Tag: Devotional

Devotional: Peace (Philippians 4:7)

On By Janine TuggleIn Devotional, Discipleship, John, New Testament, Philippians

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

This is the time of year people talk of peace. There are many sayings or quotes about “Peace on Earth.” You can see them written on items such as cards or also mentioned in songs. 

The holidays are just a temporary time for that special feeling of being happy, merry, and the feeling of being at peace. We all look forward to spending time with family, exchanging gifts, and enjoying the festivities. 

Is this the kind of peace we want or where we find true peace? In the Bible, we find many scriptures about peace. We are told of the God of peace in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Romans 15:33. We are told Jesus is the Lord of peace (2 Thessalonians 3:16) and the Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6).

As mentioned in our text, we are told peace from God surpasses all understanding. This goes beyond any understanding anyone has on earth. How are we to find this peace? This is peace given to us by God.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (John 14:27a).

Jesus said, “that in me you may have peace” (John 16:33a).

But we cannot receive peace without doing something. We must seek peace and pursue it, 1 Peter 3:11 quoted from Psalm 34:14.

“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Romans 14:19).

“We must strive for peace with everyone” (Heb 12:14).

If we set our mind on the Spirit it is life and peace (Romans 8:6b).

Have you ever thought that you need to plan for peace? Proverbs tells us,

“Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy” (Proverbs 12:20).

By faith, those who are in Christ may have peace. In order to obtain peace we must Love God and his laws (Psalms 119:165).

God will give us peace when we seek it, pursue it and set our minds on it. God will keep us in perfect peace when our minds are stayed on him.

We must “trust in the Lord forever for the Lord God is an everlasting rock” (Isaiah 26:4).

Hymn: Peace Perfect Peace

Devotional: Away in the Manger (Luke 2:7)

On By Janine TuggleIn Devotional, Luke, New Testament

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7 ESV).

This time of year there are Christmas songs playing on the radio and carolers going about. A few years ago on the school bus, I drove as the children would sang Christmas songs also. One song was, “Away in a Manger.” That brought back memories of learning this song in Bible class when I was small. I’m not sure if it was sung around this time of year or not but it is a wonderful song. 

If it wasn’t for Jesus being born then who would be the one to die for our sins? God gave his only begotten Son (John 3:16) so he could die for us on the cross.

The mother of Jesus was Mary, another very important person in this event. She was chosen by God and was visited by the angel Gabriel who told her she was going to have a son. 

The scriptures tell us Jesus was laid in a manger because there was no place in the inn. Inn also means a lodging place. We do not know where he was born. It could have been the lower quarters of a dwelling or a stable. The place of his birth is not important.

The main significance was the manger. An angel of the Lord appeared to Shepherds who were tending sheep saying,

“And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).

Swaddling clothes were not the main significance. 

The sign was the manger, a feeding trough where animals eat from. “And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger” (Luke 2:16). God took the lowliest manner of life to lay his Son’s head on, a manger, an animal feeding trough. He the Son of God, the King of kings did not lay in a crib like royalty.

As soon as the angel told the Shepherds the heavens opened up with praise,

“Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest!” (Luke 2:13–14).

What a glorious time, Christ the Savior humbled himself from Manger to Cross.

Hymn: Away in a Manger

Devotional: Bread and Butter Plate (Romans 8:5)

On By Janine TuggleIn Articles, Devotional, New Testament, Romans 
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit set their minds on the things of the spirit. (Romans 8:5)

Consider the bread and butter plate. It is a small plate like the saucer. The bread plate is used to put your bread on. It helps to keep your bread away from gravies, sauces, and juices the bread may absorb. As the saucer is small and important, being a foundation, the bread and butter plate is also as important.

