Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-June 15, 2023-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

(Philippians 3:20).

There are many names and titles for believers in Christ, such as Christians, followers of Christ, saints, disciples, servants of God, ambassadors for Christ, the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. But one of the most beautiful terms is citizens of heaven. We as believers have a dual citizenship: of heaven and earth. Just as there are privileges and responsibilities to being citizens of the United States of America, so too, there are the same with being citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

As citizens of our country, we enjoy rights, privileges, and blessings. We have the right to vote, own a home, buy what we need or want, have a free public education, hold a job, own a business, speak freely, assemble, and many more. So many people over the years have come to America and become citizens. They must pass a test and take an oath of allegiance. Many more people want to come here.

We as citizens of heaven are so richly blessed. Even while living on earth we own our allegiance to our Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom. We have access in prayer to the throne of grace, have the Word of God, and the blessing of serving the Lord.

Just as there are privileges of citizenship, there are responsibilities as well. In our country, we are responsible to obey all the laws, local, state, and federal. Breaking the law carries penalties. We have freedoms but not to violate other’s rights. The same is true of believers as citizens of heaven. We must love and obey God, love others, and serve the Lord. We must answer first to the Lord, then our spiritual leaders, and then all those who have authority over us.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:19, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” May the Lord help us to live for Christ and His kingdom; to serve Him and please Him.

Have a blessed day as a citizen of heaven while here on earth. Stay safe and healthy.

Not taking our citizenship for granted,

Dean

-June 14, 2023-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”

(1 Timothy 1:2).

Paul was Timothy’s spiritual father. He calls him my son in the faith. Paul didn’t lead him to Christ, but he shepherded, discipled, and mentored him. He took him under his wings and helped Timothy to fly like an eagle. He taught him doctrine and practical application of the Word of God.

Paul trusted Timothy and often sent him on missions to help and encourage the saints. He said of Timothy, “For I have no one likeminded, who will sincerely care for your state. For they all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel” (Philippians 2:20-22).

Paul greets Timothy as he does his other son in the faith, Titus, with the same words, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” The Apostle John used the same words in 2 John 1:3. These three shining lights point the way through the darkness to Jesus the light of the world. They strengthen us, encourage us, and comfort us as we walk through the wilderness of this world.

• Grace – Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It simply means God gives us what we do not deserve. He has lavished His grace on us in salvation and in sanctification. Paul wrote in Romans 3:24, “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” As those who received God’s grace, let us bask in it like the sunshine and show it to others.

• Mercy – Mercy is the other side of the gold coin. It means God doesn’t give us what we deserve. We deserved eternal separation from God in hell forever. God’s demonstrated His mercy on us, vessels of wrath. We have received His mercy in order to show mercy to others who don’t deserve it. Mercy leads us to forgive as we have been forgiven. David prayed, “Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper” (Psalm 30:10)!

• Peace – Peace comes to us in two forms: peace with God, the moment we get saved; and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding and rules our hearts. Because of God’s peace we can live in peace with our friends and our foes, no matter what are circumstances are.

Let us then thank God for His amazing grace, His abundant mercy, and His endless peace. May we show these traits in our character, conversation, and our conduct daily. Have a blessed day. Stay safe in healthy.

May His grace, mercy, and peace be multiplied to us and through us,

Dean

-June 13, 2023-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom…”

(Ezra 1:1).

God never forgets His promises nor fails to fulfill them in His perfect timing. He literally moves heaven and earth to make things happen on behalf of His people. His fulfillments are always on time. This was true of His earthly people Israel and is true of the church His heavenly people. We can count on Him.

Israel sinned against God and God proclaimed through the prophet Jeremiah that they would be taken into captivity for seventy years in Babylon. It happened just exactly that way. Way back in the days of Moses God warned them that if they didn’t obey and worshipped idols, they would be suffer and be taken from their land to a foreign land by a foreign power. God promised the captivity would end and they would return to their homeland.

God even mentioned that it would be King Cyrus, an unbeliever whom He would use to make the proclamation of their return to rebuild the temple that was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon seventy years before. The specificity and detail of God’s fulfillment is amazing. At the time of Jeremiah’s prophecy, Babylon was in power not Persia. God directed the Persians to conquer the Babylonians and take control over a vast dominion. It all worked out perfectly.

