The After-Oakdale Chronicles

the perfect day to reflect on the burdens of Jesus Christ.

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB

We all know what the burden of our sin feels like.

No matter how much we try to ignore our sins, they can place an almost palpable weight on us that affects how we act, and who we are. Left unchecked, the burden of our sin can become so heavy that it crushes us – if not physically, certainly spiritually. Many times, we become so burdened with our own sin that we simply do not know how to get out from under it.

God, knowing what the burdens of sin can do, gave us His only Son to help us. Jesus was the only person ever to walk this earth who did not sin and yet His purpose in coming here was to take our burdens from us, and allow us to become reconciled to God. Those of us who know how oppressive the burden of sin can be cannot begin to imagine what it must be like to willingly accept that burden from each and every person on earth.

Christ takes our burdens and gives us His. When we give our burdens of sin to Jesus, He gives us a “burden” of love, healing and peace. But He assures us that ours is the better part of the bargain.

“For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30 KJV).

The “yoke” is a tool utilized by oxen to accomplish hard work. The yoke that Jesus would have us carry, in exchange for what we are giving Him, indicates that we cannot expect that our lives will be free of responsibility or work. It does mean that we are working together with Christ instead of trying to do things on our own. It means that we are working in a spiritually productive manner and striving to live purposeful, meaningful lives of service to God. It means whatever weight our burdens have is nothing compared to what we gave Jesus, and with our closeness to God the burden we do have is carried with joy and thanks.

Before we know it, our smiles are broader, our steps are livelier, and our ability to deal with the obstacles that do come our way becomes easier, and with all of this comes a surprising eagerness and an ability to then reach out to those around us.

“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2 NLT).

When we get rid of the negative burdens of sin and accept the burdens of being a responsible Christian, our lives can only change for the better.

Think about what you are asking Christ to take from you, and then thank Him for taking it.

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

a good day to ignore what people say.

“The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.”  Proverbs 15:14 KJV

Someone defined insanity as “Doing the same things and expecting to get different results.” Unfortunately, this is exactly what many of us do.

When we make our decision to follow Christ, we must change.

Once we are convinced we want to accept Christ as our Savior and seek forgiveness for our sins, we must then set about getting rid of old thoughts, habits, and situations that do not reflect the way we want to live the rest of our lives. Most of our lives are influenced by the information we absorb and expose ourselves to. If we surround ourselves with people who gossip, tear others down, or criticize and demean other people, we must put an end to it.

We must stop listening and learn to ignore people when they have nothing to offer but foolishness.

We must map out a course for ourselves that includes instruction from the Word of God. We must make use of the time we once wasted in foolish idleness to seek knowledge not only in the Word of God, but other useful knowledge that can be used to help those around us. Find a church where you feel comfortable and welcome and try to become involved in the many different ways in which that particular church tries to reach out to those in the community.

It is important to remember that becoming better, more responsible people is not something we do or work on for God. It is a very important part of what we do for ourselves. The inner satisfaction and the resultant feeling of worth and sense of belonging to something bigger than ourselves is our goal.

It is what God wants us to see, but it needs to be the way we want to live.

It all hinges upon changing all of the information that flows into us through the people we listen to, the things we read, and what we see. All of these things can be controlled to a great degree so that we are soon doing different things and obtaining results beyond anything we ever thought possible.

Old habits, old dogs and new tricks.

God is aware of every obstacle we can put in our way. When we recognize the importance of other people, and we ask God daily for His help and His direction, we can overcome old habits and those of us who are old dogs can learn new tricks.

But we first must learn to know when to ignore what people say.

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

a superb day to help God find favor with you.

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”  Genesis 6:8 NASB

The story of Noah should not only serve as a lesson to us all, it should serve as an inspiration.

Of all the people on earth, God found favor with Noah. So much so that He chose Noah and his family as the ones selected to give the world a second chance. Noah was not perfect, but he lived his life in a manner that pleased the Lord. Even though he was surrounded by people who worshiped idols, committed acts of violence, and indulged in sexual sin, Noah still managed to be a righteous man who walked in faith with God and sought to do the right thing.

We should always ask ourselves, “What can I do to find favor in the eyes of God today?”

Is it really so difficult to do? It is possible that it is not as easy as we may think, but it may not be as complicated as we sometimes make it. Of course, another question to ask is, “Do I really want it?”

God’s favor does not automatically mean life is going to be a beautiful, smooth, trouble free existence.

