Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-August 4, 2023-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, by His name YAH, and rejoice before Him.”

(Psalm 68:4).

Our great God created the clouds and they serve His purposes. Clouds are mentioned 152 times in Scripture. Clouds are beautiful and they are His wonderful handiwork. There are white fluffy clouds, dark clouds, and thin clouds. God has a design and purpose for each one. Scientists study the clouds, especially in terms of determining weather patterns. There are three kinds of clouds: Cirrus clouds, are the high clouds that look like feathers; Cumulus clouds, are the middle clouds that look like giant cotton balls; and Stratus clouds, the low clouds that cover the sky like bedsheets.

God spoke to His people from the clouds. He led the people of Israel by a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. He uses clouds to bring the needed rain to the earth. Clouds protect us and are for our good. Clouds are God’s great transportation system. They are high above us, yet not so high that we cannot see them. When I travel by air I try to get a window seat. I love to look down on the clouds and see their beauty. They remind me of God’s mercy and His faithfulness.

Psalm 36:5 says, “Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” Clouds travel miles and miles, over land and sea to bring God’s blessings to you and me. God dwells above the clouds, in the clouds, and through the clouds. The Psalmist says that He rides on the clouds. The more we see and appreciate God’s handiwork, the more we praise and extol Him for who He is and what He does.

Let us thank God for the clouds ☁️ and all that they teach us. Everything we see around reminds us of God’s love and care. He is our Creator and our Savior. Have a blessed day paying attention to the clouds and what they teach about God’s glory and majesty. Stay safe and healthy.

Marveling at the clouds, God’s masterworks,

Dean

-August 3, 2023-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.”

(Ruth 2:17).

Gleaning takes great effort, diligence, perseverance, and skill. Ruth was Gentile, the daughter-in-law of Naomi. She embraced faith in the Lord and followed Naomi in her journey back to Bethlehem in the land of Israel. She was extremely loyal and faithful. When they arrived, they had no job and no money. Naomi knew those she had grown up with, but Ruth knew no one.

Ruth happened to look for work in the field owned by Boaz, a single, well to do entrepreneur who employed many workers. It was no chance occurrence, it was from the Lord. He allowed Ruth to work among them, provided for her, and instructed his workers and supervisors to treat her well. As we know from the story, Boaz married Ruth, and their son was Obed, the great grandfather of David. Ruth is one of several women in the genealogy of Christ.

Our text says three things of Ruth, “she gleaned in the field until evening, she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah.” The word glean is defined as, “to gather grain or other produce left by reapers.” The reapers came first and gathered the bulk of the harvest, then the gleaners like Ruth and others came along and took what was remaining. Both reapers and gleaners shared in the harvest. There was plenty for both.

How does gleaning apply to us? We need to read, study, meditate on, and apply God’s Word to our lives. We need to work hard for it like those gleaning the grain in the field. We like Ruth, glean until the evening, which is symbolic of when the Lord calls us home to heaven. There are many treasures we find in the Word when we search diligently for them with all our hearts. Ruth was what we call, a “quick study.” She learned really very and was very fruitful in her work.

She gathered about an ephah of barley on her first day. An ephah was an ancient Hebrew dry measurement equal to 1/10 of a homer or a little over a bushel. She gathered much through the hot sun of the harvest time with some breaks for rest. She ate from what she gathered and brought back some for her beloved mother-in-law Naomi. She was very generous and unselfish. God wants us to learn from His Word and then share it with others. We should seek a blessing in order to be a blessing.

Are you a good gleaner? Are you taking what you learn and putting it into practice? God wants us to go beyond just reading to obeying and applying it. It takes effort and practice. Like anything, we form and maintain good habits. We need to make the time for the Lord in prayer and the Word, gathering much from Him for each day. This daily devotional had its roots in sharing what I had gleaned with friends, co-workers, and brothers and sisters in our church.

Have a blessed day gleaning in the Lord’s field and being fruitful for Him. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-August 2, 2023-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24).

“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28).

The doctrine of justification is a most blessed one. To be justified means “to be declared righteous.” Some have rightly said it is as if we had never sinned. How could a righteous, holy, and just God pardon guilty sinners and make us fit for heaven? It was through the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross for us. He endured the wrath and judgment of God against sin, shed His precious blood, and rose again.

Paul built his case in the book of Romans. He like Abraham, who lived before the law was given, came to this same truth, the same conclusion. Genesis 15:4 says. “And he believed in the Lord, and it was counted for righteousness.” Each sinner must come to Christ and be saved. Through confession and repentance, we come to Christ, believe on His finished work on the cross, and receive Him as Lord and Savior. We are declared righteous by God. Hallelujah!

