Devotionals by Pastor Rick Warren

“He said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.’ And Jesus replied, ‘I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” Luke 23:42-43 (NLT)

Death is inevitable. We are all going to die at some point. The mortality rate in the world is still 100 percent!

Many people fear death, but God doesn’t want you to. In fact, he shows that—because of his mercy—you don’t need to be afraid of dying.

Luke 23 tells of a dying man who received God’s mercy. You may remember the story: When Jesus went to the cross, he was hung between two criminals. The Bible says, “One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, ‘So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!’ But the other criminal protested, ‘Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong’” (Luke 23:39-41 NLT).

One criminal made fun of Jesus and acted as if death is the end of life—but he was wrong. Death is the start of eternity, either in heaven or hell.

The other criminal said, in effect, “Don’t you realize the seriousness of your situation? You are about to go face-to-face with God in a matter of seconds, and here you are, putting down Jesus.” Then he turned to Jesus and said, “Remember me when you come into your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42 NLT).

How did Jesus respond? “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 NLT). 

Now that’s last-minute mercy! The thief realized his greatest need was forgiveness of his sins, not relief from pain. And he knew he couldn’t save himself. So he simply said, “Remember me.” And Jesus essentially said, “That’s good enough.” Jesus’ response showed that he even had power over death. 

When you accept the mercy of Jesus, you don’t need to fear death—all because of what Jesus did on the cross. 

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Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.

For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!

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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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