IT MATTERS HOW YOU FINISH By: Bobby Quitain His lungs are tight. His chest is heavy. Choking, he manages to gaze at the man hanging limply on the other tree. Despite the increasing loss of oxygen, his thoughts began to wander animatedly to his past --- his shameful past. It all started with just a piece of bread. He stole not because he was bad. He stole because he was hungry. Then another day of hunger led him to do it again. Then there was that time when his wife was sick. They needed the money --- badly. He couldnt just let her die. Despair led him to steal again. Then what was done on occasion became a habit. For some reason, he got better at justifying what he knew, in his heart, was wrong. Little thefts became bigger as the years went by. It has become a trade, a profession he was not necessarily proud of. But it brought food on the table and clothing for their bodies. So there you go again. Wrongdoing made right with justification on the basis of practicality. Then came the arrest. The verdict. Now the cross. Yet today is a different day. Staring not only at death but more importantly at the badly beaten man beside him, his gut tells him that things could still be turned around. That this doesnt have to end in defeat. That before he breathes his last, he can still make things right. Gasping, he managed to say, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. (Luke 23:42) And He said to him, Truly I say to you today you shall be with Me in Paradise... (Luke 23:42) At that moment, his bus to hell made a quick u-turn towards heaven. Love prevailed. Mercy overflowed. A lifetime of crime was erased by a moment of grace. My friend, what Jesus did for the thief, He can do for you. Its never too late to turn to Jesus. He is the LAST MINUTE GOD who comes crashing into your life when you need Him the most and hands over to you a one-way ticket to eternal bliss. That is if you choose to turn to Him. On the contrary, there are those who (mis)use this account in scriptures to justify a lifetime of sin by saying that they can repent at the last minute, anyway. True. But risky. You see, no one knows when you are going to breathe your last. Aneurism has no symptoms. Car accidents have no warning. A stroke can come when you least expect it. While Jesus is the LAST MINUTE GOD, we ought to be LAST MINUTE PEOPLE living every day of our lives as if its our last. Otherwise, unlike the thief, we might simply miss the bus. It matters how you finish, yes. Unfortunately, no one, not even you, know when you are about to.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 23:13:31 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015