When He Was On The Cross
When He Was On The Cross
By Dennis Huebshman
A number of years ago, my wife and I were privileged to go to a Florida Boys concert at the High School in Neches, Texas. (Not a real huge town) Their total performance was inspiring, but one song caught my attention, and has been a favorite ever since. It was written around 1983-1984 by Michael Payne and Ronnie Henson called, “When He Was On The Cross, I Was On His Mind.” The Florida Boys were the second group to record the song, and their hit became the song of the year for 1985 and 1986. Numerous other artists have recorded it, buy my unbiased (?) opinion is the Florida Boys version is the best.
Whenever I hear this song, I have a mental image of My Jesus on that crucifixion day. One line near the end of the song has pierced my soul with a truth that I have come to face; “So unworthy, of such Mercy”. That is definitely me. No matter what I do here, or say here, I am not worthy to touch the ground My Savior walked on.
The first stanza says, “I’m not on an ego trip, I’m nothing on my own. I make mistakes, often slip, just common flesh and bones.” No matter how important I used to think I was; no matter what possessions I had; nothing could compare to what I didn’t have until I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. When I did, I received the greatest gift I could ever have this side of Heaven through His sacrifice for me.
There was no excuse for me to ever be so callus toward my Savior, as I was in my early years. I was raised in a Christian home, but was more interested in outside things than “religion”. I believed Jesus was real, but never really accepted Him until I hit the 40-year mark. I had never read the Bible cover-to-cover, but pretty much accepted whatever anyone said was there.
After going to Church one Sunday for the first time with my new bride, something told me I needed to read the Bible for myself. It was a strong feeling that came over me before the service even ended. That “something” was the Holy Spirit, and the next day I bought a new Bible.
It’s amazing what I discovered within the pages of God’s Love Letter to us. Things I never had given thought of, were there. Things I had been told were there, weren’t. I have learned my Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not bound by time as we are. God created time for man. He is in the past, present and future all at once – Omnipresent. He is all-powerful – Omnipotent and all knowing – Omniscient. Over the past 30+ years, reading the Bible has become a daily habit for me, and if I try to skip a day, I feel something is definitely missing.
When the song says, “Though His eyes were on the crowd that day, He looked ahead in time; Cause when He was on the Cross, I was on His mind”, a bible verse came to mind about my condition. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
Jesus was on that cross because of me! He saw every sin I had ever committed, and every sin I would commit while on this earth. “He knew me, yet He loved me; He whose glory makes the Heaven shine.” This became very personal, and I felt shame for how I had treated Him.
I have come to realize, that when Jesus cried out, “My God, My God; why have You forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:46), it was then My Sins were laid on Him, and the Father had to look away. It was the first time ever that Father and Son were separated, and was the worst part of our Savior’s sacrifice. Yet, He willingly went to the Cross for all of us (John 10:18) including me. God made a way that we all could be with Him as He wants no one to fail (2 Peter 3:9). What we have to do to honor that sacrifice is accept the Son’s sacrifice and call out to Him to be our Savior. (Romans 10:9)
Any failures I have had have totally been my own. I can blame no one but myself for anything I have ever done. That was part of Adam’s failure in the Garden of Eden when he tried to lay the blame on, “This woman that you gave me…”. (Genesis 3:12) No one ever forced me to do evil, and I have accepted responsibility for my actions.
One thing I have gained that wasn’t there before, or at least I wasn’t aware of it, is 1 John 1:8-10, “If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins, and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” (ESV)
Being human, we all have the sin nature within us, and we will slip in some manner right up until we leave this earth; either by death or by Rapture. Jesus was the only person to have lived a pure and sin-free life. His blood was not of man as the Holy Spirit put Him in Mary’s womb without any contamination from Joseph. Both of His parents were descendants of King David, which was another covenant that was fulfilled with His birth. When Jesus shed His blood at Calvary, it was pure and sin-free, and He was “the spotless Lamb” required by the Father for the sacrifice to count. His blood atoned for our sins – My Sins
It’s understandable that people would not give the Holy Spirit a chance to lead them to Jesus. They are so ingrained with this earth, that they have no room for a “relationship” with the Savior. That is what the Lord wants from us, a relationship not a religion. There are people that are very religious, but also very lost.
One thing I learned when my thick mind finally opened up was, I didn’t give up anything of importance to gain a Savior and the promise of an eternal home with Him. I’m not perfect, and never will be on this earth, but I have a perfect Savior who loves me and actually loves all of us – that includes you! Once we leave this earth, we will have a new body and a new mind-set that will be perfect for eternity in heaven with Him. No more pain and suffering, no more death, and no more being prone to temptations as we are here.
As always, I will include Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13, “All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” I gladly share Him with any and all who would accept Him.
Today would not be too early as He may come to call the True Believers (Rapture) to be with Him forever, from that moment on. Everything is pointing to His soon arrival, and to hesitate may just be the worst procrastination you could ever do. To take your last breath on this earth without having accepted Him means an eternity, with a body designed to be punished forever, in the Lake of Fire. It’s your choice.
Maranatha – Come Lord Jesus!