His Last Friday Was His Best

Matthew 27:44

The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.

Luke 23:39-43

39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 

40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 

41 And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 

42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 

43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

His Last Friday Was His Best

by Mark Altrogge

I once visited a man in jail who had wrecked his life with drugs and had stolen money from work. He talked a lot about Jesus and the Bible.  On my way out, one of the guards said to me sarcastically, “Everybody in here believes in Jesus, especially around parole time.”

The two criminals crucified on either side of Jesus had no hope of a lighter sentence. They were goners. Crucifixion ended in only one way – you died. “Getting religion” wouldn’t get you out of that. Initially both robbers were spewing out hatred toward Jesus along with the mocking crowd (Mt. 27:44). But something suddenly happened to one of them. While his life was slowly and painfully draining out of him, Jesus worked a miraculous change in him.

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.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)

How did this happen? Was it hearing Jesus forgive his torturers? Was it seeing “This is the King of the Jews” above Jesus’ head? Was it watching Jesus’ tender care for his mother even while he was racked with pain? Whatever it was, Jesus worked an 11th-hour miracle and did the following things in him:

He realized he was a sinner who needed a Savior. He admitted he deserved what he was getting. “We are receiving the due reward of our deeds.”

He began to fear God. “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?”

He saw Jesus to be perfect. “This man has done nothing wrong.”

He called upon Christ personally. Philip Ryken says that this is the only time in the gospels anyone called him “Jesus.” Usually they called him “Teacher” or “Master.”

He acknowledged Jesus as King and asked him to save him – “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He knew there was a life after this one, an eternal kingdom where Jesus would rule as King.

What a good Friday it turned out to be for him – his last Friday was his best. For Jesus answered him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” It’s being with Jesus that makes heaven paradise. Heaven without Christ wouldn't be heaven. It is “in your presence” that there is fullness of joy. Being with Jesus and seeing his glory is the joy of heaven.

Today, on “Good Friday,” if you’re a believer, join me in praising Jesus for his miraculous power that saved us. He opened our eyes to see we were sinners headed for hell. Showed us that he is the Sinless Savior. Moved us to fear him and call on his name, Jesus. He became our King. On top of all that, we’ll be with him and enjoy him forever. Good Friday is indeed a good day.

And don’t give up praying for family members and friends, for Jesus has saved many in the 11th hour. It’s never too late for Jesus to snatch someone from the jaws of hell. No one’s ever too far gone for his mighty arm to save. I’ve had the privilege of seeing several people over the years come to Christ on their deathbeds, in a large part due to the faithful prayers and witnessing of their family members.

Isn't There Some Misunderstanding?

Today's Devotional comes from "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers

Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”  The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?” ~ John 11:7-8


Isn't There Some Misunderstanding?

’Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples said to Him, ’. . . are You going there again?’ — John 11:7-8

Just because I don’t understand what Jesus Christ says, I have no right to determine that He must be mistaken in what He says. That is a dangerous view, and it is never right to think that my obedience to God’s directive will bring dishonor to Jesus. The only thing that will bring dishonor is not obeying Him. To put my view of His honor ahead of what He is plainly guiding me to do is never right, even though it may come from a real desire to prevent Him from being put to an open shame. I know when the instructions have come from God because of their quiet persistence. But when I begin to weigh the pros and cons, and doubt and debate enter into my mind, I am bringing in an element that is not of God. This will only result in my concluding that His instructions to me were not right. Many of us are faithful to our ideas about Jesus Christ, but how many of us are faithful to Jesus Himself? Faithfulness to Jesus means that I must step out even when and where I can’t see anything (see Matthew 14:29). But faithfulness to my own ideas means that I first clear the way mentally. Faith, however, is not intellectual understanding; faith is a deliberate commitment to the Person of Jesus Christ, even when I can’t see the way ahead.

