The Blood

I woke up this morning with some interesting thoughts. Actually, I wasn’t even fully awake when I was having them. Once I was fully awake I found myself wondering if they were a part of my dream or if I had really been thinking them with a fully-conscious mind. Strange, but then, if you knew the kind of things I’ve been dreaming lately, it may not seem so odd. It’s so true what Ecclesiastes 5:3 says. “A dream cometh through the multitude of business.” For the last couple of weeks my dreams have been a strange mixture of imagined circumstances stemming from subconscious fears I didn’t even know existed and the disturbing realities of life. Waking up is quite interesting when I have to sort out what is true from what seemed so real that I thought it was true. Sometimes I think it might be less exhausting to not dream at all. I don’t know how it is with you, but when something is bothering me it is the very first thing to hit me when I wake up. It’s like getting slammed full-force in the face with a baseball bat. I think a physical blow might be more bearable than the emotional knockout.

Some of you already know about little 2-year-old Silas Blackburn. He is the youngest of 8 children belonging to Bro. Nick and Mrs. Karen Blackburn, who are on deputation preparing to go to the Congo as missionaries. Just about two weeks ago they found out that little Silas has an aggressive form of cancer and has a 25% chance of survival. Humanly speaking it seems impossible that the little guy will live…BUT GOD… Is anything too hard for God?

For more information and regular updates you can visit these links:
Mrs. Karen’s blog (mother of Silas): http://www.kdforthecongo.blogspot.com/
Mrs. Kim’s blog (member of Truth Baptist Church): http://www.cherishedheritage.blogspot.com/

The thoughts that triggered this post stem mainly from this shocking situation with little Silas. The Bible tells us that the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11), which, of course, is a scientifically and medically proven fact. The doctors suggested a blood transfusion so Silas could grow stronger and have a better chance to fight against this disease. Bro. Buddy, who is the Blackburns’ pastor, and his three boys, among several others from the church, have given their blood for Silas. After giving his blood, Bro. Buddy preached a message on the blood, comparing the amazing make-up of human blood to the astounding sin-cleansing power of Christ’s blood. It was great preaching! This past Sunday Bro. Buddy sadly mentioned that his blood had somehow not been used within the amount of time that it would have still been considered “good.” It had expired and gone to waste. I felt so sad when I heard that, and I could tell Bro. Buddy was sad too. And this it what caused me to think about the things I want to share with you.

About 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ, the pure and sinless Son of God, allowed himself to be sacrificed as the spotless Lamb. He allowed Himself to be falsely accused, degradingly spit upon, cruelly mocked, beaten beyond recognition, and then nailed with spikes to a rough, splintered cross. His suffering was immeasurable. Never had anyone endured the agony that Christ willingly bore on that cross. Not only was His earthly body wracked with excruciating pain, but His mind and soul were tormented as well. As His life’s blood flowed in streams from that old rugged cross, the face of each and every person that had ever been born or would be born, passed by Him. He saw my face. Your face flashed before Him. And every sin that had been committed or ever would be committed by the entire human race was placed in His body. Jesus took upon Himself the sin of the whole world. Think about how guilty and miserable you feel when you know you have done wrong. Perhaps there was a time when sin built up in your life until you felt crushed under the burden of guilt. Multiply every sin you ever committed and its guilt feelings, times the sin of a person’s lifetime, times the lifetimes of all the human population that had ever been born and was to be born. Don’t you think that would be enough weight to crush the soul? This emotional turmoil was added to the physical torture Jesus Christ endured on the cross. The One who knew no sin and was incapable of sinning suddenly had the sin of the whole world thrust upon Him. Willingly, He accepted our sins into His body. He took my place and your place on that cross and died so that we wouldn’t have to be thrown into Hell--the punishment for our sins. Jesus paid a debt we could never pay! Christ won a victory that we could never win! GLORY to GOD!

