Category: Devotional

Devotional: Luncheon Plate (1 Thess 5:11)

On By Janine TuggleIn 1 Thessalonians, Devotional, New Testament 
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thess. 5:11)

The luncheon plate, which is about 8-9.5 inches in diameter, has a history dating from the 18th century when it first was called nunchin (nuncheon). A nunchin was a light snack for the cooks, which was to tide them over between their breakfast and dinner meal. Because the cooks got up so early to start the meals for the day it was a small amount of food for them to get through the day.

In the writing Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin, Austin called the noon meal “nuncheon.” At a later time, the snack in the midday was named “lunch” from the word luncheon. Luncheon means a lump or maybe a hunk of bread about the size one hand can hold. Nowadays, the midday meal is called lunch or luncheon. The luncheon plate is smaller and lighter than a dinner plate. 

Let’s look at the idea of a luncheon plate so as to give us a little strength through the day. Sometimes we need something to get us through a difficult time or situation. We might need a pick-me-up or a bit of encouragement.

How are we going to get this encouragement? We can be encouraged by someone who we can talk with. Maybe a close friend, the minister, or an elder. Sharing your thoughts or concerns with someone will help us get through. Saying a quick prayer or reading a Bible verse will help also. 

As said here:

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 4:10)

Singing a favorite song or hymn to praise our God is always a pick-me-up:

"The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." (Psalm 118:14)

Let’s turn this around as one who is to serve or provide a luncheon. Be the encourager, be the one to lift someone up, and be that helper through someone’s day. 

"Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body." (Proverbs 16:24)

Lifting someone else’s spirits gives us a lift of encouragement too.

Hymn: Love lifted me

Devotional: Tucked In (1 Samuel 25:29)

On By Janine TuggleIn 1 Samuel, Devotional, Old Testament 
When someone pursues you and attempts to take your life, my lord’s life will be tucked safely in the place where the Lord your God protects the living. However, He will fling away your enemies’ lives like stones from a sling. (1 Samuel 25:29 Christian Standard Bible)

Occasionally as I am going to bed, especially when it is cold, I like to get the covers all tucked in on my sides. That reminds me of when my mom would tuck me into bed also, giving me a kiss good night. I remember as a young child, calling for my mom, “come tuck me in!” if she hadn’t done so already.

While studying for this topic, I found this scripture, our text for today in 1 Samuel. The CSB version was about the only version which uses the word “tucked.” All other versions use bound, as in “bound in the bundle of life” (King James Version), or “bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the LORD your God” (English Standard Version). Bound, meaning as you would tie a bundle of twigs or some other item together. They are tied securely. 

Here we can visualize the concept of security. As one who is tucked into bed by their mother. The child feels secure and safe. There is the feeling and awareness they are loved. Knowing there will be no harm to them.

There’s a story I read once of a mother hen found in the rubble of a burned-down chicken coop. Underneath her wings, and close to her breast, were her little chicks safely tucked away. A precious story and a good example of being tucked in safe and secure from harm’s way.

We can learn from this scripture and these examples, when we have anxiety and pressures from the world, we can be tucked away in the safety of our Lord. We can obtain this security through prayer by asking God “come tuck me in”. Be assured you can be safe in the arms of the Lord.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 ESV)

Hymn: Safe In The Arms Of Jesus

Devotional: Pumpkins and People (John 7:24)

On By Janine TuggleIn 1 Samuel, Devotional, Old Testament 
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. (John 7:24)

Last year I drove kindergarteners to a pumpkin patch. I walked around looking at all the different kinds of pumpkins they had. There were so many different colors of pumpkins, and different sizes and shapes. It amazed me. I was told by an attendant that this ugly gray one makes the best-flavored pumpkin pie. 

This revealed to me you can’t judge a pumpkin by how it looks on the outside. It’s what is inside that counts. Also, this principle applies to a lot of other things, such as, you can’t judge a book by its cover or people. 

In 1 Samuel 16, for example, we read of the anointing of King David. The Lord told Samuel to go to the house of Jesse. For he said, 

I have provided for myself a king among his sons. (1 Samuel 16:1b)

After Jesse and his first son came to the place where Samuel had invited them, Samuel thought surely this son will be the one. But the Lord said to Samuel, 

Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

There were 7 sons who passed before Samuel, then he asked Jesse “Are there any more sons?” Yes, Jesse said, “he is out keeping the sheep.” Samuel requested to have him brought to him.

