October 28

Posted on October 28, 2022 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a fine day to be on the winning side.

“For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.”  1 John 5:4 NLT

War carries with it a high price, whether on the winning side, or on the losing side.

World War II was no exception in its cost in the lives that were lost fighting it, the damage done to cities, towns, and villages where it was waged, and the enormous task of recovery in its aftermath. Of course, as far as Germany’s involvement, the war was made even more horrific upon learning the truth about the extent of the treatment, and wholesale slaughter, of millions of Jews by those who followed Adolf Hitler.

In the end, many would claim they were simply soldiers following orders, many would claim they really weren’t aware of the extent of the treatment, and many others would claim they had no idea at all. Their countryside was devastated by the effects of the war and the people themselves were a far cry from the cheering hoards that marched in unison to conquer the world in the name of unspeakable evil.

The cost to the victors was high as well. Many families were left emptier because of children who fought against that evil and paid for its defeat with their lives. The sadness of death was overcome a little by the emotional uplift that victory brought.

Even though both sides paid an enormous price, it is always better to be on the side of the victor rather than the vanquished.

This is especially true when the enemy is as evil and hateful as Hitler’s Nazis.

Evil walks this earth on a daily basis. There is much good that walks the earth as well and since evil’s intent is always to conquer and control, the battle between them is ongoing.

The first thing each one of us must do is decide which side we wish to be on.

Unfortunately, the army of evil is a flashy one with a slick recruiting campaign that is far too successful. The evil itself takes the form of self-indulgent pleasure and is usually a far cry from the type of evil spread by Hitler, but do not be one of those who is drawn in by its false promises, for God promised that, in the end, evil will be defeated forever.

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10 KJV).

It will surely be an epic battle.

“Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:5 NIV).

Choose the side you want to be on, but unlike games, contests, sporting events, or even wars, the Bible tells us the outcome so we know which side will be victorious. Our faith that this is so puts us on the side that will claim victory.

*******

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

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October 25

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a great day for obedience.

“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!”  Philippians 2:8 NIV

The obedient nature of Christ cost Him His life.

It could be argued that He knew beforehand that He was going to rise up from the dead three days later, so armed with that knowledge, knowing He was going to die soon wouldn’t have been so bad.However, that knowledge would in no way diminish the pain, humiliation and the sacrifice Christ endured on our behalf because of that obedient nature. He was, after all, as able to feel pain as any of us, and the pain of a death from crucifixion must have been horrible to endure, to say nothing of the pain endured immediately before he was actually nailed to the Cross.

When Christ exhaled His last breath, the curtain that separated us from God was torn. “The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (Mark 15:38 NIV)

This was not some cheap trick meant to elicit a lot of “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” from people witnessing this event that would change the world. The tearing of the curtain signified that through His obedience, Christ had completed the work that God had sent Him here to do and each and every living person now had direct access to God.

Christ’s obedience to God took away our sins, but it did not take away our obligation to be obedient.

For some of us, the term “obedience” seems to almost carry a negative connotation. It’s as if being obedient is a very difficult act we must perform. Obedience is not something we do; it is the way in which we live. Obedience to God is simply understanding how He wants us to live our lives, and then living them in that manner.

Jesus told His disciples that obedience was a way of showing love, and that’s how we should view it; as an act of love, not as an obligation or a task.

He said, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15 NIV).

And what, exactly, was He commanding? What were His commandments? Was He instructing His disciples to do anything difficult? Was He telling them to do anything that would cause them, or anyone close to them, to be harmed?

First and foremost, of course, was the commandment to love and worship only God. And the rest of it? It all boils down to this: Be good to each other.

“…love thy neighbor…” (Matthew 22:39b).

We can make any of this as complicated as we want, but that doesn’t mean that it is. The truth is that our obedience to the Lord is an act of love that should come naturally to us and without any effort at all.

Christ did the hard part.

He does not ask any of us for obedience quite like His, so let’s not make work out of something that should be a simple act of love.

