Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-October 18, 2023-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather His lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.”

(Isaiah 40:11).

The Lord Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd, our Great Shepherd, and our Chief Shepherd. He came to save us and lay down His life for us; He lives to care for us; and He lead us and guide us through life’s trials and difficulties. He is the most gentle shepherd, so kind, merciful, and loving toward us His sheep.

Here in Isaiah His shepherding is prophesied hundreds of years before He came into this world. In today’s text we note four wonderful things He does for us His sheep: He feeds us, gathers us, carries us, and leads us. We are the sheep of His pasture. He loves each of us equally, knows us all through and through, and takes great care of us daily.

• He feeds us – He feeds His flock like a shepherd. Psalm 23:1-2 says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (or lack). He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me besides the still waters.” He feeds us the tender green grass of the Word of God and brings refreshment to our souls.

• He gathers us – He gathers us with His arm. The Lord is not only gentle, but He is strong. He watches over us to protect us and keep us from straying. Sheep are prone to stay, and we are also. David said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). His rod chastens us when we stray, and His staff with its curved shaped brings us back in line.

• He carries us – He carries us in His bosom, close to His heart. In the poem, “Footprints In The Sand,” the man asked the Lord why at the lowest and saddest moments of his life when he needed Him the most, was there just one set of footprints in the sand. The Lord replied, “My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During those times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints in the sand it was then that I carried you.”

• He leads us – He gently leads those who are with young. He is the gentle shepherd who leads us and guides us; shows the path to take, the decisions to make. The Gaithers wrote a beautiful hymn in 1974 entitled, “Gentle Shepherd,” that summarizes His shepherding so well. “Gentle Shepherd, come and lead us, for we need You to help us find our way. Gentle Shepherd, come and feed us, for we need Your strength from day to day. There’s no other we can turn to who can help us face another day; Gentle Shepherd, come and lead us, for we need You need us to help us find our way.”

Yes, He is our Gentle Shepherd who feeds us, gathers us, carries us, and leads us. All we must do is follow, obey, and trust Him day by day. Are you down today? Are you low? Are you troubled and fearful? Our Gentle Shepherd knows and cares. He loves us so much and will show us the way through our trials and be with us all the way.

Have a blessed day in the Shepherd’s care. Stay safe and healthy.

As the hymn writer said, “no foe can harm me, no fear alarm me, never again will I roam.”

Dean

-October 17, 2023-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday,

“Abstain from every form of evil.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:22).

This world is chock full of evil; it is all around us and it appeals to our flesh. Some things are obviously bad, others are more subtle. The latter things may appear good or harmless but have negative affects on us and others. Anything that does not glorify the Lord and pushes away from Him is not good for us. If something is questionable or doubtful, we should avoid it, abstain from it, and not be involved in it.

The word abstain is defined as, “restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something.” As believers we must be on guard and watchful moment by moment. Paul wrote in Romans 12:9, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” We should have a holy hatred of every form of evil.

The Scriptures teach us to be separated from the world and set apart for the Lord. 1 Corinthians 6:17 says, “Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” In the OT certain animals, foods, and things were clearly unclean. It was spelled out for them. In the NT, however, while there are certain things mentioned, there are also principles that we must apply to our lives.

To abstain from every form of evil is a daily requirement. The King James Version says, “Abstain from the appearance of evil.” There are places, people, and pursuits that should be shunned. For example walking into a liquor store, even to buy something innocent like snack foods is wrong because it could give the wrong impression and stumble a fellow believer.

Abstaining from every form of evil requires self-control, discernment, and commitment. The Holy Spirit who dwells within us will convict us and give no peace. We should put on the brakes, make a U-turn, and drive away. Paul told Timothy, “But you, O man of God, flee these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). John Flavel said, “It is easier to cry against one thousand sins of others than to kill one of your own.”

Have a blessed day being on guard from every form of evil. Stay safe and healthy.

Being on guard against every form of evil, and abstaining from them,

Dean

-October 16, 2023-

Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.”

(Colossians 3:22).

Today is National Boss’s Day, a day to acknowledge, appreciate, and applaud our bosses. When I was working, I remember helping to organize it, and get a nice card we could all sign. It is the one time of year we give bosses their due.

I did some research on this special day. It falls on October 16 every year unless that date falls on a weekend, then it is observed on the next working day. I believe that honoring our bosses is very important not only once a year, but every day. They work hard, bear a great responsibility, and help us to do our jobs better, fostering team work and cooperation. We must remember that most of them have to report to someone higher up.

