Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-January 21, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'”

(Matthew 14:30-31).

I appreciate Peter and can relate to him; he got himself into trouble on several occasions, but the Lord was patient with him and delivered him. This incident on the Sea of Galilee was unusual in that Jesus went off to pray and made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side. This gave Jesus the opportunity to demonstrate His power in their lives.

When Jesus came to them He was walking on the water. They thought at first He was a ghost. There was a powerful storm on the sea, but Jesus assured them, saying, …Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27). Peter wanted proof that it was Jesus and requested to come to Jesus walking on the water.

He did fine for a moment but then seeing the wind became afraid and began to sink. Hadn’t Jesus just told them not to be afraid? Before we blame Peter too harshly, let us remember how weak our faith is at times. The Scriptures are filled with verses not to fear, still we fear, get anxious, and troubled. Our Savior used the opportunity to teach His disciples a great lesson. Jesus won’t let us sink!

After Jesus saved Peter and the others, they reacted the right way: they worshipped Him. Matthew 14:33 says, “Then those who were in the boat came and worshipped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God.'” May the Lord increase our faith in Him. He is the Master of the sea, the Captain of the ship. He calms our storms and gives His peace. There is nothing that He cannot handle. When He says, ‘come’, we must come; when He says ‘go’, we must go. Let us trust our Lord to help us.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day in worship, in the Word, and in fellowship. Stay safe and healthy.

When the sinking feeling comes, come to Jesus,

Dean

-January 20, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

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

(Matthew 28:20b).

Before the the Lord Jesus ascended back to heaven, He gave His disciples the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations, baptize them, and teach them. He promised to be with them to the end of the age.

The presence of the Lord is one of His greatest promises. Sometimes we feel alone, but He is always with us. Hebrews 13:5 clearly tells us, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Our dear brother Rick shared a beautiful, encouraging message last Sunday, entitled, “I am Not Alone.” His wife Katelyn sang a solo by that same title. Both were a real blessing. I was thinking not only are we not alone because the Lord is with us, but we are also not alone in the trials we go through, they are part of every believer’s life. We can feel with each other, relate to one another, pray for one another.

The unknown hymn writer wrote, “When in affliction’s valley, I tread the road of care, my Savior helps me carry my cross so heavy to bear; Though all around me is darkness and earthly joys are flown, my Savior whispers His promise: never to leave me alone.” The refrain says, “No, never alone, No never alone; He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone: No, never alone, no never alone: He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.”

With God’s assured presence, we can face anything that comes our way without fear, worry, or doubt. God is our enough: He is big enough, strong enough, rich enough to come through for us. I don’t know what you are going through today, but I do know who is with you.

Have a blessed day in the Lord’s presence. Stay safe and healthy.

Under His wings, and in His strong tower, we find in His presence grace for each hour,

Dean

-January 19, 2022-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”

(2 Timothy 2:21).

There is no doubt that the Lord wants to use us in His service. You, yes you; me, yes me. With all our flaws, weaknesses, frailties, and limitations—God can use us. To be used we must be clean vessels, vessels for honor. Merriam-Webster defines the word vessel as, “a person into whom some quality (such as grace) is infused.” That certainly summarizes each believer who has been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Exactly how do we become vessels of honor in a practical way? Paul gives the answer in today’s passage in 2 Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’ “Vessels for honor are sanctified, useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

• Sanctified – The word sanctified means set apart. The Lord’s vessels must be clean, separated from the world, and set apart for the Lord. None of us are perfect, but God can use us for His glory. He gets all the credit for what He does through us. Peter wrote, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

• Useful For The Master – All of us want to be useful, profitable, and fruitful for the Lord. The slave Onesimus was unprofitable to his master Philemon. He rebelled, stole from his master, and ran away to Rome and landed in jail where Paul was. Paul won him to Christ and sent him back to Philemon as a brother in Christ. The one who was unprofitable became profitable; the one who was useless became useful. Are you useful to the Master? Paul described the new Onesimus in Philemon 1:11, “who was once unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.”

• Prepared For Every Good Work – Vessels for honor are always ready, willing, and able to serve in the Lord in season and out of season, whether a task is easy or hard, convenient or inconvenient, whether it costs in time, effort, or in money. Paul told Titus, “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work” (Titus 3:1). Are you ready for every good work?

May the Lord help us to be vessels for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work today and every day. Have a blessed day being a blessed servant, to bless others in a blessed way. Stay safe and healthy.

You’re never too young or too old to serve the Lord,

Dean

-January 18, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Thursday,

“For you, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.”

(Psalm 66:10).

We should not be surprised that God tests our faith. He uses people and circumstances in His refining process. Silver and gold are precious metals that are refined by fire. Job said, “But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.”

The Steve Green song says, “There burns a fire with sacred heat, white hot with holy flame. And all who dare pass through its blaze will not emerge the same. Some as bronze, and some as silver, some as gold, then with great skill, all are hammered by their sufferings, on the anvil of His will. The Refiner’s fire has now become my sole desire. Purged and cleansed and purified that the Lord be glorified. He is consuming my soul, refining me, making me whole. No matter what I may lose, I choose the Refiner’s fire.”

God allows trials in our lives to test, grow, and strengthen our faith. He knows how much we can handle and He stretches us to the limit. God doesn’t test to burn us but to refine us. Peter in writing to the saints in 1 Peter 4:12 wrote, ‘Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, that you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”

Let us submit ourselves to the Refiner’s fire. Stay safe and healthy.

Fiery trials bring purified lives,

Dean

-January 17, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”

(Proverbs 25:11).

How many times do we think afterwards what we could have said or should have said? Words are powerful, comforting, encouraging, and uplifting. But they can also be disturbing, discouraging, and destructive. It is not so much how much we say but what we say that counts. In other words, quality trumps quantity.

In speaking for the Lord is is essential to speak from the heart, from experience, and from need. We all know what it is like to hear an appropriate word at an appropriate time. We should be sensitive to what we say and how we say it. We do not want to offend but commend; not to tear down but to build up; not to be negative but to be positive.

The more we read, meditate on, and study the Word of God, the more likely we are to speak a blessed word in season. Let us choose our words carefully in order to be a blessing. Paul wrote, “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘let each of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25). He also said in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.“

Jesus, the best communicator and teacher of all time said, “But I say to you that every idle word men may speak, they will give an account in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37). It is sobering to think: we can’t take back our words once we say them. Often it is best not to say anything unless it is instructive or constructive.

Have a blessed day with the right use of the tongue. Stay safe and healthy.

Words that are spoken should be always be golden,

Dean