April 7

“And he said unto him. Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43

Suppose that this malefactor who was crucified with Christ had lived on after he had believed in the Lord. Suppose he had come down from the cross and lived for several decades more.

Let us further suppose that during those years his work had been ten times more than that of Paul, that his love had grown ten times more than John’s, and that he had brought ten times more people to Christ than Peter did. Would it have made any difference if he had gone to heaven then, rather than on the day on which he was crucified? Would he have been any worthier of his place there after all those years?

All who have tasted the grace of God know that he would not have been one whit worthier than when he entered Paradise on that first day. Qualification for heaven is founded on Christ’s “It is finished.” No one can add anything to his work of redemption.