*******

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

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October 23

Posted on October 23, 2022 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

an excellent day to keep the fire burning.

“The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.  Leviticus 6:13 KJV

Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross to eliminate the need for people to offer sacrifices at the altar to God.

In God’s instructions to Moses, He made it clear that the fire on the altar must never go out. The fire was started by God and represented His ongoing presence within the system that was used to gain God’s forgiveness for sins that were committed.

Today, knowing that God is continually present is important in maintaining our enthusiasm for living a life that is pleasing to Him. When we consult with the Lord before everything we do, and when we look for the Lord in everyone we meet, we are continually adding fuel to the fire God put in us through the Holy Spirit’s presence within us.

We should always be looking for ways to help us keep all of our relationships exciting and fresh.

Our spouses and loved ones need to know that we are enthusiastic about them. Unfortunately, doing the same thing day after day tends to become a bit monotonous and boring. When that happens, we begin to do things simply out of obligation and do not display much in the way of excitement. Our spouses and loved ones deserve better than that, so we need to try to find ways to keep things ‘new’ and ‘fresh.’

Our relationship with God is no different. We should always be looking for ways to add fuel to the fires of our enthusiasm for the Lord. Once started, we never want the fire in us to burn out.

So how do we keep it burning brightly and with intensity?

By making sure that God is a constant part of our lives. Keeping God in our thoughts can be accomplished no matter where we are or what we are doing. Even at work, as Paul teaches: “Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Ephesians 6:7 NLT).

When we are at play with our children, we can add fuel to the fire by letting God hear the laughter of our love rise up to His ears. Those around us will hear it as well.

“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’” (Psalm 126:2 NIV).

Hearing our children laugh and sing is a reward for the Lord, in a way. Consider it repayment to Him because, “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” (Psalm 127:3 NASB).

Use everything and everyone at your disposal to remind you of all that God has given you, and all that He does for you. Keep Him close in your daily living and show Him that the fire He put in you still burns as fiercely as ever.

*******

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

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October 22

Posted on October 22, 2022 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a spectacular day to think big!

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”  Ephesians 3:20 NLT

We are powerless without God, but we are limitless with Him.

Our ability to exist comes from God, but He wants us to do more than just exist. Many people go through life never fully appreciating or understanding what they could be capable of if they were only to call upon the power of God for help. With the right motivation, God will help us to accomplish great things.

Many of us can already identify the power of God working in our lives. Some of us have called upon God to help us endure seemingly unendurable situations. Our confident prayers have not only given us the ability to survive difficult situations, but a great number of us also know that God’s power gave us the ability to thrive during those situations.

Paul tried to impress upon the Corinthians just how remarkable the power of God is. Being a believer in those early times often presented danger to those who would try to share God’s light with those who lived in darkness. God gave Paul and others the power to share this light even though they themselves were fragile and powerless.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV).

As we all know, Jesus Christ walked among us in human form. We are also taught that it was God’s power, in the form of the Holy Spirit that filled Christ, enabling Him to do wondrous things. Before going out into the wilderness, where He faced temptation by the devil for 40 days, Jesus was baptized by John. It was at that moment that the Holy Spirit descended and entered Jesus, filling Him with the power He would need in the wilderness and afterwards.

“Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about Him spread quickly through the entire region.” (Luke 4:14 NLT).

God knew exactly how Jesus would use the power that He now had. While it is doubtful that any of us will ever be able to claim quite the same abilities as the Son of God, we must be very cautious not to underestimate God’s power or His desire to use it through us for the good of all of His children on earth.

When we pray to God and our prayer is true and comes from our heart, He knows this. His power cannot be fathomed, and He can use it in any way He wishes. Ask Him to do wonderful things through you.

Just remember, when you are asking for His help in serving others, think BIG!

*******

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

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October 20

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a wonderful day for a dinner party.

