Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

Good morning beloved, happy Independence Day,

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His inheritance”

(Psalm 33:12).

Today is our nation 248th birthday. Happy Birthday America! Our country is very young compared to many other nations. People came from several European countries in search of liberty, especially religious, and freedom. The first pilgrims came in 1609, mostly from England.

Brave men fought for our independence from Great Britain and formed a republic, originally composed of thirteen colonies. The original flag had red and whites stripes with thirteen stars on a blue background, one for each of the colonies. It was designed and hand sewed by Betsy Ross.

Down through the years it has been redesigned, adding stars as more states were added to form our more perfect union. Now now have 50 stars, one for each state. I have a magnet on my refrigerator that shows the evolution of the various flags. Our flag is beautiful, it’s colors have deep meaning: Red stands for the blood of Christ; blue represents heaven; and white signifies the righteousness of our Savior that He has given us.

Not only does our flag symbolize freedom, but so does our national anthem written by Francis Scott Key in 1812 after our flag still stood tall after heavy British bombardment at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland.

I am proud to be an American; I am thankful to be an American. I hold my citizenship very dear. It is definitely worth defending. Lee Greenwood wrote the song, “God Bless The U.S.A.” Part of it says, “And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free, and I won’t forget the men who died who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up next you and defend her still today. For there ain’t no doubt I love this land. God bless the U.S.A.”

Let us all take a moment on this 4th of July to reflect on all our blessings and freedoms, and most of all that America is based on faith in God through Jesus Christ. Sadly so many today have lost sight of it.

Have a blessed 4th of July with picnics, parades, fireworks, all-American hot dogs, hamburgers, and apple pie. Stay safe and healthy.

When we honor God, He will honor us. Stand firm on the Word of God.

Dean

-July 3, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things means.”

(Acts 17:20).

Paul experienced some strange things in his life and ministry. He visited Athens, a city of worldly wisdom and philosophers. He preached Jesus and the resurrection and it seemed so strange to them.

This world considers us and the message of the gospel to be strange, but the world is strange to us also. The word strange is defined as, “different from what is usual, ordinary, or expected; odd; not before heard or seen.”

On Monday, the valet service took my vehicle to the dealership for a recall service on my doors. I was so happy that they were able to finish it before the end of the day and brought it back to my garage around 4:30 pm. Then the strangeness took over, the oddness permeated the scene. The driver could not find my key fob. He had to start it and said he put it in the cup holder. He searched to no avail. His partner driving the shuttle searched joined the search, and I helped search inside the car and in my garage. After 45 minutes they concluded it was somewhere in the car. They took it back to the dealer so a more thorough search could be made. I was confined to my home with no transportation. They searched up until closing, then the service department closed.

I called the next morning and spoke to the service manager. They had to take out the seats and look under the carpet, not just under the floor mats or under the seats. Lo and behold it somehow fell and lodged under the carpet. Even the service manager said it was “odd.”

I don’t understand it and I probably never will. There are strange things that happen to us that can must be described as bizarre, perplexing, unsettling, and confusing. We have to trust the Lord. There are some things which happen that we may know why they happened until we get to heaven.

In stead of getting angry and upset, worrying and getting anxious, it is best to remain calm. The Lord taught me afresh the great value of patience. God kept me home that night for a reason.

Have blessed day whether things make sense or not. God works things out for our good. Stay safe and healthy.

As someone said, “When you can’t see His hand, trust His heart.”

Dean

-July 2, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday,

“As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country.”

(Proverbs 25:25).

I shared that I went through a procedure back on June 18. I read over the results and well as from echocardiogram. They seemed good to me, but I wanted speak to my cardiologist first. I had a video appointment Monday at 4 pm. She went over all the results. It was good news. My tricuspid valve is only leaking moderately and my echocardiogram was good as was pictures and pressures in my heart. the right heart cauterization was good.

I am so thankful to the Lord. I started to cry right over the video. The Lord has been so good to me, and taken care of me. My doctor is going to pass me over to my new cardiologist much closer to home. I will continue on my medications.

In a world of so much bad news it is good to hear good news. It is like cold water on a hot day, it is refreshing. Proverbs 15:30 says, “The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy.”

Sometimes we have to hear and face bad news, but even then the Lord causes all things to work together for good. Romans 8:28 is a promise for us to claim, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Tomorrow, I will share the story of the lost car fob.

Have a blessed day in the center of God’s will. Stay safe and healthy.

When God is in it, it will work out.

-July 1, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.”

(Deuteronomy 1:40).

Today is July 1, 2024, day number 183 of the year; there are exactly 183 more to go. Parents are all too familiar with their children’s questions on a long road trip, “Are we there yet?” Kids get antsy. Are we not as children of God antsy at times. The word antsy is defined as, “restless, fidgety, impatient, eager.”

Sometimes it is good to see how far we’ve come by God’s grace. Time seems to go much too fast, kids grow up too quickly, the journey of life passes by like a vapor.

Over this past year I have been writing the day, date, and day number on my to do list. I make a do to list the night before and check off the items one by one as I finish them. It keeps me busy and on track each day. As the day goes on, I add or delete items. Then at the end of the day I put a check mark on my completed list. I thank the Lord His guidance and help.

I walk four miles on my treadmill every day, except Saturdays when I do 3 miles since I have to be at the church to open for the cleaning lady and prepare the church for Sunday. I have the names of everyone in our church and I pray for them as I walk. When I reach 2 miles, I am half way to the finish. It is challenging, but a great blessing. I call it my prayer walk.

The Christian life is often filled with ordinary activities which God wants us to do faithfully for His glory. Let’s keeping walking by faith and serving the Lord while He gives us life and breath.

Have a blessed day. You’re half there. Stay safe and healthy.

God writes the pages of our lives, guiding us and helping us.

Dean

-June 30, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”

(Revelation 4:11).

The worthiness of Christ will be our theme for all eternity. The words of today’s text are spoken by glorified saints before the throne of God. Only our Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of our highest praise, worship, glory, and thanksgiving.

Our Creator became our Savior and redeemer. He gave His life on the cross bearing our sins to bring us forgiveness and eternal life. The only way to make us worthy was to suffer death on our behalf. Five times the word worthy is used in Revelation chapters 4 and 5.

Worship is simply considering the worth of Christ. He is so precious to us. We give Him all the glory. Our worship consists of singing, praying, and focusing all our attention on Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

Paul in writing to the Colossians on the person of Christ said, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He before all things and in Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:15-17).

Have a wonderful day of worship, for Jesus is worthy. Stay safe and healthy.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, let us exalt His holy name.

Dean