Today You Will Be With Me
Month 11: The Cross & the Empty Tomb · Heart Matters
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 23:39-43
39 One of the criminals who hung there heaped abuse on Him. “Are You not the Christ?” he said. “Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other one rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same judgment? 41 We are punished justly, for we are receiving what our actions deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Memory Verse
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”— John 3:16 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Acts 16-18
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Paul's gospel reaches Philippi, Athens, and Corinth — and a jailer's whole family is saved.)The Heart of It
On either side of Jesus hung a criminal. They were guilty men, condemned to die for real crimes. One of them joined the crowd in mocking Jesus. "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us!" But the other one had been watching. Somewhere in those dark hours, his heart changed. He rebuked the first man. "Do you not even fear God?… we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong" (). He owned his guilt honestly. He saw that Jesus was innocent. Then he turned with the simplest, humblest prayer in all the Bible. "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (v. 42). And Jesus answered him instantly. "Today you will be with Me in Paradise" (v. 43).
This is the gospel in one hour. Here was a man with no time left to clean up his life. He had no good deeds to offer, no baptism, no church record, no second chance to do better. All he had was a heart that turned to Jesus and trusted Him. And that was enough, because the One he trusted was paying for sin right beside him. This is what means by "whoever believes." It is never too late. No one is too far gone to come to Jesus. But notice this too. The difference between the two thieves was not their sin. Both were guilty. It was their response. Both heard the same Jesus. One mocked, and one believed. We each get to choose how we answer Him. The dying thief shows us that the door of mercy is wide open to anyone who will simply turn and trust.
Around the Table
A man on a cross next to Jesus said, "Jesus, remember me!" And Jesus said, "Today you'll be with Me in heaven!" Jesus is never too busy or too far away to help anyone who asks.
Let's do it: Say a tiny prayer like his: "Jesus, remember me. I want to be with You!"
The thief had no time to be good or fix his life. He just trusted Jesus. That's all it took, because Jesus was paying for his sin right there.
Let's talk: Why do you think the second thief believed while the first one only mocked? What was different in their hearts?
Two men, same sin, same Savior beside them. But they had opposite responses. Salvation isn't earned by good deeds we run out of time to do. It's received by a real turning of faith to Christ.
Let's go deeper: The thief couldn't be baptized or do a single good work before he died. What does that teach us about how a person is really saved?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you only had one short sentence to say to Jesus, what would you say? The thief said, "Remember me," and it changed everything.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Some claim you must earn your way to heaven by piling up enough good deeds. But the dying thief had zero time for good works. He simply trusted Christ, and he was promised Paradise that very day (). Salvation comes by grace, received through genuine faith. It is not a balance sheet of deeds ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
The thief on the cross is a precious test case for clear thinking about salvation. He guards us against two opposite errors. On one side, he refutes any idea that we earn heaven by piling up good works. He had none. On the other side, he shows that saving faith is never merely passive knowledge. He feared God. He confessed his guilt. He defended Christ's innocence. And he entrusted himself to Jesus as King. That is a real, active, responding faith. It is exactly the "whoever believes" of . As a father, hold both truths for your kids. We contribute nothing to the payment, because Christ did it all. Yet we must genuinely respond in repentance and trust, because grace can be received or refused. And take heart for your hardest prayers, for a wandering relative or a friend who seems beyond reach. If a dying criminal could come home in his final hour, no one you love is past the reach of grace while breath remains.
Draws on: John Wesley, Sermons (on free grace and saving faith).
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that no one is ever too far gone to come to Jesus. The thief simply trusted You, and You welcomed him home. Give each of us a heart that turns to Jesus today. And help us pray with hope for everyone we love who hasn't come to You yet. In Jesus' name, amen."
It's never too late to turn to Jesus. A simple, trusting "remember me" is enough.