We uphold Jehovah’s law regarding the sanctity of life and blood. Why? Because Jehovah says that blood represents life, a precious gift from him. (Lev. 17:14) When Jehovah first allowed humans to eat the flesh of animals, he directed them not to eat the blood. (Gen. 9:4) He repeated this command when he gave the Mosaic Law to Israel. (Lev. 17:10) And he directed the first-century governing body to decree that all Christians “keep abstaining . . . from blood.” (Acts 15:28, 29) We steadfastly obey this command when we make medical decisions. We also strictly adhere to Jehovah’s high moral standards. Using vivid figurative language, the apostle Paul advises us to “deaden” our body members​—that is, to take strong measures in order to eliminate wrong fleshly desires. We avoid looking at or doing anything that could lead to sexual immorality.​—Col. 3:5; Job 31:1. w23.07 15 ¶5-6