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REMEMBER ME (LUKE 23:32-43)

REFLECTION
The theme for our reflection is “Remember me” To remember someone means to bear the person in mind or making provision for them. Remember me means have me in mind or make provision for me. The repentant robber who died on the cross with Jesus, prayed to Jesus to make provision for His salvation in His Kingdom. We shall reflect on the fact that when we produce the fruit of repentance and pray for salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be remembered in the His Kingdom.

Friend in the Lord, In the dying moments of the robbers who were crucified on the cross together with Jesus, one produced the fruit of repentance and asked for mercy. Consequently, He was assured salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. “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.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:39-43.

Beloved in the Lord, Jesus proved on the cross that God does not delight in the death of the wicked or sinners, “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11). This is a confirmation that salvation is for the repentant person. Truly, Jesus “…came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10). It is for this reason, He commissioned us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20) . We have been commissioned to preaching the Good News to the world so that the lost and the perishing can turn to Jesus and be assured of His salvation. Just Jesus show compassion to the repentant sinner or robber on the cross, we are not to condemn anyone or give up or ignore anyone, especially, when they yearn for salvation. We must not judge people with their past but be hopeful for their repentance and salvation. Paul wrote that ” I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:22-23). Like the criminal on the cross, there are many lost souls out there who yearn for an opportunity to repent and be saved. We must be ready to embrace and guide them to live the transformed life. We are greatly encouraged by the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 that God is merciful and will always welcome us home when we repent, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17) Paul, who used to persecute Christians later confirmed the fact that Christ is merciful to the repentant sinner when he wrote, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners —of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16).

Dear friends, like the repentant criminal who prayed for mercy and asked Jesus to remember him in His Kingdom, we also have an opportunity to repent, ask forgiveness, have faith in Jesus and be saved today. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) For those of us who have repented and continue to seek for His mercy, Jesus has assured us that “…today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

In summary, we have discovered that when we produce the fruit of repentance and pray for salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, He will graciously remember us in His Kingdom. Shalom.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, grant us a repentant heart so that we may receive the mercy and forgiveness of our Lord Jesus to partakers in His Paradise. Amen.