The After-Oakdale Chronicles

a superb day to appreciate the gift of creation.

“So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed.”  Genesis 2:1 NLT

The world has known many extraordinarily talented sculptors and painters, individuals who possess an eye for beauty and detail that borders on the incomprehensible to those of us who have trouble drawing a stick figure or sculpting anything beyond a snowman.

Michelangelo was phenomenally talented as both a sculptor and a painter. His larger-than-life sized sculpture of “David” is known the world over as a classic work of grace, beauty and power. The Biblical scenes he painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are unsurpassed in their intricate depth and detail.

Of course, the wondrous talent of Michelangelo and the many talented sculptors and painters who came before and after Michelangelo’s time, came from God who was the creator of the first, most intricately detailed work of art ever known.

Gazing up at Mt. Rushmore or at the pyramids of Egypt, man’s ability to create things of beauty on a grand scale is realized. But one need only to gaze down into the Grand Canyon or look up at the dizzying heights of Mt. Everest to realize who the real master is.

The talented hand of God is visible everywhere we look.

But the physical surface of the earth is just the “canvas” itself. Just think about the details that God considered when He “painted” life onto it.

Consider the intricate beauty of an orchid or a rose; the majesty of a giant Sequoia towering above the earth; the vibrant life found in a coral reef below the surface of the ocean. Think of all the different varieties of fish, animals and birds that share space on this “canvas” in the trees, on the ground and in its oceans, lakes and rivers.

For example, the Honeyguide Bird resides in Africa. This amazing bird has a unique way of “communicating” with humans by making a sound similar to pebbles being shaken in a box. Using this sound to get the attention of humans it has seen, it will lead them to a beehive. It is then the responsibility of the humans to smoke out the bees and remove the honey, leaving the beeswax and larvae to the incredible creature that provided the directions to the sweet bounty.

Who else but God could “paint” such details?

Everywhere we look, there is evidence of God’s masterful “brush strokes” and the precise strikes of His “chisel”. His attention to detail abounds and, when we take the time to stop and appreciate it, the work of art that surrounds us will overwhelm us in its complexity, beauty and powerful glory.

To both appreciate this incredible place of beauty and to take care of it as well, God created man. Each human being is unique and a thing of beauty, indeed a masterpiece unto itself.

“By the seventh day, God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day, He rested from all His work.” (Genesis 2:2 NIV).

He deserved it and He must have been tired. We should show our appreciation daily by thanking Him and taking time to look around and marvel at the detail in this, our temporary ‘home’.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson

an excellent day to avoid complaining.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing.”  Philippians 2:14 NIV

Cicero, the Roman statesman, once said, “A perverse and fretful disposition makes any state of life unhappy.”

If we allow ourselves to be consumed with complaining about things that are not perfect in our lives, we will soon find that there is very little in our lives to be joyful about.

The time that we will spend walking on this earth is but the blink of an eye compared to the eternal lives that will follow if we have prepared the way properly. Most of us are aware of the expression “life is short,” but are we using it in a way that will allow us to shine as examples of the joy being children of God brings?

When we spend time complaining about people or situations in our families, at our places of work or in our places of worship, we are not showing the world the best that we can be. A little of our luster rubs off when we should be shining brightly, letting the rest of the world see the positive effects of living in God’s Word.

Complaining usually only serves to create feelings of anxiety, discord, stress and negativity. Most of us will find that, if we pray and then just be still, the things that we wanted to complain about will seem to work themselves out or their ability to affect us adversely will be greatly diminished.

We may even discover that the very situation has created a new opportunity for us, or that we have learned a valuable lesson.

After traveling in the desert of Shur for three days without water, the people of Israel came upon an oasis, but discovered that the water was bitter.

“And the people murmured against Moses saying, ‘What shall we drink?’” (Exodus 15:24 KJV).

Complaining is often our initial response to a situation we perceive as negative. When we find ourselves drawing in the deep breath we will use to carry our complaint, we should simply expel that air instead and turn to God for patience, guidance and assistance.

“Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.” (Exodus 15:25 NIV).

Trusting God to care for us at all times is an important step in eliminating our need to complain. Having faith that God is always with us and always watching over us helps us to shine brightly as Christians, creating a beacon for others to follow.

There will be times in our lives when the water will be bitter. Complaining cannot make it sweet, but trusting in God and asking Him for His help certainly can.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson

a good day to learn to use God to control our anger.

