Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-July 20, 2023-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.”

(Isaiah 40:29).

We all experience weakness in sometime if life. It may be physical weakness or spiritual, mental, or emotional. When I finished my TEE, I was so relived. The doctor told I may have a sore throat for a couple of days. What he didn’t mention was how weak I may feel. I wasn’t sick, but I just didn’t feel my normal strength. It took almost two full days to regain my strength and be at one hundred percent.

I learned a new vocabulary word that relates to my situation. It is the word enervate, which is defined as “drain energy or vitality; weaken.” I am usually a very active, high energy person. Today I got all my strength and energy back. The Lord strengthened me. I give Him all the glory. Paul found strength in his weakness. We are weak but the Lord is strong through our weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, “And he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Weakness can come after accidents, injuries, traumas, surgeries, and serious illnesses.

The unknown hymn writer wrote, “I am weak but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long as I walk, let me walk close to Thee.” Thank God for His strength that He gives us in our weakness.

Have a blessed day strong in the Lord’s strength. Stay safe and healthy.

Coming to Christ in weakness to be strong in Him,

Dean

-July 19, 2023-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

(Psalm 27:1).

The Lord is our portion. He is our God and we are His people. David, the author of this beautiful psalm, wrote so many of the psalms. Psalm 27 shows that the Lord is our everything, our all in all. We aren’t perfect, but the Lord is. The Lord is our light, our salvation, and our strength.

• Our light – John wrote, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7). We are called to walk in the light and let our lights shine before men.

• Our Salvation – The word salvation that David uses refers to is not our soul’s salvation, rather it means deliverance. The Lord delivers us from all evil and helps us make it through the hardest times. The word salvation is used over 60 times in the book of Psalms. The Lord encourages us to trust Him more and more. Psalm 68:20 says, “Our God is the God of salvation; and to God belong the escapes from death.”

• Our strength – David says, “The Lord is the strength of my life.” We are weak in ourselves but in Him we are strong. He gives us spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional strength. The phrase, “The Lord is my strength is used three times in Scripture: By Moses in Exodus 15:2, once by David in Psalm 28:7, and once anonymously in Psalm 118:14.

Because the Lord is our light, our salvation, and our strength, we can ask with David, “Whom shall I fear? And of whom shall I be afraid? Our confidence is firmly and securely anchored in the Lord. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Have a blessed day rejoicing in our light, our salvation, and our strength. Stay safe and healthy.

Walking in light, salvation, and strength,

Dean

-July 18, 2023-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“Then the Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with with Barnabas to Derbe.”

(Acts 14:19-20).

This incident in Paul’s life was a real ordeal. There is a difference of opinion whether Paul was actually dead or not. The Jews hated Paul and sought to kill him on numerous occasions without success. In this portion of Acts, it looked as if they were finally successful. They stirred up the multitudes and they stoned Paul. Whether or not he was dead isn’t the point. Either way it was a miracle that God raised him up with no bad effects.

A number of people in the Bible were stoned and each one of them died. Personally, I believe he was dead and this most likely the time when Paul was caught up into the third heaven. God sent him back to earth for his mission was not yet finished. Please read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. There are good arguments on both sides. Our text in Acts says, they supposing him to be dead.” Both those who stoned him and the disciples thought he was dead.

The word ordeal is defined as, “a painful or horrific experience, especially a protracted one.” Paul definitely went through an ordeal. Yesterday I had quite an ordeal when I experienced a Trans Esophageal Echo, otherwise called a TEE. Normally they are pretty routine and go smoothly with no pain under sedation. In my case, however it was painful and difficult. They had to give me just mild sedation due to my low blood pressure and heart issues. I was wide awake, and heard every word the doctors said the whole time. It was the hardest thing for me to go through in my 66 years. I got through by it by God’s grace and help. The Lord is good.

I realize the pain and discomfort I felt was nothing compared to what Paul went through. Though the word ordeal is not in the Bible, the concept is. David went through several ordeals, as did Joseph, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, Job, Daniel, and many others.

Have a blessed day even through your ordeals. Stay safe and healthy.

Trusting in the Lord to see us through,

Dean

-July 17, 2023-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia—also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus of Asia. These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas.”

(Acts 20:4-5).

Paul was never a loner in the Lord’s work. He always had a partner or partners with him. In His first missionary journey he travelled with Barnabas, then later on his second missionary journey with Silas. He also served with the young men such as Timothy, Titus, Mark, and others. Luke, the beloved physician, joined him and was the writer of the book of Acts as well as the Gospel of Luke. He greatly helped Paul physically and spiritually.

Here in our text we find a list of seven men who served with Paul: Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timothy, Tychicus and Trophimus. Paul trained many of them and prepared them for the work of ministry, and they were also his friends and brothers in Christ. In Romans chapter 16, Paul mentions a long list of those he wished to greet and commend. He says a little about many of them. Each servant of the Lord is important, equal in Christ, and needed in the Lord’s work.

Paul told Timothy, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:1-2). When we serve together, pray together, and help each other, we encourage one another. Jesus sent out the twelve disciples in pairs, as He did the seventy. Teamwork is needed in the Lord’s work.

We see it in the world of sports, business, government, medicine, education, and in many other areas of life. As believers we pray with each other and serve together in the cause of gospel, and teaching and building up the saints. One can be skilled, talented, gifted, and knowledgeable, but if he can’t get along and work with others, Christian service won’t be effective. Are you a team player? Can others count on you? It is exciting for me to serve with young people as well as with older ones.

We can learn so much from each other and contribute greatly to the Lord’s work. Have a blessed day serving the Lord with the saints for the good of the body of Christ. Stay safe and healthy.

Serving together as good teammates,

Dean

-July 16, 2023-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do stand gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’”

(Acts 1:10-11).

What an exciting day for the eleven disciples as they witnessed their Lord ascend into heaven. Their eyes, ears, and mouths must have been wide open. They didn’t fall asleep as they did in the Garden of Gethsemane. Can you imagine what it would have been like had we been there that day?

The two angels had to remind them that Jesus would come again as He promised. Just as He went up, He will come back. This hope is called in the Bible, the blessed hope. He will come first in the air to take us home to heaven. After the seven year tribulation, He will come with us His saints to reign over the earth for the Millennium. Then we will be with Him in heaven forever. What a future we have to look forward to.

Until then, we must be about our Father’s business, living for Him and serving Him, and sharing the gospel with the lost. As we serve, we should look up waiting for His return. There is no time to waste. Jesus said in John 4:35-36, “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest?’ Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.”

Let us then keeping looking up while at the same time looking on the Lord’s work. Jesus said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28). Have a blessed Lord’s Day. Stay safe and healthy.

Looking unto Jesus our coming King and serving Him,

Dean