“When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked His disciples: ‘Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?’”  Mark 2:16 NIV

Much like today, a tax collector in the time of Christ was disliked.

In Jesus’ time, there was rampant corruption among them making them even easier to despise. Levi, who was a tax collector who later became Matthew, was called by Jesus to follow Him and went on to write the first of the four Gospels covering the teachings of Jesus Christ.

When he was first called by Jesus, Matthew (then called Levi) got up from his tax collector’s booth and joined Him. Later, he invited Jesus and the other disciples to a dinner party at his house. In addition to Jesus, the disciples, and Levi, there were many of the friends of Levi who were tax collectors, as well as others simply classified as ‘sinners.’

The teachers of religious law thought it odd that the man everyone was saying was the Messiah would sit down and eat with such people. Apparently their idea of a ‘savior’ and a ‘king’ was quite different from what they were seeing. By their thinking, Christ should avoid “riff-raff” and only associate with those who comprised the upper echelon of society in that day.

An ancient ‘A’ list, if you will.

“On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” (Mark 9:17 NIV).

Jesus came to offer us salvation and to show us how to establish a relationship with God that would help us to live our short time on earth in a manner that reflected God’s loving and benevolent character. He came to lead us from the darkness of our lives into the light of service to others and to God. He came to sacrifice His life for our sins so that we can all have the opportunity for a renewed and restored relationship with God that will lead us to His promise of everlasting life.

He came to fix those who were broken, not to socialize with those who thought they were above the need for His help.

He came to demonstrate His love for all of God’s children, not just for those who felt they were special.

There is an extremely valuable lesson to be learned from the story of that dinner party. It shows the Messiah to be a truly humble, loving, and compassionate man who loves everyone, not just those who think they are special. He wants us all to treat each other as He treated those He ate with. We should all keep these lessons in mind the next time we have people over for dinner.

Reach out to those who truly need it, not to those who think they deserve it.

*******

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

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October 18

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a terrific day to show that you belong.

“So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.”  Ephesians 4:25 NLT

There were men who were so afraid of the Truth Jesus represented that they were willing to bear false witness against Him, knowing that their dishonesty and complete lack of integrity would result in His death. Since lies are always harder to keep track of than the truth, the false witnesses talked with each other to get their stories straight.

“Yet even then their testimony did not agree.” (Mark 14:59 NIV).

Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “He who permits himself to lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world’s believing him.”

Perhaps some of us know an individual whose lies are so frequent that no one even bothers to look for the truth in what they say anymore. Hopefully, the individual in question is not looking back at us when we look in the mirror.

Our actions also take the form of the truth. No matter what we say, our actions will always give us away if we are lying.

“Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.” (1 John 3:19 NLT).

Many times, people seem to forget that even if our lies are not detected by those around us, God always knows when we are lying. This fact should not be our motivation for being truthful. While it is definitely something to be aware of, honesty and truthfulness are a reflection of the character of God within us, rather than the discomfort we feel because we know He is watching. Honesty and truthfulness should be a natural outgrowth of our relationship with the Lord. They should be a result of the light of Christ on our lives. If everything we do or say takes place in the light, there is no room for the darkness of lies.

A lie reveals a lot more about our character and our relationship with God than most of us would care to think about. But think about it we must, because we should all be striving for the best relationship possible with Him. We should all cherish and protect the positive changes that take place in us, and in our lives, as a result of a good relationship with the Father.

The words of Thomas Jefferson should speak loudly to us even all these years after his death. We do not want ‘liar’ to be the word that pops into peoples’ heads when they hear our name.

Make truthfulness a living part of who you are.

Let your words, and your actions show the world that you belong to the truth, and today is a terrific day to start.

*******

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

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October 17

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a great day for watching the clouds.

“Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped.”  Numbers 9:17 NIV

Much of our daily life is controlled by signs and signals.

