Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-September 8, 2023-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.”

(Psalm 87:2).

We studied the seven things that the Lord hates over the past two days. Today we will think about what the Lord loves. Just as we need to hate what the Lord hates, so too, we must love the things the Lord loves. After all, we are His children. God loves His city, Jerusalem, His people Israel, and all of us who compose His church.

There are three things the Lord loves beside Jerusalem, also called Zion: the righteous, those whom He chastens, and justice. All three of these show His heart of love.

• The Lord Loves The Righteous – As we have mentioned in previous lessons, the phrase “The righteous” refers to those who are believers. It is found many, many times in the Bible, especially in the OT. We remember that no one is righteous in and of themselves. We are made righteous through the sacrifice of Christ and faith in His finished work on the cross. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

• The Lord Loves Those Whom He Chastens – The Lord chastens only those who are His children. The Lord loves us and disciplines us for our good, not to harm us, but to help us. Hebrews 12:11 says, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

• The Lord Loves Justice – Justice in the Scriptures means fairness, equality, and inclusiveness. God has a special love for the poor, the outcast, the downtrodden, and the oppressed. He especially loves widows and orphans. Micah 6:8 says, “He shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

To sum up, let us love what God loves, and hate what God hates. Let us love the Lord and His people, and live lives of justice, righteousness, and holiness daily. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Loving what He loves,

Dean

-September 7, 2023-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”

(Proverbs 6:18-19).

Yesterday we began our study of the seven things that the Lord hates. We noted the first three of them: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. They are all detestable in the eyes of the Lord and should have no place in our lives. Today, we will consider the last four: a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.

1. A heart that devises wicked plans – Sin is in the heart of man and it comes out in the form of wicked plans. Criminals are usually very smart in concocting shrewd but wicked plans. They often think they can carry out the perfect crime. In the end they are caught, tried, convicted, and end up in prison. King Ahab wanted a plot of land near his palace for a vegetable garden but the owner Naboth refused to sell it to him. Ahab’s wicked wife Jezebel made an evil plan to invite Naboth to a dinner party. She then hired men to testify that that he blasphemed and they took him out and stoned him. Ahab wholeheartedly went along with it and took the land. God brought judgment on both he and Jezebel.

2. Feet That Are Swift In Running To Evil – Haman in the book of Esther was a man who hastened to do evil. He planned to execute Mordecai and exterminate all the Jews. His plans backfired and he and his ten sons were executed on the gallows he had prepared to hang Mordecai on. God worked behind the scenes to protect His people. Both Pharaoh and later Herod killed innocent baby boys but they too were rebuffed and defeated.

3. A False Witness Who Speaks Lies – Bearing false witness is a terrible thing whether in the courts, in the church, or in life. As Christians we must always tell the truth and live the truth. There is no room for bearing false witness. In Jesus’ day there many false witnesses and yet their testimony did not agree.

4. One Who Sows Discord Among Brethren – All of these seven things are horrible, but sowing discord among the saints is the worst. The devil seeks to drive a wedge between brothers and sisters in the church. God will judge those who ruin the unity of the saints. Paul warned the Corinthians against divisions in the church.

May the Lord help us to hate what the Lord hates. Have a blessed day walking in the Lord’s ways. Stay safe and healthy.

Being on guard 24-7 against every form of evil,

Dean

-September 6, 2023-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“These six things the Lord hates. Yes, seven are an abomination to Him.”

(Proverbs 6:16).

Hate is a very strong word. There are very few things we should hate: sin, injustice, wickedness, evil, and most of all Satan and his demons. In the case of the Lord, Solomon lists seven things that God hates: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speak lies, and one who sows discord among brethren (See Proverbs 6:17-19).

We should hate what God hates and turn away from them. These seven things comprise all facets of life. The Lord holds us to a higher standard. Paul said in Romans 12:9, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” We will consider these seven things in a practical and challenging way today and tomorrow.

1. A Proud Look – Pride is a vile sin that affects so many areas of our lives. It is easy to spot it in others, but very hard to see it in ourselves. James wrote in James 4:6, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Pride was the sin of Lucifer who became the devil. Pride goes before a fall. A proud look springs from a proud heart.

2. A Lying Tongue – Lying may not seem that bad, but it is. It hurts others and hurts us as well. One lie leads to another. White lies are still lies. Exaggeration is sin; gossip is sin. It is just as wrong to withhold the truth as in stating what is untrue. Paul said in Ephesians 4:25, “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one one another.”

3. Hands That Shed Innocent Blood – This not only covers murder, it also speaks to slander, which amounts to character assassination. Anytime we hurt others we are hurting our precious Lord. David shed innocent blood when we had Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, killed. God held him responsible and accountable. Nathan the prophet told David in 2 Samuel 12:9, “Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.”

All three of these sins tie together: pride, lying, and hurting the innocent. They are dastardly, deadly, and destructive. God hates them and we should hate them too. We must put on the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, and all the armor of God daily to protect ourselves from evil and Satan’s attacks.

Have a blessed day watching and praying. Stay safe and healthy.

Living for Jesus and hating every form of evil,

Dean

-September 5, 2023-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“And another said, ‘Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Now one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’”

(Luke 9:61-62).

The cost of following Christ as a disciple boils down to one word: everything. Once we commit to following our Savior, the devil will fire his heavy artillery at us with indomitable force. He will use jobs, hobbies, money, possessions, and people to dissuade us from following the Lord.

There is strong pull by our family members and friends, but the Lord says to us, “Follow Me.” This third man said, “I will follow You, but let me first bid farewell to those at my house.” The Lord knows that once we go back we may not come back. Just one more day, turns into a week, then a month, or even a year more.

Jesus uses a common farming analogy in teaching on discipleship: a plow. He says, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Imagine what the field would look and be like with a partial plowing. Nothing would be completed. The crops could not be planted and there would be no harvest.

Paul said of Demus who had left him, “For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia” (2 Timothy 4:10). We can’t look back, we can’t turn back, we can’t go back. Jesus said in Luke 17:32, “Remember Lot’s wife.” She looked back and became a pillar of salt. She never made past the Sodom city limits. It offers a warning to us all.

Let us choose to follow Jesus, no turning back. He is worthy of our fullest devotion. The hymn writer wrote, “I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.” The rewards are eternal.

Have a blessed day following Jesus all the way. Stay safe and healthy.

Following onward and upward with no excuses or regrets,

Dean

-September 4, 2023-

Good morning, happy Monday, happy Labor Day,

“Then He said to another, ‘Follow Me.’ But he said, Lord, me first go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.’”

(Luke 9:59-60).

It may seem at first reading that Jesus required too much and was very hard on this man. But we we notice this man said, “Let me first…” Putting anything or anyone ahead of the Lord never works. Our society today is saturated with the “me first” mentality. Discipleship requires our utmost for His highest, as Oswald Chamber used to say. When Jesus calls, we must answer Him and follow Him. He called Matthew at the tax office, Andrew, Peter, James, and John at the seashore, and so many others who left all to follow Him.

Jesus sees into the heart. He knows when we are making excuses. We have to make the willing choice to follow Christ each day of our lives. Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter is not worthy of Me. And who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37-38).

Are we willing to follow Jesus without compromise. The Lord can use one committed person more than many casual, half-hearted people. Let us follow Christ with all hearts. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Being a follower of Christ and putting Him first,

Dean