Blog Posts - Toni Writing for The Master

Daily devotion

1/24/2023

God Is Unchangeable

By Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading for the day: 2 Chronicles 33:7-13

Scripture Quote: “I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt so you would no longer be slaves. I have lifted the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk free with your heads held high.” Leviticus 26:13(NLT)

We can sometimes feel that God is angry with us. We fear the lose of His love. On some subconscious level, we fear a whip behind His back or a fury that would forsake us if our sinfulness is too great. This is a perverse cartoon that is entirely untrue. God forgives as many times as you confess your sin and He forgets them forever. He loves us and that will never change.

Would our lives be different if we could really accept and experience total forgiveness? We seem to hold on to our guilt even after we have confessed to our Father, God. Wouldn’t we love to stand innocent before our God? The thing is, we really can because of what Jesus has done for us. By confession and repentance that is genuine, God’s love for us, which is greater than our sin, blots it out. He is so fond of us that He is eager to forgive and restore communion with His children. God’s love is greater than any sin there is.

Meditation for Today: Are you willing to leave your sin at the feet of the throne of God?

Memory Verse: “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you.” Psalms 9:10 (NLT)

Daily devotion

1/24/2023

God Is Unchangeable
By Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading for the day: 2 Chronicles 33:7-13

Scripture Quote: “I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt so you would no longer be slaves. I have lifted the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk free with your heads held high.” Leviticus 26:13(NLT)

We can sometimes feel that God is angry with us. We fear the lose of His love. On some subconscious level, we fear a whip behind His back or a fury that would forsake us if our sinfulness is too great. This is a perverse cartoon that is entirely untrue. God forgives as many times as you confess your sin and He forgets them forever. He loves us and that will never change.

Would our lives be different if we could really accept and experience total forgiveness? We seem to hold on to our guilt even after we have confessed to our Father, God. Wouldn’t we love to stand innocent before our God? The thing is, we really can because of what Jesus has done for us. By confession and repentance that is genuine, God’s love for us, which is greater than our sin, blots it out. He is so fond of us that He is eager to forgive and restore communion with His children. God’s love is greater than any sin there is.

Meditation for Today: Are you willing to leave your sin at the feet of the throne of God?

Memory Verse: “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you.” Psalms 9:10 (NLT)

Daily devotion

1/23/2023

God Is In Control

By Toni Smothers
Scripture Reading for the day: Psalm 37

Scripture Quote: “A man’s steps are of the Lord: How then can a man understand his own way?” Proverbs 20:24 (NLT)

We are often confused by the events around us. Some things we will never understand until years later when we look back and see how God was working. Other things we may never understand until we are with God in heaven. But God has a special plan and purpose for our lives. Trusting that God’s direction for us is far better than we would choose for ourselves, we can try to live a life that models Christ – Cultivate justice, wisdom and integrity. As believers we must learn to trust God with everything, which requires strong commitment, obedience and patience.

God’s mercy and faithfulness are unsurpassed. His love endures forever. He will preserve and strengthen us as our trust in Him increases. We are safe to put our trust under the shadow of His wings. God is the fountain of life, giving us living water to drink so that we may know and understand His truth. God takes great pleasure in the prosperity of His children. Shout with joy and be glad and magnify the Lord.

Meditation for the day: Faith in Jesus is knowing Him personally and entrusting our eternal life into His hands.

Memory Verse: “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” Psalm 37:23 (NLT)

Daily devotion

1/20/2023

Free To Be Slaves

Scripture Reading for the day: Matthew 10:28-39

Scripture Quote: “You are not slaves; you are free. But your freedom is not an excuse to do evil. You are free to live as God’s slaves.” I Peter 2:16 (NLT)

Christ calls us to a higher mission than to find comfort and tranquility in this life. We are free, but we are mainly free to learn and grow in the Spirit so that we may serve others and share the precious truth of the Gospels with others who may not know Christ. We should give as freely as we have received.

It is impossible to be neutral. Every person has a master – Either God or sin. A Christian is not someone who is no longer a slave to sin. We belong to God. Give yourself fully to God, to love Him with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind, (Matthew 22:37) so that your sins will be forgiven. And yet we are so often half-hearted in our efforts to know and obey God. How is your heart’s obedience? God wants to give you the freedom to obey Him with all your heart. Be free and serve.

Meditation of the day: All people have a master and pattern themselves after Him. Without Jesus, we would have no choice; we would be enslaved to sin. Thanks be to God.

Memory Verse: For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” Romans 6:4 (NLT)

Daily Devotion

1/19/2023

Forgiveness

By Toni Smothers
Scripture Reading for the day: Matthew 18:23-35
Scripture Quote: “Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22 (NASB)
There are Scripture verses like these that many of us would often like to overlook. We can be mean or dishonest and find a rationalization for our behavior, but let a brother act the same way and we become angry with him. Anger loves to get a foothold in the Christian’s heart because it is from the evil one and God does not like it. What better way to get a believer to become alienated to both his brother and his God?
God wants us to be forgiving and it is often very hard for us to truly forgive. We get so puffed up with ourselves and choke on words of apology or forgiveness. But forgiveness is mandatory in the Christian’s life, there is no denying that. God forgives us everything. How can we possibly think we have the right to hold a grudge against anyone after we have been forgiven for every sin in our life? We must change our selfish perspective and submit to God’s decree to forgive because he demands that we do.
Today’s meditation: Pray that God softens your hard heart and gives you the compassion you will need to forgive others their sins against you.
Memory Verse: “ If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.” John 15:7 (NASB)

Daily devotion

1/18/2023

Deep and Eternal Peace
By Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading for the day: John 15:18 – 16:15

Scripture Quote: “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away but I will come back to you again. If you really love me you will be really happy for me, because now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that you will believe when they do happen.” John 14:27-29

The peace of the Holy Spirit is not the absence of conflict but a deep and eternal peace that gives us confident assurance in all circumstances. We will face further persecution, Jesus said as much Himself. But the peace He has left us will make us able to press on.