Are you debating whether you should take a step of faith in Jesus, or whether you should wait until you can clearly see how to do what He has asked? Simply obey Him with unrestrained joy. When He tells you something and you begin to debate, it is because you have a misunderstanding of what honors Him and what doesn't.  Are you faithful to Jesus, or faithful to your ideas about Him? Are you faithful to what He says, or are you trying to compromise His words with thoughts that never came from Him? “Whatever He says to you, do it ” (John 2:5).  His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

Christ Crucified - Sometimes We Too Feel "Left Alone"

Today's Focus Scripture: Mark 15:22-39

Mark 15:22-39
22 Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.
23 They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it.
24 And they crucified Him, and *divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take.
25 It was the third hour when they crucified Him.
26 The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left.
28 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”
29 Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!”
31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself.
32 Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.
33 When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
35 When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.”
36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.”
37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last.
38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
39 When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

The Lamb - Sinless Offering - Feast Of Unleavened Bread - Passover/Easter

Today's Focus Scripture: Exodus 12:5-17

Exodus 12:5-17

5 Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight.
7 Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
8 They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails.
10 And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire.
11 Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover.
12 For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord.
13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.
15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
16 On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you.
17 You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance.

But God ...

Today's Focus is on the Daily eVotional from David McGee - "CROSS THE BRIDGE"

(Note: the verses used here are in context at the end of this post)

Romans 5:8
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Ephesians 2:4-5
"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),"

Two of the most important words in the entire Bible are "But God." You and I were dead in our sins and trespasses... but God. Johnny was an alcoholic and Jane was a heroin addict... but God. The world needs to hear these words... but God. When I see both local and world news, it becomes more and more evident that this world is a mess... but God.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

We have to step out of our comfort zones and tell people one on one about Jesus. We have to get Bibles into the hands of those who don't have them or who have never even seen one. We have to show the love of Jesus by bringing the Good News to those who have lost hope, to those who are living in the mess that has been made of this world. What mess have you made? God is in the business of fixing messes. God will break through the situation if you'll allow Him. Maybe you know this. Too often we keep this to ourselves when we should be telling others.

Life Lesson: But God...

Scriptures used in this devotional within context:

Romans 5:6-9
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

Ephesians 2:1-9
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

1 Timothy 2:1-6
1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

God Will Pour Out His Favor Upon You - Help In A Time Of Living Godly

Today's Focus Scripture: Daniel 1:8-21

Daniel 1:8-21
8 But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.
9 Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials,
10 and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.”
11 But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah,
12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13 Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”
14 So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food.
16 So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables.
17 As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.
18 Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar.
19 The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s personal service.
20 As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.
21 And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king.

LAGNIAPPE:

Five Steps to Peace in a Really Bad Situation

Paul Dean

How do you get peace in a really bad situation? You may be in the fight of your life financially and about to lose your home. It may be that you've been diagnosed with lung cancer as my father-in-law was. It may be that your marriage is falling apart. You fill in the blank. We're either headed into a crisis, in the midst of one, or coming out of one. Now, coming out of one is great. We can see what God was up to in part, and we get a measure of peace from that. But how can we get peace if we're headed into or in the midst of a crisis? God tells us how to do just that in Phil. 4:4-9.

The first thing you have to do is focus on God instead of your situation. That's easier said than done, but that's what Paul means when he says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice" (v. 4). He's not saying that we're happy about what we're going through; he's not even saying to rejoice in our difficulties. He's saying rejoice in the Lord, and that's something altogether different.
Biblical joy is the knowledge that God is in control of your circumstances and allows only that which is good for you into your life (Rom. 8:28). That's why James says to consider it joy when a trial comes your way (Jas. 1:2). It's not that the trial brings joy; it's what God is doing for us through the trial; His good work is coming into our lives. Because we know that, we consider the trial joy; we rest in the Lord. In essence, we worship Him. That's what Job did when he lost his possessions and his family; he said, "Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21).
The morning my father died was sad; not only were we very close, but it pained me to see my mother suffer as well. At the same time, we knew that God was involved in every detail and was doing a good thing in our lives through our hurt. As we focused on that, we were able to worship, find joy, and tell others about the goodness of God and the good times we had with my dad. A couple of deacons from the church arrived within an hour of his passing. As they came into the room, we were laughing about some story as we'd been reminiscing, and one of them made the comment, "Somehow I knew there would be joy in this house today." Again, it's not that we were happy about my father's death. But we forced ourselves to focus on God and in so doing we found joy.

