Something that has always amazed me is the fact that it is through the blood of Jesus we are made righteous. Why did Jesus have to die and shed his blood to make me clean? Why couldn’t he redeem us another way? Recently in prayer I started thinking about the verse in Hebrews 9:22 (ESV) “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
“Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” When you stop and think, this statement is perplexing. I asked God why there is no forgiveness without shedding blood. What is the significance of shedding blood? I heard God tell me to go research blood and I’ll find out.
I started my research where every good homeschool mom does, in science books we have used in school. The science books we use take each day of creation and teach that topic in depth. One year we studied plants, another year was land animals, and this year I am studying sea creatures with my youngest. A few years ago we studied the human body. I grabbed that book and turned to the chapter on blood. Here is what I have learned.
Blood Facts
As you know, blood is always moving. It must move to keep you alive. There are about 500 million feet of blood vessels in your body. Crazy! Blood must travel through every inch of your blood vessels to keep your body working properly. You have approximately 1.5 gallons of blood pumping in your body right now. If you were to lose just over half a gallon, you would likely die. Your heart beats on average 60-100 beats every minute. Furthermore, your heart must beat hard enough to push blood out of your heart and into every inch of your body. That’s gotta be pretty forceful! Just the mechanics of blood traveling through your body is amazing. God is so very smart!
Blood Travels on “Highways”
Your blood vessels are like highways inside your body. Each “highway” leads to specific areas of your body. Some lead to your lungs, while others lead to your liver or brain. Your blood must remain on the correct path. If the blood headed to your brain suddenly decided to turn around and go to your feet, you would be in trouble. All of the oxygen and nutrients your brain needed would go to your feet instead. Without oxygen and nutrients your brain would die. After your brain died, you would be pronounced dead as well. At the very least you would pass out for lack of oxygen in your brain. You might even have some brain damage, which would cause you to lose some sort of function in your body. The blood must continue on the path it is on for everything in your body to work properly.
How Blood Vessels Relate to You
Just like your blood must stay on the correct path for your body to stay healthy and living, so you must stay on the path that leads to Jesus. In Deuteronomy 30:15 (NLT) God tells the children of Israel, “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster.” Each day you choose to remain on the path that leads to life or wander off the path and head towards destruction. Will you choose to listen to the voice of God that leads to “peace that surpasses all understanding,” or will you listen to the voice that leads to worry and anxiety?
Remember 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Walking in the Spirit of God leads to a sound mind. What does walking in a sound mind look like? It’s knowing that no matter how bad circumstances seem, you know that God will take care of you. You can allow your mind to be at ease because you know that your Heavenly Father will take care of you and your family, no matter what happens.
It means you are able to discern who to listen to. You recognize that the world wants you to live in a state of worry. The world is definitely not listening to the voice of the Spirit of God. That means they are listening to Satan, who wants them to live in perpetual fear and anxiety.
Who Are You Listening To?
I personally no longer listen to the mainstream news stations. I know they have a big problem telling the truth. They tend to exaggerate facts to make things look the way they want them to look. I find them to be untrustworthy. Why would I spend my time listening to people I know aren’t telling me the whole truth, or are completely lying to me?
Instead, I listen to fellow Christians who give me “News in the Spirit of Faith.” I love to listen to the guys on the Victory channel. There are two programs I listen to: Victory News. Victory News is just what it sounds like. They give us the latest news, but they don’t try to control me through the news like mainstream news stations tend to do. Brett and I both love watching Flashpoint together. This show has a panel of people who talk about what is going on in the world, and how it relates to what God is saying both to each of them and in the Bible. Even where we choose to get our news leads us to life and death. What path will you choose?
How Blood Vessels Show Us Salvation
There is one path that leads to eternal life, and that is Jesus. John 14:6 (NLT) says, “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.'” Although the world wants people to believe that all roads lead to salvation, they are wrong. Just as your blood vessels lead one direction, so is there only one direction leading to eternal life. A blood vessel leading to your lungs can’t suddenly change direction and start leading to your toes. Again, that would be catastrophic! Thinking any path or just being good enough will lead to salvation is also catastrophic. Remember the writer of Hebrews tells us, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Only the blood of Jesus can make you clean and put you on the path that leads to eternal life.
Recent Comments