Spiritual Anemia
October 9, 2018
This week we had a real scare with our dog Boaz. He had been laying around, not eating, and not moving when people came to the door. We knew that something was wrong. This dog would literally run through fire for a scrap of food. The veterinarian took some blood, which revealed nothing worrisome. He gave him some steroids and an antibiotic. For a couple of days he was his old self. Then he crashed again; no eating, no movement, just lying there. We took him back to the vet. This time the blood test revealed that he has anemia, which is a deficiency of red blood cells due to an auto-immune disease. His red blood count was significantly lower than just a few days before. The vet said that his chances of living were about 50/50 and he prepared us for the worst. He said that Bo’s body is producing red blood cells. The problem is that his white blood cells are attacking the red blood cells because for some reason, the whites think the reds are harmful invaders. The red blood cells carry oxygen to the rest of the body. Without them Boaz would die. The vet gave him medication intended to stop the whites from killing the reds. He said that we would know in a week if it is working. If his red blood cells reach maturity, which takes about a week, it would be a good sign.
The problem of anemia, or the lack of red blood cells to carry oxygen to the body reminds me of John 15:5. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” The branches draw life and power from the vine. When cut from the vine, the branches will surely die. Every time you buy your wife flowers, you hope they will appear to be alive for a week, even though apart from the life giving vine, they are already dead. Jesus’ disciples would understand that metaphor. Jesus said that He is the vine. We are the branches. Our life and power is 100% derived from Jesus’ life and power. Our ability to produce good fruit, that is, faith in God, good deeds toward others, and works that are pleasing to God, is completely dependent on remaining in Jesus. That’s why Jesus said so many times in John 15, “Remain in me.” What does it mean to remain in Jesus and how do we do it?
We need the power of Jesus to be fruitful. Jesus’ power is the oxygen. How do we get it? We read the Bible daily, we pray often, we commune with other Christians. These things are the red blood cells that carry the oxygen of the life and power of Jesus to our desperate Spirits. I pray that as Christians, we have committed ourselves to more than just the elementary things of the faith. We know that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. That’s the gospel and it’s the entry point into eternal life. But there is so much more! If we are going to have the abundant life that Jesus promised (John 10:10), we have to continue to grow in our faith. That happens as we nourish our bodies with the life giving Word of God. As I think about Bo’s illness, I understand that without those red blood cells, oxygen cannot be carried to the cells in his body that desperately need it. Without oxygen, his body cannot live. Our spiritual lives are the same. If we neglect the life giving Word, we too will die spiritually. Maybe not today, but day by day, if we continue to neglect the life giving Word, we will over time die spiritually.
As for Boaz, he’s been on the medicine for a few days. He seems to be more and more like his old self every day. As the medication does its work restoring those red blood cells, we continue to pray that he will return to full health. We will know more on Thursday when he has his blood tested again. I have never spent a single second thinking about my red blood cells, even though I now understand how vital they are. I take them for granted because they have always done their job. We can’t take our spiritual health for granted though. Our spiritual health depends on our cooperation with God, by remaining in Jesus as branches to the vine, so that we will develop into the men and women He wants us to be. We must be connected to the vine to have spiritual life. So don’t neglect your spiritual health. Read your Bible daily, pray often, make it a habit to commune with other Christians and watch those spiritual red blood cells grow!
