Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53:12 NIV
Poured Out
This past December, a B.C. cancer survivor spent part of his Christmas Eve donating blood and hopefully inspiring others to do the same. Alvin Chin, his mother and his sister donated blood at the Oak Street Canadian Blood Service in Vancouver and they want to raise awareness about the importance of blood donations across Canada. In addition, Chin wants to inspire others to join the Canadian Blood Services’ 450 Challenge and help recruit 450 new blood donors across the country. Chin was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in November 2022.
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The Bible says that life is in the blood. It’s why blood donors play an important role in keeping others alive. As the Creator of all life, Jesus certainly understood this. He knew what He would have to do in order to bring life to those dead in their transgressions and sins. That would be each of us. In an amazing prophecy of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, the prophet Isaiah writes this, some 600 years before the actual event of Jesus’ crucifixion: “Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” By the blood Jesus shed on the cross, we can know the joy of having our sins forgiven and our guilt lifted. As He hung between the two truly guilty, the innocent among the transgressors, He took our punishment. Because He poured out His life until death, by repentance and faith we can experience new life, the fullness of life that only He offers.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley