The Chaplain's Corner




Guest blogger, Chaplain Paul, is one of the most effective chaplains in America today. He is an emergency responder to every situation.

Hey, this is the Chaplain again.

Have you ever made a really bad decision and thought, “Man, I haven’t got a prayer!” Well, actually that’s when you do have a prayer. . . and it’s our verse for today, Luke 8:13. This is the story about a man that thought exactly that, ‘I haven’t got a prayer’.

This guy was a scumbag; even his friends didn’t trust him. Nobody liked this guy. . . Well, nobody except one – that one was Jesus. Jesus told his story this way.

Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one was a Pharisee (a very religious guy), the other man was a tax collector (who cheated everybody). The Pharisee prayed like this: "Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I’m really a good person." Meanwhile the tax man, hiding in the shadows, not even daring to look up, said, "God, have mercy. Forgive me, I’m a sinner." Jesus said, "The tax man, went away right with God."

You may feel like you haven’t got a prayer, but you do. Even your family may have given up on you, but God hasn’t.

Do you remember the story of the crucifixion of Jesus? Remember the criminal hanging beside him on another cross – in his last moments on earth he turned to Jesus and asked for help. And do you know where that guy is today? He’s in heaven. The Bible says so.

Forgiveness, that’s what you need, and that’s what Jesus gives.