July 6 Do We Deserve Mercy? Luke 23:43
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
The courtroom events had occurred, the sentence had been declared, and the Roman soldiers were leading Jesus to Golgotha, and they nailed Him to that rugged and despicable cross and placed our Lord between two common criminals. One of the criminals seemed to take pleasure in mocking our Jesus when he sarcastically soke to Jesus… “If you are the Christ, save yourself and save us!” The other criminal had a completely different statement! He said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom!” Wow! What an example of humanity and our reaction to the Love of God! One mocked Him and had an attitude of rejection, and the other one was contrite and humbled and believed that Jesus was the Savior! The words of our Savior should give us hope! The answer to this thief is an indication of our great hope! “Today you will be with Me in Paradise!” Did this criminal deserve any mercy? Absolutely Not, however, NO ONE DOES!! God’s Word tells us that we are all sinful and that none of us are worthy. God loved us enough that He was willing to send His Only Son to die for us and to take our sins upon His being and take them to that cross and to shed His Blood for the remission of OUR sins. Listen, our Salvation is not based on our merit or our worthiness, it is entirely and completely a gift from God. His Grace and Mercy is provided to us, freely, because of His Great Love for Us! God’s Love, manifested in His Forgiveness and Mercy, is our, for the asking! Folks, just like the criminal that was hanging there on Golgotha, right beside of our Savior, we have the promise of His Mercy and His Grace, that one day, one day very soon, we will be with Him in Heaven! I, for one, am grateful for this promise and I am anticipating the day when I am in His presence. Thank you, God for loving me, even when I am unlovable! Stay Strong, Stay Focused…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!