CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 817

“Critical Path”

Luke 23:33-43 (NASB)          When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. … One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

—————————————————————————————-

In project and program management many actions and processes are coordinated to achieve an end result.  Some of these items are considered to be ‘critical path items’.  A critical path item is an activity, decision or result that stands in the way of the next step(s) for successful completion of the program.

Jesus stands in the critical path of your life in this world.  A decision is required of you before you transition from this life into the next.  It is a decision that you cannot avoid making and your choice determines your eternal destiny.

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves me, he must follow me… – John 12:25

You must decide whether to follow Christ or to go your own way.  You must decide to repent of your sin and turn from it or to embrace your sin nature and turn away from Jesus.  You must decide to accept the free gift of salvation and eternal life through Jesus or to reject God’s love for you demonstrated by the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.  There is no middle ground, no neutrality.  Either you accept Jesus’ sacrifice for you or you do not.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23

The two criminals that were crucified an either side of Jesus are an example for each one of us today.  On one hand we can deny Christ and live for this world until the day we die.  On the other hand, like the penitent criminal at Jesus’ right, we can repent of our sins and ask Jesus to forgive us and save us from an eternity in hell separated forever from God. The penitent criminal made his choice at his time of death.  How much better it would have been to have made that choice early in life and to have lived with the blessed assurance of salvation through Jesus.

In Galatians 2:20 Paul writes “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” Through repentance, like Paul we also crucify our old nature with Christ and are born again into a new nature, one where Jesus lives in us, in communion with our spirit.

There were three crosses that day on Golgotha with Jesus stretching His arms out between the two, reaching out to sinful man to bridge the gap between them and Father God.  Will you slap His hand away and reject Him or will you reach out and take His hand and receive His salvation and worship Him?  The choice is yours.