How Are You?

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Tom Felton and I titled today's encouragement, How Are You? Sharla was dying and she knew it. While she was lying on her hospital room bed, her surgeon and a group of young interns poured into the room.

For the next several minutes, the doctor ignored Sharla as he described her terminal condition to the interns. Finally, he turned to her and asked, And how are you? Sharla weakly smiled and warmly told the group about her hope and peace in Jesus. Some 2000 years ago, Jesus' battered, naked body hung in humiliation on a cross before a crowd of onlookers. Would he lash out at his tormentors?

No. Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Though falsely convicted and crucified, he prayed for his enemies. Later, he told another humiliated man, a criminal, that because of the man's faith, he would soon be with him in paradise. In his pain and shame, Jesus chose to share words of hope and life out of love for others. As Sharla concluded sharing Christ with her listeners, she posed the question back to the doctor. She tenderly looked into his tear-filled eyes and asked, And how are you? By Christ's grace and power, she had shared words of life, showing love and concern for him and others in the room. In whatever trying situation we face today or in the days ahead, let's trust God to provide courage to lovingly speak words of life.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Luke chapter 23 verses 32 through 43. Two other men, both criminals, were also let out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.

Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing, and they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, He saved others.

Let him save himself if he is God's Messiah, the chosen one. The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself. There was a written notice above him which read, This is the King of the Jews. One of the criminals who hung there 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 him, Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. Let's pray. Jesus, we praise you for your example of grace and humility. Please help us reflect those things in our words, even as we speak to those who may not be caring or kind. In your name we pray. Amen.