The After-Oakdale Chronicles

the perfect day for harmony.

“Above all, clothe yourselves in love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”  Colossians 3:14 NLT

Before telling us to clothe ourselves in love, the apostle Paul tells us to first clothe ourselves “…with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12 NLT).

It is only after we have put on all of these other virtues that we are to wrap everything in the final garment – love.

As Christians, we are expected to live in peace. This does not mean that we will agree with one another all of the time. There are bound to be differences of opinion, but the love that a close relationship with God enables us to have will help us resolve any disagreements and differences peacefully and in a harmonious fashion.

It is always important to remember that most of the things that people argue about are nowhere near as important as the relationships of the people involved. Whether the disagreements lie within a marriage, a friendship, within a church, or with a fellow Christian outside of church, the important thing to remember is that the people are more important than the issue.

As He traveled, healed the sick, taught, and spoke to ordinary people wherever He went, Jesus made it abundantly clear that loving your neighbor is among the highest of virtues and one of the most important responsibilities of living on God’s creation.

The ability to live in harmony with all different kinds of people in a variety of different situations and to be loving and accepting of each and every person is one of the cornerstones of the Christian faith.

In Paul’s letter to the Romans introducing himself and presenting the Good News, he instructed them that we are all to genuinely love one another.

“Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!” (Romans 12:16 NLT).

Begin your own quest for harmonious living today. You will see how much of a positive impact it can have with those around you, and in your relationship with God.

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

the right day to plant your Spiritual Garden.

“Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.”  Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT

Waiting for perfect conditions to tend to the gardens of our spiritual lives will result in inactivity and will delay the blessings the Lord has reserved for us.

We cannot wait for the perfect time to plant the seeds that will grow and mature into a ‘crop’ of spiritual well-being. If we do, there will always be an excuse for delay and another reason for the inaction that will leave our spiritual gardens barren and bereft of the magnificent color and vibrancy that come from an abundant crop of God’s peace, joy, and love.

Other fruit of God’s garden includes, “…patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” (Galatians 5:22-23a NLT).

Filling our Spiritual Gardens with beautiful, life-giving crops such as these will force out the ‘weeds’ and other useless crops that invade – and eventually take over – untended gardens. These life-choking ‘weeds’ include, “…sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures…” (Galatians 5:19 NLT), and other undesirable crops such as “…hostility, jealousy, outbursts of anger” (Galatians 5:20 NLT), as well as many others that not only do not nourish us spiritually, but actually make us weaker and even more susceptible to spiritual disease and decay.

For many of us, the time to plant never arrives because how to plant gets in the way. Fortunately, the Holy Bible is not only the ‘gardening manual’, but it also contains all of the ‘seeds’ we will need to plant an abundantly beautiful and life-sustaining Spiritual Garden that will not only nourish and sustain ourselves, but will provide the same thing for those around us as well.

If there is any question in anyone’s mind as to when to plant, the time is now, so pick up your ‘manual’ and begin planting the many wonderful types of ‘seeds’ you will find within it. Before you know it, your own Spiritual Garden will stretch beautifully before you wherever you look.

And then, “At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (Galatians 6:9b NLT).

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

a day for change.

“Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, ‘Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well!’ And the woman was healed at that moment.”  Matthew 9:22 NLT

It matters not who we are or how we have lived our lives.

What does matter is that we see the need for change and then reach out to the Lord and ask for help.

“But what is the right way to reach out?” we might ask.

While the concept of Jesus as the Son of God may be very complex and overwhelming to us, the Lord Himself is not. All that He requires is that we – like the woman Jesus was talking to – simply reach out in faith.

The woman in question had been considered “unclean” and “untouchable” for 12 years and was unable to live a normal life. However, her faith was so great that she believed that simply touching the robe of Jesus as He walked by would heal her and change her life.

And she was correct.

While she may have had the distinct advantage of having Jesus Himself right in front of her, we too can ‘touch His robe’ by reaching out to the Holy Bible and ‘touching’ the life-changing love, hope, and wisdom contained there.

