In recent days and weeks my thoughts have been on Psalms 32, psalm of David. This is what it says in the Bible,
1 Oh, what joy for those
whose rebellion is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those
whose record the LORD has cleared of sin,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
I was weak and miserable,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night your hand of discipline
was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water
in the summer heat. Interlude
5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude
6 Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you while there is still time,
that they may not drown in the flood waters of judgment.
7 For you are my hiding place;
you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude
8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”
10 Many sorrows come to the wicked,
but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.
11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!
As I read verses one and two, "Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!," the two thieves who were crucified one on the left and the other on the right of Christ came to mind, specifically the one whose sins were pardoned by Christ before his death. We often categorize people and draw boxes around them. We then decide with whom to associate and whom to keep away. But, every single human being is God's child. The thieves on the cross were someones' sons. They had a father and a mother. May be they had wives and children. But they were thieves in the eyes of everyone, including themselves. Their punishments were for their deeds. They died as thieves deserving the punishment for their deeds. Every single person who knew them knew them for who they were - THIEVES - and as they hung on the crosses, if one was to ask if they stood a chance to go to heaven, the answer would be an emphatic NO! None whatsoever would be the answer.
Yet, one of the thieves who confessed himself to the LORD on the cross, received pardon and his soul had the good fortune to spend eternity in paradise with the Son of God - Christ. The other thief never took responsibility for his actions, probably blamed society for the person he had become, never felt sorry for what he had done, and mocked Jesus on the cross. His afterlife does not get a mention in the Bible. (Luke 23:39-43)
In my previous blog about Manasseh, the most evil king of Judah, a descendant of David, who committed the most heinous acts against God and man, that included sacrificing his own sons to Baal, killing the prophets of God, while in his own punishment from God, when he repented, humbled himself before God and called out to the God of his ancestors - Jehovah, the Bible says that God was moved by his plea and restored him to this throne. Psalms 32 was written by Manasseh's forefather - David, who had first hand experience of God's just punishment and mercy on those who truly repent and call on God for forgiveness. This Psalm could very well have been written by Manasseh or the thief on the cross. Their experience with the God Jehovah paralleled David's experience.
Look my friend, there is no one whose life is unsalvageable, who is unrepairable, who is beyond God's saving grace. Until your breathing stops, and you have not lost your faculties, you have an opportunity to turn from your sins. If you acknowledge Jesus Christ as the son of God and believe in his death and resurrection, repent of your sins, confess them to Jesus, you will have a full pardon and the promise of salvation and an eternal life with God. In the world's eyes as the thieves on the cross you may never regain what's been lost, but in the eyes of God you will be made a just man, a just woman.
A repentant Manasseh was not able to turn all the people of Judah back to God, but he was able to secure his salvation. David writes in verse six, "Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you while there is time, that they may not drown in the flood waters of judgement." Manasseh in his humbling experience of defeat, resulting exile and imprisonment realized the grave errors of his ways and repented, humbled himself before God and prayed to the God of his father and forefathers for forgiveness. The repentant thief on the cross was not able to change the opinion of his self in the society that knew him, but he was able to change the course of his afterlife and secure a place in Paradise. And today, his life and its final events impact us by giving us the assurance of God's mercy and forgiving love for every single man, woman and child and give us the hope of salvation we have in Jesus.
When you commit yourself to God, your future will be secure in God, as David writes in verse eight of the Psalms, "The LORD says, "I will guide you [whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight] along the the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." So "do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and a bridle to keep it under control." Rather make the freewill choice when the opportunity exists! May God bless you and keep you!!
In my previous blog about Manasseh, the most evil king of Judah, a descendant of David, who committed the most heinous acts against God and man, that included sacrificing his own sons to Baal, killing the prophets of God, while in his own punishment from God, when he repented, humbled himself before God and called out to the God of his ancestors - Jehovah, the Bible says that God was moved by his plea and restored him to this throne. Psalms 32 was written by Manasseh's forefather - David, who had first hand experience of God's just punishment and mercy on those who truly repent and call on God for forgiveness. This Psalm could very well have been written by Manasseh or the thief on the cross. Their experience with the God Jehovah paralleled David's experience.
Look my friend, there is no one whose life is unsalvageable, who is unrepairable, who is beyond God's saving grace. Until your breathing stops, and you have not lost your faculties, you have an opportunity to turn from your sins. If you acknowledge Jesus Christ as the son of God and believe in his death and resurrection, repent of your sins, confess them to Jesus, you will have a full pardon and the promise of salvation and an eternal life with God. In the world's eyes as the thieves on the cross you may never regain what's been lost, but in the eyes of God you will be made a just man, a just woman.
A repentant Manasseh was not able to turn all the people of Judah back to God, but he was able to secure his salvation. David writes in verse six, "Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you while there is time, that they may not drown in the flood waters of judgement." Manasseh in his humbling experience of defeat, resulting exile and imprisonment realized the grave errors of his ways and repented, humbled himself before God and prayed to the God of his father and forefathers for forgiveness. The repentant thief on the cross was not able to change the opinion of his self in the society that knew him, but he was able to change the course of his afterlife and secure a place in Paradise. And today, his life and its final events impact us by giving us the assurance of God's mercy and forgiving love for every single man, woman and child and give us the hope of salvation we have in Jesus.
When you commit yourself to God, your future will be secure in God, as David writes in verse eight of the Psalms, "The LORD says, "I will guide you [whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight] along the the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." So "do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and a bridle to keep it under control." Rather make the freewill choice when the opportunity exists! May God bless you and keep you!!
