The Cross

When I think of the cross, I envision my Lord hanging there with blood dripping to his feet for me. I think of the humiliation I would have felt had it been me hanging there in front of the crowd of many. But, for Jesus, the cross was not about Him. 

The Cross 

 

The cross was not where just a good man was nailed.

It was where those who hated failed.

The cross was not where a troublemaker was eliminated;

Its story was written down in history, never to be outdated.

The cross was where the Son of God died for me.

It was how Jesus set me free.

The cross was not the end;

It paid my sin debt and provided a forever friend.

The cross was not where my Savior died for a shameful crime.

It was where Jesus gave His life for mine.

On the cross there was a death-

A final breath!

On the cross Jesus was nailed,

But, in time, salvation was unveiled.

The cross stands forever in my mind,

For I was saved, where once I was blind.

The cross was a rugged one,

Where Jesus paid the price- once and done!

 

Mary Crisp Jameson. 10/14/2025 

 

“Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And behold the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose…Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.’”  Matthew 27:50-52, 54

 

Two Rough-Cut Beams

From my fleshly desires, I often think about what God can do for me in the way of blessings, healing, and so much more, but I also think about what He did for in the the most important of all ways. I think about His awesome love, of how He sent His only Son to die for me. I think about Jesus and how He, of His own free will, took up His Cross and died for me.  I think about how God loves me so much that He does not even require any work from me. He requires only that I believe in Jesus and His death on the cross to be saved. How wonderful is that!

Two Rough-Cut Beams

Upon two beams of rough-cut wood,

I was justified, as soldiers pierced Jesus’ side.

His blood flowed red, as He hung His head.

In death, He arose to take another breath,

And He will return for His sheep and, heaven, I will reap.

 

Upon two beams of rough-cut wood,

I was sanctified and redeemed; I was cleaned.

No good deeds are demanded; 

I am saved, coming, empty-handed.

 

Jesus died upon two beams of rough-cut wood;

That’s all that needs to be understood.

He promised a Heavenly place by His mercy and grace;

So, no good works will deliver from the grave,

Only belief in God’s Son will save.

He did the work and said, “It is done!”

I need not kneel with a host of good deeds- no none!

I need not strive to earn His favor,

For upon two beams of rough-cut wood,  

Jesus became my Savior!

And, I give thanks for the rugged cross on Golgotha hill,

Where Jesus died for me of His own free-will.

 

Mary Crisp Jameson 9/8/2025 

 

“And He bearing His cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha.” John 19:17 KJV

 

 

 

What's Not Funny?

 I read something this morning that gave me pause about what I might sometimes laugh about.

"Sin is not funny. Sin put Jesus on the cross." 

Good Friday and Easter

This Good Friday we celebrate the death of Christ. We celebrate the expectation of the resurrection! 

     Jesus Arose!

     Every day, but especially at Easter, I am reminded of how God took the sinless Christ and, in death, poured my sins into Him so I could have God’s goodness poured into me if only I believe.

     The King James version of 2 Corinthians 5:21 states it like this, “For He hath made Him to be sin for us (me), who knew no sin, that we (I) might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”

     The Living Bible version puts in like this, “For God took the sinless Christ and poured into Him our (my) sins. Then, in exchange, He poured God’s goodness into us. (me)!” 

     When Jesus died on the cross, He took the sins of the world. When I believed, I received the Holy Spirit and by God’s grace I had God’s goodness poured into me. 

     For this I celebrate and "Praise the Name of My Lord!"

     

     

 

 

 

In The Garden

Yesterday, I attended an old-time gospel singing at our church and requested a song, “In the Garden.” Asked why, I replied, “Because God walks with me every day.” No truer words could have been spoken. 

     Actually, I went to my garden this morning early, before coffee and a talk with my Lord, to pick a few tomatoes. It ended up being a bucket full. Returning I thought, “Lord, what am I going to do with all these today.” He spoke, “Forget them for now. Let’s talk.” At that, I grabbed my coffee and returned to my “quiet place” to find as the song states, “He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own.” Oh my, how I love that song! It speaks to my heart just as God speaks to me. 

     In fact, I cannot be forgotten for as Isaiah 49:15b-16 (NLT) says, “I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” That tells me my name is engraved in the scars from the cross.  

     I would be remiss by not telling how we followed the song with another of my great favorites and one which was requested by my husband, "Love Lifted Me." That is exactly how I feel. Love from Jesus lifts me up when I take the time to let Him walk and talk with me. 

