Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-August 4, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.”

(Matthew 27:59-60).

This account of what Joseph of Arimathea did for our Lord’s body is both touching and beautiful. The account is found in all three of the synoptic gospels: Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:43-46; and Luke 24:50-53. Matthew offers the most detail of the three gospel writers.

Joseph was a godly man, a believer in Christ. Matthew tells us he was a good and just man. He was a prominent member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, but was not complicit in calling for Jesus’ death. He was a rich man.

He had a new garden tomb which he carved out of the rock to be used as his own burial place. He gladly gave it up to lay the body of Jesus in it after His crucifixion. He asked permission of Pilate and he granted it to him. We learn from John’s gospel that his friend and brother in Christ, Nicodemus, helped him.

In those days they made preparation for the burial and anointed the body with spices. I am sure the tomb was a costly one. This is why we say that Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb. In His case, He was only in the tomb for three days before He rose from the dead, never to die again.

My brother and I will be burying our Mom in a few days. We purchased two graves, one for Mom and my brother in the future, and one for me. They were very expensive. I recommend to everyone to purchase them now, as prices continue to go up. They say, “nowadays, you can’t afford to live and you can’t afford to die.” There’s a lot of truth to that, sad to say.

Now I can say I am prepared to die. I am saved and I have the grave to be laid in when I die. The grave site is on a slope and has a beautiful view.

Are you prepared to die? You can be if you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. The Lord may come at any time, and I won’t need the grave.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day. Stay safe and healthy.

Jesus was born in a borrowed manger and was buried in a borrowed tomb. He lives and we will live with Him forever.

Dean

-August 3, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation.”

(Psalm 68:19).

So many times when we are in the midst of heavy duty trials, we forget to thank the Lord for all His blessings and benefits. To remedy this, we must focus on the Lord, not on ourselves.

God loads us with benefits daily. The word load is defined as, “to supply someone or something in abundance or excess.” Our God is a generous God. He gives us way more than we deserve. When we think of a load, we may thing of something heavy and hard to carry, like packages, groceries, or furniture. God’s loads of benefits are so light, just right.

God’s mercy doesn’t give us what we deserve (judgment, damnation and hell); but gives us what we don’t deserve (forgiveness, eternal life, and a home in heaven.

God loves to bless children abundantly each day. We should therefore, count our blessings. Have a blessed days thanking the Lord for His goodness. Stay safe and healthy.

Bless the Blesser for every blessing.

Dean

-August 2, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.”

(1 Samuel 2:19).

Hannah was one of the greatest mothers found in the Scriptures. Her love for her son Samuel was amazing and wonderful. She was barren and prayed earnestly in faith for a son and the Lord answered her prayer.

She promised to “lend him to the Lord” for the rest of his life. Imagine how hard that was to do! He was only a toddler when she brought Samuel to Eli the priest at the tabernacle. He served the Lord faithfully all his life.

There is something very special about a mother’s love. God put His love in the heart of a mother in a magnificent way. The older we get in life, the more we appreciate our mothers and their tremendous love, kindness, faithfulness, generosity, and sacrifice.

In the course of our lives, we will have many schools, houses, cars, jobs, and even many friends—but only one mother. I was always closest with my beloved Mom. She was not only my mom but also my friend. I loved her so much. She always stood by me, stood up for me, was so generous to me, and loved me so much.

When I ran track and cross country in junior high and high school, she came to all my races, both at home meets and on the road. It may sound like a little thing, but it meant the world to me. I miss her so much.

These last couple of years I visited her weekly. Dementia made things difficult for us to communicate, especially toward the end. They say when we are young, our mothers take care of us, and when they are old, we take of them. It is like the cycle of life.

If your mother is still alive, make each special for her, pray for her, call her, text her, email her, and most of all spend time with her. We never know how much time our mothers have left.

Have a blessed day as sons and daughters, loving our moms and caring for them. Stay safe and healthy.

What is your greatest earthly treasure? Is not your loving mother?

Dean

-August 1, 2024-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.”

(Psalm 62:5).

David wrote this beautiful 62nd psalm. It is so encouraging, comforting, and assuring to our souls. It is a very personal psalm. In fact, God’s Word is personal to all of us.

The phrase “my soul,” is found over and over in the Bible, especially in the Psalms. We as humans are composed of the three parts: spirit, soul, and body. When we die, our soul and spirit depart to live in eternity.

Psalm 42:5 says, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall I yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.”

When we wait on the Lord we find our expectation, or as it can be rendered, hope. God is the God of hope. Our hope is based on the Word of God. The Lord can bring us through anything. Our hope is an anchor for our souls.

God uses our circumstances to draw us closer to Him and grow our faith. It is hard to wait on the Lord—our flesh resists us. It is also hard to suffer silently and to endure patiently.

Have a blessed day holding onto the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

God will either change our circumstances or change our hearts in our circumstances.

Dean

-July 31, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“Blessed be the God and Father our our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

On Monday night, just about 9:50 pm, received a call from my brother that our dear, precious mother had past away. She was just four months shy of her 97th birthday. It hit me very hard. I knew the day would come, I just didn’t know it would be now. She but passed peacefully into eternity.

I am so thankful for my brother who cared for her for quite a few years before he had to move her to a board and care home. He visited her daily and I would drive over once a week. It was about six months ago, a dear brother and friend, brother David, went home to be with the Lord. He was the same age as my Mom.

God has comforted me so that I may comfort others. Our Lord is so merciful and gracious. His grace is sufficient for us no matter what we are going through. I just read a quote from an anonymous writer that blessed my heart, “No distance is too far for God’s mercy to reach.”

Have a blessed day of comfort and peace in the midst of the storms. Stay safe and healthy.

God doesn’t comfort us to make us comfortable, but comforts us to make be comforters to others.

Dean