Got Blood?

Sometimes I wonder if God looks at us and calls us 'pale-faced'? In various places in the Scripture, lukewarm, undedicated, and hypocritical believers are referred to as scoffers, whitewashed, and/or unstable as the sea. But upon observing the life and times of today's Christian, the word pale-faced comes to mind.

Pale. Lacking color or complexion.  Yes, that is what pale means physically. But spiritually, being pale is different. While you may attribute being 'pale-faced' with vampire folklore, I would rather not mix mythology with biblical principles (lol, eventhough I do enjoy the Twilight Saga). What I will say, though, is that being pale-faced spiritually is a bit like the condition we know as Anemia.

Anemia, simply put, is a lack of blood or decrease in the number of red blood cells within the blood. As a result, a symptom of anemia is pale skin. Now, let's take this natural understanding of Anemia and apply it to our spiritual understanding. We know that Jesus' blood was shed for the remission of our sins; and, upon our acceptance of Him as our Savior, we are then adopted as sons and daughters into the family of Christ. When we come to admit, believe, and confess Jesus as Lord in our lives, we can think of this as a sort of Blood transfusion. It is His Blood that saved us, cleans us, and makes us whole.

Why, then, do we have so many people of the faith walking around looking so Blood-less? In Hebrews 9:14 (KJV), God affirms "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." When you are anemic physically, you have a lack of energy and life. When you are anemic spiritually, the same thing is true. And, if you lack life - this means your supply of the Blood of Christ has been hindered, inhibited, and/or cut-off temporarily. Clearly, this must be remedied by replenishing your Blood levels.

I am not telling you to go out and become a vampire like Edward Cullen on Twilight! But we must be intent on seeking the cross of Christ when we begin to feel ourselves being fatigued, lethargic, and lackluster spiritually. Where else will you receive power from the Blood but the place where His very Blood was shed? This means you will have to re-evaluate what things in your life are causing you to lose touch with God, re-affirm your commitment to God by finding ways to get active in the Kingdom, and re-fuel yourself consistently with the Word of God so that you can become Occupied with Christ. Let us all work diligently together to stay in the vein of the Holy Spirit. Amen.