The Remedy For A Wasted Life

We all want our lives to matter. We want to live life to the fullest. We want to look back on our deathbeds with no regrets. 

But we all have those moments where we wonder if we are spending our lives well. We question whether our day to day activities are meaningful. We wonder if we are truly leaving behind a good legacy. 

There is a story in the Gospel of Luke that tells of a man who, by all appearances, wasted his life. We don't know his name, only that Luke simply calls him a criminal. We don't know what crimes he committed, but we do know they were bad enough to warrant the death penalty. Anyone who deserves the death penalty clearly has wasted his life.

This criminal was crucified right next to Jesus and one other criminal. The other criminal was mocking Jesus, claiming that if He were truly the Son of God He could save himself from death. The Gospel Author Luke writes, 

"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.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

This criminal, sentenced to death, does not deny that he wasted his life. He admitted he deserved to die, that his life was useless. But he knew there was a remedy. He knew his life could be redeemed. His simple plea to Jesus to remember him was his only hope for a new and fulfilling life in eternity.

What would be Jesus' answer? Would He reject the man? Would He tell the man that if only he had lived a better earthly life, had he benefited mankind, had he left behind a good legacy, he would be saved? Would Jesus say that it was too late?

This is what Luke records:

"And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Notice that Jesus does not give the man a list of suggestions on how to live his final moments on Earth. Jesus does not give a simple seven step process on how to live life to the fullest. 

Rather, Jesus simply tells the man who wasted his life that a new one will be given to him. No strings attached. No hoops to jump through. Only by the grace of God can a wasted life be transformed into an eternal life. 

In fact, the only life that is wasted is the life without Jesus. All the regrets you may have, all the missed opportunities, all the sins, become dissolved in the light of eternity with Jesus. 

"Today you will be with me."

In the present moment, if your heart is with Jesus, your life is not being wasted.