Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-April 16, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday,

“Abel also brought of the first born of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering.”

(Genesis 4:4).

Adam and Eve had three sons: Cain, Abel, and Seth. Each one offers us lessons to learn from. Abel was born after Cain. His name was very appropriate, it literally means, “Breath or nothing.” He was murdered at a very young age by his older brother Cain.

Though he lived such a short time on this earth, his testimony demonstrated his faith in God and his obedience to the commands of the Lord. He is the first person of faith mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11, the “Hall of Faith.”

Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.” To me, it is one of the most amazing statements in Scripture, “he being dead still speaks.”

In what way does Abel still speak today? He offered the right sacrifice according to God’s Word. It was an animal sacrifice with its fat. It was a more excellent offering than Cain’s. Abel offered his sacrifice to God in God’s way; Cain offered his sacrifice his own way, by his own efforts. The fruits of his own work and effort amounted to nothing in God’s sight. The Scripture teaches us that, “…without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.

Abel’s offering was a blood sacrifice that pointed forward to Christ who as the Lamb of God who gave His life and shed His blood for us on the cross. There is still only one way to be forgiven and have eternal life: by grace through faith in Christ.

Abel’s life was like a breath, nothing in the eyes of the world. Yet, in God’s eyes it had meaning, consequence, and impact. He left a legacy. May our lives, whether short or long, have a powerful impact on others for Christ.

Have a blessed day showing others the way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Stay safe and healthy.

How would God describe your life? Does it speak to people for Christ?

Dean

-April 15, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they may be one, as You Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”

(John 17:20-21).

Today is the last in our series on the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. He prayed for Himself, before going to the cross that He would glorify the Father; and He prayed for His disciples knowing the sorrow they would face, and that the Father would sanctify them through the Word of God. Today, we will consider His prayer for all believers, including us today.

While much of what Jesus prayed for disciples applies to us too, the words He used in John 17:20-26 focuses on future believers after Pentecost. We face new challenges and obstacles in the world today.

Jesus addresses one of the greatest needs we have: to be one in Christ just as Jesus is One with the Father. Christ is the Head of the Church, the Savior of the body. We are members of His body. There are believers in every country of the world, from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

Unity is not a prevalent as it should be. We often view our differences more than our commonalities. Psalm 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.” There is no room for division or strife among God’s people. There is way too much nitpicking and fault finding.

Paul in writing to the Corinthians said, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10).

Satan seeks to divide us, Christ to unite us. The hymn writer wrote, “We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord; We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord; and we pray that our unity will one day be restored. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” The expression is so true: “United we stand, divided we fall.”

May the Lord help us to be one in faith, hope, and love to represent our Savior above. Let us pray for each other as Jesus prayed for us. Stay safe and healthy.

It is always a blessing to meet our fellow believers as we journey through life. We have a special bond.

Dean

-April 14, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.”

(John 17:9).

Jesus prayed for Himself that He would glorify the Father and the Father would glorify Him with the Father. Jesus loved His disciples so much, the ones whom He chose as directed by the Father.

John 13:1 says, “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” Jesus never gave up on them, though they all forsook Him and fled; Peter denied Him three times; and worst of all, Judas Iscariot betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver.

Judas was never saved, he is called the son of perdition. Jesus said of His disciples in John 17:12, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”

Jesus knew that the disciples would be saddened and devastated by His death on the cross. He would rise again and give them hope, peace, and joy. He asked the Father in John 17:11, “Sanctify them by Your truth, Your word is truth.”

The eleven became twelve again with the addition of Matthias. They witnessed to the power of the risen Christ. They preached the gospel and many souls were saved, and the gospel message has continued to the present day.

We,like the disciples, can get down, discouraged, and depressed at times. It may be something spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, or financial. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to strengthen our hearts. This world is not our home, heaven is, and we are just passing through.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day gathering with the saints to worship the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Jesus is the wall that we can lean on.

Dean

-April 13, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.’”

(John 17:1).

Jesus was constantly in prayer to the Father. We know of His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His all night prayer vigil before choosing His twelve disciples. The were times that would rise early while others were sleeping and commune with the Father.

Jesus prays that the Father would be glorified and He would be glorified with the Father. It encourages us to pray that the Father would be glorified in our lives. Paul wrote, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught His disciples to pray. In the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus gave the model prayer, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

It is not wrong to pray for ourselves, though most of our prayers should be for others. Jesus knew His hour had come. He needed strength, endurance, and courage to face the agony of the cross. He knew that by His death those who believe in Him would have eternal life. He glorified the Father all the way, every day of His life. He prayed in John 17:4, “I have gloried You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” His teaching was complete, the gospel was proclaimed, the miracles were done. All that was left was His death on the cross for our sins.

We should glorify the Lord, whether by life or by death. It is vital that we use every opportunity to serve Him before the Lord calls us home. Then we will one hear Him tell us, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”

May the Lord help us to pray about everything big or small. We need His power to accomplish His will and to glorify Him.

Have a blessed day as we pray. Stay safe and healthy.

A day without prayer is like a day without air. We can’t breathe spiritually.

Dean

-April 12, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.”

(John 17:9).

John 17 is Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, the actual Lord’s Prayer. He prayed this prayer right before going to the Garden of Gethsemane. It gives us insight into His relationship with the Father and the things that were most important to Him.

I had a history professor in college that always went over the material that was most important and would be on the midterm or final. It was extremely important and helpful. If you have a red letter Bible, you will notice this whole chapter is in red. They are all the words of Jesus.

This prayer can be aptly divided into three sections: Jesus Prays For Himself (v. 1-5); Jesus Prays For His Disciples (v. 6-19); and Jesus Prays For All Believers (v. 20-26). Jesus interceded for His own and He still does for us before the Father. He is a High Priest forever according to the priesthood of Melchizedek.

Romans 8:34 tells us, “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” Jesus prays for us continually. We can rejoice because because we have an enemy, Satan, who attacks us constantly.

We also read in Hebrews 7:24-25, “But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Let us continue to pray to the Father in the name His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. While we are praying to Him, He is praying for us. What hope, assurance, peace, and comfort we have as a result. What don’t know what the day holds, but we know the One who holds the day.

Have a blessed day in prayer. Stay safe a healthy.

Jesus loves us and prays for us, so that we can love and pray for one another.

Dean