Luke 23:43  Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.

Blink your eyes. That went quickly, didn't it. Did the darkness during the blink bother you? I doubt it. "What darkness?" you might ask.

As children of God, His very own, redeemed by Christ Jesus, we are never away from Him. He is always with us. In Him there is no darkness at all. We can be in one of two places: earth or heaven. There is no "in between" with God. There is no waiting period at death to enter heaven. The transfer is immediate.

Jesus' assuring words to the thief on the cross are His words to every Christian staring death in the face: truth, today, paradise. The psalmist writes, "When I awake I am still with You" (Psalm 139:18). So it will be with us.

When Jesus ascended into heaven He said, "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). Each day He assures us, "Today I am with you," until finally one day He will tell us, "Today you are with Me in paradise." As Christians, we live a blink away from eternity. May He make us ever ready for that great day when we are translated from here to eternity.
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