April 16

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a fine day to keep your eyes open.

“Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.”  Proverbs 4:25 NASB

It is easy to become distracted sometimes in today’s world.

There is so much going on around us that sometimes we may be tempted to become sidetracked by something we have seen or heard, causing us to stumble off the path of sin-free living and wander onto the path of sinful living.

It is not that it is so difficult to tell the difference between right and wrong, but sometimes those who ‘package’ the wrong do such a good job that they make us forget our true purpose and make us look away from our righteous destination.

When Solomon wrote the Proverbs, he was well aware of the influence that our hearts had over us. If we have filled our hearts with the spirit, we should always be getting the correct messages, but sometimes we allow ourselves to be fooled into just following sinful impulses. The consequences from closing our eyes to what we know is right can seem to be very small, but they can also be extremely unpleasant. Life is full of forbidden fruit, so to speak. Unfortunately, we do not have God to tell us specifically which choices are forbidden, but with daily prayer and reading of the Bible, our eyes will be opened wider to the dangers that seem to be everywhere.

In an age of rampant permissiveness, it is more difficult than ever to stay focused on living life in a decent, moral manner, observant of God’s guidelines for our behavior.

We must set the boundaries for our behavior and our thoughts, then we must keep our eyes open so we can be on guard against temptations and also to see the beauty and joy that can come from living as a follower of Christ.

Obviously we must close our eyes to sleep, but we should never close them to excuse bad behavior. When we were children, hiding under the covers worked. If we couldn’t see the monster, the monster wasn’t there.

But we all know that was childish.

Come out from under the covers, open your eyes, and watch where you are going.

*******

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

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April 15

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

the day to acknowledge that Father Knows Best.

“Who is this that questions My wisdom with such ignorant words?”  Job 38:2 NLT

Some of us are old enough to remember an old television show called “Father Knows Best.” While the head of that TV family may not have really always known what was best for all concerned, the Father of us all certainly does!

It is relatively easy to obey God when we agree with Him.

How many of us have found it harder to obey when the issue at hand involves denying ourselves something that we have enjoyed for many years? How many of us have indulged in habits or behaviors that we have told ourselves, “Don’t hurt anyone,” or “Don’t bother anyone,” or “Doesn’t hurt anyone but myself.”?

These situations are more likely to be encountered in those of us who have only recently come to the Lord or who have lived lives outside the teachings of our youth for many years, but they can apply to anyone. The saying “Old Habits Die Hard” is very true for many of us, and in our struggle to maintain a tenuous grip on some of our “old habits”, we might make the mistake of trying to justify what we are doing or fool ourselves that what we are doing is alright with God because we are such good people in all other respects.

We are kidding ourselves, because we certainly are not kidding God.

If we think we know better, or we feel that it is acceptable to question God, we might want to think back to when God confronted Job with, “Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.” (Job 38:3 NLT).

That is not a position we should want to put ourselves in, for as Job found out, there is absolutely no way that we can prove to the One who created us that we know what is best.

Some of us may think, “Well my only vice is pornography and they are just pictures and I am not hurting anyone.”

And yet, how many who think this way are married, have children, and have responsibilities that should not include taking time away from our families and responsibilities to look at pictures that should not have been taken in the first place?

The truth is that anything we could possibly do under the banner of, “It doesn’t hurt anyone” actually does.

It hurts our lives because time spent in sinful pursuits could be better spent praying, reading the Word of God, or helping someone less fortunate than ourselves; it hurts our families because it takes away time from them and sets a bad example; and it hurts God, because He knows what is best for us.

We may be the mothers and fathers of our children, but God is our Father, and Father always knows best.

*******

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

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April 14

Posted on April 14, 2025 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a good day to ask yourself, “When did I last spend some quiet time with God?”

“Be still and know that I am God…”  Psalm 46:10a NIV

Finding quiet time to spend with God can be a challenge in these busy times.

We are all in a hurry to get here or go there; to run this errand or fulfill that obligation; rushing to work and even rushing off to play. We find it difficult to find time for our spouses, our children and ourselves.

We all should be aware of the consequences of not finding time for ourselves and our families. When we don’t find time to spend with those we love, those relationships suffer tremendously. Husbands and wives become unhappy, disgruntled, and may harbor feelings of resentment or abandonment. Divorce may follow, which is not good for anyone.

When we neglect our children they are going to have only the influence of their friends to guide them, and not ours, and the gap between us and them grows wider.

