No One Is Forgotten
Luke 23:39-43 (NIV)
“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.”
Do you ever feel forgotten by Jesus? Sometimes we can feel so insignificant that it’s hard to believe that he remembers us. I know that I sometimes feel like that. The small nature of my prayers compared to the great need in the world can make my prayers feel trivial. Or sometimes, when I consider my actions and how far away they have been from God’s ideal for my life, I can’t see how Jesus can use me for his glory.
I wonder if you ever feel like this? If you do, don’t worry, it’s a question that humans have always asked. Look, for example, at Psalm 8 where the psalmist writes, ‘What is man that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?’ The amazing news of Jesus is that God hasn’t forgotten us; instead, through Jesus, he remembers us.
I’m always encouraged by Jesus’ reply to the robber who hung beside him. While one robber mocked Jesus, the other asked just to be remembered.
Jesus’ reply encourages me because it demonstrates how no one, no matter how far they have turned away from God is forgotten. No one is beyond the love of God. No one is too insignificant, too broken, too far away from God to receive God’s grace.
If you’re feeling as though your prayer today is insignificant, know that Jesus remembers you and cares for the small things as well as the big.
If the actions of your past make you feel discounted from God’s plans, for mission within the church, for witness in your work-place, in your family, in the city, know this: you are remembered and redeemed and being called into his beautiful purposes for your life.
Prayer — Jesus, thank you that you never ever forget me and you have plans for me.