David was not the likely one to be chosen in the eyes of Samuel and Jesse. He was the youngest, the baby of the family. He was more likely the smallest of all his brothers, he was a sheep herder. But the Lord chose David. The Lord knew his heart. 

We shouldn’t choose or judge someone by their size, by what they wear, or by the color of their eyes, hair, or skin. We shouldn’t judge by what kind of facial expression they have. They might be in deep thought from bad news or a memory. 

So like those many different pumpkins, we should be careful how we choose and judge. You might just want to pick the ugly gnarly pumpkin. It might be the best one on the inside.

Hymn: “The Gospel is for All”

Cadbury Eggs and Frozen Bunnies

On By Jovan PayesIn Articles, Bulletin, Devotional, Discipleship, Easter, Seasonal

In the Hebrew Bible, the verb zākar (“to remember,” “to memorialize,” “to recite”) appears 222 times in 213 verses, used at least once in every book. It finds its most use in the Psalms, appearing 52 times, then Isaiah (24), Ezekiel (21), followed by Jeremiah (16), and Deuteronomy (15). By contrast, the noun zēker (remembrance, memorial) appears 23 times. It appears memory is an important part of a life that reflects on faith and one’s dependence on God.

In the New Testament, several Greek words are translated with “memory” (mnēmē) or a “remembrance” (anamnēsis), “to remember” or “to remind” (mimnéskō). Each of these words has its shade of meaning, but all speak to things that are brought to the foreground of our thoughts after some time has elapsed. Again, in the New Testament, we see that memory serves a significant function.

If you would like to trace these words down throughout Scripture, I recommend an accessible study guide such as Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words or Stephen D. Renn’s Expository Dictionary of Bible Words. It will profit your soul to see the range our “memory” is taken by the faithful.

Another profitable way to appreciate the brain is a study of that part of the brain called the hippocampus. It is said to be the place associated with both memory and emotion and the intricate interweaving of both. For example, you go to an event and meet new people. Who would you remember, usually the ones you found interesting or funny (“Memory, Learning, and Emotion: the Hippocampus,” psycheducation.org). I find it particularly ingenious that the place that stores our memories is also the place that attaches emotions to our memories. It is only my opinion, but I believe that makes the hippocampus one of the most important places in the brain.

I want to open my hippocampus and share two stories with you that mean a lot to me. I hope they encourage you. God bless.

Story 1: The Cadbury Creme Eggs of Reconciliation

I grew up with that silly commercial of the white chubby bunny rabbit clucking like a chicken, which then moves aside to reveal the “very unusual” basket with Cadbury Creme Eggs. It is a silly commercial full of nostalgia and a silly candy that is clearly a sugar coma waiting to happen. 

Many years ago, my friend Andy changed the way I see this white and yellow creme-filled chocolate egg. Sometimes friendships have moments that test the ties which bind them together, and as I recall, we had one of those times. Then it happened; Andy gave me a Cadbury Creme Egg. 

At first, it was just a curious gift. Then I learned that for him it was a symbol of reconciliation. It was a gesture of peace; a demonstration of the renewal of our friendship. I was overwhelmed by that gesture. Even today, it still touches me. That’s right, a Cadbury Creme Egg reminds me of compassion, love, and reconciliation.

So the next time you are having a significant break of friendship, love, or something that belongs to both emotions, let me encourage you to find a gesture to share that will truly speak to them about love, renewal, friendship, and the promise that “with compassion and love, dignity and respect, forgiveness and closure… let’s move forward renewed together.”

Story 2: The Warmest “Frozen” Chocolate Bunny

There is a right way to eat a chocolate bunny. I know this. I have a method. I start by breaking off the ears and then breaking off the tail. Lastly, I work my way through its chocolate torso. There is nothing OCD about it (so I tell myself).

Mom always used to send me a chocolate bunny for Easter, even when I was away at college in Henderson, Tennessee. A few thousand miles was not going to deter her from sending a chocolate gesture of her warmest affection.

This one year, I received a rather large postal package that contained some notes of love and Easter treats; this included a “chocolate bunny.” I unsheathed the bunny from its box and went to break off its ears, but this time it was an impossible task. For you see, my friends, the bunny was plastic.