Unfortunately, not everyone who recognizes a need for change, and says they want help, really believes that God can help. Individuals such as these will just have to wait a little longer because our faith – our belief – must be true.

But God is patient and He will wait for us as we wrestle with the concept that it really is as simple as believing that we want to change, and having faith that the Lord can help.

Once we develop our faith we will see that He can bring healing to those who have troubled relationships; to those who struggle with addictions to drugs, alcohol, and sex; to those who suffer from emotional scars.

The Lord can light our way through the darkness and bring newfound peace, joy, contentment and purpose to our lives by providing a detailed map to guide us on the road to change.

That ‘map’ is the Holy Bible, of course, and making it a daily part of our lives shows us the path to God’s glory and helps us face each day with appreciation for the gift from God that each new day truly is.

If you haven’t already, it’s time to change your heart, your mind, and your life.

And TODAY IS….a day for change.

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

the beginning.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  Genesis 1:1 NLT

A new day.

A new month.

A new year.

So what are you going to do with it?

In the beginning, God did something good. He created something of infinite wonder and beauty. Should you not do something good with the beginning that you have stretched out before you right now?

Of course, none of us can do anything as remotely spectacular as what God did, but then, He doesn’t expect that. If you feel unsure or tentative about your ability to do anything that will have any impact, perhaps the words of the poet Edward Everett Hale will serve to reassure you:

“I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything. But still, I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do!”

God showed us His love by creating the world and all of the life that was to inhabit it. A good way for you to begin would be to return that love with a commitment to try a little harder each day to make His creation a better place. You can do this by spending a little time each day reading the Bible and asking God for help in understanding His Word and putting into practice the simple concepts repeated throughout its many inspiring pages.

None of us will ever be perfect, but we do have the ability to mirror God’s character by the way we conduct ourselves in daily life.

It is far too easy to slip into bad habits and mirror the crudeness, immorality, and inconsiderate character to which today’s society so often exposes us. But with the determination to begin something beautiful and full of meaning, it will soon be apparent that what people see when they look at you is a mirror image of God’s love, patience, kindness, and forgiveness.

You see, you cannot do everything. Only God can do that. But you can do something to take advantage of today.

Make it the beginning of something good.

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

the perfect day to look forward with confidence.

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”  Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT

When Moses was 120 years old he passed the mantle of leadership to Joshua. Moses told Joshua that he could go forward with confidence and as this year comes to a close, we can all look forward to next year with confidence if our plan for the New Year calls for living to do God’s will.

Today marks the end of this year, and many of us are probably looking back at what we have been able to accomplish, or what we have left undone. Perhaps we are pleased with the way we have tried to live godly lives, or maybe we feel that we have somehow fallen a little short.

Could we have done more if we had done things differently?

Possibly, but we must never be too harsh on ourselves when applying hindsight. As we all know hindsight is always 20/20. But it is important that we try to look into our hearts to see if there are things we can – and should – ask God to help us change for next year.

If we are including God in our plans and if we are praying for guidance, wisdom, and to know His will for us, we can look forward with supreme confidence because we know He will be there clearing the way. We have His assurance that He will not abandon us and we know that when we ask Him to direct our steps and guide our thoughts and our actions, that He will never lead us in a direction that will harm us.

God will take our hand and show us how to serve Him by being compassionate, kind, generous, loving, concerned, caring, and helpful to everyone we meet.

We can choose a spectacular year of service and, “You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to Him. This is the key to your life.” Deuteronomy 30:20a NLT).

Increase the demands you make on yourself as far as your willingness to reach out to others in the year to come. Raise the bar for yourself and see how high you can reach. Keep God in your heart and think of Him always.

When we think of God first, we will find a way to do something good that will last.

Celebrate all the work you have done in this past year and then look to the future with confidence, knowing that the best is yet to come.

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

the day to add to our list of resolutions.

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”  Colossians 3:13 NLT

If we were all to live up to those instructions Paul gave in his letter to the Colossians, what a great year we would all have.

“Make allowances for each other’s faults….”

Think about that for a moment.

How often are we quick to point out another person’s faults? Sadly, many of us are more prone to do that than to expound on their good points. We often do this in spite of the fact that we have faults of our own. Christ Himself had something very specific to say about that.

“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5 NASB).

None of us is perfect, so we must use the gift of the coming year to accept each other as we are.

We must also learn to forgive those who do things to us because we are in need of forgiveness ourselves. It would do us all well to look to God daily for help in accepting other peoples’ faults, other peoples’ differences, and other peoples’ imperfections.

Not a single one of us will ever stand out like Christ as being perfect.

The best that we can do is lean on each other and rely on each other to work together to turn the world into the kind of place that God surely intended it to be when He first created it.

Sometimes we resist change because we know we cannot attain perfection.

Sometimes we don’t try to fix things because for every one thing we fix, there seems to always be another that is broken.

We allow our humanity to step in and paint a picture of impossibility in all that we see, but we must resolve to make the coming year one where we see nothing but possibilities.

Again, we must look to Paul’s advice to the Colossians when he said, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15 NIV).

So, we must resolve to answer the call to peace. If we are accepting and forgiving of others, we can bring peace closer to all.

It shouldn’t take a resolution for us to be thankful, but let us all resolve to say, “Thank You” to God each and every day. When we consciously remember to thank Him, the other resolutions become easier to remember and a whole lot easier to make a part of every day of the year.

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

a great day to make God’s will your will.

“For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.”  John 6:38 KJV

Many of us can testify to having acquired firsthand knowledge that living our lives as we saw fit did not turn out to be such a good idea.

Following our own desires, urges, wants, and impulses, many of us have found disappointment, disillusionment, despair, and maybe even a brush with death.

When we make God’s will our own, we begin to carefully consider what we are about to do and ask God if it meets with His approval. We use the lessons of the Bible to guide us, to give us wisdom, and to strengthen our hearts. These things enable us to understand a little better what God expects of us.

The Federal Government of the United States has put into place tens of thousands of laws and regulations that we are expected to know, and to follow. Every state, county, and city has followed with their own as well.

God’s list is a lot shorter, a lot easier to remember, and should cover just about every aspect of our life. It is a great irony that we could follow the will of the United States Government, the state, county, and the city in which we live, and obey each and every one of those tens of thousands of laws and regulations, and we could still be going against the will of God in many different ways.

Paul gave quite a few examples of God’s will in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica.

“We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for that is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14-18 NASB).

God put us here and said, “Play nice.”

Like children in a sandbox, we see the toy the other kid has and we want it. We see one child paying attention to another child and we get jealous.

Play nice.

Love each other as brothers and sisters and treat each other as we want to be treated. These are not difficult concepts when we read them or hear them, but watching as God’s will is replaced with our will over and over again tells us that we are not quite committed to the concept.

For a better life for yourself and those around you, make God’s will your will today, and every day.

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

the ideal day to spread it around.

“But He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.’”  Luke 4:43 NASB

It’s easy to imagine crowds of people begging Jesus to stay with them. It must have been truly incredible to hear Him speak and to watch Him with the people He came to save.

We can all feel that same sort of possessiveness about Him if we have truly accepted Him, but we must do as He did, and help others to see the life that His death gave to all who want that life.

Adopting the resolutions of yesterday and making a promise to God to keep them alive throughout the coming year will go a long way towards helping others hear about the Kingdom of God.

After Christ rose from the dead, spent time with His followers, and then ascended to heaven, His apostles went out to do exactly as Christ wanted.

“And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” (Acts 5:42 NASB).

It was slow going back then.

There was no television or radio, no newspapers, magazines, or internet, and travel was on foot, by donkey, camel, or by boat. The message was shared person by person and town by town. But even today, if we are always sharing our faith by our words and by the way we live our lives, each day will have spiritual significance and will be special in the eyes of the Lord.

Our responsibility to spread the news is clear.

Like Paul told the members of the Church of Corinth, “You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:5 NLT).

As we show others how to change their lives for the better, they too will become additional voices to be heard, and examples to follow.

It should come as no surprise that there is a resolution in this message. It is a resolution to help others by guiding them to the light, and to the life, that is found in Jesus Christ.