When we don’t find time to interact with those we love, the relationship suffers, affecting everyone. Time to play, time to work, and time to just sit quietly and enjoy the presence of those we love are all extremely important.

A family needs to share all that life has to offer in order to be healthy.

We need quiet time with God as well.

Can’t find the time? Everything we have or have available to us we have because of God. Our very lives and the lives of our spouses and children are possible because of God. How can we possibly deny something that costs us nothing to the one who gives us everything?

Don’t have the time?

How much time will we spend today playing computer games? How much time will we spend today reading an entertainment magazine? How much time will we spend today letting people we don’t even know become aware of every little thing we do? How much time will we spend today engaging in idle gossip?

Hopefully, we are all becoming aware that we really do have time in our days for everyone we love, and God should certainly be at the top of that list.

God gives us everything and asks so little in return.

Use God’s gift of this day and spend some time with Him.

*******

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

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“And On The Third Day…..”

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Tony Casson

….He Rose From The Dead”

“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,“Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.” (John 20:11-18 ESV)

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.” (Luke 24:1-12 ESV)

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” (Mark 16:1-8 ESV)

“Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.’” (Matthew 28:1-10 ESV)

What more can I add to that?

HE IS RISEN! PRAISE GOD!

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April 13

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

an outstanding day to seek the help of others.

“I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for Him, as I should.”  Ephesians 6:20 NLT

Even while imprisoned, Paul’s focus was on serving others and teaching them that the path to God led through Jesus Christ.

In prison, Paul reached out to others for help, but did he want help getting out of prison? No. He simply wanted others to pray to God on his behalf for the continued strength he needed to focus boldly on delivering God’s message.

For God, creating the world was effortless. For God, wielding the paintbrush of life that gave His world personality, beauty, and character was not tiresome or challenging.

But for those of us created by the brush strokes of the master, daily life as children of God can, indeed, be taxing, frustrating, and difficult.

God places people all around us for a number of reasons. A very significant one is so they are available for us to reach out to for help.

Perhaps we need their physical help in performing some task around the house. Maybe we need help getting to work because our car is in the shop. Perhaps what we need is more important, but less demanding physically: perhaps we need their prayers as we go through a difficult time or to help us cope with a significant loss.

Most of us wouldn’t think twice about asking a neighbor for help moving a piece of furniture or with some other physical chore. But it might not ever occur to us to ask for their help in more important ways. When we remind ourselves that helping each other is a requirement of God, it becomes easier to turn to them in times of our greatest need and ask for their prayers.

Seeking the help of others to petition God for support and strength on our behalf should be as easy to us as asking for a lift to the store.

Use the resources God has placed around you and seek the help of others. Whether you need a lift, an ear, a hand, or a prayer, use what God placed all around us to help us.

Use the gift of each other.

*******

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

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“The Day In-Between”

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Tony Casson

“Sitting In Stunned Silence”

Try to imagine what was taking place in the lives of those who loved Jesus and had witnessed his brutal execution one day earlier.

Much has been written about that day as well as the third day, when Christ rose from the dead, but what was life like for those who were the closest to Christ before His death on the day in-between His brutal murder and His glorious resurrection?

Most of us have dealt with the death of someone we love; deaths which come about simply as a result of old age, as well as those that are sudden and unexpected. Those of us who have experienced the sudden and untimely loss of someone can probably recall how we were stunned into silence borne of disbelief.

I remember when my best friend, Tommy Meister, was killed driving home after an evening of partying at my house. Awakened by a phone call at around 3 AM by another friend who informed me of the news, I was stunned into silence for several minutes before I broke into uncontrollable sobbing. For days and days – perhaps even weeks – following his death, there would be periods of sobbing, but there were many more times where all I could do was sit in that stunned silence of disbelief.

How could God allow this to happen? Tommy Meister was a very good person. He was only 17 and had his entire life before him. He was kind, compassionate. gentle and soft-spoken. He was capable of making those who were not generally accepted or well-liked by others (yours truly, for example) feel special.

Tommy was a young man people gravitated to, much like Jesus. In fact, Tommy, with the long hair and beard popular in the 70’s, even looked like the illustrations of Jesus Christ we have all seen.

So what about the thousands and thousands of people who had the unimaginable privilege of seeing Jesus and hearing him speak? What could have gone through their minds upon witnessing or hearing of his death?

And what about those who were closest to him? How did they deal with the aftermath of His execution in-between the time of His death and His resurrection? Certainly there were the sounds of weeping and the wails of grief, but there also must have been blank stares of disbelief and stunned silence at what had transpired the day before.

