30 Jan The Gospel in a Nutshell
When I think of the thief on the cross or the Gospel as a whole I can’t help but feel a wave of emotion. Let’s reflect on the scripture in Luke chapter 23: 39-43 (ESV):
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
But the other rebuked him saying, “Do you not fear God since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds but this man has done nothing wrong.”
“Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you today you will be with me in paradise.”
To me this is the simplest example of the Gospel seen in the Bible but it’s so profound! Where the thief had experienced true repentance or remorse with a change of heart.
The thief was physically incapable of doing any good works, he did not know the scriptures nor was he baptised but he put all his faith in Christ and ultimately, he made it!
When we don’t share the Gospel with others and meditate on it for ourselves, we will start to rely on our judgments and our own experiences. Sometimes we will be running only on emotions — and coffee! — lacking proper wisdom. Which is when we begin to stumble, right?
Isn’t the Gospel just beautiful? If the thief on the cross can be saved, then so can we, knowing that God loves each of us a lot. Our good works or failures, even those doubts of being worthy, don’t map our road to heaven. Only He can save us.
Practical Repentance
Biblical repentance calls for us to turn to God and to follow Him in a new direction. Romans 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may decide what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”. This means we must turn away from our sinful nature which might affect our attitudes, our reactions, the words we speak, and our emotions towards others. The best advice my pastor always tells me is “Feel what you feel because God made those emotions in us but do not let those emotions make you sinful.”
It’s good to remember that this isn’t a one-time thing but something we do regularly in our Christian walk on earth. It is hard I know but that’s why we need to help each other not to stray and lose faith but to hold onto our relationships with God.
All of us have daily struggles with a focus shift on the world rather than Jesus and we tend to forget how easy it is to fall back into our old ways because it’s easier and more comfortable but believe me once we realize we are doing it remorse and guilt set in – I’ve felt this way many times.
We find ourselves lonely and stumbling desperately constantly praying trying to become closer to God and asking for forgiveness. This hurdle is something all of us have gone through on countless occasions and none of us are alone but how comforting is it to know that by our heavenly Father’s grace and love, he will always welcome us back with open arms. This is the warmest embrace you could ever feel in this world!
Take the time daily during your devotions to remember what Jesus did for you on the cross, and never stop putting all your trust in Him because he who began a good work in you will see it through till the end (Philippians 1:6).
My prayer for you, my wonderfully and fearfully made sister, is that you never lose sight of the Lord or feel as if you are drifting through the wind with no direction. May you always strive to become more Christ-like.
May our heavenly Father always guide you in all that you do.
Amen!
I’m a volunteer blogger. Welcome to my blog posts! May my writings be an inspiration to you and an aid to get you into a biblical mindset: “It’s never me but God!”
Let us grow together!
~Col 2:6-8
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