Category: Today Is

TODAY’S GIFT by Tony Casson

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Time for another excerpt from the upcoming book, “Today Is….A Gift From God.” Today’s devotional is from September 10.

TODAY IS…

an excellent day to thank God for your tears. 

“Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.”   Lamentations 2:19a NIV

One of the greatest gifts that God has given us is the gift of our tears. Many will wonder how tears can be a gift, but how else can we present ourselves to God and ask for forgiveness if we are not weeping as we do so? Crying has a way of helping us to wash away our sins. But it serves many more purposes than that and has much greater significance in our lives.

For many people tears flow freely during times of joy. Men and women alike will get all misty-eyed at the birth of a child. While it is true that sad movies make people cry, the same holds true for some that end joyously. Tears through our joy produce rainbows in our hearts in much the same way as sun through the rain produces rainbows in the sky.

Weddings produce tears from many different people: fathers, mothers, maids of honor, guests, and the brides themselves – perhaps even the grooms.

Graduations, recitals, concerts, plays, sports competitions and on and on. Milestones in our lives and the lives of those we love all produce tears that signify happiness or extreme joy.

And, of course, tears also signify our pain. Tears at the loss of a loved one wash the grief from our hearts. Men and women alike signify their sorrow by shedding tears. We console each other, and we weep together.

Tears show our humanity. How unfortunate are those individuals who are raised to believe that tears, especially tears from men, are a sign of weakness. How sad that people go through life without rainbows in their hearts; without washing away sin or pain; or without being able to express that depth of joy that only tears can reveal.

Sadly, many young men are raised to believe that “real” men don’t cry. Jesus Christ was the greatest man to ever walk this earth, and not least among all of the gifts His Father gave Him was the gift of tears. When told that Lazarus had died and had been placed in a tomb, “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35 NASB).

There are gifts to thank God for each and every day of our lives. Today is an excellent day to thank God for the gift of our tears.

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TODAY’S GIFT by Tony Casson

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Time for another excerpt from the upcoming book, “Today Is….A Gift From God.” Today’s devotional is from January 6.

TODAY IS…

a good day to thank God for the gift of freedom. 

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1 KJV

A carpenter from Nazareth changed the world. His life gave the world Hope, and His death gave the world Life. His teachings instill within us the basic Christian values that provide us with the foundation for social morality and human decency.

Jesus died to set us free, but it is important to understand that the freedom He gave us is not the freedom to do whatever we wish. Rather, He gave us the freedom to do the RIGHT thing; the freedom to live unselfishly and with purpose; the freedom to live without sin; the freedom to serve.

Chiseled in a low wall on the grounds of Penn State University is the following message:

“USE WELL THY FREEDOM”

Wise words indeed, and if we look to the Bible, we find Paul explaining exactly what those words mean:

“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”  (Galatians 5:13 NLT).

How completely this sums up our responsibility to the One who gave His life so that we may live ours free from sin! And how perfectly this demonstrates why we should give thanks to God who is “…so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.”  (Ephesians 1:7 NLT).

While it is true that we should praise the Lord and say “Thank you!” it would be a far more meaningful way of showing appreciation if we reject the bondage that accompanies sin and rejoice in our freedom by serving one another in love. Just as any parent experiences a warm feeling when a child of theirs is observed in an act of kindness, generosity or love, God is also pleased when His children act towards one another in a similar manner.

A better way to thank God for our freedom simply does not exist than to be kind, to help another human being, and to serve one another in love.

TODAY’S GIFT by Tony Casson

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Time for another excerpt from the upcoming book, “Today Is….A Gift From God.” Today’s devotional is from August 13.

TODAY IS… a great day to teach what you don’t know.

“The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”              Philippians 4:9 NASB

How can we possibly teach what we don’t know? Teaching another person about Christ is one of the greatest things that we can do while on this earth. Unfortunately, for so many of us think that our knowledge is too limited to be of much use to another person. We have read about the importance or memorizing scripture, but we can’t seem to memorize easily. Perhaps that holds us back. We have only been living in the Word of God for a short time. Perhaps that holds us back. If we wait until we become the perfect teacher, we will never teach.

While the Bible itself can be somewhat overwhelming to us at first, the willingness to explore it makes someone a student. The joy in helping someone explore it makes us a teacher, even if we cannot quote chapter and verse.

If we know that the answer to any question that we can ask about how to live our life can be found in the Bible, we can be a teacher. If we trust God to help us help another person find the truth that they seek, we can be a teacher. If we don’t mind saying, “You know, I’m not sure, but let’s see what we can find together” you have demonstrated the qualifications to teach what you do not know.

The simple reality is that if God were to depend on “certified” scholars to spread His message, it would never have spread very far. Teaching others about the salvation that Christ offers each one of us is something that comes from our hearts, and not from a diploma or a degree.

