Remember Me, Lord!Ihe Atụ

My Forgiveness

Think back on a time when you blew it. I mean really, really blew it. You needed forgiveness but weren’t sure if you’d get it.

Today’s story is about forgiveness. It takes place on a hill called Golgotha right outside the city limits of Jerusalem. Jesus was hanging by nails on a cross, right in the middle of two criminals.

As he hung there dying, spectators on the ground yelled insults challenging him to save Himself since He proclaimed to be the Son of God. The guys on the left and right of Him both joined in on the insults. But Jesus heard their horrible things and said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And that’s when I think something changed in one of the criminals hanging next to Him.

This guy had an up-close view of Jesus and how He handled those who hated Him. Jesus didn’t fight back, although He could have called in a legion of angels to save Him. He didn’t yell at them, although many of us would defend ourselves. He simply forgave them. So as this criminal watched Jesus closely, his hardened heart softened a bit, and he wanted that forgiveness too.

“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”

Luke 23: 39 – 42

This is a man that just hours and possibly minutes before was being cruel to Jesus. Now look at Jesus’ response to him:

“Jesus answered him, Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Luke 23:43

Jesus forgave that man, even in his last hour of life. Why? Because that man truly was repentant and believed Jesus was the Savior of the world. He wanted to be there in Heaven with Jesus, but probably felt he didn’t deserve it.

Jesus gives you that same open invitation. No matter what you’ve done in life, there is no sin too great that Jesus will not forgive. It’s not too late for you. The door is always open. Have you asked him to forgive you of your sins yet? Have you said, “Remember me, Lord!”

Questions:

1. Have you ever been forgiven of something when you knew you didn’t deserve it?

2. Is there someone that you need to forgive today? What can you learn from Jesus’ example?

3. Have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and be your Savior?

If you haven’t asked Jesus to be the Lord of your life and to forgive your sins, we want to invite you to do that now. Pray this prayer out loud:

“Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. I trust you as my Lord and Savior. Please help me to daily surrender to your will. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you prayed that prayer, please let us know! We’d love to hear from you! We have an amazing prayer team at HealingStrong that prays for each prayer request. Please email us at: prayerrequest@healingstrong.org

Remember Me, Lord! was written by Cheryl Collins, a volunteer with HealingStrong. HealingStrong is a non-profit organization of community groups designed to help those battling cancer and other diseases to rebuild the body, restore the soul, and refresh the spirit. We’re here to walk with you on any healing journey! Find us online at Healingstrong.org.

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