“Believer, are you longing to live the Paradise life, where I give souls to eat of the Tree of Life, in the Paradise of God, day by day?  Are you longing for that uninterrupted communion with God that there was in Paradise before Adam fell?  Are you longing for perfect fellowship with me, longing to live where I am living, in the love of the Father?  To-day, to-day; even as the Holy Ghost says:  ’To-day shalt thou be with me!’ Longest thou for Me?  I long more for thee.  Longest thou for fellowship?  I long unceasingly for thy fellowship, for I need thy love, my child, to satisfy my heart.  Nothing can prevent My receiving thee into fellowship.  I have taken possession of Heaven for thee, as the Great High Priest, that thou mightest live the Heavenly life, that thou mightest have access into the holiest of all and an abiding dwelling place there.  To-day, if thou wilt, thou shalt be with me in Paradise.”  Thank God, the Jesus of the penitent thief is my Jesus.  Thank God, the cross of the penitent thief is my cross.  I must confess my sinfulness if I want to come into the closest communion with my blessed Lord.  There was not a man upon earth during the thirty-three years of Christ’s life that had such wonderful fellowship with the Son of God, as the penitent thief, for with the Son of God he entered the glory.  What made him so separate from others?  He was on the cross with Jesus and entered Paradise with Him.  And if I live upon the cross with Jesus, the Paradise life shall be mine every day.

And now, if Jesus gives me that promise, what have I to do?  Let go.  When a ship is moored alongside the dock, with everything ready for the start and all standing on the quay, the last bell is rung and the order is given, “Let go.”  Then the last rope is loosened, and the steamer moves.  There are things that tie us to the earth, to the flesh-life, and to the self-life; but to-day the message comes:  “If thou wouldst die with Jesus, let go.”  Thou needst not understand all.  It may not be perfectly clear; the heart may appear dull, but never mind; Jesus carried that penitent thief through death to life.  The thief did not know where he was going, he did not know what was to happen, but Jesus, the mighty conqueror, took him in His arms, and landed him, in his ignorance, in Paradise.  Oh, I have sometimes said in my soul, bless God for the ignorance of that penitent thief.  He knew nothing about what was going to happen, but he trusted Christ; and if I can not understand all about this crucifixion with Christ, and the death to sin, and the life to God, and the glory that comes into the heart, never mind, I trust my Lord’s promise, I cast myself helpless into His arms, I maintain my position on the cross.  Given up to Jesus, to die with Him, I can trust Him to carry me through.