Inspirational

In the Final Hour

Posted on by Marla
The baby was born in a lowly state
To a beggar who begged by the city gate…
Too much for her to take
She abandoned the child and left him in a gutter.
The clan of the out-casts, at least had a clue
They took the babe and raised him to loot
Now he was on his own…
Dirty hands and dirty feet, torn ragged clothes
He was a thief…
Life had not been fair…
Caught and now hanging on a criminal’s tree
No way now, he would never be free…
His fate was set as he hung beside two others…
This is how his life would end…
He was lost, now paying for his sin…
He lashed out with bitterness and hatred at the men…
The man in the middle spoke not a word
But the man on his left shouted and squirmed…
“If you be this king of the Jews then save yourself and us too…”
So he shouted back, “You shut your mouth, don’t you fear God?
He’s done nothing to deserve this kind of death…but you and I deserve what we get…”
Then he called on Jesus name…
Jesus, he said, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
Jesus answered him and said, In all honesty, I tell you, today, you will be with me in paradise.
He was a thief but he recognized Messiah…
Seeing his life pass before him that day, no mother to cry, no father to protest, this was the thief’s final request…
He would no longer run in the streets, stealing just to survive…
His life would not be in vain…
“You think you can steal paradise by asking Him to give you life?”…the man on his left shouted and cried… “Oh wouldn’t that be nice!” He lied.
The humbled man calmly replied…you can’t steal what has no price…
He called on Jesus and his heart was changed…
Paradise would be his final domain…
All because Jesus came!
No longer a thief he’s been redeemed.
~Marla Shaw O’Neill December 31, 2017
Luke 23:35-43 New International Version (NIV)
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the Jews.
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? 41 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.”
Marla
I love the Lord Jesus Christ and am passionate about writing. I hope you enjoy the blog and come to visit often. Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2: 2-4

2 Comments

  1. Marla, I love this! It’s one of my favorite bible stories, and your poem touched me heart. I FEEL your passion for Jesus in your writing. I have it too, so I understand! Beautiful! 💙 I’d like to post this on The Silver Lining soon, if you’d like. I can share as is, do a guest spot, where I add a photo of you and a few sentences as a bio. Happy New Year! God bless you, in Jesus name!✝️ Message me when you get s chance, ok? Personally or at http://www.facebook.com/angelaslittleattic; The Silver Lining ministry page. We need to write poetry books! 💕

    1. Thank you so much and by all means share it. I pray and write that what I write will be a praise and a glory for the Lord. You have no idea how much this means to me at this moment. You have really encouraged my heart. I’ll message you too. You are a blessing! xo

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