Devotionals
Luke 23:
32Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals--one on his right, the other on his left. 34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."
36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."
38There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
I believe deeply that nothing just happened by chance when it comes to the crucifixion of Christ. The hand of God orchestrated this entire event. The scene unfolded according to His plan by His hand.
With that in mind, have you ever considered the fact that there were three crosses involved in the crucifixion of Jesus? Jesus could have been hung alone, all by himself. Or perhaps they could have crucified him with three, four or more others. By chance, he could have found himself with one other criminal.
But none of these things are recorded. We find only three crosses. I believe there is good reason God chose three.
The picture we find in Luke tells us that Jesus was hung in the middle, between the two criminals. Both criminals share some things in common. They both are lawbreakers. They both are being justly punished. They both deserve what they are receiving. And they both are about to die.
However, there is also a difference between the two criminals. One criminal makes a choice to die in his sins. The other chooses to reach out to the Son of God and seek what no other man can offer – entrance into the eternal Kingdom.
I believe the picture of the three crosses is God’s way of painting us a picture of humanity. In the center is the decision – Jesus. On each side of him are two men, each making their own choice. Once chooses life with Christ. The other chooses death without Jesus.
Notice that there are only two choices. Again, there were not five or six choices surrounding Jesus – only two. We either accept Christ or we deny Him. There were no other options, no other saviors, no other answers.
God gives us one important choice – accept or deny.
There are many things that God has not allowed you and I to choose. We cannot choose our parents. We cannot choose where we are born. We cannot choose our skin color, our looks, our size or our height. We cannot choose our intelligence. These are simply things that God has decided for us without our consent.
However, while we may think these things important, imagine if you will that God allowed us all these choices but denied us the choice to follow Christ?
You see, the choice God has given us to choose Him is an incredible, unbelievable act of love. All things I just listed will pass away, but our choice to follow Christ is eternal.
And while there are many things God does not allow us to choose, there is a plethora of things that God has allowed. God allows us to make bad decisions every day of our life. Yet with all the bad decisions I’ve made in my life and the ones I’ll make today and tomorrow, there still remains the one decision that overrides them all – the decision to follow Christ.
Keep in mind the picture of the three crosses. Every time you see this picture, remember the choices represented on each side of Jesus.
Every man and woman that passes through life dies on one of the two crosses. We are all condemned because none of us has ever lived up to the law- the law of God. Yet God still allows us to choose which cross we desire to bare.
I pray your choice is to follow Christ. The gift of that choice is our only hope.
Choose Jesus.
Your Servant,
Randy Hunt
2TIM 1:7
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 1584 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Randy Hunt or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 1584 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.