Cheap Sunglasses

Posted by Dion Todd September 29th, 2024 122 Views 3 Comments

One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, "If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Don't you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? Luke 23:39–40 WEB.

Three men were crucified outside Jerusalem on a hill called Golgotha. Which means "Place of a Skull." The Man on the center cross was Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God. A convicted criminal was hanging on His left and another on His right. One of the criminals ridiculed Jesus, while the other began to defend Him. Both of these criminals had been caught, convicted, and crucified together. Yet, there were differences between the two.

One of the criminals had a spark of hope. He saw himself as redeemable, while the other felt it was too late for him. Even though the Son of God was only a few feet away and would have forgiven them both, one of them couldn't see through his pain-filled past. He felt that he was just human trash and not worth saving. That God could never forgive someone like him for all of the things he had done wrong, but he was mistaken.

Each time I was hurt in my life or hurt someone else, I grew a little more calloused. I developed a little thicker shell to protect myself. It became a little more difficult to believe that God cared about me and still loved me. I looked at tomorrow through cheap sunglasses and thought the future would only be more of the past. Bad lenses like that will distort your vision.

What you have done wrong can be forgiven. What you have broken can be repaired. What you have lost can be found. The things you used to dream about can still come to pass in your life. The end of one thing is only the beginning of another. You must realize that whatever you have done, it's not too late. You can have a fresh start. You are the one that makes the difference, and you are the one who has to make a choice.

One thief was saved, while one thief was lost because of their choice. So have hope. God loves you. He still has a plan for your life. Don't let the pain of your past keep you from seeing the open arms of Jesus Christ today. He chose you. Now choose Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please forgive me, a sinner. Without You, I am nothing. Help me put my life back together. Come into my heart and lead me from this day on. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit, guide my steps, and speak to me and through me. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Happy Sunday! For those who would like to join us, today we will be hosting our RHM Live Online church service. This is a special time of interactive worship, prayer, fellowship and an inspiring message. All are welcome! The service starts at 10am EDT. Here is the link to join: RHM Live. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.