For the first time in my adult life… I completely disconnected myself from cable TV when I moved here to Tennessee. My kids and even the Direct TV cable installer back in Oklahoma, tried their best to convince me to drop cable and go the way of streaming services. But you know what they say about teaching an old dog new tricks… back then, I was still pretty raw from the loss of my wife and I wasn’t ready to let go of anything I was used to and try some new-fangled technology!
But with the
exciting promise of a new season in my life opening up with a fresh start in
Tennessee, I threw caution to the wind and started doing some research on the
various streaming services available. So
now I have five select subscriptions, have pretty much the same channels (and
more!) as before and am
paying about half the price as the cable service I had in Oklahoma! So yea… I am a happy camper!
The only thing
about it that I am NOT too happy about though, is the constant
bombardment of health insurance ads that continually repeat themselves
throughout whatever program I seem to be watching during the Annual Medicare
Open Enrollment period that comes up every year at this time. So yes, I did get the same ads back in
Oklahoma on cable TV… but nothing like on the streaming services. In fact… they not only run the ads but then
run them 2 to sometimes even 3 times in a row.
And then
on top of that… the
ads seem to be addressed to imbeciles as the announcers talk with slow pronunciation
and treat the target audience (seniors… like me…) as if they were Kindergarteners! Okay… sorry for the personal
rant, but for someone who successfully researched and then navigated through all
the various BENEFITS and disability programs in four different
states for my sick wife and myself as well… without assistance… I
guess I can’t help but to be a bit perturbed at their preconceptions of us
seniors.
But alas…
speaking of BENEFITS that I am NOT perturbed at hearing
about and taking advantage of each and everyday… The Bible in Ephesians 1:22-23 tells us that
God is also into BENEFIT programs that are in fact, FREE
and available for both you and me today! The Apostle Paul stated that,
“God has put all things
under the authority of Christ and has made Him (to be) head over all things for
the BENEFIT of the church. Which is His
body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all. (New Living Translation / KJV)
And… just like
the various BENEFIT programs that are available through Medicare
policies as well as with any other Health Insurance… the Bible acts as the printed
(and
in its case - living)
official handbook that contains all the important information that explains
each and every BENEFIT available to its members… just like
us members of the Body of Christ.
There is a
major difference though, in my comparisons between the various BENEFITS
available to us as members of the Body of Christ and membership within the
worldly Health Policies across our country.
One of the things that the annoying Medicare Open Enrollment
advertisements do clarify, is that the BENEFITS
that the different companies offer… vary from state to state,
county to county and even amongst different Zip Codes.
But NOT
so with the BENEFITS available to the Body of Christ. For Christians, it doesn’t matter where you
may live (anywhere in the world – in fact!), how old you are, what your monthly
income is, your past or your future or whether you live a perfect life or not! It’s the all-encompassing plan of God’s BENEFITS
program for you and me… and it is fully funded and
made available to us through God’s GRACE and FAVOR!
I like the way
that Paul emphasized this point through his heart-felt prayer by which he
concluded many of his letters to the churches writing,
“May the GRACE and FAVOR of
our Lord Jesus be with you.” (TPT)
I’ve read
commentaries that say that Paul’s introductory and closing statements are just
normal customary salutations and nothing more… But I don’t agree, I firmly
believe that every word that every writer in the Bible wrote – under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit – is “living and active”
and “sharper than any two-edged sword…”*
I’m experientially
convinced that Paul wrote to encourage and empower us to take advantage of all
that Jesus provided for us through His death, burial, resurrection and assentation
to the right hand of God.
And So… You might be asking about now in this
post of just how we do that? How do we
take advantage of the BENEFITS available to us… Well…
it starts out by doing some research in the official heavenly handbook
of God’s BENEFITS program… the BIBLE!
I would suggest
that you pick up one of the many modern translations that are easier to
understand, along with a notebook and a pen or pencil (I
prefer pencils so I can erase my misspelled words… or re-write words so I can
read them later on… my writing can get a little squished together!) and start reading! It’s as simple as that. As you make that to be a daily habit you’ll discover
more and more of the BENEFITS that our heavenly Father has
especially made for you and me! (It
might also be a good idea to highlight or underline the various BENEFITS
that you come upon… Watch for the phrase “In Christ” for it is a good
key to focus in on and learn what that portion of scripture says is yours “In
Christ!”)
Have a SUPER-FANTASTIC
weekend! We have clear skies but some
cool weather. It was in the 30’s when I
got up this morning and barley in the 40’s on my morning walk today. If this keeps up… I may have to dig out my
big boy (long) pants!
Bye for now…
*See: Hebrews 4:12 / God’s Word ©