Over the course of a phone call, I thanked her for the plastic bunny. She responded, “what plastic bunny !? I didn’t send you a plastic bunny! I bought you a chocolate bunny and even placed it in the freezer to prepare it for shipping.” Every time the freezer was opened for any length of time, she yelled, “close that door!”

It became a running gag between us. All her intention (the freezer, the wrapping, the shipping, etc.) to make sure her “baby” knew mom loved him hilariously colored by the frozen plastic bunny. I still possess this gesture of maternal love. Its capacity to bring a smile and a chuckle is a reminder of her love.

The Power of the Divine Gesture of Love

Sometimes we take simple gestures of kindness for granted. A cup of coffee, a stick of gum, a handshake or a pat on the back, a prayer, a text, a hug; even an invite to eat. They go a long way.

What then may we say about God’s great act of love? One of the most famous notions of God’s love is found in the Gospel of John. In the pen of the narrator, we read:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ( John 3:16–18 ESV)

The Apostle John reminds us of three profound ones found in the words of Jesus: (1) “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you,” (2) “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends,” and (3) “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:12–14).

Let us remember these three lasting demonstrations of love. First, there are gestures of love we extend toward each other. Second, Jesus’ death shows His devotion to his “friends,” which His disciples are to follow. Lastly, there is the obedience we offer to Jesus as a gesture of love. What gestures of love and reconciliation are you handing out to others in your service to God? The opportunity to improve your service is closer than you think.

Devotional: Remember, God is Faithful and Righteous (1 John 1:9)

On By Jovan PayesIn 1 John, Articles, Devotional, Discipleship, Grace, New Testament, Perspective

But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. (New English Translation)[1]

“I never get it right.” “I feel like such a failure.” Ever say this to yourself with respect to your Christian relationship with God? You are not alone; in fact, you are not alone in more ways than this sense of moral and spiritual frustration. But, I’m jumping the gun a little; so read on.

The apostle John writes these words to a group of Christians that are actually having the opposite problem. As hard as it may be to believe, this letter was written to remind Christians that admission of spiritual and moral failures (sin) is actually a mark of faithfulness. Some had become so misguided to believe that how a person lives does not affect their relationship with God.

But the apostle of love reminds them that living in denial is actually lying (1:6), self-deception (1:8), and an outright attack upon God’s integrity (1:10). All this is a reflection of human arrogance, and as such reflects a life lived in darkness (1:6). It appears, then, that when we try to cover up our moral and spiritual failures, weaknesses, and limitations, we are in fact covering up our dependence upon a faithful and just God.

Growing up in San Francisco, I would often look out into the bay and see sailboats. Sometimes, if close to the breakers I can even see windsurfers speeding along. A sailboat depends upon the wind in its sail to propel it upon its nautical journey. Would it not be the most ridiculous thing for the captain of the vessel to say, “I do not need the wind!” Stuck in the bay would be his lot. For that matter, ask a windsurfer how important wind is to her endeavors. The matter is equally obvious.

The Christians who first read these words were struggling with a teaching that encouraged a sense of arrogance about their lifestyle, that they were not accountable for their decisions; however, today, many Christians are afflicted with an unbalanced sense of guilt for their past sins, and for those more current, to the point where they judge themselves beyond the borders of God’s continued forgiveness.

In putting these early Christians in their place, John gives all Christians in every generation the truth that consoles the self-afflicted: God is faithful – despite our sins – and He will not abandon His children should they approach Him confessing sin, seeking forgiveness. Forgiveness is a privilege of “sonship”; and as such restores us in conscience and service by the cleansing power of God as he imparts to us the righteousness that is not our own (Phil 3:9).

Knowing this, let us remember our shortcomings are a reminder that we are not always faithful and just – but God is. It is the faithfulness of God that should give us confidence and joy in the face of our spiritual struggles. If he prepared to forgive us initially through Christ, shall he not also keep us in spite of our sins through Him as well? The answer is obvious.

Hymn: Faithful Love

Source

  1. New English Translation of the Holy Bible, Bible.org (Bible Studies Press, 2005).

Obtainable Spiritual Goals (2): Study of the Scriptures

On By Jovan PayesIn Bible Study, Daily Faith, Devotional, Discipleship, Perspective, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Growth2 Comments

There is no debate over the need to be people of the Scriptures. There is ample biblical data to demonstrate this clear teaching. We are providing practical suggestions for the inclusion of devotional time with the Word of God. This is then an attempt at providing some missing links in the chain between fact and practice. Let us incorporate time with Scripture into our daily routine.

