November 9

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a wonderful day to prioritize relationships

“The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”  John 4:18 NIV

For those of us who are parents, one of our greatest responsibilities to our children should be centered on relationships. We should teach them the value of relationships with friends, family, co-workers, strangers, members of our church and – of paramount importance – we should be teaching them about the relationship between spouses.

If you have always been married to the same person, this may not pertain to you, but how does someone who has been married 3, 4, or 5 times and has had numerous relationships outside of marriage teach a child about the value of the relationship between a man and a woman in marriage?

Certainly there will be those who are reading this who will begin to bristle defensively. Excuses, or reasons, will be offered:

“She was unfaithful.”

“He was abusive.”

“He was a drunk.”

“He spent all his time looking at pornography.”

And on, and on.

Instead of teaching our children the importance of our relationships with each other, we inadvertently teach them that a relationship with God is not important.

For those who would disagree, consider this: If we are secure in our relationship with God, none of the above “reasons” will be a factor in our lives. When the most important relationship in our life is recognized as the relationship we have with God, then – and only then – are we prepared to engage in a relationship with another person.

Who would argue that the predominate reasons given for divorce are the result of sin? Paul had the answer for that: “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” (Galatians 5:16 NLT).

A strong, loving relationship with God brings us everything that is required to enable us to engage in strong, loving relationships and marriages.

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT).

Read that over and over.

Who can argue with the fact that those things are the basis for a strong, loving, healthy relationship? No one, of course. To obtain these things without God’s help is impossible. There are simply too many obstacles in the way. These obstacles are called “sin” and temptation. A strong, active, loving relationship with God gives us the ability to overcome any obstacle.

If our relationship with God comes first, our marriage will last. And what a lesson that is for all of us.

Especially for our children.

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

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November 8

Posted on November 8, 2020 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a superb day to pray with the confidence of Elijah

“And Elijah said unto Ahab, get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.”  1 Kings 18:41 KJV

When Elijah told Ahab to go get something to eat and drink before the rainstorm hit, Ahab probably thought Elijah was delusional. After all, there was no evidence of rain anywhere to be seen. Still, Elijah had put on a pretty good demonstration when he prayed for God to send fire to burn up the bull that was offered in sacrifice, so perhaps he was onto something.

Elijah, meanwhile, climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and prayed. He had brought his servant with him when he went there.

“’Go and look toward the sea,’ he told his servant. And he went up and looked. ‘There is nothing there,’ he said. Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back.’” (1 Kings 18:43 NIV).

The servant did as he was instructed, of course, but around the sixth time that he went to look, he was probably a little skeptical that anything was going to happen at all.

“The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea’” (1 Kings 18:44a NIV).

The servant probably didn’t think much would come from such a tiny cloud, but Elijah certainly felt otherwise.

“So Elijah said, ‘Go and tell Ahab, hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” (1 Kings 18:44b NIV).

Sure enough, “In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower and Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.” (1 Kings 18:45 NASB).

You see, the entire time that Elijah was praying he knew that the prayer would be answered. He just did not know when. The reason he had his servant keep checking was not to verify that a storm was coming because Elijah already knew that. He simply wanted to give Ahab ample time to go to Jezreel so he did not get caught in the worst of it.

Jesus spoke plainly and clearly on this very subject to His disciples when He said, “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.” (Mark 11:24 NASB).

When you pray, remember the confidence of Elijah and the words of Jesus Christ.

“’Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered.” (Mark 11:22 NIV).

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

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November 7

Posted on November 7, 2020 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

an excellent day to avoid the lion’s den

“Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.”  Daniel 6:3 NLT

When good things happen to other people around us we should be happy, right?

We should congratulate them and help them to enjoy the moment. Our love for everyone dictates to us that this is what our response should be.

The key word here is “should,” and even though we “should” be happy for another person’s good fortune, we all know that is not always the case. Sometimes we are not only not happy for them; we are actually envious, jealous, or resentful.

The Bible tells us we should avoid these feelings, and deep down inside we know we should, but there are times when it seems difficult. Being bypassed for a promotion or a job may produce those feelings because we think we are more qualified, capable, or experienced. We may not be in possession of all of the facts, of course, and it is our own hurt feelings that are really producing the negative feelings.

It is very important to not let those negative feelings make us do something that will hurt us in the long run.

In Daniel’s case, when the king contemplated putting him over the entire empire, the other administrators and high officers began looking for flaws in his character and for ways to discredit his work. They could find none, so they worked out an elaborate plan to trick the king into getting rid of Daniel. The king unwittingly signed into law an order stating that no one could pray to anyone, divine or human, for thirty days.

Daniel’s faith in God did not permit him to obey the law and he prayed anyway. The ones who plotted against Daniel made sure he was caught. The king had no choice but to throw Daniel into the lion’s den.

The next morning, much to everyone’s surprise, Daniel was still alive!

“Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.” (Daniel 6:23 NASB).

Not only was the negative energy of those who had set him up wasted, the king had all of them and their families thrown to the lions for falsely accusing him.

None of them survived.

Do not waste your time or energy being angry, upset, jealous or envious of another person’s good fortune. God wants you to be happy for others when they experience good fortune. Stay faithful to God, and be happy!

You may not wind up in the lion’s den, but why take the chance?

*******

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

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November 6

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a great day to avoid getting caught up in the excitement.

“Pilate said to them, ‘Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said, ‘Crucify Him!’”  Matthew 27:22 NASB

It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of things sometimes.

The holiday season is infectious, and birthdays, festivals, family reunions, and so-on all tend to grab us, sweeping us along in the rising tide of emotions.

In many cases, and in many instances, that is most certainly not a bad thing, but we must always be careful that we don’t get so carried away that we fail to exercise caution and common sense.

We also need to always be sure and not get caught up in the excitement of something that is wrong or could prove to have negative consequences or a negative effect on the health, welfare, and well-being of ourselves or someone else. The same goes for those we love as well. We want to make sure that they exercise caution and judgment also.

Regret sometimes follows actions taken in the heat of the moment. If we are not careful, sometimes getting caught up in the excitement can have irreversible negative consequences.

In the most powerful and emotional display of people getting caught up in the excitement of the moment followed by the profound feeling of certainty that something terrible had just occurred due to the uncontrolled excitement of that crowd, Jesus of Nazareth was savagely beaten and then crucified.

Pilate tried to dissuade them. “And he said, ‘why, what evil has He done?’ But they kept shouting all the more, saying, ‘Crucify Him!’” (Matthew 27:23 NASB).

“Kill Him! Kill Him!” they screamed in their frenzy. Untold numbers of everyday people caught up in the moment and on the verge of murdering the Son of God.

Jesus was nailed to the cross. The sky went dark in the middle of the day for three hours. Jesus cried out and He was given some wine soaked in a sponge.

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit. At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.” (Matthew 27:50-52 NIV).

It was then that the realization began to set in.

“The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, ‘This man truly was the Son of God.’” (Matthew 27:54 NLT).

Try to imagine their horror and shame as the full weight of what had been done bore down on them.

There is little likelihood that anything remotely like being part of the crucifixion of Christ will ever occur in your life, but events in our everyday lives can create emotions and excitement that, left unchecked, can have life-altering consequences. Avoid getting caught up in the excitement and take a moment to think about what you are about to do so you do not need to spend the rest of your life trying to forget what it was you did.

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

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November 5

Posted on November 5, 2020 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a perfect day to do everything for God because He does it all for you!

“Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  Psalm 37:4 NASB

Are we comfortable with God?

Do we enjoy having God in our lives?

Are we at ease when we talk with Him, and is our relationship such that we do not hesitate to involve Him in every aspect of our lives?

Do we know Him and are we satisfied with what He knows about us?

To “Delight yourself in the Lord” is to answer “yes” to all of those questions. To delight in the Lord, we must know Him and we must enjoy the relationship we have.

Psalm 37 was written by David to encourage us to trust in God and wait patiently for Him to act. If we are capable of doing that, “He will give you the desires of your heart.”

David stresses this by saying, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.” (Psalm 77:5 NASB).

In other words, God is prepared to give us His best. Shouldn’t we give Him ours? Heads are nodding ‘yes’ and there are murmurs of ‘Amen!’ but how do we go about giving Him our best?

We can all start by giving more of ourselves to learning from Him, by spending more time in service to those around us, by redirecting ourselves so that more of our day is spent being less self-centered, less insignificant, and more focused on being someone who thoroughly enjoys the Lord.

As parents, many of us know what it is like as our children grow up and grow away from us. They need us in their lives less and less as their own lives become more and more demanding. The degree of separation and independence varies, but we want them to enjoy time with us and we still want them to rely on us.

As the Father of us all, God wants us to always stay in touch with Him and He always wants us to take pleasure from His involvement in our lives. Daily communication and consultation with God may seem like taking from Him, but by relying on Him, we are giving Him our trust and this pleases Him.

Our relationship with Him should always be easy and relaxed. If we are uncomfortable with Him, we need to examine how we are spending our time and living our lives. It would be unfair and unreasonable to expect God to do His best for us when we are unwilling, or unable, to give Him our best.

God loves to do things for us, and He wants to give us His best.

We need to make sure that we each do the same for Him every day.