National Boss’s Day traces its roots back to 1958 when Patricia Bays Haroski registered National Boss’s Day with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in honor of her father who was also her employer. She created the holiday to improve office relationships between supervisors and their employees as well as raise awareness of all the hard work bosses put into their jobs. She felt younger employees didn’t appreciate their bosses enough, and knowing first hand what her father went through to make a company run smooth, set out to change that viewpoint. It wasn’t until four years later that Ohio governor Otto Kerner supported her registration that the day became a national holiday.

Paul addressed the subject of employers and employees in writing to the Colossians 3:22-4:1, and Ephesians 6:5-9. Though he spoke of bondservants and masters, which we no longer have in our modern society, it applies perfectly to bosses and employees. We have all had good bosses and bad bosses. I have found that even bad ones can turn around if treated with honor and respect. We can make their job easier by showing up on time, working hard, whether the boss is looking or not, and getting along well with our fellow employees. Our testimony at work is vital.

Paul makes it clear that we should work as unto Christ, who our true Boss. We should be low maintenance and high producers. They have enough difficult people to handle and issues to solve. Our responsibility is to be those who with fear and trembling and sincerity of heart do our jobs for the glory of God; by this we do God’s will from the heart.

What type of employee are you? A supporter or a detractor, a helper or a hinderer? Our attitude at work must stem from our relationship with Christ. There is no room for badmouthing those over us or not giving our all with a thankful spirit. Paul also addressed employers to give up threatening and showing partiality, and by being just and fair. You must remember you have a Boss in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ.

So have a blessed day at the office or wherever you work and honor your boss today. For retirees, homemakers, or self-employed people, these principles still apply to us in our work at home, at school, and at church. Stay safe and healthy.

Working heartily as to the Lord and for the Lord,

Dean

-October 15, 2023-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin…” (Isaiah 53:10a).

Today’s verses are sacred and holy. Isaiah 53 written hundreds of years before Christ, was prophetic of our Savior’s death and glorification. He portrays His sorrow, suffering, and substitution at Calvary. There on that old rugged cross He was bruised by God and man.

The word bruised is found in both verses; it can be translated “crushed.” We trace this crushing all the way back to Genesis 3:15, where God told the serpent, the devil, Satan, “And I will put enmity between you and your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” This prophesy was was fulfilled. When Satan through the Jews and Romans crucified Him. They struck His body, but they couldn’t touch His soul. It was like the bruising of the heel. Jesus through His death and resurrection bruised Satan’s head, effectively defeating Him completely and eternally.

The punishment Jesus endured was horrific. He suffered, bled, and died in our place. Isaiah tells us that He was despised and rejected; bore our griefs and sorrows; was wounded for our transgressions; bore the sin of many; was oppressed and afflicted; led as a lamb to the slaughter, and cut off from the land of the living.

As painful as crucifixion was, it could not compare to His spiritual sufferings. He was smitten by God and afflicted. God poured out His wrath on Him and He bore the curse of sin for us. God turned His back on Him when He bore our sin, guilt, and shame. So dreadful and devastating was the penalty of our sins that He bore, that God caused a deep darkness to permeate the sky from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, which was from noon to three o’clock in the afternoon.

Let us approach Him today with awe and reverence, worship and praise to the One who loved us and died for us. God’s was pleased to bruise Him because His death brought about our forgiveness of sin, salvation, and eternal life by grace through faith in Him.

Have a blessed day singing praises to God, hearing the Word of God, and having fellowship with one another. Stay safe and healthy.

Dying in our place, by His mercy and grace,

Dean

-October 14, 2023-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“Remembering your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father.”

(1 Thessalonians 1:3).

Faith, hope, and love are hallmarks of the Christian life. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” One of the main reasons love is the greatest is because it will last for eternity and be the charter of heaven. Faith and hope will no longer be needed in heaven when we see the Lord Jesus face to face.

Faith believes, trusts, and obeys. We are saved by faith and we walk by faith; hope looks to the future knowing the Lord will see us through dark nights, trials, and difficulties; and love is the lubricant to make everything smoother and better. Combine these three in the recipe of life and we will increase also in peace, joy, comfort, and encouragement.

It is the work of faith because faith without works is dead; it is the labor of love because love reaches out to help others in their hour of need; and it is the patience of hope because hope makes waiting on the Lord tolerable and beneficial. Paul also commended the Colossians for these same three virtues in Colossians 1:4-5, “Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.”

Have a blessed day practicing faith, hope, and love which come from God above. Stay safe and healthy.

Believing, hoping, and loving,

Dean