Blog Archives

DAILY DEVOTION

5/28/2021

Grace

By Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading for the day: Ephesians 3

Scripture Quote: “Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the least deserving Christian there is, I was chosen for this special joy of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.” Ephesians 3:8 (NLT)

            We can all relate to the feeling of being the least Christian because without God’s Grace and Christ’s sacrifice none of us would be able to do God’s will. Gentile and Jew, all have equal share in the riches inherited by God’s children.

            God’s Word is a two edged sword that mirrors and pierces directly into our inner lives. Our sinfulness and helplessness are completely exposed and we are shown our need for Grace. Once we see ourselves as we really are, we long for Jesus to cleanse us with His righteousness.

            We should ask daily for God’s will to be revealed to us and faithfully perform the unique role each of us is to play in God’s plan. His Grace truly is sufficient. His love is total and reaches every area of our existence as we give it permission to abide in us and take control of us.

Meditation for the day: “All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us, and the change is painful.” Flannery O’Connor

Memory Verse: “This is a true saying, and everyone should believe it: Christ came into the world to save sinners – and I was the worst of them.” I Timothy 1:15 (NLT)

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daily devotion

5/27/2021

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Good Works
By Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading for the day: Titus 2

Scripture Quote: “Can we boast then that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith.” Romans 3:27 (NLT)

How can anything but uncontrollable gratitude flow from our lives once we truly understand our position in Christ? We just naturally glow with the joy of it and we take on more and more of Christ’s attributes as we seek Him out daily. We basically can do nothing other than good things for others because Jesus fills us with a spirit of compassion and confidence in His goodness and mercy. We just want to emulate his love.

Some people can see the good all around them, while others pick up on everything bad that exists. What do you think is the main difference in these two types of people? Jesus Christ makes all the difference - Knowing Him and following Him changes peoples lives! When we fill our minds with thoughts of our perfect Savior, there is no room for evil to take root. We do good works out of sheer appreciation for all the blessings He has given to us. Jesus initiates all the good we do anyway, and as we invite Him to use us, we become filters for His good purpose and glory.

Meditation for today: Our attitudes and conduct speak volumes about what we believe and who rules in our heart.

Memory Verse: “God saved you by His special favor when you believed. Anhd you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” Ephesians 2:8 (NLT)

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DAILY DEVOTION

5/27/2021

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DAILY DEVOTION

5/27/2021

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DAILY DEVOTION

5/27/2021

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DAILY DRVOTION

5/26/2021

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God’s Wonderful Blessings

By Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading for the day: Ephesians 1:9-14

Scripture Quote: “No man has ever seen, heard or even imagined the wonderful things God has in store for those who love the Lord.” I Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)

Many blessings are available to us – Honor, prosperity, security, freedom from fear, if we love the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. If you expect God’s blessings you must revere Him and fully obey Him. He wants you to trust that He has good things in store for you. He loves you enough to prosper you beyond your wildest dreams. But you must be able to believe and expect His blessings.

The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that we belong to Him and that He will do what he has promised. The Holy Spirit is given to us when we first accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. His power works in us to transform us now and that’s just a foretaste of the total change we will experience in eternity.

Christ is our model and the more we know of Him, the more we will be like Him. Study Jesus’ life in the Gospels to see what He was like on earth nearly 2,000 years ago and get to know Him. Personal knowledge of Christ will change your life.

Today’s Meditation: “When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in.” Psalm 112:4 (NLT)

Memory Verse: He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!” Psalm 111:9

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DAILY DEVOTION

5/25/2021

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God’s Love Is Everlasting

By Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading for the day: Exodus 33:18-23

Scripture Quote: “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39 (NASB)
Doesn’t it sometimes surprise you how much God loves us? Spend any time thinking about it and His amazing grace can do no less than astonish us. God sought us out first while we were totally oblivious to our need for Him. Then, all we had to do was just go to Jesus in prayer and confess our sinfulness, ask Him to save us from ourselves and as we came in faith, believing that He truly is God in the flesh, He accepted us into His great and merciful love and guaranteed us that we will be with Him forever. There is nothing that will ever change that.
God loved Moses so much that He let him see His Glory! God IS love. We do not deserve it, but God wants us to have life and to have it abundantly (full of His love). We are fortunate indeed. All we need do is believe and receive.

Today’s meditation: Let your heart be filled with joy and gratitude for what God has done in you.
Memory Verse: “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by
it you may grow in respect to salvation”. 1 Peter 2:2 (NASB)

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DAILY DEVOTION

5/24/2021

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God’s Justice

By Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading for the day: Ephesians 4:20-32

Scripture Quote: “You are perfectly just in this, but will you, who cannot allow sin in any form, stand idly by while they swallow us up? Should you be silent while the wicked destroy people who are more righteous then they?” Habakkuk 1:13

            When our circumstances become almost unbearable, we can wonder if God has forgotten us. We need to remember that God is always in control. God will judge the wicked according to his will and timing. Do we dare presume to tell God what he is to do on our behalf? If we are truly humble, we will train ourselves to wait on God’s timing and simply believe His protection is always present even when we don’t see it with our limited capacity.

            Additionally, evil is self-destructive so that God can still choose to use if for His purposes because absolutely everything is under His dominion. His choices do not need our approval or understanding.

            If you live by faith, you don’t always get what you want, but you will get what God thinks you need and you will get God’s presence in your daily life. Being able to walk with God now and into all of eternity is the blessing we can focus on rather than our temporary troubles or our misgivings about God’s response time.

Meditation for the day: “I made no resolutions to be a better man – I simply cast myself on the Lord to do with me whatever He wanted.” John Newton (We can do the same.)

Memory Verse: “Be just and fair to all, says the LORD. Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you.” Isaiah 56:1

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