Look to the Blood

     As we, the people, are in the midst of this huge pandemic, let's not forget to look to the Blood of the Cross.  Easter is nearing.  A time of celebration! A time, not only now but always, to praise God for His glory; to recognize the love that was magnified on the Cross.  Let us shout with joy, "Glory, glory to the Lord" for our salvation.  Through the Blood we see the great love God has for His people.  His love is unlimited; He gave His life and withheld nothing.  He did it for us, knowing His love would be rejected by many.
      During this COVID 19 pandemic, we are in the midst of fear.  Yet, I look to Psalm 27: 1 "The Lord is my light and my salvation; He protects me from danger, whom shall I fear."  Or would it be appropriate to change the wording to "what shall I fear? 
     I am praying that God's glory is shown, sooner than later, and that we can celebrate both His resurrection and the elimination of this dreaded disease that has shut down our country.  In any case, I am looking to the Blood of the Cross. 
     
   
   
     

The Murderer

     Jesus chose to die on the Cross.  He did it to save all people from the sin we continually choose to place in our live.  So, even though Christ chose to die for us in order to provide grace and an eternal life to His people, we placed Him on that Cross.  I am so very grateful, that though it all, He planned it, knowing who I really am, and still loves me.

The Murderer

Who was enticed 

to kill Jesus Christ?

Who did this heinous crime,

rejecting a love so sublime?

Here was an unjustifiable death, 

drawing blood and the Savior's very breath. 

Imagine a painting, a picture;

a hate-filled mixture;

A mob yelling, screaming,

tears streaming;

A Savior on the Cross, bruised and bleeding;

God's Son, in pain, forgiving

while taunters chose pretentious living. 

Look at the tortured Man within the scene, 

 yet willing to wipe sins clean. 

Who was responsible for this brutal act

upon a Savior, come to keep life intact? 

Who did this deed?

Who took the lead? 

Who was this murderer, 

this cold-hearted slaughterer?

It was me, it was you, it was all of us

in our sin, standing thus.   

                      Mary Crisp Jameson

I Owe It All

Though life we always need to give credit where credit is due.  Without Jesus, I am nothing!

I Owe It All

In the Cross! In the Cross!

I owe it all to Jesus;

My life,

My health,

My wealth.

To you, Oh Lord, I owe it all.

I owe it all to you, who died, yet lives!

A king upon your throne;

A force within my life.

In the Cross!  In the Cross!

I owe it all to Jesus; 

My family,

My friends,

A love which never ends.

To my Lord, I owe it all;

My salvation, 

My very life, 

   Protection through calm and strife.

I owe it all to Jesus; 

My dwelling place, 

The Word and the promises I can embrace.  

The Spirit which fills my space.

Glory, Glory, Glory. Hallelujah!

My joy is in your Grace, and in the Cross. 

                            Mary Crisp Jameson

I Can Only Imagine

     There are some things in life in which we can only imagine!  I, for one, am not courageous, not strong in character, and rather slow to react.  I don't believe I would ever be a "hero".
     When I consider what Christ did for me on the cross, I cannot even begin to imagine.  I can project all day long, but can I really imagine the event that truly took place.

I Can Only Imagine

I can only imagine the scene.

The silence at the base of the cross; 

The chill of death from a life that once had been.

All should have been quiet; 

Knees bowed and humbled. 

A difference from the crowd's previous riot. 

I can only imagine!

The sadness of Jesus hanging there. 

No sound - no noise - only weeping tears.

A life given, laden with heavy burdens to bear.

There should have been a stillness,

A weeping crowd

From all those standing in witness. 

I can only imagine!

The Cross, 

A nail-pierced body; 

Such pain and loss.

The blood puddling at His feet,

A love from Him, so sweet.  

I can only imagine!

                                                                                        Mary Crisp Jameson

GOD IS LOVE

    God is love!  1 John 4:8,10  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love ...    Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

God's love is:
  Deeper than the deepest ocean,
    never slumbering, stirred in motion.
  Greater than the strongest wind,
    unhidden, tender, kind.
  Bigger than the world we know,
    incomprehensible, setting the heart aglow.
  Brighter than the moon and stars at night,
    freely given in delight.
God's love is:
  Shrouded in the blood-stained cross;
    a victory over loss.
  Showered through amazing grace,
    found in God's embrace.
God's Love is:
  A planned sacrifice, a Son's willing part,
    alive in His people's heart!
                          Mary Crisp Jameson
               

When Did He Know?

We see Jesus when He was born.  We are not told much about Him during His youth.  The next time we hear His story is when He is twelve and at the temple in His Father's house.  Then we again see Him entering the scene of His ministry when He is thirty and being baptized.  From there He heals, teaches, and ministers until  His death and resurrection.  A price He paid for me and for you. 

When Did He Know?

 When did He know

  about the old rugged cross, upon where His blood would be shed?
When did He know
  about the nails which would pierce His hands?
When did He know
  about the sins that would be heaped upon His shoulders?
When did He know
  how my sins would cause His Father's face to turn away?

Was it when He was born

   in a shabby, lowly manager?
Was it when He hammered
  nails alongside His earthy father?
Was it when He walked
  the countryside with no home to lay His head?
Was it when He was betrayed
  by one of His own?
Was it when He was spit upon
  and beaten?
Was it when He took my place
  upon that rough and rugged cross?
Was it when, in death,
  He cried out, "Why have you forsaken me?"

Regardless, through it all:

  He gave His life for me.
  He rose again.
  He lives for me.
  He still loves me.

If you have not recognized Jesus as your very own Savior, I encourage you to bow the knee and ask Jesus into your heart.  He died for you, too.   

 

The Heavy Load

     I am sure there are times we all say, "Life's not fair."  Our burdens are too heavy, or others have more.  Yet, how we handle our hardships define our character.  Jesus was a perfect example for His people.  He chose to leave His heavenly Father for us.  He carried a heavy load, and, I believe, He knew about the cross as a very young child.  All that He did, He did for us.  He could have said, "I don't want to do this.  It is not fair that I have to die for others."  But He didn't. 
    

    The Heavy Load

 

The cross, a heavy load;

  In Him, a promise abode.

 Born with no bed to call His own,

  A King, without an earthly throne;

A babe, in flight, among the multitudes,

  A child, Herod sought with fortitude.

 

The cross, a heavy load to bear,

  but God was with Him there.

 

The Son, baptized, yet tempted;

A heart Satan couldn't break or empty.

A teacher, wandering the land,

 scorned by those who knew not God's plan.

 

The cross, a weight, a heavy weight

  for the One, so great!

 

A man praying alone in Gethsemane,

  "Let this cup pass from me."

A soul sorrowful until death,

  asking God's will with labored breathe.

A Savior, denied, rejected by the world;

On His shoulders our sins were hurled.

A man upon the cross, opening up heaven's gate

  to seal the believer's fate. 
 

Oh yes!  The cross, a heavy load to bear,

  but God was there. 

                                      Mary Nell Jameson

 

           God is here for us, too, if we will just call upon Him and place our trust in Him.  One of my favorite chapters is Psalm 23.  "The Lord is my shepherd;...Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me...."

 

 

 

Mother's Day

     I am a little late posting about Mother's day, but every day is a day in which a mother's heart is filled to overflowing with pride toward her child, so I do not think it is too late to write a tribute to Mothers.
      As I was reading in Luke about the birth of Jesus, I thought about Mary.  The Bible tells us that all who heard the Shepherd's story about the birth of Jesus was astonished, but His mother,  "Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often."  Isn't that what most mothers do?  We mothers remember the birth of our children.  Their instant presence in birth fills our hearts, and we can only imagine the pain of the death of a child.  In Mary's case, as Jesus was hanging on the cross, I am sure her heart felt as a "sword piercing the soul."
     Further in scripture, I read of the missing twelve-year-old child when Jesus' parents were returning home from the Passover festival.  It took them three days to find Jesus.  When found His mother asked, "Why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere."  Again, as a Mother with a missing child, Mary wanted to scold Him, but more than that, she wanted to hug and hold Him close.  During the time Jesus was missing  I am sure Mary was frantic with worry and her heart felt as a "sword piercing the soul."
     When Jesus responded that He was about His father's business, Mary although she did not fully understand, was filled with pride and "kept all these sayings in her heart."   In other words, she was probably like most mothers who keep a scrapbook of happenings and images of our children. 
     Mothers represent love and most want nothing more than to see their children safe, well, and happy and, in turn, most children want the same for their mothers.   
     To take this theme a step further, as much as mothers love their children, Jesus' love is so much greater.  He freely died on the cross for us all, but He made sure his mother was taken care of as he was hanging on the cross, "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother...When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!  Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!  And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home."   
     The link between a Mother and her child is profound, but more than that is the link we have with Jesus when we accept Him as our Savior.  

 

 

    

    

 

The Carpenter's Foundation

     We studied about the foundation and the cornerstone set by Jesus last Sunday.  It reminded me of how precise a carpenter has to be when he constructs a home.  However, no matter how solid man sets a foundation, there is only one which will truly stand, and that is the foundation and cornerstone set by Jesus.   No other can raise a temple in three days, but when Jesus died on the cross He raised a temple in three days, and he established Himself as the very cornerstone of life.    Ephesians 2: 20b "...Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone."  John 2:19 "Jesus answered  and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

The Carpenter’s Foundation

Wham, wham, wham!
Tap, tap, tap!
You could hear the echo of the hammer
  as the boy worked along side his dad-
  a simple life portrayed.
It was just a carpenter’s trade,
  one the boy had come to do.

Wham, wham, wham!

Tap, tap, tap!
The foundation soon to be hammered in place;
  the cornerstone set!
A death to cover mankind's debt.
This Carpenter would build the way
  with blood and sweat.

Wham, wham, wham!

Tap, tap, tap!
Do you hear it pounding in your ear-
  the nails being set in place,
  see His pain, sweat, and blood
  dripping with His labor of love?

Wham, wham, wham!

Tap, tap, tap!
One cross with 3 long nails-
  the people's anger unfurled.
A foundation set before the world.
Behold the tender embrace
  of a Carpenter come to build a dwelling place;
A cornerstone set by His nail-scarred hand,
  unshakable as the earth quaked and rocks rent the land.

Wham, wham, wham!
Tap, tap, tap!
The final nail in place;
  the Cross slammed into the ground.
Darkness fell and silence was the sound-
  a death, a resurrection, a call!

Listen! Rid your doubt,
  heed His shout,
  “It is finished! Come unto me."
By the Carpenter's nail-scarred hand,
   He has set us free.
                             Mary Crisp Jameson

Merry Christmas!

     Luke 2: 7, 13-14   “And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manager; because there was no room for them in the inn….And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

     As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember the new born Son of God.  Let us rejoice with the angels, praising God.  Let us proclaim, “Glory to God in the highest.”  Let us look to the cross and accept the love of the One who died for us. 

     John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

    Wishing all my blog friends and followers a very “Merry Christmas!”

EVEN THEN, HE KNEW

     Throughout life, we all, at some time or other, wish we knew our future.  For some, knowing the problems or sickness to come would be unthinkable to deal with.  Thank goodness, we are protected from that until the proper time.  If we knew what was to come we would worry ourselves even sicker. 
     Yet, Jesus knew His future.  Most of us have read the story of Jesus when He was only twelve years old teaching in the temple.  When His parents found Him He said, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?"  From the Word we all learn that Jesus knew He had come to bring new life (salvation) to believers.  He came to teach so that people would believe. 
     Knowing all of this, I never ever once thought about the fact that He must have known, even as a young child, about the pain, the cross, and the nails. He worked beside his dad who was a carpenter.  Surely Jesus hammered and nailed, learning the trade.  Every time He struck those nail heads with his hammer, do you think He knew what those nails would do to Him?  I believe He knew His fate but never wept for Himself. 
         

Even Then, He Knew!

 

Stirring in His mother’s womb;
He knew about the tomb;
Working beside His dad,
Learning the trade as a lad,
Even then, He knew!

With every strike upon the nail,

With every windy gale;
In His youth,
He knew the truth.

Teaching in the temple as a lad;

He amazed and made the listeners glad.
Even then, He knew!

Going about His Father’s business;

Tempted in the wilderness;
Seeking the lost,
He never counted the cost,
But He knew!

Healing the sick and the lame,

He felt their sin and their shame.
Casting the demons out;
There is no doubt,
He knew!

Before the betrayal hour,

He felt the nails and their power.
He’d come to be a sacrifice;
Nailed to a cross would be the price.
Oh yes, even then, He knew!
                               Mary Crisp Jameson

 

Standing At The Base Of The Cross

     There was a song we sang at church when I was growing up, and the refrain went like this, "At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away, it was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!"
     As I sat in "A Friendly Shade," and thought about that memorable song, I couldn't help but be drawn to the base of that cross.     

I stood on a firm foundation
  at the base of the cross.
I didn’t, yet, understand this great plan of salvation.
The earth shook and darkness covered the lands
  while blood fell from His nailed pierced hands.

Fear came upon the people standing there;
Some cried, but others did not care.
This was just a man they wanted crucified.
Upon His head was placed a crown of thorns,
  followed by laughter and the people’s scorn.

I watched as the blood dripped from his wounds
  and saw Him struggle to take a breathe.
Standing there in awe, I heard Him cry out in death,
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
I thought, "Here is a man dying to set me free."

The dark veil lifted, and I was left standing in the light;

It was no longer dark as night.
I had felt the ground shake
  from the mightly quake.
Yet I knew I was standing on solid ground.
It was so profound!
I surely was not worthy of all of this.

I watched as friends lifted Him down from the cross
  and mourned their loss.
He had died “Kings of the Jews,”
  but He arose Saviour of all!  

He Is Risen! He Is Risen!
He has set me free from the chains of prison.
My burdens are lifted away,
  now I am happy all the day.
                     Mary Crisp Jameson