“You will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43
This is the promise of the Savior to every person who places their trust in Him. So turn to Him, ask of Him, and take Him at His word.
Trusting Jesus will involve trusting Him in three very challenging circumstances:
- Trusting Jesus in the darkness
Immediately after the thief trusted Jesus, “there was darkness over the whole land” (23:44). This darkness came in the middle of the day and it lasted for three hours.
Put yourself in the shoes of the thief. You have just trusted your hope of heaven to Jesus. Then you are plunged into darkness, and you hear Jesus crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). The thief must have wondered, What in the world is going on?
There may be times in your life when you experience great darkness. Don’t be surprised by this. You can depend on the promise of Jesus as surely in the darkness as you can in the light. - Trusting Jesus in your pain
The pain of crucifixion got worse by the hour, as wounds in the hands and feet widened, and as fever raged through the body. So, the thief experienced more physical pain after he trusted Jesus than he did before.
Anyone who suggests that trusting in Jesus will lead to a pain-free life has not yet come to terms with what the Bible teaches. You will have to trust Jesus in the darkness, and there may be times when you have to trust Him in pain. - Trusting Jesus at your death
You will also have to trust Jesus, as the thief did, when the moment of death comes for you. The way to die is the way to live. Forget what you have done or failed to do for Jesus and trust wholly in what Jesus has done on the cross for you.
Is there anything keeping you from trusting in Jesus today?