Noah was charged with building a huge ship, rounding up thousands of living creatures, residing in that animal-filled environment for over a year, then having him, his family, and all the living creatures that remained on earth deposited on a strange mountain.

Not easy going for one who had found favor with God!

And what about Mary? God found favor with her as well.

“The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.’” (Luke 1:30 NASB).

God’s favor caused her to have to explain to the man she was to marry that she was pregnant. Not only that, but she had to try to make him comprehend how this could have happened at all since there was no man involved. Once Joseph was convinced that she had been chosen to give birth to the one who would save the world, together they had to endure the looks, comments, and attitudes of the people in their community.

So if God’s favor is not going to lay down a smooth super highway to heaven, why in the world would we want to live our lives in a manner that actively seeks it?

Simply because that is what God wants us to do.

He tells us to obey Him and, “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.” (Proverbs 3:3-4 NASB).

Look for ways today, and every day, to help God find favor with you. If you go out of your way to please God, everyone around you will notice.

And that can’t be all bad.

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

a great day to fan the flames of faith.

“So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.”  Acts 16:5 NASB

There are over one billion Christians in the world today.

By any standards that is a huge number of people. It has taken a long time to get to the point that we are now, and it has not always been an easy journey. Many people have gone before us with untold thousands giving their lives making their way through unknown territory. While the flames of faith burn brightly around the world today, it takes the commitment of each and every one of us to continually fan those flames, to keep them burning brightly, and to help them spread.

In 1846, a group of pioneers set out to California from Illinois. The distance they traveled can now be covered in a car in a matter of days, regardless of the weather, the time of day, or the time of year. What would become known as the “Donner Party” fought for months to arrive at a point where there was one obstacle to overcome before arriving in the place that held all of their hopes, and dreams.

After their long journey, the eighty-seven members of George Donner’s party were delayed almost a month by an ill-advised “short cut” that resulted in them being caught high in the mountains in a raging blizzard. They were only a few miles short of the path that would give them access to the final leg of their journey. But it would take them over five months and cost 47 of the 87 members of the group their lives before the last portion of the journey ended. Today one can travel through what is now known as “Donner Pass” in a manner of minutes by car or truck over the highway that closely follows the route of those pioneers.

There are still individuals “blazing trails” in the wilderness as they fan the flames of faith by spreading the word of God in remote places of the world that are not unlike the rugged, untamed country faced by the Donner party. These men and women are determined to bring the word of God to as many individuals as they possibly can and work tirelessly in less-than-ideal conditions to follow the same instructions that Jesus gave to His disciples before ascending into heaven: “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15 KJV).

We do not all have to run off to remote corners of the world to fan the flames of faith, but if that is your calling, people are certainly needed to join the ranks of those who do so. If it is not possible, one only need look around. No matter where one may look, lost souls are waiting to hear some really Good News.

Today is the day to give it to them and in doing so, you can help fan the flames of faith.

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

a glorious day to enjoy freedom.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”  2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV

It would probably be difficult to find somebody who enjoys being in prison.

To have our movements restricted; to be deprived of the ability to go where we wish, when we wish; to be surrounded by negativity and the ever-present possibility of danger; to be frightened and alone – thoughts of those things make us shudder and be thankful that we are not in that situation.

And yet, in a way, many people are in that situation, or worse, and haven’t figured it out yet.

When people live without Jesus Christ in their lives, they occupy a “spiritual prison.” They are chained by their sins, and kept prisoner by their sinful words, thoughts and actions. Before Christ died on the cross, we were all slaves to sin and were held prisoner by it.

But now, by accepting Christ and following His light, we can enjoy freedom, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” (Romans 8:2 NASB).

Many people have not accepted the Truth that is Jesus Christ, and are still held prisoner. We must all work to reveal the Truth to those who are not aware so that they, too, can enjoy the freedom that Jesus offers to everyone.

Some of us, even knowing the Truth, still voluntarily live our daily lives in a spiritual prison. Held there by the darkness of our sins, we forget that with Christ in our hearts, the shackles that bind us just fall away. Allowing ourselves to be filled with the Holy Spirit frees us from a self-imposed ‘jail cell’ that limits our ability to love others and live in a world inhabited by honesty, truth and sincerity.

We rob ourselves of happiness and we deny it to those closest to us.

Freeing ourselves from self-inflicted bondage should be something each of us desires more than anything else, for it is only when we are absent of a chained spirit that we are truly free to do the things that God expects from us.