We are to take courage in spite of the inevitable struggles we face as Christians because we are never truly alone anymore. Jesus will never abandon us. If we can keep an eternal perspective, we can claim the peace of the Holy Spirit in the very worst of times.

Meditation for the day: As Christians, we should expect continuous tension with an unbelieving, hostile world.

Memory Verse: “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Daily devotion

1/17/2023

Deep and Eternal Peace
By Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading for the day: John 15:18 – 16:15

Scripture Quote: “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away but I will come back to you again. If you really love me you will be really happy for me, because now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that you will believe when they do happen.” John 14:27-29

The peace of the Holy Spirit is not the absence of conflict but a deep and eternal peace that gives us confident assurance in all circumstances. We will face further persecution, Jesus said as much Himself. But the peace He has left us will make us able to press on.

We are to take courage in spite of the inevitable struggles we face as Christians because we are never truly alone anymore. Jesus will never abandon us. If we can keep an eternal perspective, we can claim the peace of the Holy Spirit in the very worst of times.

Meditation for the day: As Christians, we should expect continuous tension with an unbelieving, hostile world.

Memory Verse: “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Daily Devotion

1/16/2023

Daily Prayer
By Toni Smothers
Scripture Reading for the day: James 5:1-15
Scripture Quote: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16 (NASB)
We can be thankful for the inclination and ability to pray that the Holy Spirit provides and for the awareness He gives us of our own fallen, yet redeemed, humanity. God gives us grace and mercy which he shows us in His forgiveness of our sins. His promises are everlasting and His presence is always within us in the form of the Holy Spirit. He enables us to have the right motives and content in our prayers. We can be especially grateful that His Spirit enables us to call God our Father and understand all that being His adopted child entails.
Prayer is our direct line of communication with our loving Father. Because we can pray, we are able to praise Him, thank Him and petition Him as He always invites us to do. We do not have to wait for an urgent need in our lives to talk to God. Prayer is a precious gift given to believers that can be compared to nothing else in our lives. Pray daily and often - Talk to your Father and remain close to Him. Your life will be abundantly enriched.
Today’s meditation: “The Holy Spirit desires to help believers develop their basic instinct for prayer into a disciplined means of grace that enables them to be God’s joyful and fruitful coworkers.” Archie Parrish
Memory Verse: “Pray without ceasing.” I Thessalonians 5:17 (NASB)

Daily Devotion

1/12/2023

Communion
By Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading for the day: I Corinthians 11:23-34

Scripture Quote: “As they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and asked God’s blessing on it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, Take it and eat it, for this is my body. And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which seals the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out to forgive the sins of many. Matthew 26:26-28 (NLT)

As Jesus’ time on earth was nearing an end, He instituted the Lord’s Supper on the night of the Passover meal. Just as Passover celebrates deliverance from slavery in Egypt, so the Lord’s Supper celebrates deliverance from sin by Christ’s death and resurrection.

All Christians basically believe that partaking of Communion is an important element in the Christian faith and that however we understand it, Christ’s presence in us strengthens us spiritually. So it is important that we partake as often as possible. It is also meant to remind us of our Savior and what He gave for our freedom from sin.

Meditation for today: “There existed from all eternity a perfect love between the Father and the Son and between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. All that God created is an extension of that love.” Jonathan Edwards

Memory Verse: “Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road and how they had recognized Him as He was breaking the bread. Luke 24:35

Daily devotion

1/11/2023

Charity Instead of Vengeance
By Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading for the day: Genesis 26

Scripture Quote: “So Isaac prepared a great feast for them, and they ate and drank in preparation for the treaty ceremony.” Genesis 26:30 (NLT)

            Isn’t it sad that the most common response to poor treatment from others is to plot something bad to befall them? We automatically seek vengeance to sooth our inevitable pride. We seek public sympathy and privately think hateful things. This kind of behavior really has no place in the life of a follower of Christ.

            Actually, if we are honest, we can think of as many wrongs that we have dealt others as have been dealt to us. We like to rationalize these facts away in the mist of our indignant tempest. Isaac, who had good reason to be bitter, didn’t respond with anger. Instead he showed mercy and charity to King Abimelech who had previously been jealous of Isaac’s wealth. He had Isaac’s wells filled with dirt and drove Isaac away. Still, Isaac chose Christ’s peaceful way to treat King Abimelech.

We can be just as receptive to those who want to make peace with us. Often, God’s influence in our lives draws others to us, even enemies - We can take those opportunities to reach out to them with God’s love.

            Isaac compromised for the sake of peace. Would you be willing to forsake your pride to keep peace? Is it hard for you to humble yourself in front of others?

Meditation for the day: The trouble with taking revenge when we are mistreated is that none of us can claim complete innocence.

Memory Verse: “We can plainly see that the LORD is with you. So we decided we should have a treaty, a covenant between us.” Genesis 26:28

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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