Luke 23

The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at Him. They said, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers also came up and mocked Him. They offered Him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save Yourself.” There was a written notice above Him, which read: this is the king of the jews. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save Yourself and us!” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭35‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God does not work according to our plans, expectations and time frames.  Could He have saved Himself the agony of the cross and spared His disciples the anguish and heartache?  Of course He could have, but it was not His plan.  No one knows God’s plans or has a better plan than His: “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the LORD.  ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9).  If we were followers of Jesus in His day and were witnesses to the crucifixion, we would have been disappointed, depressed, and frightened just like His disciples were during this time.  They all had high expectations for what Jesus was going to do on Earth, and they thought it was all over once Jesus died on the cross.  Even though Jesus told them many times what was going to happen, they could not fathom the miracle of the resurrection.  Fortunately, we have the knowledge of the resurrection chronicled for us in the pages of our Bibles.  We know the ending to Jesus’ time on Earth and that He conquered sin and death in order for us to have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.  In a similar way, God is working in each of our lives with the problems that we are facing.  Even though we don’t know how or when, we can have absolute faith that the healing will come, and that our problems will be solved.  Whatever your problems are, trust God, and “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).  

There was a written notice above Him, which read: this is the king of the jews. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭38‬-‭43‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It is never too late for someone to get into heaven, right up until they take their final breath.  Remember this if you have loved ones who are unbelievers.  In this passage, the repentant criminal asked Jesus to accept him.  In most instances, however, converting an unbeliever who has lived a very sinful life is not going to be that simple.  It is worth the time, effort, and fear of rejection to make sure that everyone you care about has a chance to spend eternity in paradise.  Where do you start?  First of all, you need to be living a consistent, dedicated, Christian life in order to be an effective witness for Christ.  “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).  Before talking with someone about Jesus, pray ahead of time, asking for guidance and for your words to be well-received.  Personal testimonies are very powerful.  Describing your previous struggles and how God carried you through them can help someone relate to you more easily, especially if he/she has had similar problems.  Make sure to use kind words and avoid judgement and condemnation: “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).  It also may be helpful to open up a conversation about his/her biggest problem with Christianity.  Encourage questions.  Don’t worry if you don’t know the answer.  Make it a learning experience and either look it up or ask someone who knows the answer.  What we can also learn from the thief on the cross next to Jesus, is that every moment of our lives can make a huge difference. This thief changed his eternity by asking a question in the last moments of his life. What can we do today that will make a difference in our lives or the life of someone else?