George Washington, America’s first president bled to death. He had the flu or a cold, and the doctors wanted to rid him of his evil spirits, so the doctors drained his blood. He did not get better so they drained more until he died.
Today I donated blood. People know that draining too much blood will kill a person, so blood letting for the purpose of improving health, is no longer practiced. Yet people can still donate blood. Actually I donated platelets today in a process known as aphaeresis. The Red Cross takes whole blood out of one arm, puts it in a centrifuge removes the platelets and some plasma, adds saline and puts it back in the other arm, while platelets and palm go into some bags. For three units of platelets it takes between 2 and 2 1/2 hours. The modern machines are much faster than the old machines. I donates platelets back in 1986 and it took close to 5 hours for one unit. Platelets are primarily used for cancer patients. Chemotherapy destroys platelets and people can have bleeding problems. So platelets are donated and given to the patient after chemotherapy. Platelets are typed like blood, so compatible platelets have to be given.
Blood is a theme in the Bible. When Adam and Eve sinned the first time, animals were sacrificed and these first people were given their skins to wears for clothes. Blood is shed as a sacrifice for sin. There is also a prohibition in the Old Testament of strangling an animal and eating it raw, with the blood still in it. Blood is important to God and it has a somewhat sacred sense to it in the Bible.
The Bible makes it clear that people are saved through the blood of Jesus. Salvation is not an accounting trick, Christ’s blood is actually applied to and covers the sins of the elect. When John saw Jesus, in the Revelation, Christ was covered in blood. Therefore, blood in the eternal salvation sense is very important, indeed.
I give blood, as an offering to God. God has made me so that I can give blood. I have no fear or anxiety about doing that. I am also fast. Apparently I pump out platelets faster than the average donor. Also, since my blood type is that same as my attitude: B+, which is only 4% of the population, there is a need to my brand of platelets for cancer patients. I donate blood as my service to God and to others and, simply put, I give blood because I can. Every once in a while I will be notified which hospital received my platelets and once I received a thank you note from a ten year old boy who received my platelets. There is no financial reward with the Red Cross. I heard somewhere that paying for blood in California was illegal. So I do it, not for reward, but as an offering, as a service and as a blessing of grace.
Today I donated blood. People know that draining too much blood will kill a person, so blood letting for the purpose of improving health, is no longer practiced. Yet people can still donate blood. Actually I donated platelets today in a process known as aphaeresis. The Red Cross takes whole blood out of one arm, puts it in a centrifuge removes the platelets and some plasma, adds saline and puts it back in the other arm, while platelets and palm go into some bags. For three units of platelets it takes between 2 and 2 1/2 hours. The modern machines are much faster than the old machines. I donates platelets back in 1986 and it took close to 5 hours for one unit. Platelets are primarily used for cancer patients. Chemotherapy destroys platelets and people can have bleeding problems. So platelets are donated and given to the patient after chemotherapy. Platelets are typed like blood, so compatible platelets have to be given.
Blood is a theme in the Bible. When Adam and Eve sinned the first time, animals were sacrificed and these first people were given their skins to wears for clothes. Blood is shed as a sacrifice for sin. There is also a prohibition in the Old Testament of strangling an animal and eating it raw, with the blood still in it. Blood is important to God and it has a somewhat sacred sense to it in the Bible. The Bible makes it clear that people are saved through the blood of Jesus. Salvation is not an accounting trick, Christ’s blood is actually applied to and covers the sins of the elect. When John saw Jesus, in the Revelation, Christ was covered in blood. Therefore, blood in the eternal salvation sense is very important, indeed.
I give blood, as an offering to God. God has made me so that I can give blood. I have no fear or anxiety about doing that. I am also fast. Apparently I pump out platelets faster than the average donor. Also, since my blood type is that same as my attitude: B+, which is only 4% of the population, there is a need to my brand of platelets for cancer patients. I donate blood as my service to God and to others and, simply put, I give blood because I can. Every once in a while I will be notified which hospital received my platelets and once I received a thank you note from a ten year old boy who received my platelets. There is no financial reward with the Red Cross. I heard somewhere that paying for blood in California was illegal. So I do it, not for reward, but as an offering, as a service and as a blessing of grace.
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