Should've Been Me

"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

(1 Corinthians 1:18)

(Check out Citizen Way's "Should've Been Me" video below after the blog)

In church today we sang the song, "The Old Rugged Cross", what a great song. As we sang it I was so moved and another song came to mind, "Should've been me", by Citizen Way. The chorus says, "It should've been me, It should've been us, Should've been there hanging on a cross..." It made me picture what it would have been like if it would have been me. 

I should have been on that cross, my back beaten, torn, bloody, my flesh shredded. My beard pulled out by the roots from my skin, my eyes blackened, my body stripped of clothes, naked before the world. My head pierced with long, sharp thorns from a manmade crown forced upon my head to mock me. A sign above my head, not saying "King of the Jews", but "Shawn Mason a Sinner". Splinters in my mangled back as they drove rusty, blood stained spikes through my hands and feet. My cries from the torture, not of forgiveness and love...but of pain and cursing. My side open from the thrust of the spear, my blood and water pouring out. But not for salvation of the world, but for my damnation, my death. 

But that's not what happened. No...just the opposite, Jesus died in my place for my sins. For my wrong, my nastiness, my lying, my stealing, my drunkenness, my sexual corruption, my selfishness, my evil desires, my pride, my sick and twisted heart and mind...my...mySELF. What I couldn't do, He did...died for all our sins and was raised to give us life, a new life. My death would have resulted in...my death. His death resulted in my life...eternal life. Thank God He took my place. 

Vern