Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-July 10, 2023-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’”

(Genesis 28:16-17).

There are many times in Scripture that the Lord appeared to men and women. Today’s text is the marvelous story of how Jacob had a dream and in it the Lord showed him two wonderful truths: his present blessings and those of the future of his descendants. This revelation is found in Genesis 28:1-17 and is called “Jacob’s Ladder.” God gives him His unconditional promises.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the three patriarchs in the Bible. From these three God brought forth and nation of Israel, and eventually the Messiah, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The devil has fought against God’s plan ever since, but to no avail.

Jacob left home and set off for his mother’s family to marry. His mother had concocted a scheme to get him the blessing after he had already gotten his brother Esau’s birthright. Esau sought to kill him and so off he went. The Lord caused him to have a dream. He made the statement to himself, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” At this time the Lord gave him tremendous assurances. Jacob saw a ladder from heaven to earth with angels ascending and descending on it. What a sight! Jacob came to realize the Lord was in that place.

God is everywhere, for He is omnipresent. He is with us as He was with Jacob to encourage us and strengthen us. This divine encounter changed his life completely. God promised to make his descendants like the dust of the earth and to possess the land to the west, east, north, and south; and through his seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. He also promised that He would be with him, never leave him, and bring him back to this land.

No wonder Jacob would say that the Lord was in that place. Wherever the Lord is, it is holy. Moses found this out and so did Joshua after him. When God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush, He told him, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). The Lord also appeared to Joshua as the Commander of the Lord’s army and told him in Joshua 5:15, “…Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

How does this apply to us? We live in the presence of the Lord daily. He is present in a special way when we gather collectively as saints at church to worship Him and hear messages from the Word of God. There are other times He shows Himself to us in a special way, answering our prayers, working miracles in our lives. But He is also present with us in the small, ordinary, and mundane things in our homes, our schools, our jobs, our neighborhoods, our communities, and wherever we go. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us.

Let us say with Jacob, “Surely the Lord is in this place.” I love the song “Surely the Presence of the Lord Is In This Place,” written by Lanny Wolf, “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place; I can feel His mighty power and His grace. I can hear the brush of angels’ wings, I can see the glory in each face; Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.”

Have a blessed day with the Lord, in His presence in holiness and reverence. Stay safe and healthy.

Knowing the nearness of His presence in every situation,

Dean

-July 9, 2023-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.”

(Matthew 10:29).

Yesterday I went to the church and I looked down when I was opening the door and I saw a dead bird lying on its back. I had to dispose of its small, lifeless body. It wasn’t easy, but it had to be done. There are difficult things we must do in life. The difference between a bird and a person is the former has no soul. Still death comes to every living creature. God cares about all His creation, but especially about His people.

I was reminded of today’s text. Not one tiny bird, like a sparrow, has the attention and concern of our heavenly Father. None of them dies apart from the Father’s will. The Bible teaches that the time of our death is appointed. It is in the hands of God. Hebrews 9:27 says, “And it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” As believers we may die before the Rapture, but there will be no judgment for us. Jesus bore our judgment on the cross.

For us death is merely a change of address from earth to heaven. Still there is sorrow among our loved ones for our death, but for us eternal joy in glory. Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” We are so precious to the Lord. Jesus said, “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:30-31).

Let us then live every moment as if were our last, for Jesus and the kingdom of God. Stay safe and healthy. Our work for Him is not yet done.

Thankful for life and breath,

Dean

-July 8, 2023-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; nor can the number of His years be discovered.”

(Job 36:26).

Elihu, the one who said these words, was not among Job’s three friends, but he listened intently to all of them blame Job for sinning; and what Job said about himself maintaining his righteousness and integrity. He held his tongue because he was much younger than any of them. But once they all finished, he spoke up and gave his own opinion. He was not much better than Job’s three friends.

But the words that he spoke in our text today drip with the sweet honey of wisdom. He rightly says, “Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; nor can the number of His years be discovered.” Greatness is one of God’s many attributes. Attributing greatness to someone is the highest compliment of all. On earth there have been many great men and women, but none can compare to the Lord. He is greater than great!

We cannot know the Lord fully until we see Him face to face in all of His glory. Paul wrote, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9).” The unknown Psalmist wrote in Psalm 96:4-5, “For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised.; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” We read of God’s greatness in the Word of God, and we experience His greatness in our lives.