“For man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”  James 1:20 NIV

An examination of the causes for the incarceration of many of the inhabitants of our nation’s prisons will provide us with proof of the destructive nature of anger.

Violence, even death, is surely not what God desires. It is important that we learn to use Him to help us control our own anger lest we find ourselves consumed by it. We should never want it to reach the point where it adversely affects our lives, the lives of those around us, or our relationship with God.

The Bible does not tell us we shouldn’t feel anger, but it does tell us to, “Be angry and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” (Ephesians 4:26-27 NASB).

When anger is vented in an uncontrolled manner, its violent destructive nature is released and satan is able to grab it and use it as a sword to cut a wide swath of damage that could result in broken relationships or families, injury, or even death.

Just as bad is anger that we keep bottled up within us, creating the potential for our anger to eat away at us, consuming us from within. This provides evil with another opportunity to work against our relationship with God. The result will be our harboring of bad thoughts about the person or situation we are angry with. With prodding from satan, those thoughts can build inside until the pressure is released with violent force and a tragic ending for all concerned.

So how can God help us control our anger?

We can ask Him to help us understand the person or situation causing our anger.

We can ask Him to help us forgive an individual who has wronged us, no matter how severe we believe the transgression to be.

We can ask Him for strength to rise above the situation and not provide satan with a foothold in the door through which he will try to enter to do his work.

We can also ask God to identify opportunities that might be present in the midst of any situation causing us anger.

In a multitude of ways, God can, and will, help us control our anger. All we have to do is ask.

To prevent our anger from getting out of control in the first place, we can always take advice from Plato, who once said, “He best keeps from anger who remembers that God is always looking upon him.”

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson

an ideal day to think about our accountability to God.

“Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.”  Romans 14:12 NLT

“The devil made me do it.”

Those who are old enough remember the phrase comedian Flip Wilson made popular in one of his comedy sketches. It was one of his trademarks and it was always good for a laugh.

The truth is, the devil can’t make us do anything, although he certainly does tempt us and encourage us. It is when we give in to the temptation and encouragement he presents to us that we find ourselves looking for someone to blame.

How easy it then becomes to turn and say, “The devil made me do it.”

Unfortunately, when we try to shift responsibility for our own actions to someplace other than right where it belongs, the phrase is not amusing at all.

Nor is it anything close to the truth.

While God does allow satan to rule upon this earth for the time being and try to lead us away from Him, it is no one’s fault but our own if we succumb to temptation.

God provides us with the proper protection to fend off temptation and any invasion of evil and we are instructed to, “Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-11 NASB).

If we fail to protect ourselves properly, we have no place to point the finger of responsibility except at ourselves.

But it does not end here on earth.

Even though eternal life is a free gift, each one of us will still be accountable to Christ and will be judged on how we have lived our lives on earth. Paul’s words at the church in Corinth teach us to live to please God, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the thing he has done while in the body, good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10 NIV).

God’s gift of salvation does not remove from us our obligation of obedience. While we are forgiven for our sins, we still must be accountable for them on the Day of Judgment, so it is important to not be “flip” about our personal accountability to God.

Pun intended.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson

a perfect day to move closer to your spouse.

“This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife and the two are united as one.”  Genesis 2:24 NLT

Imagine finding yourself adrift in a small boat in the middle of a vast ocean.

You are hungry, your throat is parched from thirst and your skin is burning due to the relentless sun from which there is no place to hide. In the distance is an island which you just know is full of wonderful things to eat, pure crystal clear water to drink and tall, full tropical trees under which awaits cool shade, allowing escape from the sun.

Your little boat has no motor – just a set of oars.

Getting to the island will be hard work. Blisters will develop on your hands. You will sweat, strain and become sore from the effort it will take to reach the place that has all you need for survival. If you do not take the oars in your hands and lean into the back-breaking work, you will drift farther and farther away from the island and you will surely perish. The task is daunting and will require the total commitment of your mind and your body.

But the reward is great.

The divorce rate in this country hovers at around 50%. Very often when people are asked what happened in a failed relationship, the answer is simply given as, “We drifted apart.”

Perhaps a more fitting descriptive phrase would be, “We stopped paddling towards one another.”

Unlike the imaginary island in the story where we can relax upon reaching the safety of its shores, marriage requires constant daily effort in order that we do not drift away from its purpose.

This is a concept that a disturbingly high number of us cannot seem to grasp.

In the midst of differences, disagreements and disenchantment, it is far easier to say, “I want a divorce” than it is to say, “I want to love you fiercely and with passion and I am willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish that.”