The devil, though a defeated foe, continues to fight against salvation by grace through faith in Christ. He will do anything and everything to keep a person from coming to Christ and being justified. He supports good works, philanthropic efforts, moral values, and even religious pursuits. All these and other things serve to anesthetize people to the gospel and keep them from seeing their need of Jesus.

Martin Luther also came to the right conclusion and stood up to the Roman Catholic Church. He was a German monk who nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in 1517 leading to the Protestant Reformation. He believed in the Scriptures and the teaching that salvation is by grace through faith not by the works of the law, religion, or good works. Talk about standing up for Christ and one’s convictions!

Paul continued in Romans 4:25-5:1 speaking of Christ, “who was delivered up because of our offenses, was raised because of our justification. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Being justified leads to a holy and godly life now and for all eternity. We who were guilty and are now pardoned; we who were sinners are now forgiven; we who were lost are now found; we who were in darkness are now in light; and we who were condemned are now justified.

Have a blessed day thanking the Lord for our justification. Let us We walk by faith, live for Jesus, and serve Him. Stay safe and healthy.

Justified freely, fully, and forever in Jesus Christ our Lord,

Dean

-August 1, 2023-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“For there is no partiality with God.”

(Romans 2:4).

God is never partial, shows no favoritism in creation or in redemption. He loves each person, and desires that each one be saved. Whether a person be Jew or Gentile, male or female. Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We are the children of God and brothers and sisters in Christ; He takes care of His people.

The word partiality is defined as, “unfair bias in favor of one thing or person as compared to another; favoritism. Deuteronomy 10:17 says, “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.” God as Father, as Judge of all the earth, and as King of the universe sees the heart. He created people of different colors, races, cultures, and backgrounds.

Because God is love and shows no partiality, we should not be partial either. So often we look at the outward appearance and makes certain judgments, conclusions, and assertions which may be totally wrong. Judges, referees, umpires, and other officials must make the right decisions based upon the laws and rules of the game. We get upset when they act unfairly and unjustly. There are times when money, greed, or power clouds their thinking.

James wrote, “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing fine clothes and say to him, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and say to the poor man, ‘You stand there,’ or ‘Sit here by my footstool,’ have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts” (James 2:1-4)?

There in no room for partiality or prejudice. Love, fairness, justice, equity, and equality must rule the day, every day, in every way. We tend to look at someone’s earthly position, status, and wealth. Jesus treated everyone with love, kindness, respect, and honor. He reached out to tax collectors, prostitutes, and all sinners. He came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

May the Lord help us to be impartial, just, and fair. People are people; sinners are sinners; and believers in Christ are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Have a blessed day following the example of Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

With no partiality in attitude or action,

Dean

-July 31, 2023-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike. So it was from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.”

(1 Samuel 30:24-25).

Besides being a godly and great king, David was a wonderful innovator. He established music to praise the Lord; he developed a strong and loyal fighting force; he brought the ark of the covenant to Zion; he provided food to each Israelite to celebrate God’s goodness; and here in our text he established an ordinance in Israel that all those who serve in any way will all share the bounties just the same.

The Amalekites raided the city of Ziklag where David, his mighty men, their wives, and children were living at the time. The enemy came and kidnapped all the wives and children while David and his men were away. All the men wept bitterly and were so discouraged and angry that they even spoke of stoning David. But David strengthened himself in God. He sought the Lord’s guidance and the Lord directed him and assured him that they would recover all. Two hundred of the men were so weary that they stayed behind to guard the supplies. Four hundred men went with David and won a great victory and brought back all the women and children.

When David and his men returned, there were some of them who said that those who stayed behind would get their wives and children back but shouldn’t share in any of the bounties that took from the Amalekites. David inaugurated this policy that all would share in the bounty, both those who fought and those who guarded the supplies.

In the Lord’s work, all share: those who sow, and those who reap; those who preach, and those open the church and set up for the meetings; those who are missionaries, and those who pray for the Lord’s work and servants; those who are pastors and teachers; and those who support them. The Lord sees and knows the heart. There are many different spiritual gifts and ministries. They are all important to the Lord. We shouldn’t underestimate or overestimate the value of those who serve the Lord Jesus.

Paul wrote, “Now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased” (1 Corinthians 12:18). Please read 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4. Ask yourself where you fit in, and what your gift or gifts may be. Your part and role is very important. The Lord needs us and we need each other.

I leave on vacation tomorrow morning and will be gone for 10 days. Please pray for my safety on the road. It will be my first vacation in 4 years. I will continue to write and post the devotions daily. Have a blessed day serving the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Being supporters and workers for Jesus,

Dean