A Thief’s First Realization

This week on That Kevin Show, Kevin McCullough dives into the significance of Holy Week, reflecting on the story of the Thief on the Cross. He's joined by Pastor Colin Smith, president of Open the Bible, to discuss the powerful presentation of the Gospel in scripture. They explore how the story of the Thief on the Cross reveals the truth about God's grace and the importance of acknowledging our own need for salvation. Kevin also shares his own passion for spreading the message of Jesus and invites listeners to join him in sharing the film "Heaven, How I Got Here" with others. An Excerpt from A Thief’s First Realization on Townhall.com The first thing to die wasn’t his body. It was his illusion. He hung there—lungs burning, muscles failing, every breath a fight he was losing. The crowd didn’t care. The soldiers didn’t care. The sky itself seemed to turn its back. And for the first time in his life… he stopped lying to himself. “We are punished justly… we are getting what our deeds deserve.” No excuses. No softening. No “but you don’t understand.” Just truth. Raw. Unfiltered. Final. And it’s almost unbearable to hear because it’s the one sentence we spend our entire lives avoiding. We don’t talk like that. We explain ourselves. We justify. We compare. “I’m not perfect… but I’m not that bad.” “I’ve made mistakes… but I meant well.” “I’ve done wrong… but look at everything I’ve done right.” We build a case. We polish it. We present it to ourselves over and over again until we almost believe it. But strip everything away—your reputation, your achievements, your distractions—and what’s left? The thief found out. Because pain has a way of cutting through every layer we hide behind. There’s no pretending when you’re dying. No audience to impress. No future to fix it later. Just you… and the truth. And the truth was this: “I deserve this.” Say that out loud. Feel how violently your soul resists it. Because everything in us wants to push back. No, I don’t. I’m not that bad. I’ve lived a decent life. But decent compared to what? To other broken people? That’s the game we play. We line ourselves up next to someone worse and breathe easier. But hanging on that cross, there was no one left to compare himself to. Only one man remained. And He was hanging right next to him. SEE THE FULL STORY AT TOWNHALL.COMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.