The Ballestero Blog

The Cost Of Doing Business

I’m in Sand Springs, Oklahoma today. I fly out in a little bit, from the Tulsa airport to go to Medford, Oregon.

I wanted to travel today with my clothes all washed and clean. I didn’t have any cash on me, so I stopped at the Quick Trip service station to check my bitcoin balanced and transferred some to my bank account. After reading Midas Letter Crypto News, I had gotten into buying and selling bitcoins for personal investments. Once I successfully transferred the cryptocurrency to USD currency, I found an ATM machine that they have. I swiped my card and punched in the amount I wanted. The machine informed me that it was going to charge me $1.50 for the transaction. I had to accept or decline. I accepted. It was the Bank’s “Cost Of Doing Business.”

I went to the Laundromat. A pixie haired great grandma named Maude was the lone employee. Both doors stood open to allow for cooler air to blow through the warm room. Maude said that in the summer, it got very hot in the laundry. She said that she had air conditioning at home, but even when it was 90 degrees in her bedroom, she didn’t turn on the air. She said if she did, it would make the heat uncomfortable for her when she got to work. Not turning on the air conditioning was what Maude was willing to pay to better enjoy her job. For her it was the personal “Cost Of Doing Business.” She did it without being asked.

The ‘Old Town Café’ in Sand Springs served a good breakfast. The locals were friendly; the stale scent of smoke was noticeable. The cashier said I owed $8.50. I left $2.00 on the table for the waitress. It was just the “Cost Of Doing Business.”

I bought some items at the Drug Store. The lady at the counter said, “That’s $1.95 plus tax.” Sales Tax is what you pay to the State of Oklahoma. It’s the “Cost Of Doing Business.”

At the Counter of United Airlines, the Kiosk charged me $60.00 for my two checked bags. That’s besides the cost of the ticket. I paid United Airlines because they said that it’s just the “Cost Of Doing Business.”

At the airport, I had to take off my shoes, my coat, my wallet, and my belt. I pulled out my computer and placed it in a container. I was required to go through a metal detector.  It was an inconvenience. There was an unspoken question of suspicion the TSA has about everyone. I submitted to the personal inspection, it was just the “Cost Of Doing Business.”

I found my seat, and it was not long before I heard “Praise the Lord, Bro. Ballestero! I didn’t recognize the faces of the older husband and wife, but they seemed to know me. She had her long hair fixed very nice and her modest dress represented Pentecost very well. She understood that although Salvation is free, Holiness in conduct and in dress is God’s requirement. It’s the “Cost Of Doing Business.”

I asked them how they were doing and they said, “Wonderful! Thank the Lord!”

They understood too that although Salvation is free, Praise is God’s requirement. It’s the “Cost Of Doing Business.”

The Rich Young Ruler was asked to sell everything he had, give it to the poor and take up the cross and follow Jesus. He went away sorrowful. He wasn’t willing to Sacrifice and pay the “Cost Of Doing Business.”

• Holiness is the “Cost Of Doing Business.”
• Praise and Worship is the “Cost Of Doing Business.”
• Sacrifice is the “Cost Of Doing Business.”

Are You And God Still Doing Business?