Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-January 6, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.”

(Genesis 12:9).

Abram, later named Abraham by the Lord, was on a journey with the Lord. When God called him, He did not tell him where he was going. He obeyed and followed God. Hebrews 11:8 tells us, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” We too can have faith and move forward, not knowing where we are going. As long as the Lord Jesus guides us we can safely go.

Our journey began the moment we received Christ as Lord and Savior. Every day is a joyful adventure on our way to heaven. The Lord meets our needs and helps us each step of the way. This year 2024 is a journey we have just begun. There will be trials, testings, tribulations, victories, successes, and blessings. The Lord knows what lies ahead for us and He is our Head.

The word journey is defined as, “an act of traveling from one place to another.” When the Israelites came out of Egypt they had to go through the wilderness for 40 years. Numbers 9:23 says, “At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed; they kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.”

God took care of them, provided for them, and led them all the way to the Promised Land. The word journey or journeyed is found 103 times in the Bible. Our journey is a walk of faith with a purpose to our final destination. God never gives up on us in spite of our mistakes and failures. He is so patient with us and merciful to us.

How is your journey going so far? Don’t give up, keep on keeping on. The hymn writer wrote, “We’ve come this far by faith leaning on the Lord, trusting His holy word, He’s never failed us yet.” I am not perfect and I have a long ways to go. Let us pray for each other on this journey of life. I pray for everyone in our church family everyday. Will you commit to prayer daily this year?

Have a blessed day and journey with the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

With our heavenly Guide by our side, leading the way day by day,

Dean

-January 5, 2022-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”

(Matthew 16:15-16).

Jesus asked the greatest questions: probing, penetrating, and powerful. We remember a young Jesus asked questions of the Jewish scholars, amazing them. Now He asked, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man am?” They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

Jesus got His disciples thinking, but He took it a step further, to more personal level. He asked them, “…But who do you say that I am?” How one answers this question determines their eternal destiny. Peter was always the outspoken disciple of the group. Sometimes he said the wrong thing at the wrong time, but he was sincere and zealous for the Lord. I think we can all relate to Peter at one time or another.

But this is Peter’s time, his moment to shine. He clearly and confidently exclaims, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Wow! He nailed it. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God! He is our Lord and Savior, our King and our God.

Each of us must make our decision to receive Christ and to submit to His Lordship. It is not enough to know about Jesus, we must know Jesus personally. Peter’s confession reminds me of Martha’s declaration in John 11:27, “…Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is come into the world.”

May the Lord help is to love Him, follow Him, and obey Him each day. Time is short, we need to seize the opportunities God gives us to proclaim Him as Peter and Martha did. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Jesus is the answer to every question, and the solution to every problem,

Dean

-January 4, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.”

(Genesis 8:22).

God is consistent and faithful in creation and in salvation. God created the world in all it’s intricacy, beauty, and variety. Man through sin has corrupted it. There is a time for everything. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”

Solomon describes them in Ecclesiastes 3:2-8: A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to gain, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

God made four distinct seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. These will continue until God creates a new heaven and a new earth. Things seem to go on endlessly, but there will be an end to this earth. It will be burned up. Eternity will last forever and ever; heaven is eternal and so is hell. Through faith in Jesus Christ we will be with Him in heaven eternally.

While we are in this world, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west; the sun lights the day and the moon shines at night. When it is dark millions of stars can be seen in the night sky. There is beauty in the mountains, deserts, valleys, oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. There is something for everyone. The word constancy is defined as, “the quality of staying the same even though other things change.”

The hymn writer Thomas O. Chisholm wrote, “Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above, join with a nature in manifold witness to Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me! Amen.”

Let us thank the Lord for every day He gives us, and use what we have to serve Him. God never changes but everything else does. May we rejoice in the Lord daily. Have a blessed day walking with our Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Whatever your age, and whatever the season, we live and breathe and have reason,

Dean

-January 3, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”

(Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Yesterday I took down all my Christmas decorations and tree. I got tired but I got it all done. Later I stopped by the church and saw some things that needed to be done and did them. As I was turning the lights off in our fellowship room, I banged my hand really hard on the door. It hurt very bad. It started to swell and I was afraid it was going to affect my right hand, which I use so much.

I thought at least I got so much done before this injury for I might be very limited. I called and made a doctor appointment for tonight at 8:00 pm to get it checked out. As the night went on it started feeling better, I prayed and my family and friends prayed. I wasn’t sure how it would feel while I was sleeping and when I got up. I woke up this morning and it feels almost normal. Praise God. I canceled my appointment.

It got me thinking how important our hands are in so many things from work, school, typing on the computer keyboard, holding and using our smartphones, writing, driving, sports, hobbies, and so much more. Often we take our hands for granted until we suffer an injury.

Professional athletes, pianists, and others have their hands insured. Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert suffered a broken hand and was out for rest of the season and had to have surgery. The more active one is, the more the hands are needed.

Paul used his hands to support his needs and those who served with him. He said in Acts 20:34 says, “Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.” He suffered pain, hardship, challenges, and difficulties, but he pressed on. He shared what he went through in 2 Corinthians 11:22-33.

May the Lord help us to serve Him with our hands. Every part of our bodies are important and one injured part affects the whole body. The hymn writer Frances Havergal wrote, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love, at the impulse of Thy love.”

Have a blessed day serving the Lord with strong, willing, and compassionate hands. Stay safe and healthy.

Using what God gives us to help others,

Dean

-January 2, 2024-

Good morning beloved brethren, happy Tuesday,

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

(Psalm 90:12).

The best thing we can do is to live for the Lord and serve Him each day of our lives. None of us know how long we have to live in this life, so it is essential to seize every opportunity to share the way of salvation with those around us.

The phrase, “teach us to number our days” is not about focusing on the physical but on the spiritual aspects of our lives. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Jesus is our Lord and King, our Savior and our God. His cause is our cause; His will is our will; and His people are our people.

When King Hezekiah became I’ll with a boil and was about to die, he cried out to the Lord. He was still young at 54 and the Lord took note of his tears and his prayers and gave him longer to live. Isaiah 38:5-6, says, “Go and tell Hezekiah, thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: ‘I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.’” Sadly, Hezekiah did not use those years as he should have. We do not read of any great accomplishments for the Lord during those years. They became lost years.

For us living today, let us live every day for the glory of God, spending and being spent, faithful to the end. Every year on the first Sunday of January, I always choose to lead the congregational hymn, “Another Year is Dawning.” It was written by the prolific hymn writer Frances Ridley Havergal. Originally it was a poem sent to her family and friends and the music was by Samuel S. Wesley to the tune Aurelia which is the same as “The Church’s One Foundation.”

Sister Havergal wrote, “Another year of service, of witness of Thy love; another year of training for holier work above. Another year is dawning: Dear Father, let it be, on earth or else in heaven, another year for Thee.” Let this be our prayer today and throughout this year, that we will use our time, our talents, and our treasures in His service until He takes us home to heaven.

Have a blessed day for the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Living for the Lord one day at a time, trusting our Father is wonderfully sublime,

Dean