As I write this my husband has just returned home from donating blood to Canadian Blood Services. He didn’t receive any money for that kindness. He did it voluntarily. Before he actually got blood taken he had to fill out forms and was verbally questioned. Between the written and verbal screening there were about forty questions to answer to make sure he wouldn’t give tainted blood. Without donors’ blood we would read of many more obituaries in the newspapers. Receiving blood is needed to save physical lives. It is a precious gift.
Layla is a Muslim surgeon. One day she shared with me a story she had been told that had happened in her country. There was a complete shortage of blood in the blood bank in a hospital and a lady who had had surgery desperately needed blood in order to live. Nobody came forward to donate blood so the doctor himself gave his blood. Layla was emotionally moved by a doctor who would give his own blood to save his patient’s life. His blood was a precious gift.
One day when we were with our Somali Muslim friends we sang a Somali Christian song to them about there is power in the blood of Jesus and that it heals. Fatima responded by saying, “We Somalis need new blood. Our blood is bad.” What she meant by that was there was a need for a change in their hearts about fighting and war – get new blood. Well, we know it’s not a blood transfusion of physical blood that is needed to change the soul.
Easter is my favorite time of the year. How I love and cherish knowing the story of our Savior who shed His blood and died for the punishment of our sins on the cross, was buried in a grave, rose victoriously from the dead, and ascended to heaven with the promise that He will return. Even more I love to tell the story; especially to my Muslim friends. I know they have been raised hearing a different version but that doesn’t quiet me. I don’t argue with my friends about those differences. I just relay the story according to the Injeel(Gospels). It is an exciting story to tell! Sometimes there is a favorable response while other times there is resistance. One lady sent me an email recently that she did not want to talk about religion anymore with me because it is a “sensitive subject”.
We have a soul sickness called sin which leads to spiritual death. Jesus Christ gave His blood to cause our souls to live. We don’t have to die in our sins. Our souls can be healed by His gift of blood – if we accept His gift of love. His life was given as an untainted pure sacrifice. It's the shed blood of Jesus which is the means by which we are made right and clean with God.
Dear heavenly Father, Thank You for the precious blood of Jesus given so I might receive eternal life and not die in my sins. Amen.