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

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November 4

Posted on November 4, 2020 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a fine day for a spoonful of honey.

“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”  Psalm 119:103 KJV

Words form the basis for all that we think, believe, and do. Words dictate, describe, or determine how we live our lives. Words can be kind, gentle, loving, compassionate and caring, but they can also be cruel, cold, heartless, evil, hurtful, dishonest and deceitful.

Words can teach, words can lead, words can motivate, and words can inspire. But words can also cut deeply, cause dissension, lead us into harm and misinform.

The most important words we will ever encounter are found in the Bible, the Word of God. The Bible contains the Words of Life itself, more important even than food sometimes. When Jesus wandered the desert, fasting, the devil taunted and tempted Him to turn stones into bread, “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 KJV).

The Word of God is the source of our hope and the instruction we need to attain it. Some people find God’s instruction to be restrictive. There are those who feel that rules prevent them from having fun or living a full life. David, writing about God’s commandments, viewed it differently.

He wrote, “The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” (Psalm 19:8 KJV).

And if joy and insight aren’t enough, David goes on to further describe the value of the laws and regulations of God: “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” (Psalm 19:10 KJV).

Those who think that God’s Word is bitter can only arrive at that conclusion through unbelief. Those of us who truly believe in God know how His Word is like music to our ears or sweet, like honey, on our tongue.

How can words that teach us to treat other people with respect, kindness, and compassion be bitter tasting to anyone?

How can words that celebrate the goodness that is within us all be words that hurt our ears?

The words that teach us how to live with other people in harmony and peace can only add value to our lives. Anyone who thinks that the Word of God detracts in any way from the quality of their life needs to put down their bread and taste the sweetness that comes from making God’s Word a part of their daily diet.

Help yourself to a spoonful of honey as God’s gift for today.

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

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November 3

Posted on November 3, 2020 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a good day to live wisely.

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”  James 3:13 NIV

“Just do it!”

“Actions speak louder than words!”

“Talk is cheap!”

“Put your money where your mouth is!”

“Stop talking about it and do it!”

Not a single one of the above statements is recorded as having come from the mouth of Jesus’ brother James, but each and every one of them could have. Of all of the authors of the various parts of the Bible, James’ letter to Jewish Christians in Palestine is unique in the way that it challenges us to take action and in the way that it calls us to commit ourselves to active Christian living.

James is insistent that it is not enough to simply talk about being a Christian. It is not enough to simply think about being a Christian. It is not enough to simply believe in being a Christian. We must seek out God’s wisdom and apply it to our daily lives and use it to be a Christian.

If we look at the wisdom of God we will find that it is very active. Obtaining the wisdom requires the action of reading the Bible, meditating on the ideas and principles it contains, and praying for God to guide us and help us apply it to the way we live our lives. Once we have actively learned the lessons God wants us to learn, He wants us to demonstrate our understanding, “By deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

Wisdom that is inspired by God contains no jealously, no boasting, and no selfish ambition, which are all things of this earth.

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.” (James 3:17 NIV).

When we apply God’s wisdom to the way we live, we demonstrate genuine love and concern for all of humanity. We live our lives in a selfless manner and are always aware of the need for compassion, assistance, friendship, or support of those around us.

When our lives reflect the active application of God’s wisdom to everything we say and do, we are able to reach out for others with the confident knowledge that selfless service to others is the best way to help ourselves.

Living each day applying the wisdom of God to all we do will help us to become individuals who live as Christians rather than simply say that we are Christians.

Live your life wisely each day and who you are will be obvious to all who see you.

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

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Nvember 2

Posted on November 2, 2020 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

an awesome day to work to be called great!

“Jesus replied, ‘But even more blessed are all who hear the Word of God and put it into practice.’”  Luke 11:28 NLT

In Jesus’ day, if you were a man, who your ancestors were was very important. For women, their value came as a result of the sons she bore. One day, Jesus was addressing a crowd about the tendency of man to quickly lose his resolve to change, or reform, his ways.

“As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, ‘Blessed is the mother who gave You birth and nursed You.’ Jesus replied, ‘But even more blessed are all who hear the Word of God and put it into practice.’” (Luke 11:27-28 NIV).

When Jesus gave the response that He did, He was not being disrespectful to His mother or diminishing her value. He was pointing out that obedience to God is more important than anything in our lives.

It is good that we spend time each day reading scripture, daily devotionals and other spiritual readings and then take time to think about what we read.

It is wonderful that we make time in our busy schedules to worship with other like-minded individuals.

It is also a fine thing that we pray on a daily basis.

All of these things are critical to helping us open our hearts and minds and then keeping them open to all of the wisdom that can be gleaned by doing each and every one of them.

