Hope for Today and Assurance for Tomorrow

Good Friday - the day Jesus was crucified and buried. It’s ironic that such a morbid day filled with death and sorrow for Jesus, his family, and his disciples, we now refer to as “good”. How could an innocent man’s unjust execution be considered good? This very concept is what the thief on the Cross teaches us about this day. On a day when this man faced the same morbid, slow, painful execution, Jesus gave him a word of hope: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” We don’t know the theological nuances behind Jesus’ statement, whether or not the thief would literally be in paradise with Jesus that very day, or if the marker of “today” referred to the turning point for this man’s eternal station. What we do know is that on the same day Jesus died, he declared to another dying man that he would find the hope of salvation. No earning, no working, no proof needed to justify his entrance into paradise other than the simple act of faith of believing in Jesus as the Christ and his coming Kingdom. On this day, Jesus invites us to trust in the sufficiency and finality of his death for us, resting secure knowing that no work of ours can obtain nor undo Jesus’ salvation over us.

PRAYER POINTS
-Take time to pray and trust anew in Jesus’ sufficient work of salvation at the Cross. Pray that your heart would rest in this finished work and not tireless look for its justification before God or the world.
-Pray for the Spirit to convict and convince you of Jesus’ invitation to paradise “today”, regardless of your sin, spiritual maturity, or knowledge.
-Pray that you would have a hope that results from the assurance of this salvation, and that your genuine hope would lead you to eagerly share it with others.