Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-November 22, 2023-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:20).

“In everything give thanks; for this the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Yesterday we discussed how wonderful it is to join together giving thanks as a body of believers; today we want to consider our individual thanksgiving to the Lord for and in all things. The list of our blessings is limitless and our thanks to God should unbounded as well. Both of today’s verses were written by Paul for the early Christians and for us today.

Thanksgiving is a combination of thanks + giving. We give thanks for His giving by giving Him thanks always. We have spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, social, financial, and material blessings. David wrote in Psalm 103:1-2, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” We should be thankful day in and day out; in season and out of season; when times are good and when times are bad; when we are strong and when we are weak.

The hymn writer wrote, “Count your blessings, name them one by one; count your many blessings, see what God hath done.” When we are grateful things just seem better, richer, and fuller. The sun seems to shine a little brighter, the sky seems a little bluer. We can never thank the Lord too much, but we can, and often do, thank Him too little.

The story is told by Pastor Jack Hinton from Bern, North Carolina who was leading the songs for a Worship Service at a leper colony in Tobago. There was time for one more selection, a woman in the audience who had turned away from pulpit, whose nose and ears were almost gone and her lips were rotted away, asked for the hymn, “Count Your Blessings.” After the service, Pastor Jack left the building. One of his teammates said to him, “Jack, I guess you’ll never be able to sing that song again.” “Yes I will,” Jack replied, “but I will never sing it the same way again,”

Let us be thankful for what we have and what we don’t have. Many in the world have it much worse than we do, have much less than we have, but are more thankful than we are. Have a blessed day thanking the Lord in all things and for all things. Stay safe and healthy.

Thankfulness is simply being full of thanks,

Dean

-November 21, 2023-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday,

“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.”

(Psalm 95:2).

We look forward to Thanksgiving Day every year. The United States and Canada are the only two countries that set apart one day a year to thank God for His many blessings, bounties, and benefits. There are always things we can thank the Lord for. My friend Gilbert posted a quote on Meta by Rhonda Byrne that said, “There is always, always, always, something to be grateful for.”

This past Sunday we celebrated Thanksgiving at church with music by our Worship Team and a message from our pastor from the Word of God. We followed that by a great thanksgiving lunch. Joining together to thank the Lord is something we do every Sunday when we remember the Lord and learn from the Scriptures, but this was a special one.

Psalm 95 is such a beautiful psalm. The title is “A Call to Worship and Obedience.” The phrase “Let us,” is used six times the eleven verses. Let us sing to the Lord (v. 1); Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation (v.1); Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving (v.2); Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms (v. 2); Let us worship and bow down (v. 6); Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker (v.6).

“Let us” shows a desire to join together; to combine our hearts, our voices, our words, and our songs. David wrote in Psalm 34:8, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His exalt His name together.” David loved music because He loved the Lord. He did so much to establish and encourage music to praise the Lord.

Let us thank the Lord collectively as we gather with family and friends on Thursday by saying grace and sharing our blessings. Thanksgiving is contagious in a good way, and we need more and more of it. Have a blessed day and week of thanksgiving. Stay safe and healthy.

When we thank the Lord together, we share more blessings and rejoice in them all,

Dean

-November 20, 2023-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“Take heed to yourself and the doctrine. Continue in them, for in so doing this will save both yourself and those who hear you.”

(1 Timothy 4:16).

Paul taught Timothy many things and watched him grow and mature, serving the Lord on his own in Ephesus as the pastor. It was a huge responsibility and a great privilege. Today’s verse shows us we can’t separate ourselves from the ministry. The person makes the ministry, not the other way around. What we preach and teach is very important, and just as vital is to practice what we preach, be examples, and grow in our faith.

November 20 will always be a special day for me. I gave my first sermon as an eighteen year old young man on November 20, 1975. I have learned so much since then not only about public speaking but about serving the Lord. I am humbled with the privilege and responsibility of preaching and teaching God’s Word. I never take it for granted. Younger people sometimes ask me if I get nervous behind the pulpit. I tell them no, but I carry the weight of speaking to the people of God. It isn’t about me, it is all the Lord.

James was the half brother of Jesus. He wrote the Epistle of James. He wrote in James 3:1, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” It isn’t easy preaching and teaching, you have to study, prepare, pray, and most of all put your whole heart into it. I have found that the best sermons come from personal experience. Listeners can best relate to it. We are all learning together what the Word of God teaches us.