But that is not enough and we must never allow ourselves to believe that it is. Taking all that we have learned from the Bible, our church, and other sources of spiritual enlightenment and then putting it all into practice is very important in the eyes of God.

Putting your obedience to God to work is not complicated, nor does it have to be time consuming, but the notion that we can obey God’s Word without that Word translating into some form of action on our part is a notion that must bet set aside.

James, speaking about Abraham said, “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.” (James 2:22 NIV).

He was referring, of course, to Abraham’s obedience to God when he brought his son, Isaac, to the Altar to sacrifice him. Following God’s instructions, or His commandments, often requires action.

To “Love thy neighbor” (Matthew 22:39 NASB) requires some active demonstration. An act of kindness or compassion for another person, which is simple and may take very little time, completes our faith by demonstrating our obedience.

Teaching others is an action as well, and Jesus spoke clearly on that subject.

“Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19 NIV).

And any day would be an awesome day to be called great in the kingdom of heaven!

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

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November 1

Posted on November 1, 2020 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a superb day to teach your children to be followers.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  Proverbs 22:6 KJV

Parenting has perplexed those who have children for as long as there have been parents raising children.

Modern society is rife with unique challenges, but the nature of being a parent never changes. As parents, our number one responsibility is to teach. We teach our children the basic, obvious skills that they will require to live. We teach them to eat and drink in a manner that might be considered “civilized;” we teach them to walk and to talk; we teach them to clothe themselves, to bathe, to brush their teeth and comb their hair; we teach them how to play sports, musical instruments, to draw and to paint. There are many, many examples of parents as teachers, and they are all important to the development of our children.

Much speculation always takes place when our children are small about their talents and abilities and what sort of career they may be suited for when they get older. We see that this little boy likes to play with tools so we think he may grow up to be a carpenter. We see this little girl loves to take care of her dolls and we think she may grow up to be a doctor.

The truth is, we will not know for years to come. It is simply our responsibility to expose them to as many different ideas and learning opportunities as we can and let them develop a sense of who they are and what they want to “be” when they grow up.

No matter what actual career they may choose, most of us would agree we want our children to be leaders. This is a wonderful goal and our focus should definitely be on providing them with the tools to be leaders. One of the most important tools of leadership is to learn how to follow. We must teach our children to follow Christ and utilize the Word of God to teach them responsibility for others.

“The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.” (Proverbs 29:7 NIV).

We must teach them to have integrity in all that they do.

“He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.” (Proverbs 10:9 NASB).

We must teach them that hard work is rewarded.

“Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.” (Proverbs 13:4 NLT).

We must also teach them to always have a desire to learn.

“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, the ears of the wise seek it out.” (Proverbs 18:15 NIV).

Yes, there are many, many things that we must teach our children. The most important is to follow Christ and to use the Word of God to develop hearts and minds that have the humble attitude and love for others that Christ does.

Following in His footsteps will help them become leaders in whatever they do.

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

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October 31

Posted on October 31, 2020 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a wonderful day to remember that grace trumps sin.

“God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.”  Romans 5:20 NLT

As one reads the Bible, and in particular, parts of the Old Testament, one can only marvel at God’s love and patience.

Just when we think people cannot act more sinfully, they do; and just when we think God cannot possibly forgive them, He does.

When God first created man, He created man without sin. It was only after Adam sinned that future humans were tainted. But in the beginning, there was no law. God gave the law after many centuries had passed to show people just how sinful they were in the hope that the law would help them to be better.

We all know that did not work out very well. We still remained separated from God, disobedient, and lost.

God sent Christ to save us and give us righteousness, eternal life, deliverance, obedience, a relationship with God, and grace.

“So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:21 NLT).

Sometimes it is almost inconceivable to consider the depths of depravity, cruelty, and sinfulness to which people are willing to sink. Even more difficult to fathom is our ability to take anything that we have done and lay it at God’s feet and ask for forgiveness – and receive it.

Everyone can experience God’s grace. Chuck Colson committed criminal acts on behalf of President Richard Nixon. He went to prison for those crimes, but he used the time there to find his way to God and to ask God to help him attach meaning to his life. Mr. Colson went on to found Prison Fellowship which ministers to prisoners and works to help others transform themselves into the people God wants them to be.

He worked diligently and selflessly for 40 years until his death, but in spite of his decades of service, a national newspaper columnist, upon Colson’s death, wrote a column that disparaged his work and tried to cast doubt on its sincerity.

It is obvious that this columnist didn’t know Charles Colson, and he certainly didn’t understand God’s capacity for grace and His ability to work in the lives of those who are willing to let Him.

Don’t be that columnist.

Never despair.

No matter what you may have done, no matter what sins you have committed, God’s grace will trump your sin every time.

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

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