die in a manner worthy of You, Lord Jesus. In Your Name, I plea, Amen.

Free Will

Among his notes, C. H. Spurgeon tells of an imaginary conversation on the topic of "Free Will":

"Do you see the cat? She sits there, and will lick her paws and keep herself clean." "I see that," said the other. "Well," said the first speaker, "Did you ever hear of one of the hogs taken out of the pigsty that ever acted like the cat?"
"No," he said. "But he could if he wanted to," said the other.
"Yes! truly he could if he wanted to; but it is not according to his nature, and you never saw such a thing done, and until you have changed the swine's nature, he cannot perform such a good action, and God's Word says the same thing of man."

"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." (Ephesians 2:1--3)

In the Bible, death indicates separation, such as the spirit separating from the body. In this passage Paul is rehearsing truths related to the Ephesian Christians' pre-salvation days, in which they were separated by their sinful nature from the spiritual life of Christ. Common to all who are spiritually dead in trespasses and sins, both then and now, their nature was at enmity with Christ, with the desires of both the flesh and the mind being hostile toward Him. Given a choice, (much like the crowd when presented with the Lord Jesus and Barabbas), the one whose will is in bondage to sin always chooses someone other than Christ.
What is required for someone to be able to choose the Lord Jesus? The Lord Himself said, "You must be born again." How? Look to the Lord Jesus. He is faithful. He hears, knows and saves, perfectly.
You'll discover the ability to do what you ought... and that's a truly free will.

Rare Choice, These Days

As the old saying goes, "Ignorance is bliss."

I smiled when I came across this insightful counterpoint from the pen of A.W. Tozer: "I long ago decided that I would rather know the truth than be happy in ignorance. If I cannot have both the truth and happiness, give me truth. We'll have a long time to be happy in heaven."

Hebrews 10:25

"... not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some..."

What an interesting peek into first-century church attendance (!)... then, as now, the flesh cooperated with the enemy to oppose gathering regularly with other believers for worship.
And the flesh is amazingly adroit when it comes to excuses & reasons for staying away---
"I don't get anything out of the sermon." "All the people down there at the church are hypocrites, anyway." "Sunday is the one day I can get everything done I couldn't do all week." "All that preacher talks about is money." "I can worship better in the privacy of my own home, with the televised service." "They don't miss me, nohow." "After what they did, I wouldn't go back there if they begged me!" "I have my radio preachers." "It's just a country club over there." "It's too big." "It's too small." "It's too far." And a multitude more beside these...
These expressions of the flesh, with its selfishness, wounded pride, laziness, and arrogance, work hand-in-glove with the enemy of our soul in his hatred of the assembled saints known as the church.
Why would he bring to bear such incessant pressure against the body of Christ, both from without and from within? Better than we, he knows the spiritual impact in the unseen realm that is unleashed when God's people meet in worship of their sovereign King. Gauging by how much opposition our enemy puts forth, we can be assured the regularly-assembled church does some rather serious damage to his kingdom, and he is not amused.

Is there spiritual warfare going on every time the body of Christ gathers in His Name for corporate worship? Absolutely. Indeed, the enemy is already at work before folks ever leave their homes, seeking to dissuade them from even coming to God's house of worship, lest his kingdom of lost souls sustain even more damage. Were we to catch but a glimpse of that realm on a morning when believers are preparing to gather, how much more diligent we would be to put on the whole armor of God in prayer, with a keener awareness of what's at stake in the heavenlies when the Word goes forth from the pulpit! May the living God of all that is, grant a genuine awakening among His people, restoring a zeal for gathering in His Name faithfully, regularly, joyfully, encouraging one another as the day of His return draws near.

Knowing Now About Then

Some say you can't know. Others say it's arrogance to say you can know. Still others believe God doesn't want you to know. Multiplied millions don't give such knowledge a second thought. And then there are those who not only affirm that it is possible to know, but declare in no uncertain terms that they do know. Now, even (!) Whether with a quiet confidence or an excited rejoicing, they declare that, if they were to die tonight, they know they would, without a shadow of a doubt, go to heaven.

