Blog Archives - Toni Writing for The Master

Today's devotion

6/30/2016

Toni Smothers tasmothers@gmail.com www.writingforthemaster.com

Contentment

Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:11-13

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Scripture Quote: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV)

If we have the Spirit of God within and the necessities to preserve life available to us, we have what God calls great gain or an abundant portion. It doesn't actually require much of this world's goods to satisfy those of us who feel we are citizens of another, better place and who know that now is not the time of our true rest. Our ultimate contentment will only be attained when we reach our final destination with the Lord. But, what we need and want aren't always congruent.

Christians, like any other group of people, have fallen victim to appetites that grow with nourishment. We step further away from simplicity each time a desire is seen as basically harmless. It's not the thing desired that is hurtful so much as the gusto with which we pursue that desire. Just like it isn't money alone that is evil, but the love for it and the lust with which it is sought that causes trouble. We are all to some degree entrapped by subtle, secular seductions because we live and function in today's society. But, it is always wise to be aware of our tendencies to wander and be deliberate in our desire to seek first, with great fervor, God's ways, leaving little else of ourselves to stray.

Today’s meditation: Stand fast in simplicity.

Memory Verse: But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV)

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Today's devotion

6/29/2016

Toni Smothers tasmothers@gmail.com www.writingforthemaster.com

He Never Leaves Us

Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43:2-5

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Scripture Quote: And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of a good heart and do your work; have no fear and do not be troubled, for the Lord God, my God, is with you; he will not give you up, and his face will not be turned away from you, till all the work necessary for the house of the Lord is complete.” 1 Chronicles 28:20 (NIV)

Christians turn to God when we have a large problem, or a great joy, but often go without His council in the ordinary things we struggle with. There have even been times when, in our brokenness, we thought that God had turned His back on us, only to discover that it was actually us who had turned from Him. We can let anger or frustration snowball until they are all we see or feel - At that time, we are turned completely away from God and then ask Him where He has gone!

God’s promise to never leave us is made to those of us who are patiently trusting in His help, while bearing whatever we are struggling with - And may be applied to any faithful believer in affliction, temptation, or adversity of any kind. We are told in His Word to trust in the Lord with our whole hearts and to never lean on our own understanding. If we would just take God at His Word, we would find that He is always there and no matter how many times our ignorance causes us to turn from God, His love and Word are steadfast.

Today’s meditation: God cares about every aspect of our lives.

Memory Verse: Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

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Today's devotion

6/29/2016

Toni Smothers tasmothers@gmail.com www.writingforthemaster.com

He Never Leaves Us

Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43:2-5

Click here to read the scripture

Scripture Quote: And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of a good heart and do your work; have no fear and do not be troubled, for the Lord God, my God, is with you; he will not give you up, and his face will not be turned away from you, till all the work necessary for the house of the Lord is complete.” 1 Chronicles 28:20 (NIV)

Christians turn to God when we have a large problem, or a great joy, but often go without His council in the ordinary things we struggle with. There have even been times when, in our brokenness, we thought that God had turned His back on us, only to discover that it was actually us who had turned from Him. We can let anger or frustration snowball until they are all we see or feel - At that time, we are turned completely away from God and then ask Him where He has gone!

God’s promise to never leave us is made to those of us who are patiently trusting in His help, while bearing whatever we are struggling with - And may be applied to any faithful believer in affliction, temptation, or adversity of any kind. We are told in His Word to trust in the Lord with our whole hearts and to never lean on our own understanding. If we would just take God at His Word, we would find that He is always there and no matter how many times our ignorance causes us to turn from God, His love and Word are steadfast.

Today’s meditation: God cares about every aspect of our lives.

Memory Verse: Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

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Today's devotion

6/28/2016

Toni Smothers tasmothers@gmail.com www.writingforthemaster.com

Let The Holy Spirit Teach You

Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3:8-12

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Scripture Quote: And to have knowledge of the love of Christ which is outside all knowledge, so that you may be made complete as God himself is complete. Ephesians 3:19 (BBE)

How can the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, be known? It is only through the love of Christ that we can know the love of God. The gift of Christ to man is the measure of God's love for us. We can only acknowledge that truth which is hidden in our inner-man, while it does surpass our typical ability to grasp intellectually. We can’t fully comprehend God either, but we do know that He exists and that we love and serve Him. We may not be aware of the immensity of the love of Jesus, but we do know that his love has cleansed us by His own blood.

