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The first Tuesday of each month, we'll be posting TOM'S TUESDAY TAGALONG. Tom will be sharing a blog type message with you.

Here is the February 2024 edition of TOM'S TUESDAY TAGALONG.
 

 

Follow The Trail Of Blood

If you’ll remember, I said, in our end of year podcast, that all the articles I write come from thoughts planted in my mind by the Lord. Well, this month is no different. Ironically, today, I had awakened from a much-needed nap, when this thought popped into my mind from out of nowhere. After several minutes, I thought this has got to be my topic for February. I have learned from past experiences, if it isn’t, it will never be finished or published. So, if I’m right, it will be February’s article and if not, you will never get to read it. Let’s see what happens.

As some of you know, I am an avid sportsman and hunter. As a kid, when I would go hunting with my dad, he taught me how to find an animal that I had just shot. He would say, “Tommy, just follow the blood trail.” Sometimes it was easy because there was a lot of it and sometimes really difficult when there was hardly any blood on the ground. But, almost always at the end of the trail you would find the animal. You could stand at that spot and look back to where you came from and see the trail. Without that blood, there was little possibility of finding the path to your game. In the end, it was the blood that made all the difference.

As we read through the scriptures, the importance of the word blood is discussed probably as much, if not more, than anything else. It’s one of the things we sing a lot about in southern gospel music as well. That’s because it is the only thing that has been used to address the sin in mankind’s lives. When the Lord created man and the angels, He gave them free will to do and worship as they saw fit. Now, the Lord, being all knowing, knew beforehand that there was going to be major problems because of this. In eternity past, it was determined that there would need to be a supreme sacrifice at some point in the future. This being the case, we know that when something or someone is sacrificed, there is blood shed as a result. Even way back then God knew who that sacrifice would be, His Only Son, Jesus.

So, what brought this blood shedding about and when did it start? Remember in the Garden of Eden, the Lord told Adam and Eve what they could and could not eat. For some time, everything was okay and there was this close relationship between God and man. Then Satan stepped in and was able to persuade Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, which she also gave to Adam. At that very second in time, sin began because they disobeyed God which caused the separation that still exists today. They knew what they had done was wrong and they tried to hide from God. Their eyes were opened, and they tried to cover themselves with leaves to hide their nakedness, which they never knew before. But the Lord didn’t accept the leaves and killed an innocent animal to use its skin to cover their sin. Henceforth, started the use of blood, as the payment for the sin man would continue to commit.

All through biblical history, this practice continued by the high priest for the Jews. There was a specific type and amount of animal needed for the sacrifice, depending on the sin. This was done once a year and continued year after year for centuries. Just like us, they never stopped sinning, henceforth the blood sacrifice had to continue every year. But when the time was right, which God had determined at the beginning of creation, He implemented the last step of His master plan. God had to do this because with man’s continual sinning, He could not look upon man, who He loved so much. This sin, which resulted from God allowing man’s free will, was preventing God from having a relationship with them. God needed a perfect sacrifice that would once and for all take away the sin of the world. It couldn’t come from man because of his sin nature so He chose a virgin, named Mary, and allowed the Holy Spirit to come upon her, and she bore a perfect Son named Jesus. He was perfect because He was all man and all God at the same time. He became man so He would know and experience everything we are exposed to everyday of our lives. He came and remained God, so He could be that bridge between us and His Heavenly Father. He was our teacher and the example for our lives, as well as our means to get to heaven and spend eternity with He and His Father. He offered His blood, as the onetime payment for our sins. All of this was foretold by the prophets’ centuries before it ever happened. The required blood came from His back as the whip tore His flesh away. It came from the crown of thorns that dug into His head, as it was jokingly jammed down by a Roman soldier. It came from the spikes being driven into His hands and feet, so He could hang on that cross. Finally, it came from the spear being thrust into His side by the centurion. Looking at that scene in my mind, I see a “Trail Of Blood” so big a blind man could follow it. I also see satan and his angels dancing and celebrating at the cross, thinking they had finally won. Jesus was dead. Oh boy, were they ever wrong. You see, that blood trail eventually led to a tomb, where He was laid. But three days later, just as He promised, He walked out of that tomb as Our Risen Savior!” Amen and Amen! He then took His blood and His body to His Father in heaven and offered it as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. All of the past, present and future sins of those who believe in Him were covered by His blood, never to be brought against us again. Once again, God could look on us because of Jesus’s love for us and the sacrifice He willingly became.

Whenever someone says to you that the Romans killed Jesus, look them straight in the eye and say, “NO THEY DIDN’T!” Explain to them that Jesus, because of His love for us, voluntarily laid down His life for all of us. Remind them that He could have come down from that cross at any time because He was the Son of God. Remind them that He could have called down legions of angels if he so chose to. Tell them he chose to hang there in pain and experience, for the first time, the feeling of being separated from His Father. The pain He must have felt when all the sins of man were placed on Him, He who never sinned.  After that, remind them that Jesus loves them, and they were on His mind when He was on the cross.  Tell everyone you meet about the Trail of Blood that Jesus left, just like my dad taught me. Show them where it will lead them and all the glory and wonder they will behold in heaven because God loves them so much. But there is one more thing that admittingly is hard to do sometimes. We must also share what the consequences are if they don’t follow the trail. It’s hard, but what you say or do not say may be the determining factor of where they may spend eternity. Pray, asking God to help you and He will be right by your side. Try it, you won’t believe the good feeling you will get and the blessings that go with it. All we have to do is plant the seed and God will make it grow.

God Bless

-Tom Wingert