Similar to little Silas, I had contaminated blood. I was sick with sin. But Jesus Christ gave me a “blood transfusion,” taking my polluted blood and giving me His sinless blood. That thought renders me speechless. When I was sick in my sin, Christ offered me a gift no one else could ever offer. He gave me the gift of salvation--eternal life--purchased with His blood. You know, this morning I was thinking about Bro. Buddy. He gave his blood for Silas, but it was carelessly misplaced and wasted. I thought how sad Bro. Buddy must have been when he discovered that the blood he had gladly offered to save Silas was apparently taken for granted. Blood is blood! Bro. Buddy sacrificed some of his essential life’s fluids. That’s no small thing! In a similar way, Jesus Christ gladly offered to give us His blood to save us from dying and spending an eternity in Hell. Some have heard the glorious tidings of Christ’s love and accepted this blood gift for their salvation. These have eternal life. Others have been made aware of their sinful, dying condition. Their response has been to uncaringly refused the life-giving blood offered to them. These have rejected Jesus Christ’s gift. If Bro. Buddy felt sad that his blood had been wasted, how much more must Christ sorrow as His blood is treated with careless disrespect and utter distain? Those who reject Jesus Christ might as well be pouring out His blood in a puddle in the dirt. God will surely judge those who so casually spill the precious blood His Son shed so that they might live. “Be sure your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23

Then I got to thinking about those who have given Silas blood. I know there are many people who are praying and hoping beyond hope that he will come through this. His family and friends are affected by this, but think about those who have given some of their blood to Silas. They have put something that was personal and highly valuable into that little boy. Surely, they have taken a special interest in his condition and are more adamant than ever that he should live. I hear my dad’s words playing in my mind. “He has to live! That little boy just HAS to live!!!” My dad has prayed, but he has not even given his blood, and he feels so strongly that little Silas has to pull through this. Imagine how those who have given their blood must feel! Now think about it in this light. When God looks at us, he sees the blood of Jesus Christ flowing through our “veins,” as it were. Anyone who has received Christ as their Saviour has had a spiritual blood transfusion. That bad blood is gone. The pure, spotless blood of Jesus has replaced it! As Christians, the purifying blood and healing work of Christ should be evident in our lives. We are no longer sick with sin, so why would we act as though we are? What must God think when He sees a Christian who has returned to the world like a dog to its vomit? Why would anyone choose to be sick once they have experienced how truly wonderful the blood’s healing is? Those who have given their blood to Silas are rooting for him to LIVE! They have sacrificed something for that little boy, therefore his life has become extra precious to them. In the same way, Jesus sacrificed His blood for each and every Christian, and our lives have become extra precious to Him. Jesus has invested His blood into our lives. He wants to see us LIVE and not die spiritually! Little Silas can’t choose between living or dying, but YOU can, Christian! It is in your power to determine whether you are going to live to be a victorious Christian or if you are going to be a lazy, good-for-nothing, dead Christian. You have the choice! You have to recognize the fact that you OWE it to Christ to live for Him. He invested His life’s blood into the healing of your soul. Can you hear His voice almost pleading, as a mother bent over the crib of her sick baby? “You HAVE to live! You have to LIVE!!!” To choose to die would be to say that Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t sufficient. His blood wasn’t powerful enough. What He had to offer was below your standard of acceptable. Would you dare? Would you dare to slap His face?
Are you going to live? The choice is yours.

Those are just some thoughts about the greatest Blood Donor this world has ever known. Now I’d like to talk to those who have benefited from blood and also those who have been called and volunteered to donate their blood unconditionally to the cause of Christ.

You know, we often refer to our church as a hospital. We attract many sick people with many varying sicknesses. Those who are wise continue to come to the “hospital” for their weekly treatments, insuring their health with regular doses of “medication”--preaching and fellowship. The pastor, his family, the deacons, the teachers, those who do odd jobs and cleaning--these are the blood donors, the doctors and nurses in the “hospital.” There are many others who are working in the “medical service.” Missionaries and evangelists are just a few who cross the country or move to foreign fields, exhausting their life’s supply of blood for the livelihood of others. Have you ever thought to thank those who have invested their life’s “blood”--money, time and energy--on your behalf? No man lives on an island. There has to be somebody who has touched your life in such a way that you were never the same afterwards. Have you shown your appreciation to that person? Out of ten people, only one leper thought to return and thank Jesus for His healing touch. Perhaps you could make it your objective to be that one leper. Perhaps you could be the one to revive your “blood donor” so he/she has the energy to continue pouring out service to others. “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.” (Proverbs 12:25) It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Just whisper a meaningful “thank you.” You may be surprised to see tears of joy for the quiet acknowledgement on your part. What a better world this would be if more people would only show a little gratitude!

Growing up in the ministry, I know just how draining and utterly exhausting it can be to be pouring out “blood”--time, money, energy, sacrificed dreams, etc., etc.--into people who don’t seem to care. If you’re in the ministry you know what I mean. Sometimes you just get downright sick of it (no pun intended). How many times have you found yourself silently asking this question: “Is it really worth it?” You’re on a lonely mission field, with family and friends 6,000 or more miles away without the faintest notion of how terribly alone you are. Their own lives continue on as usual, meanwhile you feel as if yours will never be the same. They could never fully understand what you are going through. You’re traveling the road constantly, going from church to church. You have a “home church,” but you don’t feel truly at home anywhere. The once or twice a year that you stop in, you have to introduce yourself as if appearing for the first time. You see new faces, meet new people, but there are few lasting relationships of any value. You long for the secure feeling of “belonging” somewhere…anywhere. You’re ministering to a church where the people are cold and dead and have no desire for God’s Word. You feel that your work is in vain as people fill the pews of a cold church building and that’s where they stay. No volunteers for extra ministries. Nobody wants to teach Sunday school or watch crying babies or go door-to-door or stand for Christ publicly. You wonder if there are really people with beating hearts inside those human shells. Do they have ears? Does the preaching register? Perhaps it might be more profitable to preach to a brick wall. As the pastor’s family you feel like the weight of the entire church ministry is not equally distributed but is divided, instead, on the shoulders of a few 3 or 4 people. You feel like you are pulling and pushing people to cooperate instead of everyone helping along, pitching in happily. Going to church becomes merely a habit, all joy lost, for nobody else is joyfully entering the house of God. You try to be cheerful, but after a while your tiny flickering coal loses its warmth. Going to church is a drudgery. If only others would participate and get excited…like when a game is on or ice cream and cake are being served. And you ask yourself this question: “Is it really worth it?” All these varying circumstances…all so different and yet the same. You feel imprisoned. Lost in a bubble of time. Trapped in God’s will.

These cases are not pure speculation. I’ve seen this over and over and over. I’ve experienced this personally. You get tired of the ministry? Yup! I never claimed to be perfect! Giving “blood” can be exhausting business…especially when I wonder if anyone cares or is benefiting from it. Is it wrong to want to see a little fruit for our labor? Is it wrong to want people to reACT to the preaching instead of simply warming a chair? No, I don’t think so. And sometimes I find myself frustrated. Sometimes I find myself asking “Is it really worth it? Is it really worth the sacrifice?” By faith I have to believe that it is. God knows that I can think of plenty of other places I’d rather be than here in spiritually dead Holland. God knows I’d like to see souls saved and Christians caring for something other than their own little lives. I sometimes wonder if anybody even cares that we have invested 13 years into the cultivation of this spiritually barren plain. Does anybody care that I would rather have lived in the States, attending a beautiful church building, having lots of friends my own age, and living close to family? People can’t grasp that kind of sacrifice. I couldn’t if I wasn’t in these shoes. And then I have to remind myself that I’m not here for these people. I’m here because God asks me to lend my life to Him. It’s not about ME anymore. My life is supposed to be Christ-centered, God-enthroned. Fellow laborer, are you exhausted from your endless labor? Does it seem that you’ve given the very last drop of your life’s blood for the cause of Christ and the health of those surrounding you? If you have depleted your stores, then return to the cross. Get a glimpse of Calvary! Draw your strength anew from the fresh flowing tide and bathe your soul in the life-giving blood of Christ. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins. Go to it! Refresh your soul, weary one! There is power in the blood of the Lamb!

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Are You Exhausted Spiritually?

“The everlasting God…fainteth not, neither is weary”

Exhaustion means that the vital forces are worn right out. Spiritual exhaustion never comes through sin but only through service, and whether or not you are exhausted will depend upon where you get your supplies. Jesus said to Peter ~ “Feed My sheep,” but Him gave him nothing to feed them with. The process of being made broken bread and poured-out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other souls until they learn to feed on God. They must drain you to the dregs. Be careful that you get your supply, or before long you will be utterly exhausted. Before other souls learn to draw on the life of the Lord Jesus direct, they have to draw on it through you; you have to be literally “sucked,” until they learn to take their nourishment from God. We owe it to God to be our best for His lambs and His sheep as well as for Himself.

Has the way in which you have been serving God betrayed you into exhaustion? If so, then rally your affection. Where did you start the service from? From your own sympathy of from the basis of the Redemption of Jesus Christ? Continually go back to the foundation of your affections and recollect where the source of power is. You have no right to say ~ “O Lord, I am so exhausted.” He saved and sanctified you in order to exhaust you. Be exhausted for God, but remember that your supply comes from Him. “All my fresh springs shall be in Thee.”

My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers