Today you will be with me in paradise

When Jesus was suffering on the cross, there were two criminals being crucified by his side. To one, the merciful Christ said, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." That introductory phrase "Truly I tell you" was one that Jesus prefaced his key teachings with throughout the gospels. And since it's painful to move and speak on a cross, it's clear Jesus felt that these words were crucial to hear.

Whenever I see a "criminal" in my mind's eye -- whenever someone appears to be unjust to me or others -- I like to think "today you will be with me in paradise." I will see you as existing with me in paradise (in the Mind of Love without 'the knowledge of good and evil'). Today. This kind of spiritual expectation and perception brings with it a reward.

"Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." -Luke 23:43