a fine day to accept the appointment.

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service.”  1Timothy 1:12 NIV

Given Paul’s background as an ardent persecutor of those who followed Christ, he would appear to be an unusual selection by Christ for one to serve Him.

Or so our human minds would think.

It is important to constantly remind ourselves that God sees into places we cannot see and knows things about us that we don’t even know.

The story of Paul is a great one on many levels, but one of the most encouraging lessons to be learned from Paul is that God will use us, regardless of our past, if we will only let Him. Paul could have refused the appointment, but he did not.This can only show that his heart was good in places that he couldn’t see. It took God to bring out his best, but it took Paul to let Him and to follow His instructions for service.

One of the things that distinguished Paul from many others was his commitment to travel in spite of the hardships that travel in those days presented and spread the Good News about Christ to everyone he met. He recognized the importance of the instruction Christ had given to His disciples when He said, “So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields.” (Matthew 9:38 NLT).

God is trying to appoint all of us to become “Pauls” as well. The question is, “How many of us will accept that appointment?”

If we have doubts, we need to examine the cause of those doubts. Perhaps we have had “checkered” pasts. Maybe even darker than checkered. Jesus told His disciples that, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” (Matthew 9:37 NASB).

He was speaking about the abundance of people eager to be led to salvation and He was calling for prayer for those who would be willing to be appointed to be workers for Christ. If Paul, given his background, can accept the appointment of Christ, then the person who should feel unworthy of service because of their past simply cannot exist.

If Paul can do it, so can you.

How we have lived our lives in the past is of no concern. How we are willing to live our lives in the future is all that is important. If Christ is calling you – if Christ is trying to appoint you – it is because He sees in you what may not yet be visible to you.

It is not our place to second guess Him.

We must pray for courage to accept the appointment to serve Christ and not let our past hold us back from our future.

And we must pray that others will accept the appointment as well, because “the harvest is plentiful.”

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

a wonderful day for some personal protection.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.”  Isaiah43:2 NASB

In the early days of this country there was little thought given to the need for protection of the president. In fact, people off the street could line up to speak with the man in charge.

After Lincoln was assassinated, the act of personal protection for the president was undertaken in earnest. Today, the protection of the President of the United States runs into the tens of millions of dollars each year, and the chance of an average citizen sitting down with him – or her – to express their concerns is remote at best.

The private personal protection business has grown around the entire world as dangers seem to multiply exponentially with each passing year. Not only heads of state, but well-known celebrities and highly paid executives also spend fortunes on personal protection.

All of us need personal protection, but who can afford body guards and armored limousines? Of course, most of us do not require that particular level of protection, but we do need protection from temptation, from satan, from those who would try to lead us in the wrong direction, and, sometimes we even need protection from ourselves.

So where do we go for this personal protection?

We turn to God, through Jesus Christ and accept the salvation that Christ’s death on the cross holds out to us.

We then join others like us, “…who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:5NASB).

The protection that God offers us has been paid for with the death of the One who is priceless. There is no way we can humanly calculate the value of the security that we can obtain when we take shelter in the Lord.

Those who choose to reject Christ and live in sin and promote evil will pay a price one day, and it will be beyond description. It will also be one that they will not want to pay when they find out what it is.

“But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.” (Psalm 5:11 NIV).

God will never step out of a limousine with dark glasses and a hidden microphone to make sure the coast is clear and to be on the alert for danger, but the level of protection He provides us cannot be purchased and cannot be matched.

The gift of personal protection is offered to us all, and today is a wonderful day to accept it.

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

a perfect day for a poem.

“I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do”  John 17:4 NIV

In the beginning of the daily devotional book written while I was incarcerated from which the majority of the posts found here are taken is a poem titled, “Today Is”.

I am posting it here today because I think it sums up how precious each new day is, and what those days should be used for.

“Today Is”

Today is a gift from God,

A day unlike all the rest.

A brand new opportunity

To bring out our very best.

Today is a wondrous thing,

A day full of life on God’s earth.

A day to invest all our love

To make today something of worth.

Today is a chance to inspire,

To worship, to lead, to teach.

To help others searching for truth,

And to show them how high they can reach.

Have a blessed day, and make it something of worth.

a great day to remember that looks can be deceiving.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”  1 Samuel 16:7 NASB

When God became unhappy with Saul as King of Israel, He gave Samuel instructions as to where to find the one who would be anointed to replace him. He sent Samuel to Bethlehem to find a man named Jesse and his sons, one of whom God had selected to be Israel’s next king. When Jesse presented his seven sons to him, Samuel instantly thought that he knew, just by looking, which one God had selected.

“When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.’” (1 Samuel 16:6 NASB).

Samuel’s assumption proved wrong because he was thinking the way human beings think. Far too often we are more concerned with how someone or something appears than we are with who they are, or what the truth is. When it comes to physical appearance, we are constantly shown people with beautiful exteriors on television and in newspapers and magazines. It is entirely possible, and likely, that at least some of these individuals have hearts that reflect the character of God, but this is not what we are “sold” or taught to emulate.

Society’s focus is on appearances and we are programmed to reject that which is not physically attractive or appetizing.

A famous actress, who was quite attractive physically, once played a role which required her to wear a “fat suit.” The “suit,” along with facial make up changed her outward appearance dramatically for the role she was playing. One day she decided to wear the “suit” and makeup out in public to see how people reacted to her as someone less physically appealing than she was in real life.

What she discovered, while not surprising, was rather sad and certainly did not show society in a good light. This woman claimed that in her “normal” appearance, men opened doors for her, men and women both smiled and said “hello,” were pleasant, and were drawn to her. But in her “role” as a fat woman, she admitted that she was stunned, ashamed, and embarrassed at the difference in the way people responded to her. She claimed that it was almost as if she had ceased to exist. No longer were doors opened, and no longer was she greeted with smiles. Instead of being drawn to her, people stayed away from her.

And the whole time, the part of her that God sees never changed.

How many opportunities for true friendship have you missed because your opinion of someone’s worth to you was based on appearances? How many opportunities for honesty, humor, caring, compassion, and laughter have you passed up because a person’s physical appearance was not up to your standards?

Today, and everyday, we must look for God in everyone we meet and remind ourselves that outward appearances can be deceiving.

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

the day to pray for those who prey.

“They shoot from ambush at the innocent man; they shot at him suddenly without fear.”  Psalm64:4 NIV

Those who treat others the worst require the best we have to offer.

The world does not suffer from a shortage of people who prey on others. Some do it in very small ways, while some do it in ways that remind us that true evil surely does exist on this earth.

How do we deal with people who would prey upon others?

We have all read the newspaper stories and seen the television stories that reveal the depths to which humanity is capable of sinking. Each and every one of us has been exposed to stories that have angered us, upset us, and caused us to condemn someone for some heinous crime they have perpetrated upon society. We are most likely to lose our composure and our compassion when a crime is committed against a child, someone suffering from a physical or mental disability, or an elderly or invalid individual.

We have all read about or seen the anguish and pain of persons who have lost a child and we have more than likely joined with them in wishing nothing but the worst for the individual who would harm someone so vulnerable and innocent. These are natural human responses and our primal instincts kick in and the desire to see pain inflicted upon the predator is perfectly normal and acceptable, correct?

Unfortunately for our human emotions, this is not correct.

The individuals in these types of situations present us with one of the biggest challenges that face followers of Christ. If we follow our human instincts we go against Christ’s instructions that we are not to judge or condemn others. Rather, we are to love everyone, and we are to practice forgiveness. The judgement of others rests solely with God.

Our job is to pray for those who need it the most.

This concept is a difficult one for so many of us to accept, but it is important to note that nowhere in the Bible does it offer us exceptions to these instructions. It simply is not our place to judge others. It is our place to pray for others, and who could argue with the fact that people who are consumed with evil need our prayers more than someone who is a staunch believer in, and follower of, Christ?

We do not have to love the sin, of course, but we are commanded to love the sinner.

The ability to pray for the worst that the world has to offer demonstrates a true understanding of God’s word. It is the Lord’s responsibility to judge. It is our responsibility to pray, even – and especially – for the worst who walk among us.

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

a superb day to take the stairs.

“Then He said, ‘I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.’”  John 1:51 NLT

There are many people who, given a choice between an elevator and a few flights of stairs will take the stairs. It gives them a little bit of exercise and is good for them.These are physical stairs that provide us with real physical benefit.

The stairs that Jesus was speaking to His disciples about were spiritual stairs and could only be seen with the help of spiritual insight. It only stands to reason then that they can only be climbed by those who are in good spiritual health.

Many of us spend a considerable amount of time, effort, and money on our appearance and on our physical health. It is important to our families that we take care of ourselves physically so that we may be able to take care of them. We want to be strong and healthy because we love them.

We also love God, and we have an obligation to our families regarding Him as well. We must be strong and healthy spiritually so that we can follow Jesus’ instruction when He said, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, andwith all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”(Mark 12:30 NASB).

Becoming spiritually strong and healthy and maintaining that spiritual health and strength is a lot easier than we think. It certainly doesn’t require the physical exertion and sweat that strengthening our body does. Exercising to build and maintain our spiritual health can be uplifting, rewarding, pleasant,and exciting as we follow Jesus as He practices, heals, and serves the people He loved so much and came to save.

How can anyone complain about exercising to improve our spiritual health when it involves reading the words, and “hearing” with our hearts, the voice of Jesus as He tried to show everyday people that each and every one of them was special to Him. What a terrific sweat-free hour can be spent exercising our faith as we read about Christ setting a perfect example for us to follow.

If we do not exercise, if we do not take care of ourselves, if we do not eat right, stair climbing can be a very painful experience for us. If we are out of shape, there simply is no way that we can ever make it to the top.

It is the same climbing the stairway to heaven. We must exercise faithfully and regularly so that we are always in the best spiritual health possible. Then, we are always ready to take the stairs.

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

an excellent day to stop looking.

“Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing…”  James 2:15 NLT

How many of us have stood in front of an open refrigerator full of food, staring at its contents long enough to draw the attention of parents or spouse and then closed the door and walked away declaring, “There is nothing to eat!”

Certainly, if we haven’t done it ourselves, we know someone who has.

How many of us look at life in the same manner? We stare at it, seeing all of the pain, hunger, homelessness, hopelessness, and need, and then “close the door” and go back to our televisions, video games, or computer screens.

How often do we do something mindless, or nothing at all, because we are bored? Like standing in front of the refrigerator staring at 20 cubic feet of food and saying, “There is nothing to eat,” we look at a world with 7 billion souls and say, “There is nothing to do.”

God can help us see what we are looking at.

God can help us become people who will turn to other people and say, “There is so much to do, won’t you please help?”

An attitude of service to others is very much in keeping with the teachings of Christ. Jesus’ brother James, who at one time found it difficult to even believe that Jesus was the Messiah, ultimately came to not only believe in Christ, but he also came to understand that along with that belief came a changing of the heart that would not only help us see those who are hungry, homeless, and in need, but would also make us very aware that seeing is not enough.

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” (James 2:14 NLT).

Would we even want to be saved by a faith that allowed us to remain unseeing to the plight of those around us?

If we are truly people of faith, we will be so busy happily serving other people and looking for ways to help people to help themselves, that boredom will be a word long forgotten. Apathy will be something we fight instead of a term that can be used in a description of us.

All we have to do is call out to our Lord Jesus and ask Him to show us how to help. All we have to do is be willing to serve others with joy and in the name of Christ and we will never again stand in front of the refrigerator and say,“There is nothing to eat.”

Not only will we see the food, we will see those with whom we should share it.

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

a terrific day to remove the obstacles.

“For not even His brothers were believing in Him.”  John 7:5 NASB

New believers are fragile and must be treated gently, with consideration, and with care. It is important that we point out to them that often-times, the biggest obstacles to overcome in seeking salvation though Christ and a relationship with God do not lie within our own hearts, but within the hearts of those who are the closest to us.

“Blood is thicker than water,” goes the cry of family loyalty.

But while it is true that God wants us to love and respect our mother and father as well as our brothers and sisters, He knows that sometimes their skepticism can create obstacles to our faith and when this happens we must overcome that obstacle.

How do we go about doing that?

With prayer, but first we may have to separate from our family in order to give our lives to God and learn how we can help them through prayer. Jesus Himself knew that His presence on earth would divide entire families.

“From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of Me, and two against – or two in favor and three against.”(Luke 12:52 NLT).

Perhaps it will be just you who is seeking salvation and no one else. Is this dishonoring our parents? If our intention is to seek the salvation offered by Christ and you are alone in seeking it, the answer is, “No.”

For Christ said that, “They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother,mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:53 NASB).

Jesus knew that in order to bring a family together it sometimes might be necessary to split it apart for a while. After all, it took some time for even Jesus’ family to fully come to grips with who He was. But the fact remains that His brothers and His mother were present with the disciples when Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after His resurrection.

“They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.” (Acts 1:14 NLT).

If you, or someone you know, are seeking to accept the salvation that Christ offers us all, but the skepticism and unbelief of your family or others close to you are presenting obstacles, do not be disheartened or discouraged. It may take a little time and a lot of prayer, but the changes that take place within those who accept Christ can be quite convincing to even the most skeptical, and prayer for those who do not believe can help unite divided families in Christ once again.

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

the perfect day to give credit where credit is due.

“You answered me, ‘What you propose to do is good.’”  Deuteronomy 1:14 NIV

There are many aspects to humility.

One of them is not requiring credit, or recognition, for things that we do. It also stands to reason that one cannot be very humble if we are taking credit that does not belong to us. At the same time, a part of being humble is making sure that we give credit where credit is due.

But wait a minute.

If that person is humble, they do not require credit or recognition either, right? So if everyone is humble, does this mean we would live in a world where no one received credit or recognition for the things that they do?

Not at all.

It would simply mean that those things we do that would be worthy of receiving credit or recognition would be done because it is the right thing to do. Yet, while no credit or recognition is expected or needed, it is absolutely acceptable to let someone know that what they did was noticed and appreciated.

This, in turn, gives the person receiving the credit the opportunity to pass it along to God, who created the atmosphere and attitude of service for which the credit is given, and provided the ability to do it.

Daniel demonstrated this when King Nebuchadnezzar tried to give him credit for being able to explain the king’s dream to him.

“…but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind are these:” (Daniel 2:28 NIV).

So Daniel, in his humility, gave God the credit for his ability to interpret the king’s dreams in the first place.

And that is how it is with each of us. We are using what God gave us to use, so any credit given to us should be passed on to the Lord.

When we accept recognition in God’s name, we are being gracious. But we are also demonstrating humility. In addition, we are giving credit where the credit is due because God deserves all the credit. This, of course, does not sit well with those who have not yet learned how to be humble. There are those who think that the approval of men and women will gratify them and make them whole. Some thrive in public accolades. But the one who is truly motivated for the right reasons simply goes through each day trying to make it a day of significance in the eyes of God, since God’s approval is all that matters.

So when someone tells you that you have done a great job, or offers recognition for some deed you have performed, thank them.

And then say, “But I couldn’t have done it without God.”

To God goes the glory!

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

TODAY IS…

a fine day to speak up.

“Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others He has redeemed you from your enemies.”  Psalm 107:2 NLT

God works for all who invite Him into their lives.

Many of us have had long, wonderful relationships with Him and our list of things that we have to thank Him for is quite long. Still others have perhaps only just come to Christ recently and have not quite the same length list, but perhaps they have a truly amazing story of redemption and restoration to share with others.

“Some wandered in desert wasteland, finding no way to a city where they could settle.” (Psalm 107:4 NIV).

Perhaps this describes us. Maybe we have not been literally homeless, but we have not felt “at home” spiritually and have wandered aimlessly. If this tells your tale, then you need to share with others and teach where you were able to get the help you so desperately sought.

“Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains…” (Psalm 107:10 NIV).

Perhaps we have known what it is like to be immobilized by fear, anxiety, tragedy, and loss – any one of numerous things can make us feel as if we are prisoners, and in a way we are. Those of us who have turned to God and asked for His help have seen what He can do if we allow Him to come into our hearts and take over our lives. We owe it to others to speak up and share the source of our joy, peace, and happiness.

Perhaps this better describes our particular situation before we came to Christ: “Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins.” (Psalm 107:17 NLT).

Maybe we were immoral, self-centered people who sought only our own pleasure and concerned ourselves only with our own appetites. If God has intervened and shone His light on a new path that has taught you morality and selflessness, you owe it to those around you to share your experiences and hold out the same offer of hope to them.

Redemption and restoration are wonderful gifts that are available to everyone. We may go through life thinking that everyone knows this but we would probably be surprised at how many do not know, or are not convinced.

Perhaps our speaking out will be the impetus that they need to take the steps that will change their lives in ways they never fully understood.

Your voice can show another that, “With God’s help we will do mighty things, for He will trample down our foes.” (Psalm 108:13 NLT).

Even when we are our own biggest foe.

God gave you a voice. Use it today to tell others how they, too, can end their wandering, break their chains, and stop their suffering.

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

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