The After-Oakdale Chronicles

a glorious day to enjoy freedom.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*******

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

an excellent day to take nutritional advice from Jesus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And then we will find ourselves anxiously awaiting dessert!

*******

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

the day to accept the perfection of other peoples imperfections.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So it is with humans.

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

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

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

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

*******

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*******

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

a fine day for listening only to God.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*******

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*******

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

a superb day to live.

“Lord remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered – how fleeting my life is.”  Psalm 39:4 NLT

Paul cautioned the Romans that, “The night is almost gone; the day of salvation soon will be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.” (Romans 13:12 NLT).

For any Christian, “right living” is the only way to live. Granted, when immorality, indecency, and sexual promiscuity are found on almost every television program we see, and in every newspaper and magazine we open up, it is sometimes hard to convince ourselves that what we see is not the way we are all supposed to live our lives.

Paul was very clear when he went on to say, “Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” (Romans 13:13-14 NLT).

Unfortunately, there will be those who find it very difficult to “live” without indulging themselves in some, or all, of these activities. Some of us have wandered so far off the path of “right living” that all we know is the wrong way. If this is the case with any one of us, it is alright, as long as we can admit it and say, “That is me!”

If we can identify ourselves as needing to discard some “dirty clothes,” then we can begin to focus on living in a manner that is pleasing to God and provides service to those around us.

Just as David asked God to remind him in Psalm 35, we all need to be reminded of the briefness of our time on earth. Life is short. In fact, many of us use that fact as an excuse to “Live it up!” not realizing how much our behavior angers God.

When we are truly living our life as God intends, we will spend our days reaching out to those around us. We will use our time to help those in need and to comfort those in pain. We will encourage laughter where there are tears and we will promote joy where there is sadness. We will help to clothe those who are naked and provide a place to live for those who are homeless.

When we clothe ourselves with the presence of the Lord, we can expect to live busy, happy lives that will fulfill us in ways we never thought possible. We will set wonderful examples for our children, and we will make the One who watches everything smile with the satisfaction of a loving father.

Each and every day that God gives to us is a beautiful gift that can be lived to its fullest by living for Christ.

*******

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

a fantastic day to learn about using prayer for others.

“And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.”  Ephesians 6:19 NLT

As Christianity was developing, no one understood the power of prayer quite like Paul. He knew that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ gave us the ability to communicate with God and summon His awesome power to give us strength, courage, and wisdom.

While imprisoned in Rome, Paul sent a letter to the Church at Ephesus. It was a letter of encouragement, and at the end of the letter Paul reminds them to, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (Ephesians 6:18 NLT).

Then Paul did something truly remarkable.

He did something that should give us all pause as we try to imagine the circumstances he was in. Paul asked for the prayers of the members of the church of Ephesus, but he did not ask them to pray for his release, or any improvement to his personal circumstances.

Instead, he asked them to pray so that God would give him the right words to use to spread God’s message even in prison.

It is difficult for many of us to understand or appreciate the Christ-like selflessness of that humble request. It was a request for help, but it was a request to “help me to help others.”

Of all of the beauty that the Bible contains, this is truly one of its more beautiful moments. Of all of the lessons taught within its pages, this is certainly one we should all learn.

Prayer is a powerful tool provided to us by God, and while He wants to hear from us when we have personal problems that require His help, He wants to hear us call out to Him on behalf of others.

He wants us to pray for one another.

If we know someone who is sick, who is lost, who needs God in their lives – He wants to hear us call out to Him on their behalf. He also wants us to ask others for their prayers on our behalf when we are sick, or when we are facing tragedy or difficult times.

God wants us to use the power of prayer that the sacrifice of His only Son affords us. Don’t be afraid to pray or to ask others to pray for you. Remember Paul’s request and learn from that perfect example.

*******

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

a great day to ask God to identify our faults and ask Him to help us fix them.

“Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”  Psalm 139:24 NLT

Faults? I don’t have any faults, and I am sure there isn’t anyone reading this who has any faults, right?

Right.

Now that we have concluded that fantasy, let’s get back to reality. We all have faults. Every person, every personality, every character, is flawed. We all have our share of dents, dings, scratches, and other imperfections in our hearts and in our minds. They are a part of being human, but acknowledgement of their presence does not have to equate to acceptance.

We all have a pretty good idea of who we are, but we sometimes fail to see the negative aspects of our personality. We may also harbor thoughts we know to be improper, but we may feel that since no one knows about them it is alright. Perhaps a few of us are blind to how negative some things about ourselves really are.

David points out very clearly, very eloquently, and quite beautifully in the entirety of Psalm 139 that no one will ever know us as completely as God does – not even ourselves.

God can see not only what everyone else can see, He can look deep into our hearts and thoughts. He can see things that others cannot possibly see, and that we may refuse to see. God takes it even further, because He knows what we are going to say before we say it, and where we are going to go before we go there.

“You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.” (Psalm 139:4 NLT).

There is no one who knows better than the Lord just how imperfect we are, so who better to turn to than God Himself for help in identifying our faults and providing us with guidance to improve?

Obviously, there is no one better suited to that task. Our friends, our spouses, and even our children, will usually be happy to point out some of our faults. Unfortunately, none of them can see them all, and more unfortunately, these individuals do not always approach the situation with gentleness.

God, on the other hand will be pleased we turned to Him for help, and not only will we get help from the most capable and qualified source imaginable, we will learn, through the Word of God, how to improve ourselves and we will learn it in an atmosphere of complete love.

Perhaps you don’t have any faults.

But just in case you do, remember to seek God’s help to work on them.

*******

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

a good day to let your conscience be your guide.

“With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it.”  Romans 9:1 NLT

Our conscience is a wonderful gift from God.

At least, it is for most of us. Our conscience is that “inner voice” that tells us we have done the right thing. Conversely, it also tells us we have done the wrong thing, and it usually does so in a loud enough “voice” so no matter how much we try to convince ourselves otherwise, we are able to “hear” it.

Every year, thousands of people travel to the Florida Keys to go fishing. Whether it is for off-shore fishing, to go after the Marlins and other “big” fish, or in-shore, around the many small islands, people head out on the water to try their hand at some of the best sport fishing the world has to offer.

The Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico are vast bodies of water, and even the largest fish is tiny in comparison. Not knowing the best places to go can make it difficult to have a fruitful day of fishing. That is why many visitors to the Keys hire experienced guides. It follows that the more seasoned one of these individuals is, the better the chances that they will know exactly where to go.

Of course, we must then follow our guide’s instructions.

Our conscience will guide us in much the same way, and we must listen to it when it speaks to us. With our minds on God, He will help our conscience to always attempt to block us from doing the wrong thing.

God has provided us with a guide for our lives.

The problem is that far too many of us ignore what our conscience is telling us. We may do it once or twice, but it is important to remember that each time we fail to listen when our conscience tells us we are doing wrong, it becomes easier to do so. If we ignore our conscience too often, we run the risk of damaging our relationship with the Lord.

We put our faith in jeopardy.

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he was very emphatic regarding the relationship between our faith and our conscience.

“Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.” (1 Timothy 1:19 NLT).

None of us wants to go through that, so it is best to plan our journey with the safety of a guide. Of course, having a guide is one thing. We must also listen to our guide and do what our guide tells us.

Learn to listen to your conscience and then do what it tells you to do, and today is a good day to start.

*******

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