The Bible

Centuries ago, a prophet by the name of Hosea[1] lamented over the Hebrew people and their ignorance of God’s word. He said that their calamity was a direct result of their lack of God-revealed-knowledge (Hos 4:1-7:16). To refrain from a study of the Bible is tantamount to a rejection of God, and also may incur rejection of providential protection (cf. Hos. 4:6).

Hosea speaks on behalf of the Creator in the following way:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. (Hos 4:6)

As Jesus would later quote, the Lord desired Israel’s steadfast love, reflected in their possession and application of the knowledge of God (Hos 6:6; cf. Matt 9:13, 12:7). Instead, the Lord received religious deviance (i.e. idolatry, covenantal infractions, etc.) grounded in ignorance and the rejection of God’s word.

As a result, God’s warnings of wrath went unheeded, and the Northern Kingdom (Israel and Ephraim) was conquered in 722 B.C. by Assyria, and the Southern Kingdom (Judah) was overcome and their citizenry harvested three times.[2]

  • 606 B.C.: Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jehoiakim and took the upper class of Judah and the spoils of war (2 Chron 36:6-7).
  • 597 B.C.: Nebuchadnezzar came again and completed the plunder begun a decade prior to this invasion (2 Kings 24:14-16).
  • 586 B.C.: Babylonians burned Jerusalem and leveled the walls, and finalized any deportation desires it had.

Both Israel and Judah suffered at their own hands because they did not commit themselves to the teaching of God. Hosea spoke of this calamity in his prophetic utterances found in Hosea 5:5-7:

The pride of Israel testifies to his face; Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in his guilt; Judah also shall stumble with them. With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them. They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord; for they have borne alien children. Now the new moon shall devour them with their fields.

The lesson here is obvious: there is no substitute for actually opening a biblical book in order to read and to study it, in order to apply the message God embedded within its pages.

Let us, therefore, make time to add Bible reading to our daily schedule. And here are some practical places to introduce Bible reading:

  • Wake up a little earlier (Or, go to bed a little later) to make time for a 5-10 minute reading or study. You would be amazed how much can be accomplished by a consistent dose – however small.
  • If you are a commuter (bus, train, taxi, carpool, etc.) and can read while in motion, try squeezing a paragraph in. Make a photocopy of a page or two out of the Bible, and slip it in your paperwork. Then when you are done reading it, you can give it away or discard it somehow (trash, recycle at office, etc.).
  • Flash cards can be great tools at learning wonderful statements in the Bible. A list could be generated of significant passages, then every night before bed one or two verses can be copied down onto a card or two. The next day, the cards are available to commit to your memory. The book of Proverbs lends itself quite well to this type of learning project.
  • Above all else, make Bible reading time a family project of Divine learning. God required this of physical Israel:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deut 6:4-9)

To be sure, there are other ways to incorporate Bible reading into a person’s schedule and routine, but these are provided to get your “thinking caps” charged up.

Audio

When the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy regarding this young evangelist’s ministry, Paul was specific that Timothy should do several things. He told Timothy,  “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching […] Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim 4:13, 16).

In as much as we are accustomed to reading the Bible to ourselves, there is much emphasis in Scripture about public settings where the Bible is read aloud. Moses read the Law to all of Israel (Exod 24:3). Ezra read the Law to all of Israel (Neh 8:1-8). Josiah’s reformation was predicated upon the public reading of the Law (2 Kings 22-23). And the Jerusalem church acknowledged that “Moses” (= the Law) was proclaimed since time immemorial (Acts 15:21).

Sometimes a difference is made between “listening” and “hearing,” and one might even suggest that a person can “listen” but never quite listen to the message of a conversation. Likewise, a person can “hear” someone speaking to them and be found in the same predicament – they did not really hear the content of the message.