But that's only the beginning; we can't stop there because Satan and the flesh have a way of coming back to bite us. From our focus on God, we have to literally engage in serving others. Paul says, "Let your gentleness be known to all men; the Lord is at hand" (v. 5). As you rejoice in God, that should move you to then focus on others. Let your gentleness, kindness, patience, and heart be known to others. How can you do that? Paul says the Lord is at hand; God is near and will help you.
And it's not just that God wants you to serve others in the midst of your trouble. It's that He knows our weakness. Our tendency will be to focus on ourselves and spiral down into despair. But if we focus on others, we'll be distracted and not have time to spiral down. More than that, we'll derive a certain joy in serving others before the Lord.
The morning my father died, a man's car broke down in front of our house. He was taking his daughter to school, and the car just quit on him. I saw him, went out to help, and gave them a lift to school so the little girl wouldn't be late. The man and I came back to check on the car. While we were doing that, I remember looking over as the funeral home folks were carrying my father out of the house and thinking, "That's just like the Lord to be kind enough to get my focus on someone else. Thank you Lord."

Now, that's well and good. But what happens when we're alone or when it's time to go to bed? We have to give our trouble to God through prayer. I remember tossing and turning one night as my mom was to have open heart surgery the next day. I couldn't get any peace. I did remember God's Word though: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (v. 6). Well, that's what I was doing; I was praying over and over again but I still couldn't get any peace or sleep! And then I realized; I was praying like the pagans do (Matt. 6:7-8). I was worried if I didn't say just the right thing, mention every possible problem, or pray with just the right attitude, that God wouldn't hear my prayers. When I realized what I was doing, I simply gave it to the Lord. That's why He says to pray; He means for us to tell Him what's burdening our hearts and give it to Him so we can rest. He gives us permission (and commands us even) to stop thinking about our problems and let Him deal with them. When we do that, He gives us the peace. When I did that, I went right to sleep. If we pray and leave our burden with God, "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (v. 7). God's peace, like a Roman soldier, will guard our hearts and minds so that no troubling thing plagues us.
It doesn't work! That's what we say when we're filled with worry, fear, or despair. The truth is we can't take any one of these things without the other. Each of the things we're talking about forms a whole. God is telling us what to do in the midst of a troubling state of affairs. He's telling us to focus on Him and others; to think about Him, to pray to Him, and to think about Him again. It's not enough to pray. Once we pray, Paul says we're to force ourselves to think about the things of God and not what's bothering us. It's not easy; that's why it's called a battle. But the way we fight is to change what we're thinking about.
You might say certain thoughts plague you because you're in a longterm dilemma that seems never ending. Yes, but you don't have to dwell on the difficulties. Reorient the focus of your thoughts. Paul says, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things" (v. 8).
Take it one step further. The more you meditate on the things of God, as Paul says, the more you'll know God and His ways. You'll know that He is indeed working these things for good in your life. You know that "the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11).

But there's one more thing. You've moved your focus from your troubles to God and others. Paul says now to make sure you keep doing that. Keep doing the things God has told you to do. "The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you" (v. 9). If you do what God is teaching you to do, you'll have peace. And don't overlook the nuance of what Paul says here. Earlier, he said that the peace of God will guard your heart. That's true; that's what we want. But here he says the God of peace will be with you. That's even better! You get peace because you have the God of peace walking with you through the fire.
Jesus was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and He'll be with you in your fiery furnace as well (Dan. 3:25). They were at peace even though they didn't know whether God would actually keep them alive or not (Dan. 3:17-18). All they knew was that God was with them and would see them through one way or the other. And that's what you need to realize; God is with you and will see you through one way or the other. And that's not resignation or defeatist. That's confidence. God has a plan for you and it's good. You walk with Him because He's walking with you. That's how you get peace in a really bad situation.


Dr. Paul Dean invites you to discover more about yourself, God, and others . . . and develop a Christian worldview. Dr. Dean is a pastor, cultural commentator, and author. Receive a FREE commentary and learn more at www.trueworldview.com.

Giving Is Personal, It Is Not Business, But Rather Giving Is A Blessing

Today's Focus Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8

2 Corinthians 8:1-13

1 Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,
2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.
3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord,
4 begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,
5 and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.
6 So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well.
7 But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also.
8 I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
10 I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it.
11 But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability.
12 For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
13 For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality