“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
~ Matthew 28:19-20
Is it not funny how time passes and we get older that we have “just-in-the-nick-of-time” moments? I have those moments more and more as the days go on. I had a “just in the nick of time” incident recently. My son was riding his motorized beach cruiser bike, and before you knew it, boom, the car ran into him. Whew! No one was injured, but his bike had a bum rim, and the vehicle was damaged.
I would call that a “just-in-the-nick-of-time” moment. How about when you first saw your spouse, made eye contact for the first time, and then quickly looked away? What if you let your pet outside, and the next moment, you see them run out front and almost get hit by a car? That would be a “just-in-the-nick-of-time” moment.
People are always within our reach when sharing the gospel, such as in the supermarket, gym, or gas station. You can have a just-in-the-nick-of-time moment to spiritually save someone’s life. Will you be ready, or will it catch you off guard, and you miss that “just-in-the-nick-of-time” moment to share the love of Christ? Maybe those folks need a just-in-the-nick-of-time moment with you.
So, what do you tell someone that needs a bit of guidance? Good question! The answer is found in Luke’s gospel. The Apostle writes: “One of the criminals who hung their 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.” Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43/NIV)Those verses are some of the most powerful verses in scripture. We understand that Jesus went through His tribulation for us and was on the cross then. He was between two other criminals.
One criminal made fun of Jesus; the other had a “just-in-the-nick-of-time” moment. Recall what the criminal said in verse 41: “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”When Jesus Christ went to the cross to redeem the world, as Paul puts it, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21)
Wow! Amazingly, one criminal acknowledged that he was wrong in what he did. He asked Jesus to remember him when the Lord came into His kingdom. That sounds like something all of us can have today. We all can have paradise with Jesus. Just like the criminal, all people have to do is confess with their mouths and believe in their hearts that Jesus is Lord, and they will be saved. (Romans 10 9-10) Yes, it is that easy.
Sometimes, people tend to overthink things and maybe be too busy for that Jesus thing. Some might have had a “Just-in-the-nick-of-time” moment. No matter what’s happening in your life today, we should look at those just-in-the-knick-of-time moments. We need to remember and praise Jesus in those moments. If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, please do not hesitate because you might have a “just in the nick of time” moment yourself.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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