If you are feeling a little closed in, it might be because you are allowing your sins to deny you your freedom. Ask Jesus to break the chains that bind you to your spiritual prison and enjoy God’s gift of freedom..

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

an excellent day to take nutritional advice from Jesus.

“But He said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.”  John 4:32 KJV

When the disciples returned from the village with food, they tried to get Jesus to eat, which is when He gave them the above response. The disciples were confused and they asked Him if someone had given Him food while they were gone.

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34 KJV).

Of course Jesus was talking about spiritual nourishment, and the point that He was trying to make was that this type of nourishment is more important than physical nourishment, for what good is a well fed body if the Spirit is starving to death?

Jesus was trying to teach that not only does our spiritual nourishment come from the Word of God, it also comes from doing the work of God. For Christ, the work was to develop a following of individuals who would teach the world about the gift of salvation that was given to us all when Christ completed His work and gave His life on the cross.

Each one of us is charged with continuing God’s work while we live. In order to do God’s work we need nourishment, so for our spiritual sustenance we have not only the Word of God, but the work itself. Telling others about the promises that will be theirs when they, too, accept Jesus Christ as Savior will nourish us by filling us even more full of the Spirit of God. It also reveals to others how they can begin to become spiritually nourished as well.

Before Jesus was betrayed and arrested, He prayed for Himself: “I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.” (John 17:4-5 NIV).

Jesus also prayed for His disciples, but before completing His mission, He prayed for all of us: “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in Me through their message.” (John 17:20 NLT).

Jesus obtained spiritual nourishment through the Word of God and by completing the work of God. He encourages us, through His disciples, to obtain the same nourishment for ourselves.

There are numerous sources of advice on how to properly nourish our bodies, but there is only one source of advice on how to obtain spiritual nourishment. That source is Christ, and we would do well to follow His advice.

And then we will find ourselves anxiously awaiting dessert!

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

the day to accept the perfection of other peoples imperfections.

“For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy.”  Hebrews 10:14 NLT

Life on this earth could more accurately be described as a pilgrimage.

When Christ died on the cross and was then resurrected, we were all made perfect in God’s sight. That does not mean we do not have work to do as we continue our daily pilgrimage through life on our way to the everlasting life that awaits us with God.

And while we were made perfect in God’s sight, we may not always appear that way to each other.

In fact, from a human perspective, none of us is perfect, but because we are perfect in God’s sight, we have an obligation to accept the perfection of each other’s imperfections.

Around the world, every product that we eat, drink, wear, or otherwise use in our daily lives, is perpetually in various states of completion or production. For every loaf of bread on a super market shelf there is wheat which has begun to push its way out of the soil. There is also wheat that is ready to harvest, wheat that has been turned into grain, grain that has been milled into flour, and flour that is waiting to be baked for more bread for the super market shelf.

Let’s consider for a moment that the loaf of bread represents perfection. While a single stalk of wheat is not perfect, it is in the process of becoming so, and while a cup of flour may not be perfect, it is to the baker who sees the finished loaf of bread.

So it is with humans.

We are in various stages of perfection. As we become more holy, we get closer to the finished person, and that is how God sees us no matter what stage of development we are in.

We sometimes look at other people and question their hearts, their commitment to God, and their attitude about Heaven. We are critical because it is easy to be that way, and we focus on what we perceive to be other people’s imperfections. We do not see things the way God does, and we never will be able to, but we all need to understand and accept the fact that God sees us all the same way.

All human beings are at different stages in their pilgrimage to the perfection that God already sees. If we can help others on their pilgrimage, it is incumbent upon us to do so.

At the very least, we need to accept the perfection of other people’s imperfections and they need to accept ours.

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

a perfect day to do the right thing for the right reasons.

“I will expose your righteousness and your works, and they will not benefit you.”  Isaiah 57:12 NIV

It is important to remember that salvation is the most valuable gift that God gives us.

It is just as important to always remember that it is just that – a gift. We cannot purchase it by doing good works, nor can we buy it by giving money to charity. Salvation is a gift from God.

As Paul wrote his letter to the Church of Ephesus, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God…” (Ephesians 2:8 NASB).

It is not only the wealthy who try to buy the salvation we all desire. People of all incomes are guilty of thinking it is what we do that gains favor with God. The mistaken belief is that we can live our lives in whatever manner we so choose and make up for it by giving anonymously to our church, or writing a check to the local food bank.

