Thank You for a full day of productivity, Father. I took care of some serious business, did a little research, visited with a couple of very lovely ladies at a local care facility and had some quality time with my wonderful wife. It was a good day!
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Today I had the privilege of donating blood. I thought I was doing pretty good in now having donated over three gallons over the last several years but in talking to a lady from one of my churches I have a way to go! She was a consistent donator until a few years back (she is 90 now). She stopped at nine gallons! Wow! Thinking of donating blood brought to mind a story that has circulated on email and Facebook for some time but bears repeating. It goes like this:
Many years ago, when I worked at a hospital, I got to know a lovely little girl who was suffering from a rare life-threatening disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had somehow survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.
The doctor explained the situation to her little brother and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes, I’ll do it if it will save her.”
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?”.
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Many in this life sacrifice their own blood so that others might be saved, be it a pint at a time or through a transfusion. And it is most assuredly a good thing. But we are limited. We can give some of our blood, and over time our bodies will generate blood to fill the void. But we cannot give all of our blood for then we could not live.
Only one person in all of history gave all of His blood. Yes, He died but by the power of God, he rose from the dead and lives to tell the tale! And his sacrifice did not just save one life…it saved all of humanity! He was the absolute greatest blood donor of all time! For that is what saves us! Read God’s word as recorded in Hebrews 10:19-22 NLT.
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”
Lord Jesus, thank for Your donation – putting it mildly – for You gave all You had to save us. May we, without hesitation, give our all, in service to You. Amen!
Aug 1st, 2019, Thurs, 8:44 pm