God even called King Cyrus, “My shepherd.” Isaiah 44:28 says, “Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be built,’ and to the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’” God used Cyrus to fulfill His will. Solomon wrote hundreds of years before in Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”

Cyrus who had control over all the holy vessels of the former temple that were taken by Nebuchadnezzar, ordered them given back to the Jews to be taken back so the new temple could be built on the holy site on Mount Moriah. He urged the people of Israel to return to their land. Unfortunately not everyone did, some stayed where they were. They missed a tremendous blessing. In 1947, Israel become a state and many Jews from around the world returned to their homeland. During the Millennial reign of Christ, all the Jews will return to their land in the greatest homecoming and regathering ever!

May the Lord remind us of all His promises in His Word that we must claim. There are thousands in the Bible. God works on our behalf, using people, circumstances, and things to fulfill His plan. We can rest securely in all the will of God. He gives us peace, comfort, and joy. We know the end of the story. Oftentimes movies are based on books so those who read the book will know how the movie ends. Let’s continue to read the Bible so that we know how God will fulfill every detail in our lives in the future.

Have a blessed day knowing and claiming God’s promises. Stay safe and healthy.

God uses what He chooses to fulfill all His will,

Dean

-June 12, 2023-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

(Romans 8:28).

Today’s verse is one of most widely known and most encouraging verses in the Bible. Many of us have it memorized, and if you haven’t yet, today is a good time to commit it to memory. I can’t tell you how many times I have read this verse, studied it, meditated on it, and been blessed by it. God has used in my life countless times.

Life is ever changing. Some things go well for us and some things don’t. We must always remember that the Lord Jesus is still in control and when we are in His will, He works all things out for the good. Does it mean that all things are good? No, we know of many things that not good, such as job losses, deaths of loved ones, illnesses, surgeries, chronic health issues, etc. But God’s promise is that He will bring good from them.

This a tremendous promise from God. We can name it and claim it. The word know shows knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and confidence. He turns our circumstances for the good, both for ourselves and for others in our lives. God has a purpose in everything and for everything that happens to us. He knows what we don’t know for today and the future. He even takes our mistakes and turns them into His takes. He uses them in special and beautiful ways we never thought possible.

God turns our ashes into beauty; gives us streams in the desert; joy in the midst of sorrow; turns losses into gains; failures into successes. The Lord is control so that we can rest in Him. He knows what is best, when it is best, and how it will turn out for the best.

What got me thinking about this was when was ordering for my family and me through a drive through last night. I was asking about a certain item but then changed my mind to something else. They gave me that one anyway. It turned out to taste great. The mistake worked for my good. I was charged for it so I didn’t get it free or I would have gone back and paid for it.

So when we experience delays, mistakes, problems, trials, or other things we wouldn’t have chosen for ourselves, we know that the Lord is in it with us and will work it out for the good. It will be exciting to see what the Lord has in store for us today. There be some bumps and bruises along the way. Life is seldom smooth and easy. We should thank the Lord in and for everything, knowing the good He will bring should make us sing.

Have a blessed day knowing that the Lord is in control. Stay safe and healthy.

Resting in grace in every place, finding the good in every space,

Dean

-June 11, 2023-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

(Psalm 103:12).

Jesus died for our sins in order that we may be forgiven completely and forever. Our sins are removed from us as far as the east from the west. It is a distance that is immeasurable. The word remove is defined as, “to get rid of: eliminate.” God eliminated all our sins. When God removes them, they aren’t coming back. God forgives and forgets our sins. He puts up a sign, “No fishing.” That means other people, the devil, and even ourselves can’t bring them up before God.

There are some other wonderful things that God does with our sins: they are blotted out like a dark cloud (Isaiah 44:22); they are cast behind His back (Isaiah 38:17); they are cast in the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19); and they are wiped out, and being nailed to the cross (Colossians 1:14). Hallelujah what a Savior!

Our sins past, present, and future, all gone! The hymn writer Horatio G. Spafford wrote, “My sin—O the joy of this glorious thought—my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!” What a joy, what a relief, what a removal! Let us sing His praises today, worship Him, and remember what He has done for us!

Have a blessed day freed from sin through Christ. Stay safe and healthy.

Washed in the blood of the Lamb,

Dean