As men and women of God, we must take heed to ourselves and to the doctrine. In the preceding verse, Paul told Timothy the key to preparation is, “Meditate of these things; give yourself fully to them, that your progress may appear to all” (1 Timothy 4:15). Moses taught Joshua this lesson as he passed the torch to him. Joshua 1:8 says, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.”

There was one brother who always quoted this verse as he began his messages, “The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5 NASB). One man asked the great preacher and founder of Operation Mobilization, George Verwer the question after a great, challenging and encouraging message, “How long did it take you to prepare that message?” He simply replied, “All my life.” That is so true. Our whole life goes into it, our knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and personal experience goes into it. The Holy Spirit uses it all in our preparation and study of the Word.

Paul reminds all of our responsibility and accountability to the Lord to examine ourselves and judge ourselves in the light of God’s Word. He told the Corinthians, “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:31-32).

May the Lord help us to take heed to ourselves and the doctrine, by preaching and teaching the Word, practicing ourselves, and examining and our hearts, words, and actions. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

As someone once said, “What you do speaks so loud I can’t hear what you say,”

Dean

-November 19, 2023-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

(James 1:27).

Religion has a somewhat negative connotation in the world because it denotes a formal, strict, code of conduct that often involves good works as a means of salvation. The definition is, “the belief and worship of a superhuman power, or powers, especially a God or gods.” The word religion is only used five times in the Bible. The Christian religion is actually a personal faith in Jesus Christ resulting in a changed heart and life. Our faith is based on the finished work of Christ and His grace toward us.

James describes what pure and undefiled religion really is. Very few things in this world can be said to be pure. Some products are referred to 99.9% pure. Our religion is 100% pure and undefiled. It is all because of Jesus and what He has done for us. Our connection to Christ is dynamic, powerful, and life-changing. It is real, and works in the real world in real ways.

James tells us that pure and undefiled religion is to visit orphans and widows in their trouble. Our good deeds are not limited to them, but should always include them. God has a special love for them and we should too. They are among those who can’t pay us back. Whatever we do to them, is the same as doing it to Jesus. Everything we do should be in Jesus’ name and for His sake.

Christianity must be practical to be useful, and fruitful. It goes beyond words, resulting in love in actions. We aren’t saved by works, but we are saved unto good works. May the Lord direct us to serve Him by helping others. Have a blessed day putting your love into action. Christmas will soon be here before we know it.

Being poured out for those in need,

Dean

-November 18, 2023-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“The Lord your God in your midst, the mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

(Zephaniah 3:17).

Today’s verse is taken from the short prophecy of Zephaniah. There are three chapters, and it is found after Habakkuk and before Haggai near the end of the OT. Our verse is so practical and encouraging. The prophet says twice, “He will rejoice over you.” This verse demonstrates His great love and care for His people. It combines God’s almighty power and His infinite love. He is the Mighty One who saves us, and the kind and compassionate God who watches over us.

God’s promise is to rejoice over us with gladness, to quiet us with His love, and to rejoice over us with singing. As believers we are the apple of His eye. If anyone harms us, they are harming the Lord. The Lord takes pleasure in His people and wants the best for us. The Israelites were joyful people, singing and dancing to the Lord. Their songs were muted in the days when they were in captivity. But when they returned to their homeland, they rejoiced with great joy. The Lord was so happy for them and with them.

Just as we rejoice in the Lord, He rejoices in us. He quiets us with His love. We have all experienced pain, sorrow, and loss. It is at these times, the Lord quiets us with His love. He applies the balm of Gilead, pouring in oil, a type of the Holy Spirit, and wine, a type of joy. Oh, what kindness, tenderness, and love He shows us all. He knows when we are hurting, whether spiritually, mentally, emotionally, or financially. He brings comfort to our hearts when and where we need it.

When Jesus was in deep anguish, He and disciples sang a hymn before going to the Garden of Gethsemane. When we get to heaven we will find out which song it was that they sung. I would like to think it was Psalm 22. Scripture set to music is beautiful and wonderful, and I am sure we will sing some new songs in heaven. Let us rejoice in His rejoicing; and rejoice and sing unto the Lord.

Have a blessed day appreciating His rejoicing over us and the quietness of His love. Stay safe and healthy,

Rejoicing in our King and lifting our voices up to sing,

Dean’s