Lent Jesus Loves Me
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
39 One of the criminals hanging there also insulted Jesus by saying, “Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and save us!” 40 But the other criminal told the first one off, “Don't you fear God? Aren't you getting the same punishment as this man? 41 We got what was coming to us, but he didn't do anything wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Remember me when you come into power!” 43 Jesus replied, “I promise that today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:39-43
Memory Verse
Romans 8:38-39
38 I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39 and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!
“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so…” Do those words sound familiar? We sing about Jesus’ love and read about it in the Bible. Jesus showed love every moment of his life through his actions and his words. He showed the most incredible love by sacrificing himself on the cross. Even while he was dying on the cross, he showed love.
When soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, he prayed for those who were hurting him. He said, “Father, forgive these people. They don’t know what they’re doing.” Even in his extreme suffering, he chose to show love through forgiveness.
Two criminals were put to death on crosses with Jesus, one on either side of him. One of them mocked Jesus. He said, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and save us!” Jesus could have chosen to climb off the cross and stop his suffering, but he decided to stay on the cross because he loves us.
The second criminal questioned why the first criminal would mock Jesus if he feared God. They had committed crimes and were getting punished, but the second criminal knew that Jesus hadn’t done anything wrong. He turned to Jesus and confessed his belief that Jesus was the Messiah by saying, “Remember me when you come into power.” And Jesus, experiencing the most terrible pain, gave him a loving promise. That day, after the criminal died, he would be with Jesus in paradise.
When we believe in Jesus and accept him in our hearts, we share that same hope that someday we will be with him in paradise. Jesus died for us. We won’t have to fear death, sickness, or sadness because everything wrong will be made right again. And until then, we can be joyful because Jesus’ love is always with us. Nothing can separate us from his love!
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for showing me love by dying on the cross. Please help me remember the sacrifice you made and be thankful every day. Thank you that I can have hope and joy forever because of you. Amen.Related Resources
Areo Keller-Donahue
As soon as Areo could pick up a popsicle stick, she was making puppets and putting on plays that shared her faith with her neighbors. Areo grew up with a strong interest in musical theatre and earned her BFA at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Areo was led to use artistic gifts to share the gospel with young ones, and she became involved in ministry. She has worked in children's ministry at Redeemer Upper West Side and North Way Christian Community and is currently developing a musical live-action series that celebrates faith and fun. Areo and her husband live in Pittsburgh, where they enjoy spending time with their families and adorable cat, Daisy.