Several questions come to mind when considering this issue:
(A) Does such certainty have a valid biblical basis..? Or is it just whistling in the wind, a lot of wishful thinking for incurable optimists..?
(B) Is assurance of one's salvation all that important..? Does having an inner conviction that one will be in heaven the instant death occurs make any difference in daily living?
(C) A corollary to B: How does this relate to taking God seriously..?

(A) II Cor. 5:8 Paul is expressing heavenly homesickness... he yearns to be with his Lord in all the fullness of God's presence. In the process of these thoughts, he alludes to the truth that, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

John 6:39, 40. "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
In an eternal arrangement before time, the Father gave the Son those upon whom He (the Father) had set His heart in unconditional love. The certainty of their salvation is here declared by the Lord Jesus: "I lose nothing." Wonderful assurance... security and grace beyond measure.

(B) Someone has well said that you're not really ready to live unless you're ready to die. Having a God-given confidence of one's destination upon death makes an immeasurable difference in how life is faced on a daily basis. Few verses in Scripture encapsulate this better than Philippians 1:21, where Paul affirms, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Indeed, ONLY when life is Christ-centered, Christ-given, Christ-changed, is death gain. And with the solid assurance that this salvation cannot be lost, forfeited, or snatched away, the believer's daily dependence upon the promises made by the loving Lord provide ongoing joy and ever-deepening peace.

(C) The opposite of faith really isn't doubt... it's unbelief. And to be a Christian, yet refuse to accept the Lord's promises regarding instant entrance into His presence at the moment of death, is to impugn His character and slander His Name. The Lord Jesus said, "if it were not so, I would have told you..." (John 14:2). Taking Him seriously drains death of its dread. It certainly did for Paul: "...when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, 'DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?' (I Corinthians 15:54, 55).

It is the Lord's desire that His children live daily in obedience to the command to make their calling and election sure. Having such assurance settled deepens the peace that passes all understanding, increases usability, and fosters the joy of the Lord! Praise to Your Name!

John 14:1--3

"Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

In those final hours of the Lord's time on the earth, the disciples' hearts were troubled by the Master's mood of deepening gloom, as He spoke of leaving, of betrayal, of death. Then, turning a corner, He gives a clarion call to encouragement, through promises of: (1) personalized preparation, (2) personal return, and (3) perennial fellowship.

"I go to prepare a place for you." In the process of soothing their troubled hearts, the Lord assures them that He will see to the preparation of each one's heavenly dwelling place, personally. This is no angelic mission, no assignment for deceased saints... rather, the Son of God Himself promised to make ready each believer's everlasting abode, perfectly suiting each one's "forever home" to his or her individuality. Our bodies will have been changed, transformed from earthy shells housing our redeemed spirit as well as the blessed Holy Spirit, to glorified ones, freed from all effects of sin's curse. And the place our Lord has prepared will match our glorified body and personality perfectly, producing praise to His glorious Name!


"I will come again, and receive you to Myself." The enemy of our soul loves to whisper subtle suggestions such as, "It's been centuries... He's not coming back..." Still, we must constantly remember: Our Lord's own character is the fundamental basis for the certainty of His promises. Not one word of anything He ever said failed to come to pass, because each syllable was an expression of His infallible character. So, when He said, "I will come again," He will! In His perfect timing, He will return. And note: we who are His will be received to Himself-- (causing one old preacher to say that heaven won't be a place so much as a Person!). For, what would all the streets of gold, pearly gates, etc., be without the Lord Jesus there..? Gorgeous surroundings, maybe, but not heaven... not unless the Lord of glory is there!


"...that where I am, there you may be also." For the blood-bought child of God there could be no sweeter place to be in all this universe than near the Lord Jesus Christ. Simply to be in His presence will be overwhelmingly full of wonder and adoration. When He walked this sin-cursed earth, children were drawn to climb into His lap, women wept at His feet, others left everything simply to be near Him as He walked, taught, healed, and revealed the Father. Is it even possible to imagine the joy of fellowship we'll experience without sin's interference in the heavenlies, as we are "with Him, where He is," forever?


Come quickly, Lord Jesus! May the truth of Your return impact our daily behavior, causing us to live holier, better-prepared lives. O that You would find us faithful when You come! Deepen our desire to not be ashamed at Your appearing. May Your Spirit remind us often of these things, as we are so forgetful. Thank You for Your great compassion and patience with us.
In Your Name we plea,
Amen.