Blog Posts - Toni Writing for The Master

DAILY DEVOTION

8/31/2022

We Can See
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:10-15 (All Scripture quoted is NIV)

Scripture Quote: Then his disciples began to ask him what this parable meant. So he said, "You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom of God. But to others they are given in parables, so that 'they might look but not see, and they might listen but not understand.'" (Luke 8:9-10)

Jesus explained to His disciples what His parables meant because it was going to be their mission to bring the gospel around the world. The Jews were too set in their beliefs about the coming Messiah to recognize Him while He walked and preached among them. The Jews had many opportunities to learn the truth, but they would end up behind the Gentiles, who accepted Jesus and His message of salvation, while the Jews simply would not. Superior knowledge was given to the disciples of Christ to share with whoever would listen, accept Divine teaching, and believe.

The people discussed in the Bible were not unlike those in this generation. The gospel has fallen on many a deaf ear, but for those who believe, the invisible world of grace and forgiveness has become a reality. We have been chosen to become joined with the Spirit of God, to understand the pure spiritual principles of the Gospel and be saved by the Messiah. Our lives vary, but our hearts are all united in love and gratitude for the precious gift of salvation and eternal life!

Today’s meditation: We have been permitted to understand the Gospel.

Memory Verse:” How blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear!” (Matthew 13:16)

DAILY DEVOTION

8/30/2022

We Battle With Sin
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:16–21

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)

DAILY DEVOTION

8/29/2022

We Are Truly His
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Psalms 1:1-6

Scripture Quote: Our LORD, you bless everyone who lives right and obeys your Law. You bless all of those who follow your commands from deep in their hearts and who never do wrong or turn from you.
Psalms 119:1-3 (All verses - CEV)

As Christians, we are to sincerely believe the words that God has inspired men to write in the Bible. Our lives and hearts are ruled by the spirit of love and obedience. We avoid idolatry of things in this world, injustice in all of its many forms, and sinful behaviors that try to linger from our previous way of thinking. As we walk in God's ways, we are eager to attempt to emulate Christ. Though the enemy will often tempt us to change our course, we must hold firm to our God and His precepts. God does not ask us to achieve the impossible, but to follow His commandments with an obedient heart, being assured that His Grace is sufficient for us.

God's children live for the accomplishment of the joy for which God created us. At times we foolishly seek happiness from the world, but we always return to God's path with sincerely repentant hearts. We must never withhold our complete loyalty, which belongs only to God. Choose to often contemplate and be grateful for the dire end from which we have been delivered. We have been so richly blessed with the certainty of the glorious immortality of our souls and have been given complete access to the invisible world of spirit and love.

Today’s meditation: Our immortal souls have been rescued by Christ.

Memory Verse: I don't ever want to stray from your laws. Psalms 119:5

DAILY DEVOTION

8/26/2022

We Are Saved Saints
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 (All scripture is from MSG)

Scripture Quote: Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other.
(2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

The Bible tells us that we are the branch and Christ is the vine. We derive all our nourishment and support from Jesus. Additionally, the branch cannot produce fruit without the vine. We are completely dependent on our Savior to live out our Christian lives. As we abide in Christ, we are sustained by His fullness and share a small portion of His glory. We have literally changed and have become a new creation. Everything about us, our views and feelings, become new.

Satan would have us remember our past faults and rebellious attitudes so that we never really grasp our new status as children of God, who are joint heirs with Jesus. We are forgiven and renewed, while Satan is still stuck in his same old role of tempter and deceiver. Satan wants us to see ourselves as sinners who can never escape our propensity to fail, but God says we are saved saints, who sometimes sin – Praise God, there is an eternity of difference between the two!

Today’s meditation: Faith in Jesus changes everything about our lives.

Memory Verse: Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)

DAILY DEVOTION

8/25/2022

We Are Predestined
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14

Scripture Quote: For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:29 NIV)

Isn't it great that the Gentiles were brought into fellowship with the Jews and that it was God’s plan all along? God has always had you and me in mind, even from the beginning of the creation. We were always meant for the salvation of our precious Jesus. God had us Gentiles as much in the contemplation of his mercy and goodness as he had the Jews and He always wanted us included in His plans. God dispensed the blessings of the Gospel so that we might all learn to be holy and without blame before Him. God still wants us all to love each other as He loves us.