Jesus faced a similar problem. In the Gospel accounts, Jesus would often say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt 11:14; cf. Mark 4:9 and Luke 8:8, Mark 4:23, Luke 14:35).[3] Such admonitions stem from an old plea from God through the prophet Moses in Deuteronomy 29:4:

And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. (Deut 29:2-4)

Moses’ words echo throughout the entire biblical tradition, for both testaments embrace the notion of using our ears and eyes to hear and see with spiritual clarity.[4] We must give attention to the “living and abiding voice” of the Scriptures.[5]

How can we incorporate the listening of Scripture into our routine? Fortunately, technology is our ally; really, it is more – it is our servant ready to perform for our Spiritual needs. There are Bibles on tape, cd, mp3, DVD, online, podcasts, and whatever else the future provides as the new “techy” way to provide audio content.

Some audio Bibles are available free online, some are relatively inexpensive to acquire, and others are accentuated with marketing strategies using popular actors, singers, or other types of celebrity voices in dramatized versions of the audio Bible.

There are so many types of Bible in multiple versions that finding the one that we like the most should be our biggest problem, not listening of the Bible. The problem is not access, it is a habit – it is the failure to make it a routine to listen to the Bible.

So here are some practical suggestions.

  • Purchase an audio Bible. That is pretty basic. Go to an online store or a local bookstore – Christian or otherwise – and bring home an audio Bible that you can use in the car, on your iPod or mp3 player, one that you can play on your desktop or laptop. The point is: to take the first step into a larger world.
  • Find a time slot you are going to set aside to listen to the Bible. Select maybe a half an hour every other night dedicated to listening to a book or several books of the Bible (especially those small ones!). We find time to watch our favorite TV show so we can know how the story unfolds (“how will Monk get out of this one?”), we ought to find the same fervor to hear the Bible (“what can we learn from God’s care of Esther and Mordecai?”).
  • The iPod should be God’s pod.[6]Surely, we can make room for God in our iPod or mp3 player – be it an “8 gigger” or “120 gigger.” GB should not only stand for gigabite, but also for God’s bite. It may sound korny, but we know this is an important perspective to embrace. Any portable media player can be a source of spiritual enrichment. For example, at the doctor’s office while you are “waiting for those results”, at the Department of Motor Vehicles when you need the patience of Job, or just when you are experiencing a time of deep emotional turmoil. Why turn to The Killers, or Kanye West, when we can turn to the “I Am”.
  • Make your car an “Ethiopian Eunuch mobile.” In Acts 8:26-40, we find the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. It is a story of providence and salvation, but what appeals to our study from this narrative is that the eunuch was leaving Jerusalem to commute over 1,000 miles to Gaza in his chariot. The text reads that he “was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah” (Acts 8:28). We can turn off our typical (habitual?) morning wake-up show for some Scripture time.

Again, these suggestions are just to get your creative juices flowing. Find the time, however brief, to include God and His word in your everyday lifestyle – it will literally change your world.

Sources

  1. Hosea’s ministry is probably fixed between 760-710 B.C., as can be derived from Hosea 1.1 and the list of Hebrew Kings serving as historical benchmarks (Kings of Judah: Uzziah (Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah; and Jeroboam II in Israel); Andrew E. Hill, Baker’s Handbook of Bible Lists (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1981), 78-80; Norman L. Geisler, A Popular Survey of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1977), 240.
  2. Henry H. Halley, Halley’s Bible Handbook, 24th ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1965), 210.
  3. The last sure place in the New Testament where such an appeal is made to ears that hear is in Romans 11:8 in a quotation of Isaiah 29:10 and coupled with the oldest biblical reference in Deuteronomy 29:4.
  4. It is worth noting that such references are mostly found in the prophetic admonitions where spiritual sensitivity is valued at a high premium; such as Isaiah (30:21), Jeremiah (25:4), Ezekiel (3:10, 12:2, 40:4, 44:5), and Zechariah (7:11).
  5. This reference comes from available fragments of the writings of an early non-inspired Christian named Papias (middle second century AD, cf. Fragments of Papias 3:4; online as ch. 1). He longed to hear from eyewitness auditors of the apostolic circle, those whose memory still rang with apostolic sermons and teaching. He preferred these encounters over the study of books. The longing Papias demonstrates should resonate with our spiritual fervor to hear the Scriptures aloud.
  6. Bible.org offers a free Bible podcast of their New English Translation of the Holy Bible on iTunes. I have enjoyed the translation in hard copy form and am really enjoying it in audio format on iTunes. If possible, download iTunes and check it out (click).