Yesterday we considered God’s goodness. His goodness and His greatness are bound together in a golden box with a beautiful red ribbon and bow. God is so good in His greatness and so great in His goodness. For we know God the Father through His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Our Savior showed His greatness in the miracles He accomplished. He fed five thousand and four thousand; He turned water into wine; He walked on water, and He rose from the dead. His showed His goodness in healing the sick; cleansing lepers; giving the blind their sight, the deaf their hearing, and the mute their speech, curing the lame and crippled, and raising the dead.

There is no end to the Lord’s greatness. I read a story of King Louis XIV of France who died after a reign of 72 years. He had called himself “the Great,” and was the monarch who made the famous statement, “I am the state.” His court was the most magnificent in Europe, and his funeral was equally spectacular. As his body lay in state in a golden coffin, orders were given that the cathedral should be dimly lit with only a single candle set above his coffin, to dramatize his greatness. At the memorial, thousands waited in hushed silence. Then Bishop Massillon began to speak; slowly reaching down, he snuffed out the candle and said, “Only God is great.”

Yes, only God is great; there is none greater. He is Almighty God who sits on the throne of the universe in power, dominion, authority, and glory. He works in great ways in our lives, answers our prayers, and does great things in us and for us. We are so blessed to have access to His presence now by faith and are assured of being with Him in heaven forever. What great things has God done for you?

Have a blessed day marveling at God’s greatness. Stay safe and healthy.

Listing the great things God has done for us, which is endless,

Dean

-July 7, 2023-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart.”

(Psalm 73:1)

God is good, all the time and in all ways. He expresses His goodness to us all. He always cares for us no matter what we go through, good or not so good. Not only does the Lord do good but He is good. He is good when times are good and good when times are bad. He was good to Israel and He is good to us. He is good to the pure in heart.

Heather Riggleman on crosswalk.com. wrote, “God is good all the time. It’s easy to see God’s goodness when life tastes like a glass of lemonade. When our hearts are happy, our eyes are open to His glorious presence, His plan for our lives, and the beauty of His creation all around us. But sometimes life is just so hard. It’s in these times we must hold fast to the simple truth: God is good all the time.” God shows His goodness just when we need it the most.

Today I had both an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. The hardest part was yesterday, the preparation day, with no solid food, having to drink the special liquid as bad as it was, and making many trips to the bathroom. God was good and helped me through. My dear brother in Christ, fellow deacon, and friend Brad drove me to the hospital, waited for me, and brought me home. God was good through it all. There were no polyps but I do have mild gastritis which they gave me medication for. I am so blessed and thankful.

Someone once said,, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. Nahum 1:7 says, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” Asaph, the writer of Psalm 73, learned that God was good by experience. Cloudy days remind me that God’s sunshine is behind the clouds and the sun is still shining. God who is so good can alone work all things together for good, and bring forth good from even the worst of times. Some of the best chefs in the world could walk into your kitchen and use only the ingredients on hand and create the most sumptuous meal. The Lord does that in our lives.

There is a song we sing in our Worship Team entitled, “God Is So Good.” The first line says, “God is so good, good is so good, God is so good, He’s so good to me.” Can you say it with me today, “God is so good to me?” We learn best of His goodness by our personal experience. Have a blessed day rejoicing in God’s goodness all the time. Stay safe and healthy.

Seeing God’s goodness all around in every sight and sound,

Dean

-July 6, 2023-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”

(John 10:27-28).

We are the sheep of the Lord. We hear His voice of love, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. He speaks to us through His Word. There are many voices in this world but none of them compares to the voice of the Lord Jesus. His still small voice is personal and practical. The Lord is our Shepherd.

Jesus shared how a sheep only knows and follows their shepherd. Jesus told the people, “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and his sheep follow him, for they have known his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:14-5).

Do you hear the voice of Jesus? Just as every person has a unique voice, so too, the Lord’s voice is unique and special. When the Lord spoke to Elijah it was in a still small voice, which can be translated, “a delicate whispering voice.” The Lord is so gentle with us.” The hymn writer C. Austin Miles wrote, “I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses; And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses. And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own; and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.”

May the Lord help us hear His voice and obey Him. Let His voice be the first one we hear each day so that we can tune out the voices of this world. Have a blessed day listening to the voice of our Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Recognizing the voice of the Lord Jesus,

Dean