The study of the Holy Bible is a life-long personal commitment. It is not a two year or a four year degree. It is a daily program for problem solving. It is a treasure chest that can be reached into without looking with the knowledge that whatever we grab will be valuable beyond measure.

We are better teachers than we allow ourselves to believe. Our knowledge is first hand, heartfelt, and deeply personal. Teaching about Christ helps us to learn about ourselves. Seeing the changes we help instill in another brings about remarkable changes within ourselves. We teach by being an example for others to follow and we discover that not only are we good at it, but our desire to teach still more people grows.

Teach without fear of what you don’t know and you’ll be amazed at what you do know.

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TODAY’S GIFT by Tony Casson

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Time for another excerpt from the upcoming book, “Today Is….A Gift From God.” Today’s devotional is from January 20.

TODAY IS… a good day to avoid self-sufficiency.

“The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying ‘My own power has delivered me.'” Judges 7:2 NASB

When God convinced Gideon that it was he who God wanted to rescue Israel from the armies of Midian, Gideon’s own army numbered some 32,000 men. God had assured Gideon a victory, but was concerned that once the victory was won, Gideon and his army would attribute the victory to their own strength and not God’s. God called upon Gideon to send all but 300 of his warrior’s home. With an army so small, victory could only come with God’s help. “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘I will deliver you with the 300 men…'”  (Judges 7:7 NASB).

Far too often we pray to God for His help with a particular problem or situation then take the credit for ourselves when it is resolved or taken care of. We seem to forget that we asked God for help and somehow conveniently seem to think we were the source of the solution. We must never allow self-sufficiency to cause us to believe that we can do what must be done without help from God.

Before entering into the land promised to the Israelites by God, Moses cautioned them to “…then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”  (Deuteronomy 6:12 NASB).

Moses feared what would happen when the Israelites discovered the prosperity of the Promised Land. “…a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant…” (Deuteronomy 6:10-11 NIV). He was afraid that they would then feel self-sufficient and fall prey to the desire to obtain more of everything except God, who had delivered them to that land of plenty.

As creations of God, we should all be thankful to Him for each new sunrise, for each breath that we take, and for everything that we have, yet we often get caught up in feelings of pride. Self-importance leads to self-sufficiency and that leads us away from God.

It is impossible for us, as humans, to love God as much as He loves us. But if we love Him with all that we are, and thank Him daily for His love and for all that He is, we will avoid any temptations to take credit away from God and claim it for ourselves. We must always give credit to God and thank Him for everything. Without Him we are nothing, but with Him we have everything we need.

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“TODAY’S GIFT” by Tony Casson

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Time for another excerpt from the upcoming book, “Today Is….A Gift From God.” Today’s devotional is from May 22.

TODAY IS…

a terrific day to pray for others. 

“I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.”  Romans 15:30 NIV

Prayer is a gift from God. It is the ability to communicate directly with Him and seek comfort, ask for help, and – hopefully – to give thanks to the One who makes so much of value available to us. It is an opportunity for reflection, and a way to ask for guidance and direction in our lives. Prayer is also the first place we should turn when we are confronted with temptation. And we will be confronted with temptation.

But prayer is also a great way to fulfill the Lord’s instruction that we love one another and look out for one another. We can accomplish this by using prayer for the benefit of others.

Asking God to help us heal in times of great sadness or sorrow is perfectly alright, but asking God to help someone else find the strength to deal with a terrible loss or tragedy is a great way to help someone at times when we may feel unable to do anything. God can get to places in a person’s heart that we cannot, and He loves to hear our voices imploring Him to help.

We also need to consider the many people throughout the world that we don’t even know who work tirelessly, sacrifice much, and risk their very lives to share the Word of God with others so that they may experience the joy of a life that has been changed by knowing, and accepting, Christ Jesus.

In their struggles to spread the Good News, these brave men and women need our prayers of support. Just as Paul reached out to those who believed in his day to pray in support of his struggle, we should all pray for the many thousands who continue that struggle today.

There are many good reasons to pray. Our personal problems are among them. But it is also a beautifully Christian thing to take time to pray for all who need God’s help.

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“TODAY’S GIFT” by Tony Casson

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Time for another excerpt from the upcoming book, “Today Is….A Gift From God.” Today’s devotional is from March 29.

TODAY IS…

the right day for a little anger management. 

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry…” James 1:19 NIV

The instructions given by James in this verse have been valuable ones for all who have read them since they were first written. Particularly when he admonishes everyone to be “slow to become angry.”

We are all familiar with the term “Anger Management,” and even though James did not use those exact words, managing our anger is exactly what he was talking about.

It would be the extremely rare individual, indeed, who never gets angry. Each of us gets pushed to the brink at some point in time. The reasons for our anger are an important consideration in managing how we react. When we become angry because of an injustice that we are witness to, the cause of the anger is justified, but how the anger is managed is important. Anger can move us to take positive action to correct a situation. Controlling our anger rather than letting it control us can be very helpful in certain situations and for certain reasons.

There are other types of anger that we should exercise even tighter control over. Anger borne of jealousy, a bruised ego, or a selfish perception of “hurt” is destructive and nothing good can come out of it. This type of anger damages relationships, hurts friendships, and accomplishes nothing positive.

Many of us know someone whose ‘flash-point’ is extremely low and is triggered by some perception of a wrong being perpetrated on them. The response to the most inconsequential thing sends them into a destructive, uncontrolled and potentially violent rage that is uncomfortable to witness and even causes friends and family to avoid that person in certain situations.

If this describes you or someone you know, it is important to listen to James when he says, “…for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” (James 1:20 NIV).

There are movies and television shows that treat Anger Management as a humorous subject. In real life, there is nothing at all humorous about uncontrolled anger. It may require a lot of work for some, but controlling our anger is important to each one of us, as well as those around us.

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“TODAY’S GIFT” by Tony Casson

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Time for another excerpt from the upcoming book, “Today Is….A Gift From God.” Today’s devotional is from October 14.

TODAY IS…

the ideal day to be thankful for the breath of God. 

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”   Genesis 2:7 KJV

It was not enough for God to form man. He also had to give him life with His own breath. With the breath of life, He also gave us the ability to become the vessel through which life is created again, and again, and again. From that very first breath, the world has increased in population until the number of people exceeds a staggering seven billion inhabitants of the world God created.

There is no person who walks this earth who is not alive as a result of that first breath of God and that is something we should all be thankful for. Every breath we take is a gift of love from God made possible with that first breath of man.

The breath of God not only gave us life, it has saved the lives of those who follow Him. As the Israelites were pursued by the army of Pharaoh, God intervened. In their Song of Deliverance, Moses and the people of Israel sang, “At the blast of Your breath, the waters piled up! The surging waters stood straight like a wall; in the heart of the sea the deep waters became hard.” (Exodus 15:8 NLT)

God did not create us to abandon us. Those who obey His simple instructions for life will always be able to count on the breath of God. Just as the Israelites saw the power of God’s breath when he parted the Red Sea so they could escape Pharaoh’s army, they saw His breath destroy those who would harm those who obeyed Him. “But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.” (Exodus 15:10 NIV)

When He sent His son to suffer and die so that our sins could all be forgiven and we could look forward to eternal life, He gave Him the power to fill His disciples with the Holy Spirit. Jesus told them He was sending them out as His Father had sent Him. “And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (John 20:22 NASB)

It was the breath of God that gave life to all of mankind. It is the breath of God that fills us all with the Holy Spirit. It is the breath of God that saves us when we are in danger.

Every single time we take a breath, it is a gift from God, and we should take every opportunity to tell Him how thankful we are.

 

“TODAY’S GIFT” by Tony Casson

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Time for another excerpt from the upcoming book, “Today Is….A Gift From God.” Today’s devotional is from January 12.

TODAY IS…

a good day to deal with doubt.

“Then He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” John 20:27 NLT

How strong is your faith? How confident is your belief? Publicly, you may proclaim that your faith is unshakeable; that your belief is without reservation. Privately, there may be times when a shadow of doubt crosses your heart as a cloud sometimes crosses in front of the sun, blocking its light and its warmth.

The disciple Thomas not only needed to see Jesus’ wounds, he needed to feel them for himself before he was completely ready to believe that Jesus had truly risen from the dead.

Simon Peter’s faith was strong enough to trust Christ and step out of the boat onto the water. “‘Yes, come,’ Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.”  (Matthew 14:29 NLT).

His fear created doubts that caused him to start sinking making him cry out to Jesus for help. His doubts would surface again when Jesus was taken into custody and Peter denied three times that he even knew who Christ was, just as Jesus said he would. “Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, Peter – this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.'”  (Matthew 26:34 NLT).

God does not condemn us for our moments of human weakness that result in doubt provided we use our struggle with it to strengthen our faith. Since we are merely human, we should not allow it to shatter us if we have an occasional moment of doubt. It is during these times that we must rely on the Word of God to help us reach out and ‘touch the wounds of Jesus’ for ourselves and find the wisdom to strengthen our belief.

The apostle Thomas became known as ‘Doubting’ Thomas. He went on to become one of Christ’s most fervent apostles, traveling to India and founding the first Christian church there in A. D. 52 in the town of Parur, which is located on the southeastern coast in the state of Kerala. Ultimately, Thomas traveled farther than any of the other apostles including the indefatigable Paul who traveled much of the area bordering the northern and eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Simon Peter was originally Simon the fisherman. Jesus changed his name to Peter which meant ‘rock’. In describing Peter, He said “…upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” (Matthew 16:18 NLT).

Peter did, indeed, become a ‘rock’ for Christ: He was the first to invite non-Jews to join the early church; he became the recognized leader among Jesus’ disciples; he was one of Jesus’ inner group of three; he went on to write 1 Peter and 2 Peter.

So. Do you sometimes have doubts? If you do, then you are in very good company. Use the Word of God to overcome your doubts, strengthen your faith, and do great things for the glory of God!

“TODAY’S GIFT” by Tony Casson

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Time for another excerpt from the upcoming book, “Today Is….A Gift From God.” Today’s devotional is from February 16.

TODAY IS…

a good day to accept the gift of God’s peace.

 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:7 NASB

World peace would be a nice thing to experience, wouldn’t it? A world without conflict is difficult for us to imagine. A world where the rights of others are respected and everyone looks out for each other would be – well, it would be heaven!

Heaven, indeed, for until Satan no longer rules the world, the above scenario cannot exist. Until the day Satan is removed from the picture, sin will continue to tempt all of us and mankind’s weakness will lead to selfish pursuits that will most assuredly cause others to suffer or create tension that results in war or strife somewhere on this planet.

So what, then, is God’s gift of peace? It is the gift that Christ promised His disciples that they would receive after He was gone and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27 NIV). This same gift is offered to all of us and if every one of us accepted it, we would have peace throughout the world. Unfortunately, far too many of us allow the forces of evil to rule our hearts and our minds, making the acceptance of this gift impossible. Those of us who do accept Christ and His gift of peace have His assurance that we can “…be content whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4:11 NIV). We have His assurance that we need not fear today or any day in the future. We have His assurance that the peace we will have in our hearts and minds will give us the strength to fight those forces which create doubt, uncertainty and apprehension within us and we have His assurance that God is in control.

If God is in control, we are safe. That does not mean that we will be exempt from the pitfalls of life, but when filled with the gift of God’s peace, we shine the light of God on those pitfalls and we can then accept them, deal with them, learn from them and grow as better Christians as a result.

All of this springs from the acceptance of the gift that was offered to the world when it was offered to the disciples by Christ. At the time, it is likely that none of them were fully able to comprehend the importance or significance of the gift itself. Nor could they completely appreciate the love with which it was promised. But once Christ had risen and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they surely must have felt the love and the strength that God’s peace instilled in them, for it enabled them to face rejection, ridicule, ignorance, hostility, persecution and even death as they worked tirelessly to share that gift of peace with the world.

Take time today to thank God for this gift and make every effort to share it with others.

 

“TODAY’S GIFT” by Tony Casson

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Time for another excerpt from the upcoming book, “Today Is….A Gift From God”. Today’s devotional is from March 3.

TODAY IS…

the perfect day to
work on a home worthy of God. 

“But who can really build Him a worthy home?”  2 Chronicles 2:6a NLT

As we all know, God cannot be contained within any dwelling of any size. Solomon acknowledged this fact but humbly accepted the task of doing his best to build a place of worship. Ninety feet long, thirty feet wide and thirty feet high, the gold used just to overlay the interior of the temple weighed “600 talents”, which calculates out to 46,000 pounds.

But does God require such a place? What good is a fine temple overlaid with gold if the quality of the faith, the reverence and love of those who go there to worship is not equal to its value? At the same time, if the spirit of worship is vibrant and the love of God is obvious through the worshipers’ love of their fellow man, does it matter if the place of worship is a barn or a backyard or a storefront in a strip mall?

If the home built for God is lined with gold but inhabited by individuals more concerned with the value of their building than the value of the hearts in the building, then of what value is the building itself to God? Is it really a worthy place in which to ask Him to bless those who worship there?

If the walls were made of wood and the hearts of those who worshiped there used the gold to feed the hungry and house the homeless, would God not consider this to be a worthy place to call home?

Comfortable, welcoming and functional are words that do not translate to expensive, flashy or ostentatious. Money spent on unnecessary adornments or luxuries is money not spent to do the work of God here on earth.

Do not judge a place of worship by its appearance or by the quality of the cars in the parking lot on Sunday. Find out about the work its members perform in God’s name and the prudent and effective use of the funds that are raised.

We wouldn’t want to donate $100 to a charity that spent $99 on administrative costs would we? So why would we spend money given to do God’s work on gold to impress God when God really cares less about what is on the walls than what is in our hearts.

The foundation of a home worthy of God begins in your heart. Knowing God will help you know how to build on that foundation and produce a home that is truly worthy of God.

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