“Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, that today you will be with Me in paradise.'”

Luke 23:43

Jesus said, “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). When you think about it, this must have been the most difficult day for our Lord Jesus. His disciples abandoned Him, His country rejected Him, the religious leaders sentenced Him to death, the executioners tortured Him and finally they crucified Him. That day many voices rose up to insult Him. However, the only voice that really made the difference was that of a criminal who was on a cross at Jesus’ side. He said, “Remember me when you return to your kingdom.”

This thief was not there to hear Jesus say these words, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will never be hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty again.” (John 6:36). Yet this man recognized that Jesus had something completely different to any other person. He knew that Jesus had been wrongly accused because of man’s jealousy, and that the words written above the cross were about Him. The sign said, “Jesus, the king of the Jews.” He asked for the king’s favor, that he would not be forgotten when He had taken His place in heaven. Jesus’ immediate response was, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” Through this declaration we can understand that God is calling every person to draw closer to Him, surrendering the heart completely in order to serve Him: “Son, from this day forward, you will be in my purpose and plans.” Being in the purpose of God mean we remain at the center of His will and enter into paradise.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
They had all gathered against their own brother, because “they felt he was too pretentious and proud. They felt like he was taking advantage of the fact that he was their father’s favorite son. Every time they saw him they wanted to get rid of him. Finally one of them had an idea and shared it with the rest, “Why don’t we try and kill him.” They thought that this was the best solution. But one of the brothers stepped in, suggesting that it would be better to sell him as a slave; and although there was some disagreement, the brothers chose the second option. As the years passed this slave rose to become the most important person of the nation he was in, so that nothing was done in the entire country without his approval. One day, his own brothers, who had sold him as a slave, went to ask for help without realizing from whom they were asking for help. Yet he chose not to take revenge; instead, he extended mercy to them, because in spite of everything they were still his brothers. Joseph was able to forgive each one of them, despite the severity of what they had done to him. The love of Jesus surpasses all others, He accepts us without looking at our past, and he does it motivated only by compassion. Any person can enjoy an intimate relationship with the Savior because of His forgiveness; everyone who comes to Jesus is transformed by Him.

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“God saw me with compassion, His grace saved me, and His love restored me.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume One.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

• Old Testament: Genesis 49; Psalms 22:12-31
• New Testament: Matthew 9:27-38; Acts 14