Every time one of the folks from Piper’s
Hospice group leaves the house they always remind me that if we need anything,
that they are available for us 24/7. So
needless to say, I keep their phone number with me at all times. It is stored away in my cell phone, printed
in large letters on a sticker on the refrigerator door and is also on a tag in
the car just in case I don’t have my cell phone handy and need to call them
through my OnStar system. And even
though I have only had to call them once (late
on a Friday evening) in an emergency situation, it is very comforting and
reassuring to know that they are only a phone call away!
As a Christian it is also reassuring to know
that I have someone to help me in any time of need that is even closer than a phone call away! With Jesus living inside of me, I am
confident of His care for me at all times… and I don’t even have to look for my
phone when times of need arise. In reality,
He is closer to me than my next breath!
Piper has been with her hospice group for a
little over a year now and during that time I have become fairly well acquainted
with all the different aspects that their services entail. I also have a decent understanding of what
percentages and parts of the plan that our insurance policy covers and what it
doesn’t. Keeping up with the different
insurance plans we’ve had for Piper over the years has been one of the most
involved aspects of her care that I have had to stay on top of since our time
in Oklahoma, California and now in North Carolina!
Over the many years of our Christian walk,
Piper and I have also become fairly well acquainted with the benefits that are
ours “in
Christ.” And how have we done
that you might ask? Well, it is actually
quite simple… and believe me… a lot
less confusing to understand than most of the insurance policies we’ve had… It
is all clearly stated in His Word… and in particular within the epistles due to
the fact that they were written specifically to us, the church! That knowledge of
his will gives us the ability to live with a spirit of joy in our hearts on a
daily basis… no matter what we may be facing
on any given day.
Our familiar scripture in Philippians 4:4 encourages
us to “Always be joyful in the Lord! I'll say it again: Be
joyful!” (God’s Word ©) You
see, we can be joyful during both the great and not so great times because we KNOW what the eventual solution to any
problem will be when we keep our eyes, our mouths and our hearts focused on HIS Word… or to say it in connection to our
scripture verse… IN the Lord!
2 Corinthians 1:20 reassures us that “all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God by us.” (MKJV) Read that again
and then ask yourself: “HOW MANY?” And the answer is pretty clearly stated: “ALL!”
It is also interesting to see that the word “in”
as used in Philippians 4:4 “denotes a
fixed position in place, time or state” and comes from a word that “denotes origin or the point whence motion
or action proceeds from.” (Strong’s)
Therefore you can picture Paul’s point of Philippians 4:4 as saying “we can rejoice at all times because the origin of what we say and
do in the midst of any situation (and its ultimate conclusion) is based on the
promises of God in His Word!”
But wait… it
gets better! God puts His icing on
the cake by confirming all this and the validity of the new Testament by
declaring in Hebrews 7:22 that “… Jesus
has become the guarantee of a better
promise.” (God’s Word ©) Wow… now that’s a great reason to
rejoice 24/7 isn’t it?
I sometimes find it confusing and a bit
frustrating when I hear from or see Christian people with a perpetual scowl on
their faces or speaking words that are less than uplifting or positive! What
about you? When one knows what their
benefits are in Christ Jesus, they have absolutely NO reason to be anything
but encouraged and full of joy… and then want to pass it on to others!
So, chew on all this for a while… and then go
out and share Him and His benefit package with others! Have a great rest of the week, and as you do,
keep asking yourself… “Am I expecting to
Rejoice 24/7 because of what I KNOW concerning my benefits ‘in Him’?’”
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