So, it is our faith that acknowledges Christ as our Lord and Savior. In this sense, we know the love of Christ that passes knowledge - Being rooted and firmly established in love that does surpass our complete understanding, we can yet somehow grab hold of that wide, deep, unfathomable perfection of His great love for us. It is a mystery how we can know the unknowable. The influence of the Holy Spirit must teach our inner-man much more than we will ever realize intellectually in this lifetime. For now, we can lean into our faith in Jesus and be glad that we are His and He is ours!

Today’s meditation: Oh, how God lavishes His love on His own.

Memory Verse: And hope does not put to shame; because our hearts are full of the love of God through the Holy Spirit which is given to us. Romans 5:5 (BBE)

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Today's devotion

6/27/2016

Toni Smothers tasmothers@gmail.com www.writingforthemaster.com
Promises for all Generations
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 9:14-24

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Scripture Quote: Happy is he whose resting-place is in the secret of the Lord, and under the shade of the wings of the Most High; Psalms 91:1 (NIV)

Christians know that all that is written under God's holy inspiration will most certainly come to pass. God's truth and promise is to the soul what the strongest armor is to the body. We are protected by His Word because there is no stronger power. Evil cannot compete with God's dominion in our hearts and souls. Believers literally belong to the all sufficient God. We have been granted access that only the high priest was granted under the law, but under the new covenant, all believers in Christ are welcome to enter before God's throne.

God promises perfect companionship if we keep Him uppermost in our heart. He will be with us in trouble and will empower our spirits with courage and love. The Bible presents God’s precepts on a level with the human intellect - His Word is within reach of every human spirit. He has shown us how to live and how to do what is right and pleasing in His sight. Some choose to ignore their need for His book, but why? The Bible enables us to believe, hope and endure all the trials of this life. It helps us to understand obedience and the value of sound judgment. God’s Word teaches us how to live – If we want to know God, we need to learn what is in His Word.

Today’s meditation: The Bible is God’s revelation to you – Read it!

Memory Verse: Who says of the Lord, He is my safe place and my tower of strength: he is my God, in whom is my hope. Psalms 91:2 (NIV)

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June 25th, 2016

6/25/2016

Toni Smothers tasmothers@gmail.com www.writingforthemaster.com
Simple Yet Difficult
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:24-35

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Scripture Quote: For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV)

How is the disposition of your heart? Does another's misery bring you to tears, or can you objectively discern the pattern they took to reach their misery and deem it duly earned? The first reaction is predisposed to mercy and the other is more closely attuned to judgement. If we were all judged as cruelly as we can sometimes judge each other, there would be no one saved or forgiven of sins. After all, what mercy can a vindictive heart hope for himself? We must earnestly seek to forgive one another.

If we show mercy by forgiving a person who has wronged us, God will show us mercy and forgive us. It does sound simple, but just because a thing is simple, doesn't make it any less difficult to achieve. Nevertheless, if we have any regard for our own salvation, we must reconcile this matter. We could reflect on our many secret sins that Jesus redeemed us from and get a softer view of our brother's offenses by comparison. It is in our own best interest to forgive, so love your neighbor at least as much as you love yourself.

Today’s meditation: We are forgiven – We need also to forgive.

Memory Verse: So watch yourselves. "If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them." Luke 17:3 (NIV)

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Today's devotion

6/24/2016

Toni Smothers tasmothers@gmail.com www.writingforthemaster.com
Upheld by His Power
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:1-6

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Scripture Quote: But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

God causes us to triumph through Christ in everything we do. Our conversion leaves no doubt that God is with us and that we have been changed into something new. Our complete dependence on His strength and purposes proves our personal insufficiency and need of Him. We don't possess any power to enlighten another's mind or change a heart. We are only instruments in the hand of God. God alone can fulfill the promise of salvation as a result of belief in Christ. We are God's neon signs and it is only by God's sufficiency that we have been able to do anything to advance His Kingdom here on earth.

