Day 2: The Utterance of Hope

"Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise."

Luke 23:43

Have you ever felt like you are too far gone for forgiveness or change? Maybe you find yourself struggling with a recurrent sin, even after you committed yourself to repentance time and time again. Or maybe you started the year determined to grow spiritually. Now, nearly four months into the year, you find yourself in the same rut—you wonder if you’ve even grown at all. Or perhaps you desperately desire to help others become disciples of Jesus, but for all your efforts, there still are no new, faithful followers.

Is there still hope for you? Have your chances run out?

Next to Jesus hung two criminals. One mocked Him. The other recognized His kingship. This second man, in his final, desperate moments, simply asked, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42). His words are a powerful reminder that it is never too late to turn to Jesus.

Lamentations 3:22-23 says that God’s mercies “never come to an end; they are new every morning…” Imagine waking up each morning with a clean slate. Each “today” provides us with the opportunity to change…the opportunity to choose Jesus’ way over our own way.

So, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts…”

Hebrews 3:7-8a

Each “today” is a new day. Each “today” gives us a chance to hear God’s voice. We hear His voice when we read His word, and it’s what we do from that point that makes the difference for that day. When we are face-to-face with God’s word, we can either choose to harden our hearts like the first thief or allow His word to sink into our hearts and change us like the second thief.

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a
sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
But encourage one another daily,
as long as it is called “Today,”
so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
We have come to share in Christ,
if indeed we hold our original conviction
firmly to the very end. As has just been said:

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion.”

Hebrews 3:12-15

Besides His word, God gives us a spiritual family to help us each day so that our hearts do not harden. When “today” comes and we are the ones who are struggling, there are others who can encourage us with hope. Then, on those “todays” when we are the ones who are filled with faith, we can encourage others.

Jesus’ words to the thief remind us that there is always hope as long as there is a “today.”

For Reflection

The word “today” offers immense comfort and security. Our lives are often filled with anxiety about the future and regret about the past. Jesus cuts through all the doubt with a clear, concise promise: Today you will be with me. His assurance is built on His finished work, not on our fluctuating performance. As you pray today, try to focus your thoughts on the present moment. Let us thank God for the hope that each “today” brings.