Did they blame God?

I watched Mel Gibson’s “The Passion Of The Christ” again yesterday, as I wrote I was going to. I must be honest and tell you, I was rather taken aback by how intense my reaction was as I used the vividness of Gibson’s film to help my mind connect with what actually happened that day. I was alone in my room and sobbed uncontrollably at several points as I thought about the pain and suffering He endured on our behalf.

And I paused the DVD several times and sat in stunned silence, contemplating the truth of His crucifixion.

The women who portrayed His Mother and Mary Magdalene appeared stunned and disbelieving throughout the film. How horrible it must have been for the real women who loved Him to witness His brutal murder.

How empty the day after must have been for them as they tried to accept the fact He was gone.

Think about the other things that occurred the day before which must have contributed to their collective disbelief: Judas’ betrayal and consumption by guilt leading to his suicide; Peter’s denying His Lord three times out of fear for his own personal safety; the abandonment by the rest of His apostles and others who had followed Him; the realization that He had foretold of the events they had just witnessed and what must have been the certain knowledge of their personal failures of faith.

Each person, stunned into silence by the murder of the Son of God.

Before we move forward into the glory of the Third Day and that perfect ending to a shockingly painful story, perhaps we could all use the day in-between to spend a few moments in our own stunned silence and give thanks to the One who took on an unbelievably heavy burden so that the opportunity to be free of our burdens is there for the asking.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of this “Day In-Between”.

Amen.

…..

(Originally posted in 2015)

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April 12

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a great day to realize that grace is amazing!

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

Grace is God bestowing favor upon a sinful humanity.

We cannot earn it, He gives it freely. We can thank Him for it, in fact, we should do so. We can ask for it, and we will receive it, but sometimes He picks people to bestow His grace upon, as was the case with the choice of Mary as the mother of the Messiah.

It would be years before the enormity of that honor would become evident. At first, Mary had much to endure: those around her would reject and ridicule her; her fiancée would come to the brink of leaving her in disgrace; and the child she gave birth to would grow up to be rejected by many and, ultimately, be murdered by those who did not believe His message.

But in the end, through her Son would come salvation for the world. Through her pain would come the one who could help the world ease its pain. Through the grace God bestowed upon Mary, the entire world was given hope.

One of the world’s most enduring and recognizable spiritual songs is “Amazing Grace.”

It is a beautiful song and was written by John Newton who used to be a captain on brutal slave ships. Newton not only found favor with God, he thanked Him by writing one of the most recorded pieces of music in history. He also encouraged William Wilberforce, as a member of the English House of Commons, to fight to end the slave trade in England.

Maybe our individual purpose in this life is not as remarkable as that of the mother of Christ or the man who gave us beautiful music. But God’s grace is available to us all, and today is a great day to realize just how amazing His grace can be.

*******

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

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A Very Good Friday

Posted on April 11, 2025 by Tony Casson

“Defeating Death”

“They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. (John 19:15-17 ESV)

Jesus had been silent throughout most of the proceedings and as they led Him away, He continued His silent acceptance of what was about to happen. Even though He knew He would shortly suffer a horrible death, He also knew that His blood had to be shed to wash away the sins of the world.

In the spring of 2005, my sister Kathy, and her husband, Larry, arranged a vacation at a beach house in Myrtle Beach, SC. At the time, I was living in Hollywood, FL taking care of our mother and our step-father, who had suffered a stroke several months before. I drove them to Myrtle Beach, where we were all joined by several other family members for a relaxing week at the beach.

Everyone else went off on an excursion one day, and I remained behind, claiming I just wanted to relax. The truth is, I wanted to snort some cocaine, smoke some pot, and drink a few beers. You know….’relax’.

I did all of those things, but I also did something else. I watched Mel Gibson’s “The Passion Of The Christ”, which someone had left lying next to the TV. I was still very, very far from considering myself a Christian at that point, but I was curious as I had heard so much of the controversy surrounding the film. Admittedly, I was mesmerized by it even though I was still fully engaged in my private, undeclared ‘war’ with God.

Gibson’s interpretation simply has to be as correct as the human imagination can possibly make it. When I watched it back then, I watched it without devoting any thought to the real events of that day. I will be watching it again today, but from a different perspective: I will be watching it as one who has experienced the saving power of the blood shed by the One who really died that day.

This time there will be tears of gratitude in my eyes for the pain He endured on my behalf. I will also be watching it with sadness at the pain He experienced, but at the same time, I will be watching with joy for the reason He experienced it. I was the reason. You were the reason.

All of us. He died for all of us.

But do “all of us” know what that means?

For me, the shedding of His blood washed away the blood that covered my body in August of 2009 as I lay dying on a shower floor. The blood He shed as His life left His body enabled me to ask God for forgiveness and receive new life for myself.

Jesus defeated death for all of us by dying on the cross. Whereas my death that morning in south Florida would have affected only those who knew me, the death of Jesus Christ that day affected, indeed changed, the entire world.

I pray we all think about that today.

the-passion-of-the-christ-05

And thank Him.

“5 Minutes and 16 Seconds”

If you are a Christian,

The video below contains the most difficult 5 minutes and 16 seconds of film you will ever watch. The accompanying song, “Carry My Cross” is performed by Third Day and somehow helps to transform the tears generated by the graphic imagery of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” from tears of pain and grief at the way our Lord and Savior was savagely beaten to tears of joy and triumph at the end when His words in John 10:17-18 are displayed and we are reminded that He died willingly, obediently, and for each and every one of us because He loves us.

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April 11

Posted on April 11, 2025 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

the ideal day to let it all go.

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…”  Philippians 3:13 NASB

There is probably no better example of God’s ability to transform a person’s life than the example of Saul’s transformation to Paul. As Saul, he stood by and watched the coats of the men who stoned Stephen to death.

“When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.” (Acts 7:58 NASB).

Following Stephen’s death, Saul was a dedicated persecutor of anyone proclaiming to be a follower of Christ. After his encounter with Jesus, Saul… now Paul… would go on to be second only to Christ Himself in importance to Christianity.

“Who are You, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied.” (Acts 9:5 NIV).

Talk about a wake up call.

Hopefully, none of us has been as bad as Saul, but many of us have done things that we are ashamed of and some of us may find it difficult to let go of the past so that we can move forward. This is, in fact, a common struggle, especially for those who have good hearts and are essentially kind, gentle souls. Those who have hardened hearts are not nearly as troubled as those who do not.

Regardless of where any of us fits in, each one of us has a part to play in the transformation of humanity.

If you have sinned and have trouble moving forward, you must study closely the transformation of Paul. If God can overlook his past and use him as His most ardent supporter, then surely He can overlook anything you or I have done. God’s forgiveness knows no boundaries or limitations. If we confess our sins and repent, He forgives us.

Period.

Those who think they have lived decent Christian lives and have had a good relationship with God through Jesus Christ, must encourage, support, and forgive those who are trying to find their way to the Lord, for we are all sinners. Far too many of us look at another individual’s transformation with skepticism, cynicism, and doubt. We must remind ourselves that if God can forgive and fill someone with His spirit, who are we to doubt, ridicule, or stand in the way?

And all of us must pray for God to work to soften the hearts of those whose hearts are hardened and resisting transformation. We must all work to let it all go so we can move forward on the path God wants us to walk.

*******

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

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April 10

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Tony Casson

TODAY IS…

a good day to agree with God.

“Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’ – and You forgave the guilt of my sin.”  Psalm 32:5 NIV

Why do we need to confess if God is already aware of everything that we do? Is it even necessary that we confess our sins to the Lord?

The answer is an emphatic, “Yes!”

Confessing our sins to God is not revealing to Him something He doesn’t know. It is acknowledging our sin and it is acknowledging we agree with Him that what we did was wrong. When we do this, we are also acknowledging God’s desire to forgive us and our need for that forgiveness.

When we confess, we are also asking God to help us strengthen our resolve to forsake sin and follow Him. We are admitting to being human and seeking the Lord’s wisdom, strength and courage in resisting sin in its many forms.

Confession has the same cleansing effect on our soul as using soap and hot water does in removing dirt and filth from our bodies.

While it is true that the number of rules God wants us to live by is relatively small, those simple rules manifest themselves over and over throughout our daily lives, weaving their way in and out of everything that we think, say, or do. It is only through intense focus on God’s simple truths that we are able to get through any 24-hour period without having something that we need to bring to God and confess.

In other words, life presents us with hundreds of opportunities each day in which it is possible to sin. When we are aware that we are doing something that is sinful, we need to acknowledge it to the Lord and agree that we need to work harder and rely more upon Him to help us be better followers.

We wash our hands many times a day. Our souls could use a healthy scrubbing often as well, and that should be something we can all agree on.

*******

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

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