The more we experience trials, the more we are upheld by His power. When we prosper in our labors, Christ's help is seen and acknowledged. He says that the weaker we are, the greater His grace is manifested. The power of Christ affords us shelter, protection, safety and rest - There is no greater source of strength. The promise of grace cannot fail. We need only keep our focus on Jesus and be continually watchful and prayerful, depending on the all-sufficient grace of Christ.

Today’s meditation: Our confidence is in God.

Memory Verse: Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5 (NIV)

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Today's devotion

6/23/2016

Toni Smothers tasmothers@gmail.com www.writingforthemaster.com
We Are Never Powerless
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:12-18

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Scripture Quote: My loved ones, I make this request with all my heart, that, as those for whom this world is a strange country, you will keep yourselves from the desires of the flesh which make war against the soul; 1 Peter 2:11 (BBE)

When our flesh tells us we are powerless to do what we know we ought to do, we can choose to bring that inner battle to a screeching halt - We can call on Jesus and find that our will and our conscience is already in agreement with Him. The strongest power at our disposal is Christ in us. The excellence, compassion and desire to be a blessing to others is the love in us which is from Jesus. That love is more perfect than anything belonging or originating from us. His power is the source of guidance and joy that teaches us gently, with grace and patience, how to use His power to conform our flesh to God's will.

Sin is a perverse disposition which entered into man at the Fall. The Bible tells us that it is God that works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure. If we have complete, unshaken faith in our redemption through the blood of Christ, then our natural choices are less likely to do battle with what we know we ought to do - When our will is God's will, all inner conflict ceases and our choices for good are as natural and harmonious as breathing.

Today’s meditation: Turn to God at first draw of fleshly desire.

Memory Verse: As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Ephesians 4:1 (NIV)

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Today's devotion

6/22/2016

Toni Smothers tasmothers@gmail.com www.writingforthemaster.com
We Battle With Sin
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:16–21

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Scripture Quote: For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.
Romans 7:18-19 (NIV)

We face a constant battle in our spirit and conscience - If we allow fleshly appetites alone to prevail, Satan has his way with us and we are weakened in our walk with the Spirit of God. Though all of humanity has suffered terribly by the Fall, there is still within the Christian a large measure of Christ's supernatural light. We have within us the wisdom, power and goodness of the Most High. Fallen as man is, we still possess the power to reach very high cultivation and improvement. But the fallen nature hates submission to God and revolts against the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Our carnal minds will not submit to the law of God.

We must beat down that sinful nature, return to the the Holy Spirit which we have grieved, and offer repentant hearts to the Savior. Jesus understands our battle with the flesh. He will forgive our sin when our will is determined to return to obedience to God's truth and sovereignty. Take solace in the fact that we know who wins this battle in the end - He will intercede for us as we trust in Him.

Today’s meditation: Jesus dwells within us. He is the conqueror.

Memory Verse: I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands. Psalms 119:176 (NIV)

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Today's devotion

6/21/2016

Toni Smothers tasmothers@gmail.com www.writingforthemaster.com
Never Impede Another
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Romans 15:1-13

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Scripture Quote: Romans 14:20-21 (NIV) Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

The self-denying principles of the Gospel teach us that we should avoid everything which may be an occasion of offense to another believer or that might cause dissention. Jesus told his disciples that things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. We all travel a path to gradual, varying levels of maturity. It is unloving to impede another's journey by causing them indecision or confusion in their faith.

We can refrain from questionable behaviors when in their presence. We do this out of love and respect for their journey. Doubts about what should or should not be consumed as food or drink, can cause self-condemnation by disregarding those doubts. There is never a good reason to cause another undue stress. Jesus didn't teach his disciples to make legalistic arguments within the church body, but to spread the good news of salvation. As brothers and sisters in Christ we can be accommodating peace makers, encouragers and dedicated to helping others grow in their faith.

Today’s meditation: Never be a stumbling block to another’s faith.

Memory Verse: Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. Romans 14:1 (NIV)
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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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