Are You Squeamish?

My article today has a really strange and uncomfortable subject matter. Sorry, I don't come up with these ideas. Honestly. The Lord gives them to me at unusual times, so I just share with you what He's told me. :)

A few days ago, I was driving my wife to work, and we went over this animal in the road. It was already dead, of course, and the blood was everywhere. I usually try to avoid these if all possible, but when one is traveling 70 miles per hour down the interstate, it's hard to bypass those types of obstacles. By the time I realize what's forthcoming in the road ahead, I'm not able to steer away from it in time. I grimaced as I went over all of this because I can't stand the sight of blood...animals, mine, or anybody else's. Most of us are that way I think...well with the exception of you medical folks who can stomach that sort of thing. My hats off to you because somebody has to do it. Better you than me. :)

I had to go to the doctor's office last Friday to get my hypertension (blood pressure) checked, too. I'm on medication, so the doctor usually wants to do blood work when I'm in there. I suppose it's some sort of way to ensure the medication isn't adversely affecting me, or something of that nature. They don't always do blood work when I go in, though. I'm glad I got to skip it on this last visit. I hate having my arms bandaged with that humongous rubber band looking thing, the nurse having to hunt where my vein is, getting stuck with the needle, and having to watch that vial fill with blood. It's gross...sorry.

So...where is all this leading? Well, as I said earlier, I'm like most of you. I don't like the sight of blood. Blood is important, though. It's the source of life. Without it, we wouldn't have life. I started thinking about the blood of Jesus Christ. Lots of people don't like to think about that, either. Christians included. Some don't want to think about the blood of Christ because it reminds them of their sin. Some Christians would rather not think about it because it seems strange to them to talk about the blood of Christ. After all, it is blood, something most of us are squeamish about. Some churches even have abandoned the idea of sharing with their congregations about the blood of Christ. It's important, though, to recognize the idea of blood because the Bible tells us that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). During the Old Testament days, when God sent the plagues upon Egypt, blood was important then, too. One of the plagues that God sent on Egypt was that the firstborn, people and animals, would die. God, though, told Moses to tell the Israelites that they were to take lambs and slaughter them, putting the lambs' blood over the tops and sides of their doorframes. In turn, God would not bring judgment on them and take their firstborn. He told Moses when He saw the blood on those frames, He would pass over them. When Jesus Christ came into the world with the new covenant, He shed His blood as a sacrifice for our sins. So, when we accept Christ and accept the fact the blood that Jesus shed gives us remission of sins, He "passes" over us as well. It might sound gruesome to some, but it's the way God has chosen to pardon us for our sins. Without the shedding of that blood that Christ gave on the cross, there is no forgiveness of sin. It's a major tenet of the Christian faith. It's really bizarre to me why some churches have decided to ignore this very important part of the Christian faith (by the way, if you're attending a church which no longer recognizes the blood of Christ, I would without hesitation tell you to get out of there and find another church, because it's definitely not biblical). We have a song we sing at church about the blood, and I just love it. The chorus goes something like this:

When I see the blood,
When I see the blood,
When I see the blood,
I will pass,
I will pass over you.


When you become a child of God and accept what Christ has done on your behalf, He will "pass over you" when He finally executes judgment on sin; He looks at you as though you have never sinned. Isn't that a wonderful thought? Knowing that in the seconds it takes to give your life to Christ, that God literally erases all of those sins and remembers them no more (Hebrews 8:12). It's the only way we can cleanse ourselves of sin. We can't do it ourselves, and nothing, save the blood of Christ, can take it away.

Aren't you glad that you have a God who would give of Himself in such a manner for you? For all of us? I also find it noteworthy that Jesus Christ, as God in the flesh, had it within His power to forgo all the pain and suffering He endured for you and me, but chose not to do so. He could have forgone all that pain when that blood was flowing out of His body when they flogged Him and hung Him on that cross. Jesus Christ, although fully God, was fully man, too, so He felt that pain just as you or I would were we the ones who were there. Something definitely to think about...