Blog Archives - Toni Writing for The Master

Daily devotion

11/15/2018

Drunkenness

Scripture Reading for the day: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11,
1 Corinthians: 6:9-11
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Scripture Quote: “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do--living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.” 1Peter 4:1-3 (NIV)

Those who drink alcohol, pouring it repeatedly until they are drunk, will be filled with shame in the end, instead of the great immediate fun they anticipate. The cup from the LORD's right hand is coming around to them, and disgrace will follow. Drunkenness and excess lead to corruptible desire. Such indulgence has a tendency to excite lust by removing the barriers of God's standard of moral behavior.

God wants us to retain His truth and live according to its dictates, especially if it seems difficult to our flesh to do so. We are His children and answerable to His vision for our lives. We are all guardians of the talents entrusted to us by our Heavenly Father. So, if we who are called Christians are guilty of drunkenness, there could be no difference except in profession, between us and the most abominable of the nonbelievers.

Today’s meditation: God's grace is sufficient to enable the casting aside of ungodly desires.

Memory Verse: “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.”
Romans 13:13 (NIV)

Daily devotion

11/14/2018

Don’t Stand Next to Sin

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 2:1-5 (All Scripture Quotes are CEV)
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Scripture Quote: You have been trusted with a wonderful treasure. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives within you.
(2 Timothy 3:12)

It’s easy to sometimes feel tempted to compromise with those in the world we care for - We make excuses for them, coming alongside them with the hope of showing them our love for Jesus and the truth in His Gospel. The only trouble is that we can lose our way, if we get our own focus mixed up. We make a huge mistake if we rationalize ungodly behavior because we want to be helpful to someone. We make a huge mistake if we rationalize ungodly behavior because we want to be helpful to someone.

Loving others is certainly a very high priority for a Christian, but following the mandates of the Lord is always the absolute priority - We do well to never forget that because Christians have no immunity to the propensity to fall into sin. We can’t be helpful to others without the constant rejuvenation by the Holy Spirit within our hearts and minds. So, we must first point our intent in God’s direction to be the beneficiary of His strength and truth. Compromise is too dangerous for any of us. Showing Christ-like behavior will keep us safely within God's circle of blessing, so that we may be in a proper position to reach out and invite others to join us.

Today’s meditation: Sharing the Gospel takes deliberate preparation.

Memory Verse: He wanted us to be his own special people, and so he sent the true message to give us new birth. (James 1:18)

Daily devotion

11/13/2018

Doing Good

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:13-16
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Scripture Quote: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)

We were created by God as a living human being and were, therefore, the creatures of God at our birth. Again, by His incredible power, we were recreated by faith in Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection. He has saved us and given us the Holy Spirit so that we can demonstrate to the world God's truth and love. We weren't saved to simply sit around and bask in His great love for us. We are not saved by our goodness or good works, but we are saved by God's free mercy - As a consequence of that, we are now called to do good works to glorify God and show kindness to one another.

God treats us much better than we deserve. In ourselves, we have nothing to brag about. That's why God sent Jesus to save us. He has set us apart to abide in us through His Holy Spirit. Every day, every minute, we need to lean on Him. From the first inspiration of God upon our souls, we began to love goodness and holiness and have since yearned to walk in them to glorify God. Obedience to the will of God means doing whatever good we can, whenever we can.

Today’s meditation: We were created for good works.

Memory Verse: For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

November 11th, 2018

11/11/2018

Does Prayer Have Real Power?

Scripture Reading for the day: 1 Corinthians 1:17-18
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Scripture Quote: For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:4
     The bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:18 that the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. All through the word we read that prayer is the way to communicate with our Heavenly Father. Unbelievers think that prayer is ineffective and silly, but I believe God’s word, not the opinion of the unsaved sinner. Actually, those are people that need you to pray for them.

     You may be like me, with less than super credentials. No matter how much or little we know, as believers in Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection, we have been given the gift of prayer. Use it and seek the power of God in your life for yourself and for those you love.

     Do we really believe that our prayers are powerful? Well, modesty aside, “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but they have divine power to destroy strong holds.” (2 Corinthians 10:4)We have a mighty God who gives us all the power we need to fight the enemy and cover those we pray for, if we will only believe.

Today’s meditation: When we connect with God through prayer, His power is given to us. Have faith in your prayers and watch God move mountains.
Memory Verse: The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16

Daily devotion

11/9/2018

Does Christ Offend You?

Scripture Reading: Matthew 11:2-11
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Scripture Quote: Therefore, dear friends, since you have been warned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 2 Peter 3:17 (NIV)

When Jesus walked on earth, he offended many people, even including John the Baptist, who pictured a fierier Messiah. Thank God that Jesus still continues to offend us. Christ offended John the Baptist by His gracious dealings with sinners. He rebuked the religious leaders of His day who prized pious rules overextending themselves in love to their fellow sinners. Christ continues to unnerve us today by saying that we must die to self, take up our cross and follow Him.

The rich young ruler was offended by Christ' admonition to sell everything that he had and give it to the poor. The Jews were scandalized by a dying Messiah and the Gentiles were confused by a God who would lay down His powers to descend to the level of humanity - And on and on it goes: many today are offended about Christ's teaching against divorce. In a world where over 60 percent of marriages end in divorce, this is an offensive teaching. Nevertheless, we are Christians and compelled to acknowledge all of God's teaching as infallible. Since we trust in a Savior that actually gave His life's blood to return us to the Father, we can choose not to be offended, but repent and be obedient to his law, resting in His joy and peace.

Today’s meditation: Be offended by evil, but learn from God’s Word.

Memory Verse: Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the LORD. Psalms 4:5 (NIV)

Daily devotion

11/8/2018

Do You Know About Jesus’ Grace?

Scripture Reading for the day: John 1:10-14
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Jesus didn’t care about riches, that’s for sure. I sometimes wonder if He came to bring his message of salvation today, just how he would be received. Would he come as a homeless man, seeking a dozen men to follow Him and learn about God’s grace, like he did with His disciples long ago? Would His poverty and disregard for money or status be accepted by any group living in this present age? Or would we look down on Jesus, even call him a bum? You know what, He would still love all of us anyway, because that is who He is!

Jesus knew His fate from the beginning. He gave up His spiritual riches for the sake of our spiritual ignorance. He willingly became poor and humble, living as a man, alongside humanity’s sinfulness. He was the creator of all things, yet He was rejected, beaten, tortured and ultimately murdered because His message of grace usurped the authenticity and authority of the Pharisees and Sadducees - Are we sometimes as clueless as them?

Scripture Quote: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, for your sakes He became poor, in order that you might be made rich through His poverty.” 2 Corinthians 8:9 (MKJV)

Today’s meditation: Are our independent, success oriented goals a major stumbling block to our pursuit of a true, deep relationship with our Savior?

Memory Verse: For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2Co 5:21 (MKJV)

Daily devotion

11/7/2018

Do You Have the Time?

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 4:5-8
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Scripture Quote: What will come on us, if we do not give our minds to such a great salvation? a salvation of which our fathers first had knowledge through the words of the Lord, and which was made certain to us by those to whom his words came; Hebrews (BBE) 2:3

We are so fortunate that we have wisdom and truth available to us at all times. Our bibles, computers, notebooks, phones, classes, etc., are all instant resources - You'd think the church body would be saturated with the Word of God. Knowledge of the eternal and infinite Spirit, the Creator and the One who is sovereign over the entire universe invites us to learn about and commune with Him - Yet, many of us don't have a clue what riches are readily available for the taking.

We need to feed on God's Word daily, even more than we need to eat food to sustain us. There is such power and guidance in the prophecies, parables, stories of success and failure. The people are real and they teach us that all of humanity is broken and in need of a Savior. We can choose to hide His Word in our hearts as David did, or miss out on God’s plans for us. Even though David was a sinner and made terrible mistakes, he returned to the forgiving grace extended to him. So, will we begin to be more deliberate in our pursuit of the knowledge of God? He extends an open invitation to all.

Today’s meditation: Take the time to learn about your Creator.

Memory Verse: But praise be to God who makes us strong to overcome in Christ, and makes clear through us in every place the value of the knowledge of him. 2 Corinthians 2:14 (BBE)

Daily devotion

11/5/2018

  Do You Accept God's Best?

Scripture Reading for the day: John 15:1-11
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Scripture Quote: “God made great and marvelous promises so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.”          2 Peter 1:4 (CEV)
      Wouldn't you love to suddenly be changed and be totally infused with Christ's nature? I know I would. To be unmistakably stamped with God's nature is the ultimate reward for total obedience and submission to the will of God.
      From a human or worldly perspective, obedience and submission are associated with weakness and dull-wittedness. Pride is the reason for such an incorrect appraisal because, in reality, obedience and submission are the ultimate goals of the wise child of God. Only the truly informed could understand the strength and sustenance in a life turned over completely to His loving hand.
Today’s meditation: Hardships and loss can become much weaker influences on us if we take God at His Word.
Memory Verse: I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.” John 10:9 NIV

Daily devotion

11/5/2018

Discipline

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:5-10

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Scripture Quote: “My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” Proverbs 3:11-12 (NIV)

Discipline may not be popular, but it is necessary. If it is not delved out in anger or meant to punish oppressively, discipline is useful to teach or restrain. Correction is never designed to cause harm. Parents want to help their children to become Christ followers. Discipline motivated by love produces positive change. It is tempting and truly easier to let poor behavior slide so confrontation is avoided. The Bible tells us, however, in Proverbs 13:24 “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them."

Current culture deems parents abusive if they physically discipline their children. One parent can actually call Family Services on another parent if any kind of force is observed - God doesn't care about Family Services or new and compliant parenting. Just as He disciplines us, we also need to correct our children. If spanking will bring a rebellious child to submit to parental authority, then we are obliged not to spare the rod. Strict discipline does yield respect for authority and improved behavior. Our children need to learn submission so that they will also submit to their Heavenly Father.

Today’s meditation: We all need to submit to God’s authority.

Memory Verse: "Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God." Lev 19:3 (NIV)

Daily devotion

11/2/2018

Discipline is Necessary

Scripture Reading: Zechariah 7:11-14
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Scripture Quotes: Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. Psalms 119:67,71 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Revelations 3:19(All NIV)

We tend to have negative reactions to the whole concept of discipline. It seems synonymous with punishment or restriction. Punishment beams a light on our guilt and demands an unpleasant act of contrition. However, punishment, if not mean-spirited, can turn a person away from a persistent sin and bring the repentant Christian closer to the obedient response our God requires. If we receive the discipline as an opportunity for growth, we can attempt a bit of Christ-like conduct as an appropriate response to our correction – And we can eventually receive through Him a mature faith that can stand in every trial.

Picture a long, high bridge. We are on one side and perfection is on the other side. It's a long journey with others traveling past, behind and beside us. Some are even walking in the opposite direction, which sometimes confuses us. We can trip, or get pushed, or injured, or need help to get to the far side. Nevertheless, we journey on. We can't see our ultimate destination, yet we are certain that it will be a perfect place without adversity. We also believe and are especially encouraged because we know that Jesus is waiting for us there. :0)

Today’s meditation: God disciplines us with love and authority.

Memory Verse: Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. Job 5:17 (NIV)

2 Timothy 3:16-17New International Version (NIV) 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work

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Bio: Toni Smothers has written articles for “Total Health”, “Let’s Live”, “People In Action” and “The North American Mentor” magazines. She is a member of the Faithwriters.com writing community and was previously the editor for the teen section of their on-line magazine. She has written many programs, sermons, and skits and has edited several websites. Additionally, she has answered hundreds of questions for GotQuestions.org, a biblical resource site. Here is just one of their many testimonials: "Thank you for this insightful website! I was able to look up many questions I have asked over the years since becoming saved. The site is easy to navigate and gave me so much biblical background for answers that I feel my armor has been strengthened. You and your staff be encouraged to continue to speak the truth for God's glory." When Toni is not writing, she can usually be found cuddling with her 10 pound, furry, Morky muse, 'Sweet Pea.' Toni Smothers studied homeopathy extensively and became a proficient layman. She wrote about homeopathy for “Total Health” and “Let’s Live” magazines. Smothers describes her experience befriending a refugee family from Laos in her article published in the travel magazine, “People in Action.” Additionally, “American Mentor” magazine has published some of her poetry. Smothers drew upon her fun experiences as a youth pastor to provide the needed insight to function as the editor of the teen section of “Faithwriters” magazine and she is a member of the Faithwriters.com writer’s community.

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