Wonderfully Made - Part 6 - The Cells

Our fifth and final subject for study in the series is the cells, the basic building blocks of our bodies. There are an awful lot of them, about 40 trillion (million million), with a mere 35 billion, thousand million, skin cells, and around two billion cells in our hearts. 

There are about 200 different kinds of cell, including blood, muscle, skin, nerve, glandular cells, etc. Half our cells are taken up by red blood cells.

Wonderfully Made - Part 5 - The Heart

Our fourth subject for study in the series is our heart. This is our amazing blood pump, which sends about seven and a half tonnes of blood around our body every single day, delivering this fresh delivery to the tens of trillions of cells in the body through its 100,000 miles of blood vessels. Our hearts beat more than 100,000 times a day to do this job. It is hardly surprising therefore that the human heart has been called one of the biggest engineering miracles in the whole world.

Wonderfully Made - Part 4 - The Liver

David, the author of most of the psalms in our Bible wrote that he was ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’. In this series of short studies, we are looking at five parts of our wonderfully made human bodies, and finding out what spiritual lessons they have for us today. 

Our third subject for study in the series is our liver, the largest of our internal organs, situated on the right hand side of the belly. It is also one of our most complex organs, doing about 500 jobs at once, including fighting off infection; neutralizing poisons; manufacturing essential proteins and hormones; controlling blood sugar and helping with the clotting of our blood. However the liver's main job is to clean up the blood coming from the digestive tract, before passing it on to the rest of the body. At any one time, the liver contains about one eighth of all the blood in our bodies, and it pumps out about one and a half litres of purified blood per minute.

Wonderfully Made - Part 1 - Skin

WONDERFULLY MADE – FIVE SHORT STUDIES ON THE MAKE-UP OF THE HUMAN BODY

Introduction

David, the author of most of the psalms in our Bible wrote that ‘I am fearfully and wonderfully made’. In this series of short studies, we will be looking at five parts of our wonderfully made bodies, and finding out what spiritual lessons they have for us today. 

1. We’ll start on the outside with our skin, which is far more than merely the outer protective covering of our bodies! It’s actually the largest organ in our bodies, covering an area of up to two square metres, or 18 square feet in the old currency, and making up to nearly 1/6^thof the weight of the human body. 

Have you got the Symptoms?

The outbreak and spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has brought about a large measure of panic throughout the world. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the first case was recorded in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and since then it has rapidly extended to multiple other countries worldwide, and been declared a global pandemic. It is predicted to have implications upon medical, economical, societal, political and educational spheres on an unprecedented and unparalleled scale.

According to the U.K. National Health Service, symptoms of the virus are similar to those of the common flu, including fever, breathing difficulties, and, in severe cases, pneumonia, and organ failure. The NHS explains that because the Coronavirus is a new illness, there is still much to be learned regarding how it is transmitted, and how it may be treated. As the situation develops, the authorities are continually issuing updates on how best to avoid contamination and respond to signs of infection.

However, there is a disease that is far more concerning and urgent than COVID-19 could ever be; its contamination is more extensive and its consequences are infinitely more extreme. The Bible tells us of a sickness that afflicts every person on earth: "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3.23. It is in every single person, for we are all "in sin" from birth, Psalm 51.5. Its symptoms are evident in every aspect of our lives: it infects our thoughts, our words, our actions, our steps, and even the motives of our hearts (see Romans 3.9-19). It is an infection that spreads from head to toe, and it is one that we simply cannot escape from or cure by ourselves, no matter how hard we try. Many people in the world show carelessness and indifference to the seriousness of sin, but this sickness has a one hundred percent mortality rate: the solemn outcome is the same for everyone: "the wages of sin is death" Romans 6.23.

While various treatments and a cure for the Coronavirus are still uncertain and under pressing active research, the Bible thankfully makes it clear that a complete and perfect remedy for the sickness of our sin has been provided. In His death upon the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ "bare our sins in His own body" 1Peter 2.24, and "put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" Hebrews 9.26. Even though our sin is the most deadly and dangerous disease of all, the blood of Christ can cleanse us from it all: "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" 1John 1.7. His love was so great that He was willing to give Himself for us, and take the punishment in our stead. The work is entirely finished, and all we must do is trust Him, Who died for us and rose again, as the Saviour of our souls.