Without any Mosaic rite, Gentiles were admitted to all the privileges of God's church and His eternal purposes. It's incredible to try to grasp that before the foundation of the world, God predetermined that we would be His own. We did not have any special goodness or merit in us - God calls His children according to the good pleasure of His benevolent will. He has pardoned the sins of all of us who have turned to Him with repentance and true faith. We will all be gathered into glory one day with our wonderful God. Praise Him with grateful hearts!

Today’s meditation: God has predetermined our calling and we are His.

Memory Verse: And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:30 NIV)

DAILY DE

8/24/2022

We Are Not “Holier Than Thou”
By, Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Romans 7:18-22

Scripture Quote: Gal 6:1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

With few exceptions, both simple and brilliant people possess some level of discernment. Nevertheless, some think very little about God. We see ample opportunities to realize the existence of our Creator. Even so, the nonbeliever describes our world’s mysteries to be examples of their god, who is called, nature. It puzzles the Christian to imagine a brilliant mind upholding such nonsense.

However - They see Christians, the supposed ambassadors of faith in God, who still struggle with being egotistical, prideful and self-reliant. Sin chases after us our whole lives and unless we are rooted in Christ, sin can overwhelm us. As it is, sin still subtlety tricks us. Jesus’ friend and dedicated apostle, Paul, led so many to faith, but desperately struggled with sin. This age old turmoil plagues each of us as well. So, how will we lead another to faith? It's the old boulder in the eye theory: We cannot lead others to the Father if we ourselves show the unbeliever an inability to understand the latent sin in us all. In other words, we are none of us better than another. You never want an unbeliever to look at you and see hypocrisy. You are not holier, but privileged, so walk in grateful humility.

Today’s Meditation: There but through the grace of God, go I.

Memory Verse: “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22 (NIV)

DAILY DEVOTION

8/23/2022

We Are New Creatures
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: John 15:5-11

Scripture Quote: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2 NIV)

Christians know that they are accountable to God's Law. We can't conform to the world's view of a fulfilled life through material gain and the worship of personal comfort and gratification of the lustful desires of their hearts. Instead, we are to fashion our lives after Christ's example, which leads us to find pleasure in more morale and substantial practices. We feel a strong aversion to the low standards of this world and do not wish to follow its vain pleasures.

We are new creatures in Christ Jesus and because of that transformation, God's will has become our dominate motivation. Our renewed minds gave us a disposition to obey Him and a capability to understand His precepts. The precious occasions when we walk solely in His will, we can see the appropriateness and beauty of His commands. Though we wander from Him entirely too often, His grace draws us back to appreciate our need for humility, repentance and awe of His great love for us. Our God rescued us from this world's ways. We are able to embrace the incredible thing He has done in our lives. Because once we were lost and now we are saved - Praise God!

Today’s meditation: Offer yourself to God’s will for your life.

Memory Verse: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)

DAILY DEVOTION

8/22/2022

We Are Never Powerless
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:12-18

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)

DAILY DEVOTION

8/12/2022

We Are Truly His
Toni Smothers

Scripture Reading: Psalms 1:1-6

Scripture Quote: Our LORD, you bless everyone who lives right and obeys your Law. You bless all of those who follow your commands from deep in their hearts and who never do wrong or turn from you.
Psalms 119:1-3 (All verses - CEV)

As Christians, we are to sincerely believe the words that God has inspired men to write in the Bible. Our lives and hearts are ruled by the spirit of love and obedience. We avoid idolatry of things in this world, injustice in all of its many forms, and sinful behaviors that try to linger from our previous way of thinking. As we walk in God's ways, we are eager to attempt to emulate Christ. Though the enemy will often tempt us to change our course, we must hold firm to our God and His precepts. God does not ask us to achieve the impossible, but to follow His commandments with an obedient heart, being assured that His Grace is sufficient for us.

God's children live for the accomplishment of the joy for which God created us. At times we foolishly seek happiness from the world, but we always return to God's path with sincerely repentant hearts. We must never withhold our complete loyalty, which belongs only to God. Choose to often contemplate and be grateful for the dire end from which we have been delivered. We have been so richly blessed with the certainty of the glorious immortality of our souls and have been given complete access to the invisible world of spirit and love.

Today’s meditation: Our immortal souls have been rescued by Christ.

Memory Verse: I don't ever want to stray from your laws. Psalms 119:5

DAILY DEVOTION

8/11/2022

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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