What we do it is less important than WHY we do it.

It may be possible to fool those around us into believing that our generosity is motivated by concern for others that is borne out of our love of Jesus Christ and our acceptance of Him as our Lord and Savior. It may be possible to live a lifetime of going thru the motions of being a good Christian and believing in the Word of God.

We can say all the right things and go thru all the right motions, but it all comes down to this: we can fool everyone, perhaps even ourselves, but we cannot fool God.

If we are trying to make up for sexual promiscuity, greed, selfish anger, adultery, vulgar language, and improper thoughts by buying a bag of groceries to donate to the local food bank, we really need to stop and take a long, hard look at what we are doing.

Of course, if we have accepted Christ and we are earnest in the pursuit of the truth, we will become better people. As we feel better about who we are, and we start to feel that inner glow that comes from a relationship with the Lord, we will begin to think differently about the people around us. Salvation that is ours simply for believing will cause us to want to look constantly for ways to serve God by helping other people.

Then, and only then, will we be doing the right things for the right reason.

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

a fine day for listening only to God.

“But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.”  Psalm 1:2 NLT

Having a close relationship with God will have a profound impact on our lives.

The way we think; the way we view things; our feelings towards those around us: All of these things change in beautiful ways when we become closer to Him. We “listen” to God by reading the Holy Bible and searching it for the wisdom and instruction it holds. Then, as we read His Word we need to meditate on how it all relates to us. Thinking about everything we read will help us to determine how we are to apply its wisdom to our daily lives.

The more time we spend thinking about God and “listening” to His Word, the more we will understand how much we want to change. We also “listen” to the written Word of God by opening our hearts as well as our minds. God’s laws are not complicated, nor are they unreasonable. They do, however, require adjustments in our attitudes, thoughts, and actions. We may find that we have to reject certain things that we enjoyed doing, but if that is the case God will help us find other pursuits to replace those things. Those new pursuits will have value to our fellow man, as well as to our loved ones and to ourselves.

In many instances, the more “successful” we become, the less we feel we need to rely on God. Quite the reverse is true, for it is then that we need to rely on Him to show us how to use our success for the benefit of others.

One needs only to look around to see that many, many so-called “successful” people do not listen to what God tries to tell them. The evidence is in the ostentatious lifestyles and the vulgar displays of wasted wealth that are paraded before our eyes daily. No human being needs a 50,000 square foot home in which to live comfortably – and many people have more than one.

Yet so many of God’s children have no roof over their heads at all.

God has nothing against people enjoying their success. Indeed, the abilities and talents they possess which enable them to become wealthy in the first place came from God. He just wants us to listen to Him, and as Paul instructed Timothy in how to deal with the rich, “Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.” (1 Timothy 6:18 NLT).

Rich or poor, or somewhere in between, God has instructions and wisdom for us, and some rules to live by. We would all do well to listen to what He has to say, today and everyday.

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

a wonderful day to appreciate all of God’s gifts.

“…for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”  Romans 11:29 NASB

The gifts that God has given to each and every one of us takes a book unto itself to discuss and describe. That beautiful record of the gifts that God has given, and promised, to the world is the Holy Bible.

From the very beginning of the Bible, the incredible value and splendor of God’s gifts to us is laid before us. The first gift that God gave to us was the world itself, followed by the living, breathing creatures and plants that provide it with its very heartbeat.

All of that was followed by what would prove to be His most perfect creation, as well as His biggest disappointment.

When He gave life to Adam and Eve, mankind was perfect.

Part of our perfection was our curiosity. We would need this to fully appreciate and explore the world around us. Unfortunately, this gift also played a part in Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God. Be that as it may, that disobedience did not stop God from loving us and blessing us with countless other gifts.

To counter Adam’s disobedience, God gave us His son, Jesus Christ, the most perfect gift ever given.

“But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:15 NLT).

God gives some gifts to all of us, and some to us individually. Some of us He has given the ability to lead, to teach, to prophesy, or to do any one of dozens of things that can be used in service to the One who gave us all that we have. God also gave us a variety of spiritual leaders to help us learn about God, to guide us in the application of what we have learned, and to help us know how to reach out to others as well.

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.” (Ephesians 4:11 NLT).

God gave us the gift of today, and we should take the time today to show our appreciation for all of His other gifts to us.

Come to think of it, we should use the gift of every day to do that.

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