Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-June 10, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God.”

(James 2:23).

The poorest people in the world are those who do not have friends, especially one really close friend. Having someone we can trust, rely on, confide in, and communicate with is a great privilege and blessing.

Abraham was called the friend of God. He was certainly known for his faith. He walked with God, obeyed God, and looked beyond this world to a heavenly country. He left behind a great legacy, the greatest of which is being called the friend of God.

Three times in the Scriptures, Abraham is called the friend of God: James 2:23, 2 Chronicles 20:7, and Isaiah 41:8. King Jehoshaphat said in 2 Chronicles 20:7, “Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?” God blessed the people of Israel through Abraham’s son Isaac, and gave the land of Canaan to them.

It is also repeated in Isaiah 41:8, which says, “But you, Israel are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend.” Abraham is called the father of our faith. Though we are not earthly descendants of Abraham, we are children of Abraham spiritually.

Jesus made the incredible statement to His disciples and thus to us in John 15:13-15, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what is master is doing; for I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

That’s right, dear brothers and sisters, Jesus calls us His friends; He is our close, intimate, loving friend. Proverbs 17:17 shows, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Solomon also wrote, “A man who has friends must show himself friendly, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

Let us rejoice that Jesus is our Friend. He is born for adversity and sticks closer to us than a brother. He never leaves us nor forsakes us; He loves us and cares for us spirit, soul, and body. Let us spend time with our Friend in close communion, and do what He commands us to do.

Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy. With Jesus as our Friend, our blessings will never end.

Dean

-June 9, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

(Philippians 1:21).

This verse should be written on the tablets of our hearts. Life doesn’t start for us until we meet Jesus when He reveals Himself to us in His Word. When we come to Him, repent of our sins, believe that He died for our sins, and receive Him as Lord and Savior—spiritual life begins and never ends.

Before salvation, life revolves around me, myself, and I. Jesus changed all that! Now life is all about him. This is why Paul could write, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” That is how Paul lived all his life in Christ and for Christ. He counted all his religious training in Judaism—all the festivals, all the rituals, all the sacrifices, all the knowledge, and all the training as rubbish compared to knowing Christ.

When we live as if nothing matters but Christ, we find we need nothing else in this life but Christ. He is my everything, my all. I am like the tiny planet earth that revolves around the mighty, glowing sun. Early scientists once believed the sun revolved around the earth, until they discovered the reality of the universe.

I found the words to a Christian song by Paul Oakley. The title is, “Jesus Lover of My Soul (It’s All About You).” The verse says, “It’s all about You, Jesus and all this for You. For your glory and Your fame, it’s not about me. As if You should do things my way. You alone are God and I surrender to your ways.”

Mary Magdalene came to the tomb—it’s all about Jesus; Joseph of Arimathea took down the body of Jesus and placed Him in his own tomb—it’s all about Jesus; Peter after being restored preached the gospel and cared for God’s flock—it’s all about Jesus—Stephen stood for Christ and was martyred—it’s all about Jesus. Paul sacrificed everything, his very life—it’s all about Jesus.

May each one of us live lives that are all about Jesus, not about us. Have a blessed day of worship and praise. Stay safe and healthy.

To live is Christ, and to die is gain,

Dean

-June 8, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.”

(Matthew 6:22).

Our eyes are extremely important; God gave us two of them. They are so intricate in so many ways. Friday morning my left eye started to feel like something was in it. It was very bothersome. I have see the doctor Saturday.

The human body is so amazing. When one member is injured, the whole body is affected. My focus all day has been on my left eye. We need our eyes to read, to watch a movie or television program, in fact, we need them for everything.

Many Bible scholars believe Paul’s thorn the flesh was his eyes. I believe that was true. We often take our eyes for granted until something happens.

Our spiritual eyes are even more important than our physical ones. We see Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Let us take care of eyesight, appreciate it, and be healthy. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Is your spiritual sight is 20/20. (See John 20:20).

Dean

-June 7, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

(Psalm 90:12).

Moses wrote Psalm 90, and it is a beautiful psalm on the eternity of God and the brevity of our lives on earth. Life is lightning fast compared to eternity.

The Scriptures compare our lives to a vapor, a breath, and a passing shadow. God has placed us here on earth to be a blessing to others, saved and unsaved. Time is fleeting at hypersonic speed. We need to make each day count for eternity.

James 4:14 says, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” A vapor is extremely brief.

Moses lived a good life of 120 years, still it was short compared to eternity. Psalm 144:4 says, “Man is like a breath, His days are like a passing shadow.”

We look back and wonder where did the years go? Since life passes by so quickly, we need to live life one day at a time. Only God knows how long we will live on this earth. We do know we will be with the Lord in glory forever and ever.

As we grow older, we grow wiser. We learn from the many experiences we have been through; we learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others. We desire with Moses to present to the Lord a heart of wisdom.

Let us determine to live each day for Jesus; to smile, to laugh, to encourage others. May we point people to our Savior by our actions and our words. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

The quality of our lives is greater than the quantity.

Dean

-June 6, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”

(2 Chronicles 16:9).

Asa was a good king of Judah who started off well, but then did not trust the Lord as he did before. Early in his reign he relied fully on the Lord when the Ethiopians attacked Judah with an army of one million men and three hundred chariots.

He called on the Lord for His help. 2 Chronicles 14:11 says, “And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, ‘Lord it is nothing for You to help, with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on you, and in Your name we go against this multitude, O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!’”

What a victory God won for them! “So the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled” (2 Chronicles 14:12).

Fast forward to another attack, this time by Israel who came against them. In stead of trusting the Lord, Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord, and sent it to the Syrians to break their treaty with Israel and it worked, but it was not God’s. God sent His prophet Hanani to rebuke him.

He relied on man not God. This sometimes happens in our lives. We trust Him and He gives us a great victory, does a wonderful miracle. Then something else much smaller happens and we start to rely on ourselves or someone else, and then we fail and fall.

May the Lord help us to trust Him in big things and in little things, and in all things. God sees not only what we do, but our attitudes, motives, and desires. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Relying on the reliable, almighty God.

Dean