However, time is limited. You need to avail of the cure while there is still opportunity. Would you love to know your sins are completely and eternally forgiven? Because "Christ died for us" Romans 5.8, God can forever forgive and save your soul.

Written by a Guest Blogger for FTMP (Assembly Testimony May/June 2020)

Health & Safety - are you on top of it?

Everyone gets excited these days about Health and Safety. We all like to be safe but we don't like the hassle that the modern world puts us through to get there.

Health - no one wants to be ill, we don't really want to die prematurely if we can help it! But no one likes the check ups and the don't eat this and don't eat that regime that seems to go with good health.

Fitness - fat and flabby. Don't call me that you say! No one wants to be unfit but the discipline doing exercise seems to be more than most people can manage.

And so on.............

Spiritual health - I don't really think it's that important just now. Wait until you are dying you will then! What if your life is cut short will you wish that you had paid more attention. I hear lots of people regret not trying harder at school, not giving more attention to their first marriage but it's too late now. These issues are important but not as important as your eternal destiny.

The Bible advises - Prepare to meet your God.

The truth is if you seek the Lord He will be found, if you call upon Him, He will hear.

The Bible says - whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. 

Get fit, seek life and pursue it.

Listen, watch or read more at my webpage.

Testing, Testing

Everyone gets excited these days about Health and Safety. We all like to be safe but we don't like the hassle that the modern world puts us through to get there.

Health - no one wants to be ill, we don't really want to die prematurely if we can help it! But no one likes the check ups and the don't eat this and don't eat that regime that seems to go with good health.

Fitness - fat and flabby. Don't call me that you say! No one wants to be unfit but the discipline doing exercise seems to be more than most people can manage.

And so on.............

Spiritual health - I don't really think it's that important just now. Wait until you are dying you will then! What if your life is cut short will you wish that you had paid more attention. I hear lots of people regret not trying harder at school, not giving more attention to their first marriage but it's too late now. These issues are important but not as important as your eternal destiny.

The Bible advises - Prepare to meet your God.

The truth is if you seek the Lord He will be found, if you call upon Him, He will hear.

The Bible says - whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

Get fit, seek life and pursue it.

Listen, watch or read more at my webpage.

Preventative Medicine

I was amazed to read in the Daily Mail last week about a GP who is under investigation by the General Medical Counsel for giving spiritual advice to a patient which he felt was appropriate and helpful to the patients condition. In light of the fact that a health professional is taught to treat patients holistically and that part of the need could be spiritual it seems bizarre to me that giving advice about the spiritual needs of the patient in addition to general medical advice is out of order. In my view it could be highly appropriate. When did we ever decide that it was wrong to offer someone the one thing that would help them.

Christianity deals with evil, pain, suffering as to the reason, source and outcomes. Christ the founder stated profusely that he came 'to give us life'. He died to deal with the guilt and consequences of evil (in principle and personally). Those who accept His invitation enter into life as God intended it. Not a problem free life but life lived in the conscious knowledge of a great God who is in control. A God who is over all and arranges our circumstances for our ultimate development of character and for His glory.

Please could we leave people free to listen, think and decide for themselves rather than become a nanny state that decides what we are exposed to and tries to control what we believe.

You need to face up to the truth

There are times in life when we need to stop and face up to the truth. But for most of us it is easier said than done. We often ignore the obvious until it is impossible to ignore it any longer.

Take for instance your health. How often have you ignored the tell tales signs that something was wrong until someone else made you see sense! How many men refuse to go to the doctors or the dentist!

Think about relationships! Did you ignore the way things were going until it is too late? Could you have repaired your relationship if you had been a bit more honest about things?

Finally the big white elephant in the room. God, religion, life and death. It's all there! The issues are real and will not go away yet we all ignore them too often. Make a decison today to face up to the truth before it is too late.

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death (the Bible).