Contemplate this plate as where we put the Bread of Life. We know that “Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life” (John 6:35a). This plate is to be for when and where we receive the bread of life. This would especially be when we are involving ourselves in Bible study, when we are at services, worshiping God, taking the Lord’s Supper, and praying. But also in our Christian Life.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:2)

This plate is to be filled with the bread of life and only the bread of life. We do not need to let thoughts or worries of other things run through our minds at the time we are observing with this Bread of Life plate. Jesus said, 

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:51a).

This plate is to be set aside where we can fully concentrate, with no other activities to be thinking of. This is the plate that we should always and continually keep of high importance. 

I know this can be hard because we all at times have trouble focusing when we need to. It is hard to keep the activities of our life from going through our minds. Just as it is hard to keep that bread from getting soaked up with gravy.

As we see, we need to stay focused in the different settings of worship to God as well as our Christian walk in life. Try to keep all those other things that can absorb us or pull us away from our focus on God. 

Hymn: Break Thou the Bread of Life

Devotional: How Full Is Your Plate? (2 Corinthians 1:8–9)

On By Janine TuggleIn 2 Corinthians, Articles, Devotional, New Testament 
For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. (2 Corinthians 1:8b-9 English Standard Version)

Many have heard the saying “My plate is too full” or “I have too much on my plate.” This expression comes from someone who has too much food on their plate to eat. So this expression moved from table to everyday life. This saying is said when one has too many things to handle or deal with.

Life is always full of work, chores, cleaning, cooking, errands, sleep, recreation, hobbies, eating, and of course worshiping God. It is normal for everyone to have a fair amount of activities that need to be accomplished in a day. 

Many activities or jobs can be accomplished over a longer period of time. But there are times in our lives in which we can be overwhelmed with a number of jobs, obligations or circumstances that need our prompt and urgent attention. These kinds of circumstances go beyond our normal activities and can be very stressful.

Frequently we do not know what to do first when we are extremely overwhelmed with many things. At some point, we realize we cannot get everything done. 

James tells us, 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2-3)

Other versions use endurance or perseverance in place of steadfastness. 

Yes, at times we might have some overwhelming problems that come into our life. We might have to drop our daily normal duties to take care of these important things. All in all, this will make us stronger people. These things that hit us hard will sometimes cause us pain, worry, or lack of sleep. We will continue to remember the details and we will learn from them. 

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

Hymn: The Steadfast Love of the Lord

Devotional: Dessert Plate (Colossians 3:23–24)

On By Janine TuggleIn Articles, Colossians, Devotional, New Testament 
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.” (Colossians 3:23–24a).

Last but not least is the dessert plate in our study of plates. The dessert plate is a specialty plate. As we can see from its name, it is used to put a dessert on, something sweet one enjoys after a meal. It is not meant for a sweet snack at any other time of the day. It is meant to be used only after the dinner meal.

The background of the word dessert comes from the French word desservir, meaning “to remove what has been served.” Which means everything from the table has been taken away when the meal has finished. So, dessert refers to what is eaten after the meal was cleared.

I would like for us to take a look at this dessert plate and what is on it as the reward we will receive after the table is cleared when our life comes to an end on this earth. If you can imagine all the plates we have talked about up to this point as our life and what we have done in it. When our life ends here on this earth it is time for dessert.

We have prepared our whole life for this final event:

  • We have filled ourselves with those essential spiritual needs.
  • We have stood firm on a spiritual and biblical foundation.
  • We have received the Bread of Life through our study and worship.
  • We have endured our full plate and overcome trials of various kinds.
  • We have prayed, read our Bible, and encouraged and been encouraged to get us through the day.

We have had our dinner of fundamental and basic spiritual nourishment by digging into God’s word. Our Lord has been there as we spill our hearts to him in prayer, and show our love to him through service to others. We have been faithful throughout our lives until death.

We must be careful because even though dessert can be good, it can also be bad for some of us. Those who are not of the household of faith will not be able to enjoy the good reward of the good dessert on this dessert plate.

Hymn: Heaven Holds All to Me

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: 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”