When U Pray

“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.’”
— Luke 23:39-42 (NIV)

As Jesus hung on the cross, He was between two men—one mocked Him and demanded He save Himself, while the other understood the profound sacrifice Jesus was making. Where do you stand today? Knowing now that He died and rose again with all power in His hands, do you believe in Him or mock His sacrifice? Will you choose Him?

The man asked the other, “Don’t you fear God?” and I wondered why he asked that. So, I researched scripture about fearing God and discovered what David wrote in Psalms. I realized that fearing God comes with its blessings.

“Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me. I cried out to Him with my mouth; His praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me!”
— Psalms 66:16-20 (NIV)

Do you fear God?

I love the Lord and fear His wrath, but I also understand His character. While we face challenges in this life, they’re not meant to harm us. Let’s be honest—some hardships are the result of choices we made without considering Him. Yet, I truly believe nothing bad lasts forever. Jesus is present in every situation, willing to stand and fight for us.

Choose today whom you will serve; it could change your life.

In Joshua 24, the author highlights how people were not loving and trusting God like the generations He delivered out of Egypt. They heard the stories, but to them, it felt like something that happened to others, not themselves. Now, they were faced with the decision to choose God personally.

“But maybe you don’t want to serve the Lord. You must choose for yourselves today. Today you must decide who you will serve. Will you serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River? Or will you serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land? You must choose for yourselves. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
— Joshua 24:15 (ERV)

I encourage you today to fear the Lord and choose to love Him, lean on Him, depend on Him, trust Him, and allow Him to be your Lord and Savior—like the other man on the cross.

“But encourage each other every day, while you still have something called ‘today.’ Help each other so that none of you will be fooled by sin and become too hard to change.”
— Hebrews 3:13 (ERV)

“The Lord watches over His followers, those who wait for Him to show His faithful love. He saves them from death. He gives them strength when they are hungry. So we will wait for the Lord. He helps us and protects us. He makes us happy. We trust His holy name. Lord, we worship You, so show Your great love for us.”
— Psalms 33:18-22 (ERV)