If we are driving a car, signs tell us where things are, what to look out for ahead, and control our direction as well as our speed. Traffic lights tell us when to stop and when to go. Things would be chaotic without guidance and every sign or signal has a purpose that we need to pay attention to in order to navigate our streets and highways in safety and arrive at our destination as planned.

As the people of Israel moved away from Egypt on their way to the land promised them by God, it was necessary for them to have signals as well. While it is true that there was very little “traffic” in the middle of nowhere, they still required direction and instruction which God provided in much the same way as we use traffic signals.

A pillar of cloud formed over the tabernacle after it was set up. At night, the cloud would take on the appearance of a pillar of fire which would provide light for the Israelites and would help to keep them safe During the daylight hours, it would revert back to a pillar of cloud. When the cloud began to move, that was the signal for the Israelites to move as well. All they had to do to know they were heading in the right direction was follow it. When it stopped, they were to stop.

Green light, go. Red light, stop.

Very convenient and very safe for all of them. There was no guess work. As to what they should be doing other than watching the cloud, God gave the Israelites Moses to give them instructions. Even when they were stopped, God had a purpose for them and Moses led them to it.

Signs and signals.

“So they camped or traveled at the Lord’s command, and they did whatever the Lord told them through Moses.” (Numbers 9:23 NLT).

We have no cloud other than the ones God paints in the sky to bring us rain, to shield us from the sun, or simply to demonstrate the beauty that He creates. We have no Moses to give us instruction. So where do we look for direction and instruction?

We pick up the Bible, we clear our minds, we open up our hearts and we read. Every instruction we need is there. Every turn we should take in our lives is in there as well. With determination and focus, the Bible will tell us when to move, which direction to go in, and when to stop and rest.

And then we can take a little time for cloud watching.

*******

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

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October 15

Posted on October 15, 2022 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a splendid day to remember that God doesn’t forget us.

“Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has He in anger withheld His compassion?”  Psalm 77:9 NIV

God simply does not forget us. He cannot forget us.

It is true that, at times, we might encounter periods in our lives where we will think that God has forgotten about us. During those times we will feel helpless and alone and we will call out to Him and ask Him where He is.

It is human nature to experience periods of insecurity and loneliness, but it is during these times that we must find some way to remind ourselves that the Lord is never far away from us, even if He is silent, and even if we are encountering difficulty feeling His presence and hearing His voice in our hearts.

There could be a number of reasons for this, but none of them is the one that stands out in our mind: “God has forgotten me.” It is not God who forgets, but us. We forget that God may not always look at things in the same way that we do. We forget that God’s time table may be different from what we would prefer.

But God does not forget.

The Hebrews were slaves in Egypt longer than many of them would have liked, but it was not because God had forgotten them. The Israelites continued to groan under the burden of their slavery, “And God heard their groaning, and remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” (Exodus 2:24 KJV).

In those times when we might be about to entertain thoughts that God has forgotten us, perhaps we need to pause and look honestly at our situation. It is very possible that the situation we are crying out for rescue from contains a lesson that God wants us to learn first.

To truly live life to its fullest, we must embrace every situation we encounter as if it were a food which contains nourishment. God wants us to take all of the “nourishment” out of every situation we encounter so that we can then use it to shape our character into something useful to others.

God will determine the point at which He will step in on our behalf. It is His decision and His alone. Our responsibility is to try to understand what can be learned from what we are facing. It is our responsibility to draw the nourishment for our character from whatever the situation may be. And it is our responsibility to remember that God has not forgotten us, nor will He ever do so.

Actually, maybe there are some things that God forgets.

He forgets our sins because He forgives us, but that is all He forgets and today is a splendid day to remember that.

*******

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

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October 13

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

the perfect day to get involved.

“And he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’ Then Jesus said to him ‘Go and do the same.’”  Luke 10:37 NASB

When asked to explain exactly who his “neighbor” was by an individual who was testing Him, Jesus told the story of the Jewish man who was robbed and beaten on the road to Jericho.