When asked if divorce was permissible, “Jesus replied ‘Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended’.” (Matthew 19:8 NLT).

What God intended was for husband and wife to love each other, respect each other and protect each other.

And when we fight ferociously for the survival of our marriage, we set a glowing example for our children to follow; an example of commitment, love, honor, dedication, respect, compassion and concern.

God can help us.

He can give us the strength, courage, wisdom and determination to paddle longer and harder than we ever thought possible. So pick up your oars and move closer to your spouse today.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Cassont.

the day to sharpen your skills.

“If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.”  Ecclesiastes 10:10 NIV

Skills that have been highly sharpened can produce magnificent results.

We have all seen examples of fine art, porcelain, ceramics, furniture, jewelry, crystal, cars, homes and much much more that have been produced by craftsmen, artists and artisans who have honed the skills of their trade or craft to perfection.

Just as practice has allowed these talented and dedicated individuals to sharpen their skills to extremely high levels, we too can excel at being mature Christians by employing the same dedication to our faith and by “practicing our craft” daily.

It takes a sharp ax to cut down a big tree, just as it takes highly sharpened faith and understanding of God’s Word to cut through the forces of negativity and evil that surround us and try to impede our quest for eternal joy and peace.

Being a mature Christian requires daily effort.

It is not something we become one day a week. It is not simply a label we wear to make us feel special. It is not something handy to fall back on to excuse bad behavior.

Being a mature Christian is a way of life that makes us happy and helpful, trustworthy and reliable, strong and steady. Putting a sharp edge on the “blade of our faith” helps us to clear a path for others to follow.

The only way to sharpen the “blade of our faith” is by reading God’s Word every day and praying to Him for guidance in applying the many messages His Word contains to our daily lives.

Just as an aspiring artist may look to a master painter for inspiration, instruction and motivation, a maturing Christian must look to God for those same things in order that we can sharpen the skills we need to be more effective in our work for Him.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson

the perfect day to remember to be thankful in any circumstance.

“…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV

Our initial response to Paul’s teaching may be that it is sometimes difficult to be thankful in every circumstance that we may find ourselves in, especially the extremely negative ones. It is important to note that Paul was not teaching us that we should be thankful for bad things that happen to us, but in those things, and there is a big difference between those two words.

God certainly does not expect us to be thankful for misfortunes that occur in our lives or for tragedies that bring us sorrow. Nor does He expect us to be thankful for negative circumstances that can be created as a result of situations in which we have succumbed to temptation or evil thoughts or actions.

What Paul was teaching was that we need to be thankful in any circumstance, for God is with us at all times. Armed with this knowledge, whether a negative circumstance in our lives is a natural occurrence or the result of our own thoughtless behavior, we can be thankful that God is there to help us.

We only need to reach out to Him in prayer and ask.

He will not always make a bad situation go away. But with trust in the Lord, we will find that no matter what our circumstances may be, something good can be learned from them or gotten out of them.

When our lives cause us to be unhappy for our circumstances, we need to turn to God and be happy in our circumstances.

There is an old saying that goes, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”

Today is the perfect day to be thankful to God and ask Him to help you build a lemonade stand.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson

the day to think about the glory of God that was revealed in Jesus Christ.

“Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.”  Luke 9:32 NASB

Everywhere we look, we see proof of God’s hand in creation, but nowhere is the beauty God created more spectacularly evident than when viewed from high up in the mountains.

It is no wonder that Jesus liked to go there often to pray. Peter and the brothers James and John were the three disciples who were closest to Jesus and He invited them to accompany Him up a mountain one day to pray with Him.

Imagine the incredible honor of being one of these men who has already seen Jesus walk on water, heal many people, and feed thousands of others with just a few fish and loaves of bread. Now imagine accompanying Him to a high mountain to pray and witnessing His clothes transform to a dazzling, blinding white as He is joined by Moses and Elijah.

And if that were not enough, further imagine the bright cloud overshadowing them, out of which comes the voice of God proclaiming, “…This is My Son, My Chosen One. Listen to Him.” (Luke 9:35 NLT).

Let us all try to imagine ourselves there at that moment, experiencing the glory of being surrounded by the physical beauty of the world that God created while in the presence of Moses, who represented the law, Elijah, who represented the prophets, and Jesus, whom God’s voice has just singled out as being the long-awaited Messiah.

The Chosen One.

What glory!

What an honor!

