Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-July 15, 2023-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand hand I shall not be moved.”

((Psalm 16:8).

Psalm 16 is a beautiful psalm of David. It is such a blessing to all God’s people. David says of the saints, “As for the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight” (Psalm 16:3). David loved and appreciated those who believed and followed the Lord.

David makes the tremendous declaration, “I have set the Lord always before me…” It was quite a bold and dynamic statement of his faith and trust in the Lord. To set the Lord before us means to put Him first, seek His will and do it, and to deny ourselves, living for and serving the Lord with all our hearts. The fact that he uses the word always is the greatest blessing and challenge in our lives.

This is something we must do every day, especially when we begin our day. This what Jesus did when He began each day with the Father. He committed His life to doing the Father’s will in everything. It takes full surrender. Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). He also said in John 4:34, …My food is do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”

David also gives us the reason why he set the Lord always before him, “because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.” The right hand in Scripture refers to a place of strength, honor, and privilege. Jesus sits at the right hand of God and He also is at our right hand to protect us and strengthen us. His is the almighty, all powerful, all sufficient God. David knew that he would not be moved by any force, circumstance, or enemy. Benjamin R. De Jong said, “Ask yourself the question, ‘Does my faith remove mountains or do mountains move my faith?’”

Have a blessed day setting the Lord always before you in all things. Stay safe and healthy.

Putting Jesus first in thought, word, and deed is always the best daily creed,

Dean

-July 14, 2023-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“For in Him we live and move and have our being, as some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’”

(Acts 17:28).

Paul arrived in Athens, the great city in Greece, to find it full of idols, man’s philosophies, and various false religions. He spoke to the Athenians about Jesus and the resurrection. Some believed but only some. The harvest was not as great as in other places.

Paul was very diplomatic and wise in his approach to them. He found an inscription reading, “To the unknown God.” He told of God’s creation and that He is the true and living God. He tells them, “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” This is true of all people God is the maker of us all. Proverbs 22:2 says, “The rich and the poor have this in common, the Lord is the maker of them all.”

• Live – God gives life, God sustains life, and God takes away life. Physical life is a blessing, but spiritual life is even greater. Jesus said in John 10:10, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have more abundantly.” Life is a gift from God. He can take our lives in death at any time.

• Move – Just think how many times we move everyday, day in and day out. From the moment we wake up and put our feet on the floor until we go to bed at night. We move and move and move. Mobility is so important to our quality of life. There are some people who live in constant pain, can’t move freely, or are bedridden.

• Have our being – To have our being is to experience life and all the good things of life. God is so good. This includes the spiritual, mental, and emotional aspects of life. Our minds function, and our hearts keep beating. We are alive. We have heard in the news lately a lot about mental health and how important it is. When you have all our facilities you are blessed.

Let us all thank the Lord that in Him we live and move and have our being. He has saved us, forgiven us of our sins, and granted us eternal life all by grace through faith. Have a blessed day living life to the fullest by the Lord and for the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Looking to Jesus for life and glory,

Dean

-July 13, 2023-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, ‘These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.’”

(Acts 17:6).

There was quite an uproar in Thessalonica over the evangelists who came to town preaching the gospel of Christ. The Jews stirred up large crowds against the servants of the Lord. Their accusation included the amazing statement, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” They also accused them of acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar and saying that Jesus was a king.

Their accusation was really a backhanded compliment. The believers did turn the world upside down with the life changing message of the gospel. The definition of a backhanded compliment is as compliment that is not really a compliment at all. In the case of the believers, it was a testament to their zeal in sharing the gospel of the risen Christ.

When sin entered the world, all creation was affected by the fall. Our world today is also very affected by sin. We as believers must work together to turn the hearts of people to the Savior. When God created the world it was perfect and right side up. We are actually used of God to turn the world around right side up again as God intended it to be. Our message may not be popular, but it needed.

I have a book in my library entitled, “Turning the World Upside Down.” It traces the modern missionary movement. The writer said, “The modern missionary era, however, virtually commenced with William Carey in the 18th century, and in the last two centuries have seen the spread the gospel over practically every known land.” May the Lord help each of us to do our part as missionaries in our small corner of the world. Our witness and testimony makes a huge impact on those around us. We may be mocked, rejected, and persecuted for our faith in Christ, but we carry on undeterred. Christians in quite a few countries are being put to death for being Christians.

Have a blessed day speaking and living for Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

Turning the world upside down,

Dean

-July 12, 2023-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”

(Acts 16:25).

In was the strangest place to hold a prayer meeting and time of singing praises to God. Paul and Silas had been beaten with many stripes and thrown them into prison, with their feet in the stocks. They were in duress and distress. Their backs must have been throbbing. The word duress is defined as, “threats, violence, constraints, or other action brought to bear on someone to do something against their will or better judgment.”

In spite of this, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns so loud that the other prisoners heard them. The guards and the jailer also took notice. They probably never saw anything like this in their prison. They were familiar with cussing, complying, and groaning. We know that jailer and his family got saved. We when rejoice in the Lord in hard times, sorrowful times, and painful times, we have a great testimony for the Lord Jesus.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:19-20, “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul practiced what preached, and preached what practiced. The Lord Jesus led the disciples in singing a hymn on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing He would be arrested and shortly be crucified. He is the greatest example to follow.

How about us? Can we rejoice, pray, and sing unto the Lord even under duress in our lives? Those who suffer with Christ will reign with Him. May God help us not to complain, resist, or fight back, but turn the other cheek. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Rejoicing and giving thanks in all circumstances,

Dean

-July 11, 2023-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.’ So she persuaded us.”

(Acts 16:14-15).

Paul met many people, men and women in his missionary travels. When anyone receives Christ, they are saved by grace through faith. It is noteworthy that wherever the gospel has been preached it has elevated the status of women. Lydia was the first convert to Christ in Europe. It was a tremendous privilege and blessing for her.

Lydia was a business lady, a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, Thyatira was one of the Seven Churches in Revelation chapters 2-3. They used purple dye to make garments and other things. She was most likely single, for no husband or children are mentioned. When the Scripture uses the term household it may refer to the servants she had working for her.

She was a religious woman who worshipped God. She attended a prayer gathering of women there in Philippi. Paul shared the gospel with her and the other women. The Lord opened her heart to respond to the gospel and she was marvelously saved. She left religion behind her religion and had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Her life was changed. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

The first thing she did as a believer in Jesus was to invite Paul and his companions over to stay at her home. Like Peter’s mother-in-law who was healed of her high fever, and served the Lord right after, so did Lydia. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. It says, “She persuaded us.” She and her whole household were saved and baptized.

It is not enough for a person to be religious, do good works, or attend church. One must confess their sins, repent of them, believe that Jesus died for their sins, and believe in Him as Lord and Savior. Paul wrote in Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” He also said in Romans 10:9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

After Paul and Silas were released from prison for preaching the gospel to a servant girl who was a fortune teller who had brought great gain to her masters, they once again stayed at Lydia’s house and encouraged the brethren before departing.

Have you received Jesus Christ as Lydia did? If not, why not today. God desires everyone to be saved, men and women. The key is making a personal choice to receive Jesus as personal Savior. It goes far beyond religion.

Have a blessed day walking with Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

Having a personal Savior leading to a personal relationship with Jesus,

Dean