Type O Negative blood

The Universal Donor

If you ever find yourself, either by virtue of illness or injury, in need of
a blood transfusion, you'd better hope your local blood bank has a good
supply of a compatible blood type.

According to INFO PLEASE:

Human blood is grouped into four types: A, B, AB, and O. Each letter refers
to a kind of antigen, or protein, on the surface of red blood cells. For
example, the surface of red blood cells in Type A blood has antigens known
as A-antigens.

Each blood type is also grouped by its Rhesus factor, or Rh factor. Rhesus
refers to another type of antigen, or protein, on the surface of red blood
cells. Blood is either Rh positive (Rh+) or Rh negative (Rh-). About 85% of
Americans have Rh+ blood.

Blood types become very important when a blood transfusion is necessary. In
a blood transfusion, a patient must receive a blood type that is compatible
with his or her own blood type - that is, the donated blood must be accepted
by the patient's own blood. If the blood types are not compatible, red
blood cells will clump together, making clots that can block blood vessels
and cause death.

Type O Negative blood is considered the "universal donor" because it can be
donated to people of any blood type.

Because of our sins, each of us is in a fatal condition, "for the wages of
sin is death" (Romans 6:23). We need a type of "blood transfusion."

God loves us so much that He gave His Son to die on the cross for our sins
(John 3:16). The blood that Jesus shed in His death has paid the price for
our redemption from sin: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7).
Jesus is the only "universal donor," for only the sinless Son of God could
pay the price for our sins with His blood (1 John 2:2).

In order to have His cleansing blood applied to our lives, we must place our
faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). The
blood of Jesus continues to cleanse the child of God from sin as he
continues to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

"The life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11). Our physical
bodies can't live without blood. Even so, salvation and eternal life are
found in the blood of Jesus (Romans 6:23).

The Apostle Peter wrote to Christians: "For you know that it was not with
perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the
empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the
precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter
1:18-19).

Won't YOU appropriate the cleansing blood of Christ through your trusting
obedience?

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "Blood Types" in www.infoplease.com

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Mart Green ministry investment officer of Hobby Lobby

That the World May Know

Mart Green is the ministry investment officer of Hobby Lobby and founder of
Mardel Christian & Education, a book store and education supplier with a
Christian focus. Green is involved in a mission to help translate God's
Word into every language in the world, so that each and every person can
read the Word of God in his/her own language.

In a recent article in www.foxnews.com, Green shared an encounter with a man
that renewed his focus of trying to get the Bible into every country and
language:

I'd been supporting a painstakingly laborious Bible translation project in
Guatemala and began to question my "return on investment." It seemed to me
I'd put a considerable sum of money into a project that would benefit just a
few hundred people, or a few thousand at most.

To be honest, I was a bit cranky when I got off the uncomfortable 10-hour
bus journey to attend the ceremony marking the completion, at last, of the
translation of the Bible into the Eastern Jakaltek language - an endeavor 40
years in the making.

Then I saw Gaspar - and my life changed forever.

Gaspar, one of the local people, was sobbing with sheer joy as he took the
Bible, his own Bible in his own language, into his hands. I'd never held a
Bible like Gaspar did - as if he were grasping the most precious item in the
world.

Now, how will you hold your Bible?

The Bible is the most precious item in the world because it is God's Word.
In its pages, God reveals Himself to us. We can read and study about who
God is and know His will for us. Through the Scriptures, we learn how much
God loves us: that He gave His only Son to die on the cross for our sins so
that we can be reconciled to Him and live with Him for eternity in heaven
(John 3:16; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

God has revealed in His Word that He will save and give eternal life to
those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from
their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans
10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of
sins (Acts 2:38). God's Word teaches that as we continue to walk in the
light of His Word that the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us from all
sin (1 John 1:7-9).

In his research, Green learned that "more than a billion people - speaking
some 3,800 different languages - have little or no access to the Bible in a
language they can clearly understand. More than 2,000 languages don't yet
have a single verse of Scripture." So he has resolved to do something about
it, so that the world may know God and His will for our lives.

"This movement is especially significant as we remember that heaven and
earth meet at the point of God's Word," says Green. "The Word became flesh
and lived among us - Jesus, the Living Word - giving you and me the hope of
everlasting life through His resurrection, and leaving us with the great
commission to share the Gospel with every creature and make disciples of all
the nations (Matthew 28:16-20)."

Please pick up your Bible. Think of Green and Gaspar. Treasure the Word of
God. Read it and heed it. It will change your life, forever.

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "Mart Green: Mission of biblical proportions -
this is how we're taking God's Word to every corner of the world" in
www.foxnews.com, accessed April 16, 2021.

I Know Why You're Here

I Know Why You're Here

Kevin Blue writes about an experience that a friend experienced one summer
while he was ministering among the poor on a six-week urban project with a
religious organization in Los Angeles, California. Blue writes:

Part of his assignment was to spend time in a convalescent home in the
central part of the city... This convalescent home was smelly, understaffed
and poorly kept. Few residents had visitors. For a new guest arriving to
serve the residents, it was very awkward. Some residents were mentally ill;
some were not responsive at all. Others were even hostile. Members of
Johnny's team were struggling in the first few days with why they had been
called to serve there. "Why are we here?" "This is depressing." "We can't
do anything to help." Such remarks began to be made openly.

One day, after Johnny had been there for about a week, an elderly woman
slowly walked up to him in the hallway where he was standing. She drew
close and pointed a finger at him. "I know why you're here," she said in an
accusatory tone. She paused as my friend looked at her, wondering what this
was about. Realizing he didn't know what she meant, she went on. "I know
why you're here," she said again. "You're here because God wants us to know
he hasn't forgotten about us."

The woman turned and shuffled away. Johnny was stunned. Another team member
was so moved she nearly cried on the spot. By the end of that summer, many
of that team cried as they left the friends they had made, because in many
of those relationships they had found something of the kingdom of God. *

Imagine someone walking up to Jesus during His earthly ministry, pointing
his finger at Him and saying, "I know why You're here. You're here because
God wants us to know that He hasn't forgotten about us."

That statement is true.

Jesus came to this earth to reveal God to us (John 1:14). He came to reveal
the love God has for us (John 3:16). He came to show us that God has not
forgotten about us and that He has not abandoned us because of our sins. In
fact, Jesus came to save us from sin.

Jesus stated the reason for His coming: "For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). In order to save us, He had
to die on the cross for our sins (Ephesians 1:7).

God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust
in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts
17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). God will
continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His
Word (1 John 1:7-9).

One day, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him. He said
(essentially) to Jesus, "I know why You're here." John said, "Behold! The
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).

Jesus came to inform us that God has not forgotten us. He came to save us.
He came to save you.

Won't YOU accept His offer of salvation and eternal life by submitting your
life to Him?

-- David A. Sargent

* Kevin Blue, Practical Justice: Living Off-Center in a Self-Centered World,
InterVarsity Press, 2006, as quoted in www.thepastorsworkshop.com.