Each one of us has been invited to share in the glory of God that was revealed in Jesus Christ. All we have to do is lay our burdens of sin at the Cross, accept Jesus Christ as our savior, and become true and faithful followers of Him.

And today is the best of days to start.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson

a perfect day for sharing.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”  1 Timothy 6:17 NIV

The Roman statesman Seneca once said, “This is the law of benefits between men; the one ought to forget at once what he has given, and the other ought never to forget what he has received.”

Sharing what we have with another who is in need is something we can do which God finds extremely pleasing. Some of us may find it awkward or difficult at first to reach out to others and share with them. We may be uncomfortable because we are unaccustomed to it. Perhaps we are uncertain of what to share or how to share. We may find ourselves holding back because we are afraid that it is too little, or the wrong thing, or the wrong time.

What we may be doing is complicating something that is actually not complicated at all. We simply need to follow the instruction given in the Bible which says, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16 NIV).

With a little patience, a little practice, and a little prayer, we can all become experts at pleasing God through sharing with others, helping ourselves to mature as Christians at the same time.

Whether it is food, clothing, shelter, money, or simply our time, giving a gift of ourselves to another is giving a gift of love to God.

In this busy world, many of us would place our time at the bottom of that list of things we have available to share, but take the time and give it to someone else who needs it. We may just find that the Lord will reward us by helping us enjoy the time we have left even more.

Volunteering to help the blind or the elderly, to work in a thrift shop, at a church mission that feeds the poor, or by simply mowing an elderly neighbor’s lawn or helping to repair a broken fence can send a message of God’s love that will be clearly heard and deeply appreciated.

All one need do is look around and it is easy to find ways to share with others. Reading the Bible daily will help to motivate us and to find other ways to share as well, such as sharing God’s glory.

Joining and being active in a church is the best way to accomplish all of the above methods of sharing, for as the Bible says, “And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.” (Acts 2:44 NLT).

Food, clothing, money, time and the glory of Jesus Christ. Use God’s gift of today to share yourself with others.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson

a good day to find courage in God.

“…for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, ‘Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid’.”  Mark 6:50 NASB

No one makes it through life without experiencing fear.

There is no shame in it, nor is it a sign of weakness. It is a human response to something unknown or dangerous. Fear – like all who encounter it – comes in all shapes and sizes. For some, it is small and comes in the shape of a spider. For others, it may be as large as, and in the shape of, an airplane. It can be fear of a specific thing or of a particular situation such as a job interview, moving to a new city, speaking in public or starting in at a new school.

The question is not the size, shape or source of our fear.

The question is how do we confront it? Where do we draw the courage to deal with it?

Let’s place ourselves in the boat with the disciples in the middle of the Sea of Galilee as they rowed toward Gennesaret. They were more than likely discussing the incredible events of the day. They had just witnessed the man they had chosen to follow – a man they did not fully understand, or believe yet – as He fed thousands of people from a meager supply of five loaves of bread and two fish.

As they discussed this miraculous event in the darkest of night three or four miles from shore, a fierce storm descended upon them, tossing their little craft about and filling them with fear. Suddenly, out of the darkness, they see this same man walking toward them – on the water!

Full of fear just moments before, now they must have been terrified. They thought they were seeing a ghost.

But Jesus told them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.”

Whereupon He climbed into the boat then calmed the wind and the sea. With calm restored, the disciples took courage from the presence of the Lord.

And so it is with each one of us. We can all take courage from the presence of the Lord.

We must know that we can all rely on the Lord for courage no matter what fear we are facing and no matter what sudden storms crop up in our lives. And although new things can be exciting, they can be frightening as well.

Imagine the trepidation Joshua must have felt when he succeeded Moses as Israel’s leader. How would any of us feel if our new job description included leading two million people into a strange land? A land that would need to be conquered to boot.

As Joshua looked out on that sea of expectant faces, one can imagine the fear he might have felt were it not for the assurance of God when He told Joshua, “No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous.” (Joshua 1:5-7a NLT).

The rest of the Book of Joshua in the Bible chronicles the fulfillment of Joshua’s obligation and God’s promise to him to help fulfill it. The reading of it reveals the courage Joshua exhibited as he faced the daunting task before him by trusting God and following His direction.

When we are afraid, we need to look to God.

When we think we are alone to face our fears, we must turn to God.

When we have momentarily lost our way and are afraid we cannot find our way back, we must rely on God.

Take your courage from God and you will have everything you need to face your fears. He will not fail us and He will never abandon us.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson