Toni Writing for The Master - Daily Devotional

Daily devotion

12/14/2018

Following God’s Law

Scripture Reading: Luke 12:35-40
click to read the scripture
Scripture Quote: The heavens will disappear with a loud noise, and the heat will melt the whole universe. Then the earth and everything on it will be seen for what they are. (2 Peter 3:10 NIV)

We must be prepared to meet God in His judgment or His mercy - Followers of Christ find comfort and reverence in that admonishment. Believers will escape final punishment, however, people professing to be Christ’s followers, but who reject portions of His Word to suit their lifestyles, will find their lack of wisdom to be their downfall. Reading the Bible and remembering the things others have suffered who chose to disregard God's Law can help our thinking. Following God’s precepts is the foundation of an enlightened life. When His Ways are contrary to ours, we must submit to God's wisdom and be obedient.

What sort of example do we make if nonbelievers observe us picking and choosing which of God's directives to follow and which we reject because they are too restrictive for our taste? Is it that we think we have plenty of time to change our sinful behaviors, or is it that we don't think Jesus will return in our lifetime? Either rationale is rather foolish and simply denies the Word of the Lord. Our Savior will come on a day and at a time when we least expect Him. If we are so engrossed with our own agendas that we are caught without thought to following the narrow path, we will be as one who cannot be trusted.

Today’s meditation: The Word of the Lord is a light for our path.

Memory Verse: So be on your guard! You don't know when your Lord will come. (Matthew 24:42 NIV)

Daily devotion

12/13/2018

Flee From the Love of Money

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 2:20-26
click here to read the scripture
Scripture Quote: But you, a man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. (1Timothy 6:11 NIV))

There have been ministers, who were eloquent speakers, who also had an indefinable personal attraction so that many were drawn to them. They spoke God's truth and delivered it in such a way that their popularity increased among the brethren. However, they got caught up in the pedestal others have placed them on - They began to enjoy the prosperity of their churches and the excellent notoriety and income they received. Even they are not out of reach of the love of money. Believers do their ministers no favor by trying to elevate their standing to be above that of their congregation - That’s a trap!

We are all too easily persuaded to seek after money and all the false promises of wealth. Material possessions slowly claim more of our time and attention. Many of the toys we enjoy seem harmless, but that is only until we realize how distracted from our walk with the Lord we have wandered. God's Word tells us to conform to the image of Christ. We know that Jesus traveled without huge provisions and placed very little importance on them. Seek the mind of Christ and His loving Spirit - Nothing else holds the truth we each need to truly prosper in this world.

Today’s meditation: Money can buy the coffin, but that’s about it!

Memory Verse: For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. (1 Timothy 6:7 NIV)

Daily devotion

12/12/2018

Finding Joy

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:1-10
click to read the scriptures
Scripture Quote: Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
John 13:16-17 (NIV)

Many brilliant nonbelievers have become harsh and wounded people because they have always relied only on their abilities over God's. We Christians have, on occasion, mistakenly listened to our own counsel too, leaving God's instruction behind. Following what our spirits know to be instruction from God can seem terrifying or even foolish at times. It always comes down to either stepping out in faithful obedience to God, or trusting in our willful pride.

Don't you wonder what God must think when He sees us waver in our faith, as so many before us have also done? God has to be saddened by our stubborn unfaithfulness, but His love and patience are boundless - He knows the consequences we will reap upon ourselves. Like our children who have refused our guidance and find themselves in trouble, God watches us with disciplined inaction, so that the bitter lesson is learned. Sacred knowledge and devotion to God are the only means by which we will find true joy in our lives. We can learn to suppress worldly ambition and choose to partake of His Devine Nature instead. God wants us to grow and become what we have not yet been: at peace!

Today’s meditation: God’s laws reap joyous and peaceful lives.

Memory Verse: The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. Matthew 10-24 (NIV)

Daily devotion

12/11/2018

Finding Happiness

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 3:13-18 (All Scripture quoted is NIV)
click to read the scriptures
Scripture Quote: After all, to the person who is good in God's sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner he gives the troublesome task of acquiring and accumulating in order to leave it to someone who is good in the sight of God. This also is pointless and chasing after the wind. (Ecclesiastes 2:26)

Although people think happiness can be found in our fleshly desires, we find the eventual achievement of those yearnings to be destructive and unfulfilling. Since we are surrounded by evil, Believers must deliberately decide not to walk in the counsel of ungodliness. The world defends self-gratification and competitive aggression as acceptable common practice - Getting out ahead of the next guy rules, so that achievement and prosperity have become the gods of this world.

Redeemed Christians are aware of the existence of an invisible world where we can draw our strength and purpose from an unseen God who guides us on the path to righteousness. Believers have the joy of the Lord and the wisdom in His Word to sustain us throughout our lives. Our inner man is blessed with a sacred indwelling of God's Holy Spirit. Although difficulties and disappointments are part of life, Christians know that life on earth is temporary. We are destined for great joy when our Lord and Savior comes again. Jesus will take us with Him into glory and show us what real happiness is.

Today’s meditation: Happy is the heart that belongs to the Lord.

Memory Verse: But the righteous rejoice and exult before God; they are overwhelmed with joy. (Psalms 68:3)

Daily devotion

12/10/2018

Find Your Treasure

Scripture Reading: Luke 12:16-21 (All Scripture is quoted from NIV)
click to read the scripture
Scripture Quote: No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24)

We must be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. Our lives are about so much more than self-gratification and an abundance of possessions. Our worldly comfort level should come in a poor last, below a list of other life goals and priorities. If knowing God is the treasure we seek in our hearts, then our desires will be placed on God's promises and a growing relationship with Him. An earthly-minded person desires things that satisfy the desires of the flesh and offers immediate gratification, but a heavenly-minded person knows that the only truly lasting treasure is from God, our Father.

The master of our heart may be fitly termed the love that reigns within it. The duality of passion is a rarity that confuses the heart. We are built to exist on one side or the other of a fence - Straddlers tend to self-destruct. As Christ followers, we are destined to place life with Jesus above any other inferior substitute. We are not foolish enough to fall for this world’s lure when we know that in the end, we are heaven bound. There is no possession that exists, no deep-seated greed that must be satisfied, absolutely nothing that can replace the love and protection found in our perfect Savior.

Today’s meditation: We are destined for eternity with Jesus!

Memory Verse: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)

Daily devotion

12/7/2018

Fill Your Heart With God

Scripture Reading: Luke 12:22-31
click to read the scripture
Scripture Quote: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV)

Our salvation, worship of God, study of His Word, and Christian fellowship, could engross our minds and hearts entirely – But, in reality we waste precious time on our own gratifications and our need to compete for first place. We harshly judge other's mistakes, yet we make so many of our own. We are just not thinking of our Lord when we are being competitive or unkind. Also, it’s total foolishness for Christians to spend energy on acquiring more toys that we know must eventually perish, yet we do.

Seeking God's kingdom is so much more than following a particular formula or list of restrictive rules and it is literally intended to keep us busy about our Father's business. Hearts designed for God and eternity are those that stay fixed on another's needs above our own. There are sick friends to visit or take a meal, or lonely soldiers who could use an encouraging note, and there are always various chances to speak His truth to people who have never heard about Jesus. When we fill our thoughts with God and His purposes, He continues to show us all kinds of things we can do to use our time for His glory.

Today’s meditation: Use your spare time to bless someone else.

Memory Verse: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21 (NIV)

Daily devotion

12/6/2018

Feed Your Soul

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 55:1-13
click here to read the scriptures
Scripture Quote: Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,' nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:16-17 (NIV)

None of us can sustain our soul independent of God who supplies truth suited to its growth and support. Spiritual things cannot support the body because they are not suited to the body's needs - Earthly things cannot support the soul for the same reason. Our soul was awakened to its need and began to hunger and thirst after holiness, which is its proper food. Our souls needed to be purified by God's Holy Spirit and made partakers of Christ, our living bread. Without Jesus, we would be separate from God and doomed to everlasting alienation.

God never inspires a need without a design in place to supply the satisfaction of that need. Those who seek salvation can depend on being satisfied in Jesus. Christians will gradually make an eternal progression into the fullness of God. Since God is infinite, so our discovery of God's character and attributes will be infinite. God will wipe away, in the most affectionate and fatherly way, all tears from our eyes. He will remove all cause of distress and grief. Seek God constantly and He will reward you beyond your grandest imagination.

Today’s meditation: Find and follow God’s truth for your soul.

Memory Verse: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 (NIV)

Daily devotion

12/5/2018

Fear God and Love Him

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:19-31
click to read the scripture
Scripture Quote: Who should not fear you, King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise leaders of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. Jeremiah 10:7 (NIV)

Who can question the existence of the Creator and Giver of all that is good? Nonbelievers often think that the fear of God is what religion is all about, never seeing the generosity and tolerance of our Mighty God. There hasn't ever been a wise scholar, who has been schooled from others with great knowledge in science or theology, to surpass God. God is the creator of all true knowledge because it comes directly from HIMSELF! Sadly, many of these so-called scholars, in all their wisdom and research, have never been able to find the true and loving God. Their walls are scattered with degrees and titles, but their lives are superficial.

Christians are so privileged to possess knowledge about the truths in God's Word, the invisible world of faith and the true end of each believer, which the Gospel teaches us. We are not scholars and probably would not even be called wise individuals, but Christians are so privileged to possess knowledge about the truths in God's Word, the invisible world of faith and the true end of each believer, which the Gospel teaches us.

Today’s meditation: There is no God but You, Father. How great you are, Sovereign LORD!

Memory Verse: No one is like you, LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Jeremiah 10:6 (NIV)

Daily devotion

12/4/2018

Faithfulness
Scripture Reading: Daniel 2:16-24
click here to read the scripture
Scripture Quote: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand.”
Daniel 3:17 (NIV)

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had a disturbing dream that caused him to seek counsel. His magicians, sorcerers and the like, could not give the king adequate answers. This led the king to order the execution of all the wise men in Babylon. However, there were a few truly wise men, especially one named, Daniel, who were followers of God.

God was merciful to Daniel and his friends who prayed with him by revealing the king's dream and it's interpretation. Daniel confessed to the king that he had no such wonderous powers by himself, but the highest praise was due to his God for revealing these things to Daniel. So, as a result, the king spared the lives of Daniel and his praying friends. The king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him.

Further into the story, we learn that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up an image of gold for all the people to fall down before and worship. Daniel’s three friends were not rebels, but they could only give their worship to their God. When faced with their disobedience, the king ordered them thrown into a blazing furnace. However, even the threat of death by fire did not move their steadfast faith in God. They were miraculously spared by God because of their faithfulness.

Today’s meditation: God rewards faith that is resolute.

Memory Verse: “Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps the faith.” Isaiah 26:2 (NIV)

Daily devotion

12/3/2018

Faithful Prayer

Scripture Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:7-13
click here to read the scripture
Scripture Quote: “I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Luke 10:19 (NIV)

Christians are in training, being taught persistent, believing prayer that intercedes against Satan's rule in the world. Believer's stand for Jesus' Lordship and defy anarchy and misery that Satan wants in every area of life. Our prayers are not the last resort or a form of begging, but they serve to enforce Christ's victory. Satan’s end is certain, but unless Christ's believers, His Bride, continue in prayer against Satan, the church's authority would be completely inoperative.

Faithful prayer, without doubt, overcomes and crushes Satan's plans. The idea of binding and loosing in prayer simply means that what we claim as ungodly will be vanquished and the opposite will be embraced by our Lord, provided we are faithful prayer warriors in pursuit of God's glory. Satan's goal is to inflict all the hurt he possibly can. We are the only means of preventing Satan from achieving his goal. When we pray for someone who is unsaved, we bind Satan's grip on that person and loose the healing power of Christ’s salvation. He could have banished Satan, but instead, God’s using him to strengthen and train Christ’s church in defeating evil in our world today.

Today’s meditation: Pray Christ’s victory without ceasing.

Memory Verse: "Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 18:18 (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

Learn how to share your FAITH

Share your Faith

Bible Sprout study guide

Author

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 5 pound, furry, Chihuahua muse, “Princess 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.

Archives

November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014

Categories