By making – and keeping – a resolution to spread the Good News and to live in a manner that is in accordance with God’s will, our own lives will be filled with so much joy, peace, contentment, and love that every other aspect of our daily existence will be blessed.

Making a resolution to share the Kingdom of God with others as Jesus did is a great way to start the New Year and an even better way to end this one.

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

a wonderful day to look at things differently.

“How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me?”  Psalm 116:12 NIV

As the New Year approaches, many of us look forward to the end of the current year saying, “I hope next year’s a lot better than this one!”

As if the stroke of midnight that changes one day to another holds a magical allure to us, we look at the approach of midnight, December 31, as a chance to “start over.” Of course, the only true way to start over is to accept Christ into our lives, repent of our sins, and ask God for His forgiveness, which really wipes our slate clean.

Be that as it may, perhaps God doesn’t mind a tiny bit of indulgence, so let us look at January 1 as a new beginning. There is no better time to prepare for the future than to use the Gift of Today to do it. As the New Year approaches, the pen and paper come out and ‘resolutions’ are made with which we hope to truly change in a positive way for the next year.

The most common resolutions are to lose weight and quit smoking. While these are both extremely important things to consider for our health and well-being, why don’t we look at things differently for next year, especially if we are among those who are glad this year is ending?

Let’s begin by looking back over the past year and taking note of all of the blessings we have received from God. Many of us will discover that some of God’s blessings accompanied those events which contribute to our looking forward to a new year. But if we think about it, we can see that we learned and grew as a result of those things and that God demonstrated His love for us time and time again.

We should be less thankful that the year is ending, and more thankful that God was with us every step of the way.

If we really want to change, we will need God’s help, so how about considering some of these suggestions for resolutions?

– I resolve to thank God every day for all He does for me.

– I resolve to look for Christ in every person I meet.

– I resolve to do something significant in service to God and my brothers and sisters each day.

– I resolve to spend less time on the couch and more time on my feet doing the Lord’s work.

– I resolve to pray for other people every day.

– I resolve to think more about God so that I am less inclined to think about things I shouldn’t.

– I resolve to think less of myself and more about those around me.

These are a few suggestions you can claim as your own and then say, “I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of His people.” (Psalm 116:14 NIV).

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

a great day to share the joy.

“…but the angel reassured them, ‘Don’t be afraid!’ He said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.”  Luke 2:10 NLT

Somewhere not very far away from each and every one of us are people who are alone and whose lives are extremely challenging at this time of year.

Perhaps we have an elderly neighbor we are aware of who lives alone and received no visits from family. Maybe we know someone from work in a similar situation. Possibly there is a nursing home or hospital nearby.

People we may not even know need us.

They need us to spread the joy that we are feeling by bringing them cookies, brownies, candy, flowers – the list is endless really. They need us to wish them a “Merry Christmas!” and they need to feel as happy as we can possibly make them.

Millions of us will run off to stores and malls to return gifts that don’t fit or simply are not something we need or will use. Is shopping the best way to show our thanks for God’s gift?

Sharing is a much better way and it is one in which lessons can be learned by our children, and by ourselves.

Poor people are not always simply poor in a material sense. They can be lacking friends and family, or simply be poor in spirit. Stopping by a nursing home with boxes of cookies and a cheerful smile could be the best thing that happens this year to many of our forgotten brothers and sisters.

“As the Scriptures say, ‘They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.’” (2 Corinthians 9:9 NLT).

Sharing the joy of the season that everyone should experience does not have to be complicated, expensive, or terribly time consuming. But to see someone’s face light up because someone else has taken the time to wish them a “Merry Christmas!” will probably go into your memory bank as one of your most valuable deposits.

And as a lesson in sharing and fellowship for our children to learn, there are few opportunities that can come close to being this special or this important.

Making time for someone who is lonely is also making time for you to do the will of God and to share the joy that He gives you.

Cake, cookies, candy and kindness are all special things to share with someone near you. It just may turn out to be the best day of the year.

Use God’s Gift of Today to share the joy He gives you.

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