For God is working in you, giving you the will and the power to live and do what pleases Him (Phil 2:13).

During his final hour on the cross, the thief cried out to Jesus, “Remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42).

It is possible that he had heard Jesus preached.  He had some idea of the Messiah’s kingdom.

Yet looking at Jesus crucified with him, he can’t help but believed that this Man was the Messiah.

He requested that at least, the Messiah could think of him mercifully.

He had come to the end of his life.

His life was spent on stealing and robbing.

Did he think about eternal life?  Surely he did.  Everyone does.

Thank the Lord, he came to salvation at the very last minute of his life.

We think the thief wasted his life.  We think that if he were asked by the Lord, “What have you done for Me?”

He would hang his head in shame and answer, “Nothing, Lord.”

But the thief’s life holds a valuable lesson.

He was saved though he was not baptized, that’s what we teach our people.

God was at work in his life even before the cross.

God determined that he be saved while hanging on the cross.

God was at work in his life all along, using him to teach us that salvation is by His grace, not by baptism.

The Lord is also at work in our lives, whether we encounter success or failure.

Trust in Him.  There is some purpose behind it.  God is at work.

No life is wasted.  Every life is successful when placed in the hands of God.

“He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).

(MT)