A priest came along and passed the beaten Jewish man by, as did a temple assistant. It was only the Samaritan who stopped to render aid. This was unusual since Jews and Samaritans despised each other. Not only did the Samaritan attend to his wounds on the spot, he took the Jew to an inn and paid the innkeeper to look after him until he had recovered.

It was then that Jesus asked the one who was testing Him, “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” Luke 10:36 NIV

It is from this parable that the term “Good Samaritan” is derived. The Samaritan who stopped to render aid did not look the other way because what had happened did not involve him. He did not pass him by because he was a Jew. He did not ignore the man’s needs because to stop and render aid would be inconvenient.

He stopped to help a fellow human being who was hurting and in need.

In other words, he did what God expects of us all – he looked out for the needs of his neighbor. We all are neighbors in the eyes of God. Helping someone in need should be something we do without hesitation, but so often in these times, just like in the times when Jesus told the parable, it is too inconvenient, too much trouble, or not our responsibility to come to the aid of our fellow man. We find it difficult to bring ourselves to “get involved.”

Examples of the reluctance to be a good neighbor – or to be a Good Samaritan – can be found all around us on a daily basis. While it is true that there are also examples of people going out of their way – even risking their lives – for others, our focus should be on why so many of us choose not to get involved.

It should be unthinkable to any follower of Christ to pass by someone who needs help or to refuse to get involved because it is inconvenient. We can make all of the excuses we want, and many of them probably sound pretty good. But none of them are good enough when we ask ourselves this simple question: “How inconvenient was it for Christ to be beaten, humiliated, scorned, and killed so that we may be saved?”

If we look at it that way, there is no excuse for refusing to get involved and help our neighbors. Today is a gift from God and it is the perfect day to help someone who is hurting and in need.

*******

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

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October 12

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a good day to say, “It will not be me, Lord!”

“Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?”  Matthew 26:22 NLT

Throughout history there have always been those who have been sentenced to die and who have sat in a jail cell awaiting their fate. Living each day with that knowledge cannot be an easy thing to do, no matter what it was that an individual did to “earn” such a sentence.

Now, try to imagine living your life knowing that it would end with your being brutally mistreated and then crucified – and being innocent of any wrong doing. Imagine you are sitting down to dinner with twelve of your closest friends, knowing this would be the last time you would all be together. As you look around at the smiling, unsuspecting faces of people you love, your gaze comes to the one you know is going to place you in the hands of those who will ultimately take your life.

The pain that Jesus must have felt is never discussed. He is very calm and simply points out that the betrayal is coming, and it will be by one of the twelve enjoying this last supper together.

“As they were eating, He said, ‘Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.’” (Matthew 26:21 NASB).

One has to wonder why, rather than steadfastly stating that, “It will not be me, Lord!” each of the twelve, in turn asked, “Am I the one?”

Of course, we all know that it was Judas who handed Jesus over to those who wished Him harm, but we also know that the other eleven disciples vanished to avoid the same fate, so in a sense they all betrayed Him.

Their faith was shaken by their failure to understand what Christ had been trying to teach them about His imminent death and its role in fulfilling God’s Promise of a Messiah, and the Salvation the Messiah would bring. Even after spending all that time walking with Christ, talking with Him, and listening to Him teach and witnessing the numerous miracles He performed while healing and helping those He came to serve – even after all of that, they all had their individual moments of doubt.

It was not until His resurrection that their faith became unshakable. It was not until they saw Him alive after they witnessed His death that they finally were able to fully give themselves over to Him as His apostles.

We do not have the unique honor of being able to have Jesus Christ sit at the same table with us and share supper. We must operate strictly on our faith. We must, in a way, be more confident of Christ than even those who walked with Him.

Our faith must be pure, it must be strong, and it must be true. We must look at all the Bible tells us and become convinced beyond all doubt so if we hear the voice of Christ say, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me,” we can stand up and say, with fierce conviction, “It will not be me, Lord!”

*******

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

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