Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-June 20, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Thursday,

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

(Acts 4:13).

The Jews had enough knowledge and understanding to realize that there was something very different about Peter and John. They described them in two ways: they were uneducated and untrained, and they had been with Jesus.

Peter and John were fishermen and lacked the educational at the fine Jewish schools. The chief priests looked down on them. But they even had to acknowledge that the disciples turned the world upside down.

They also realized that they had been with Jesus. Think of how much they learned from Jesus—and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Jewish leaders thought they could threaten them and keep them from preaching Jesus and the resurrection. All their efforts to stop them failed.

The Jews meant it as put down, but the Lord meant it as a compliment. The greatest compliment for the believer is to be like Jesus. When we spend time with Him, He shows in our life. Our faces radiate Christ.

Have a blessed day representing our Savior and pointing people to Him. Stay safe and healthy.

Let Jesus be glorified in all we say and do.

Dean

-June 19, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday, happy Juneteenth,

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).

“Therefore if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36).

Today is Juneteenth, June 19. It is now a federal holiday to commemorate the day when the news of emancipation reached the slaves in Texas. Living today in the digital age, it is hard to imagine that it took just over two months for the news to travel to Texas after Lee surrendered to grant on April 9, 1865, ending the war between the states.

Imagine the joy and celebration after hearing such great news. All the slaves were freed. It reminds us of our freedom in Christ: freedom from the bondage of sin and death; freedom from the control of the devil.

Still, with such great news, many without Christ are still in bondage today. They have yet to trust Christ for salvation and eternal life. Though all are free, not everyone avails themselves of that freedom, accepting God’s freedom.

John tells that the truth makes us free. The war is over. Jesus won the victory through His death and resurrection. There is an expression in the world that says, “Knowledge is power.” Having the knowledge of our sins forgiven brings joy and peace to all who believe.

There is liberty in Christ. Paul in writing to the Christians said, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again in the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). There is no going back to our days of bondage to the Law or anything else that once enslaved us.

No slave would ever want to be enslaved again, to go back to the way things were, to somehow think that those former days were better. Once we are free in Christ, we are free indeed. The Bible tells us we are free, and free forever. Hallelujah!

Have a blessed day remembering that we are free in Christ forever. Stay safe and healthy.

Living with the knowledge of sins forgiven, gives joy and peace and the hope of heaven.

Dean

-June 18, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday,

“…Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”

(Matthew 28:28b).

Tomorrow I have a heart procedure called a right heart cauterization angiogram. They go in through the arm or leg and take special pictures and check the pressures of my heart. I have prayed, and will continue to pray. I have my whole church praying for me and I know you are all praying for me. It means the world to me.

My dear brother and friend Brad will be driving me there and bringing me home. I can’t thank him enough. If you have read my blog for very long, you know I have always shared my ups and downs, my joys and my sorrows. Through it all, the Lord has been with me. He loves me and takes care of me.

Recently I ordered a new bracelet that says, “I am with you always.” It has been a blessing to me. It has been a great reminder and encouragement to me every single day. We can all claim this wonderful promise in our lives every day and in every way.

Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with wherever you go.” Through medical trials, financial trials, family trials, emotional trials, mental trials, and every other kind of trial.

May we remember that the Lord Jesus is with us and will see us through to the end. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

With Jesus as our Friend, we know He He’ll be with us to the end.

Dean

-June 17, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, ‘If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my father’s tombs, that I may rebuild it.’”

(Nehemiah 2:4b-5).

Nehemiah was taken into captivity and became the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia. One of his brethren named Hanani came from Judah and reported on the sad state of affairs of those who went back to Judah. They were in great distress and reproach. The walls of Jerusalem were broken down and its gates were burned with fire.

Nehemiah sat down and wept for many days; he prayed and fasted. The Lord put a burden on his heart to help, but he was the cupbearer to the king. He couldn’t just leave. He needed the king’s permission and resources. After having prayed, he asked leave of the king and set a time to come back.

Nehemiah was the right man, at the right time, to do the right thing, in the right way. By God’s help, he became governor in Judah and led the people in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in an astounding 52 days! Even their enemies recognized that the work was done by God.

When God calls us to do something, He provides all the needed resources and helps us to do it. There is always opposition from the devil when a great work is being done for and by the Lord.

Let us take courage, step out in faith, relying on the Lord. We can’t trust in ourselves but only in the Lord. All we do is all for the glory of God! Have a blessed day trusting the Lord to use you.

Be God’s vessel at the right time, to do it the right way, with the right results.

Dean

-June 16, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day, Happy Father’s Day,

“The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to do and teach.”

(Acts 1:1).

The responsibility of every believer in Christ is to continue the ministry of our Savior in this world. Jesus began the ministry of the gospel and has handed the baton to us. Our words are so important, but our actions backing up those words are even more important.

Today we celebrate our earthly fathers as well as our Heavenly Father. Notice how Luke, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, puts doing before teaching. To be a godly father one must be an example to his children and teach them.

We can’t expect our kids to obey God if we don’t obey Him. I hate the common expression, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Fathers are examples, roll models, leaders. Children are watching and listening to us all the time.

Fathers, like preachers, must practice what they preach. Fathers are shepherds to lead, and teachers to teach. Ezra of old was the best example of a teacher. Ezra 7:10 says, “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek (or study) the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.”

Before Ezra taught the Word, he practiced it. Fathers play a vital role in raising their kids for Christ. A good father is both a man of steel and a man of velvet. Steel represents strength of character. Fathers must discipline their children; and velvet represents love, kindness, and gentleness.

I once heard a quote that said, “A gentleman is a combination of gentle strength and strong gentleness.” We all should strive for these qualities. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:21, “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they come discouraged.” He also said, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

Let us take the opportunity today to thank our fathers for the role they have played and or are playing in our lives. They don’t get the recognition, respect, or reverence they so richly deserve. Have a blessed Father’s Day.

More than any cards or gifts, fathers seek our love, affection, and appreciation.

Dean