The human heart is an unbelievably rugged organ: a four-chamber, four-valve pump that handles 5,000 gallons of blood a day--almost enough to fill a railroad tank car. It supplies a circulatory system with 12,000 miles of vessels and, in the course of a lifetime, beats 2.5 billion times. All the blood in your body is pumped through your heart every minute while your heart beats 100,800 times a day.
Approximately 32,000 pints of blood are used each day in the United States. Every three seconds someone needs blood in America. One out of every 10 people entering a hospital needs blood. Just one pint of donated blood can help save as many as three people’s lives. One unit of blood is roughly the equivalent of one pint. The average red blood cell transfusion is 3.4 pints.
Some Common Blood Tests: Remember to have your blood tested annually and more often if you have certain health risk factors.
* Blood Pressure: Optimum level is 120/80 mmHG. Blood pressure is the amount of force exerted by your blood on the walls of your arteries as it passes through. High blood pressure gouges holes in your arteries. High blood pressure has no symptoms and is called the “silent killer.”
- The systolic pressure (120) is the force of the blood when the heart beats.
- The diastolic pressure (80) is the force of the blood when the heart relaxes.
* Blood Pressure Numbers and what they mean:
Category Systolic Diastolic
Normal 120 or less 80 or less
Pre-hypertension 121–139 81–89
Hypertension (Stage 1) 140–159 90–99
(Stage 2) 160 or higher 100 or higher
* Cholesterol: Total levels should be below 200.
- Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL): Bad type (lousy) clog-forming
LDL Levels: Ideal is less than 100 mg/dl;
Less than 100 mg/dL (Optimal);
100 to 129 mg/dL (Near Optimal/ Above Optimal);
130 to 159 mg/dL (Borderline High);
160 to 189 mg/dL (High);
190 mg/dL and above (Very High)
- High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL): Good type (healthy) clears clogs
HDL Levels: Greater than 40 is acceptable.
Less than 40 means you're at higher risk for heart disease.
60 or higher reduces your risk of heart disease.
* Blood Sugar: Keep it lower than 100 mg/dl. Excess sugar in the blood caused by ‘diabetes’ damages the arteries by inactivating a substance called “phosphokinase.” This substance makes it possible for your arteries to smoothly dilate and contract. Without phosphokinase, the risk of holes or cracks appearing at junctions in the arterial walls increases dramatically. If your fasting blood sugar level is 100 mg/dL to 125 mg/dL, you have impaired fasting glucose. A fasting blood sugar level of 126 mg/dL or higher is consistent with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes when accompanied by the classic symptoms of diabetes — increased thirst or hunger, frequent urination, weight loss or blurred vision.
* Homocysteine: Keep it at 9mg/dl or less. It is a by-product of the body’s digestion of protein, and it causes nicks and inflammation in arterial walls. Homocysteine can be easily reduced by taking ‘folate’ (700 mcg/day).
* C-Reactive Protein (HsCRP): Ideal level is 1 mg/dl. It measures levels of inflammation in blood vessels and is a marker for many types of diseases.
* Triglycerides: The desirable level is below 150 mg/dl.
The “Precious Blood” Facts: There is no substitute for blood when it comes to human life. And there is no substitute for blood when it comes to Eternal Life. You need blood to live physically, and you need blood to live forever out in Eternity. God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth; and there is One Blood by which all men on the face of the earth are saved from sin. The only way your sin against God can be washed away and forgotten is through the Blood of God that flowed from the Lord Jesus Christ’s veins on the cross of Calvary. The blood of Christ is man’s only safe way of approach to God. God became a Jewish man 2,000 years ago and was manifested in the flesh – His name was Jesus of Nazareth. Your sins against God and continual rejection of Christ has separated you from God and has stirred up His wrath toward you. (See John 3:36; Romans 2:5)
Christ Jesus was virgin born without a sin nature, and then He lived a sinless life and obeyed the law of God perfectly in your place. He lived a life of suffering and trial for 33 years, and lived in this world as a poor man who went about doing good. At the end of His life, He went to the Garden of Gethsemane and sweat great drops of blood and submitted to the Father’s will to become Sin and to suffer for your sins. The cup of Sin was put into His hand there, and He took it and drank it to its very dregs, especially for you.
Then Jesus was taken and falsely accused, scourged half to death, and then He was nailed upon the accursed cross of Calvary. His hands and feet were pierced and His side was stabbed with a spear. God’s Blood was shed there at Calvary for you personally, so you could be forgiven freely without works. Christ planned, worked out, and finished the work of redemption for your soul. Christ hung there in your stead. Your sin deserves death and Christ died in your place. Jesus was your Substitute. You have nothing good in you. Your acts cannot save you, only the acts of Christ alone. Ye must be born again. Without shedding of blood is no remission (forgiveness and pardon of sins). The blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son cleanseth us from all sin. (I John 1:7)
As long as you cling to your vain works and religion, you are in the utmost danger and dwelling under the wrath of God; but when you give yourself up entirely to the mercy and blood of Christ, you are safe forever. Try the blood, sinner, trust to it, that is all. Abandon all dependence upon your own efforts to save yourself. Right living is not enough to save you. Cease to be your own keeper – give up your futile attempt to be your own saviour. Relinquish all trust in self. Step out of sin and self, and into Christ and His blood. When Christ is your All, then you are safe. All you have done that is good in life is worth nothing. Your most holy acts are full of sin, and your most faithful service falls short of the demands of the law of God. You have nothing in you that can assist Christ in redeeming you and taking you to Heaven. You cannot be saved if you have one hand on self and the other hand on Christ. Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)
The justice and vengeance of God is pursuing you at this moment. Guilty sinners have only one refuge to run to – the bloody Cross of Christ. Sinner, run to Christ now. Do not procrastinate. Death could seize you at any time. Agree with God. Trust in Jesus alone, trust your life into His hands, put your soul in His eternal care, drop into His arms, repose your all on Him, lay hold on Him by faith in His blood. Believe only in His blood to protect you from God’s wrath, and you are safe and sound. Will you now trust Him? If so, rely entirely, simply, and implicitly upon Christ’s Precious Blood and His righteousness. The Atonement of the blood of Jesus for your sin is the only thing that will appease the wrath of God on your behalf. Christ was the ‘Lamb of God’ provided by God to pay for your sin’s penalty once forever freely. Please accept the offer of God’s mercy in Christ Jesus.
Do you have a desire for Christ, and a longing for His free forgiveness of your sins? Are you fed up with your sins? Are you satisfied with being an enemy of God, a rebel, a criminal with the sentence of the law and wages of sin hanging over your head? Right now, seek the Lord Jesus by Faith in His Precious Blood. The only thing that will satisfy your troubled conscience and guilty heart is the Blood of God. His Blood is available for you now. Step out on God’s precious promises to save you. Seek Him with all your heart: “Lord Jesus, please save me, for I cannot save myself, I am relying upon Your blood and free love alone to save me. I trust You only with my soul. I need your blood now. I receive You by faith, and on You I totally rely. I give my soul up to You to be washed, cleansed, saved, and kept, and at last brought to Heaven. Lord Jesus, please rescue me from the danger of my sins, freely forgive me for neglecting and rejecting you for so long, and thank you for saving my sinful soul.
