Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-April 6, 2023-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.”

(2 Chronicles 14:2).

Every day we make decisions that affect our lives and those around us. When we follow the Lord and do His will, our lives will be blessed. Asa was one of the good kings of Judah. David was the standard by which all the other kings were measured. Speaking of David, it says in 1Kings 15:5, “Because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.”

To please the Lord should be the goal of every believer. Only then can we represent our Lord clearly to those who are around us. The Lord sees, hears, and knows everything we do, good or bad. He sees into our hearts and knows our thoughts, motives, and desires. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” If we are to represent the Lord we must be godly examples, living according to His Word.

Israel did so well under Joshua, but after he and the elders who survived him died, they forsook the Lord. In the book of Judges there was a bad situation after another and God disciplined His people for their sin and used other kings and peoples to oppress them. God then raised up judges to deliver them. Their main problem was living independently of Him and worshipping idols. It says in Judges 17:6, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” We were never intended to follow the dictates of our own sinful hearts but to obey the Word of God.

Tony Evans tells of a story of a man who was having his windshield cleaned at a gas station. There are hardly any places that do this any more unless you take your vehicle to a full service car wash. The attendant cleaned the windshield but the man said, “Redo my windshield. That windshield’s as dirty as when you started.” The gas station attendant wiped it again. The man looked it over and then in frustration said, “My goodness! Can’t you even clean a windshield? This window has not changed.” The attendant did it again. By this time the man’s wife was fuming. She reached over, pulled off his glasses, wiped them and gave them back to him. The attendant had been doing his job correctly. The man himself was the problem. This happens with us: we can’t see correctly apart from the Word of God. It reveals us and exposes us.

May the Lord help us to see our lives through God’s eyes and do what is good and right in his eyes, not in the eyes of ourselves or this world. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Looking through God’s lenses,

Dean

-April 5, 2023-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

(Hebrews 11:2).

Faith is the key component to the Christian life. We cannot be saved without it; we cannot live without it; and we cannot see the Lord without Throughout Hebrews chapter 11 we find the words “By faith” used 16 times. Men and women of God are specifically commended for their faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. Then there are others sited as well: Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Sampson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel. The list could go on and on. There were many other worthy people whose faith moved mountains.

Faith’s importance cannot be overestimated. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” In fact the writer of Hebrews says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Faith is the lens through which we see the incredible, beautiful, wonderful, amazing, and invisible things of God; it is the hearing device through which we hear God’s voice; and the capacity to know that which passes knowledge. We must have faith first in the Lord, then we gain understanding. Jesus told Martha in John 11:40, “Did I not say to you if you would believe [Faith] you would see the glory of God [understand]?” The world has it upside down, saying “seeing is believing.” Instead we know that is “believing is seeing.” God’s view is the right view.

Last Sunday, after getting into my car, I started it, and lo and behold, my screen in the car was upside down. I couldn’t do anything to change it back. Like everything I prayed. When I got home I looked it up on the internet, and I found some information on it. When I left to go out to lunch, it was back to normal. I made an appointment to take it in for an upgrade. Life is never good when things are upside down or backwards. The world is always this way. Faith in the Lord Jesus puts life, death, truth, and everything else in their proper perspective.

Let us then have faith, then we will understand. There some things we won’t understand until we get to heaven. But we can trust our omniscient, wise, and loving God to know what is best and that He will take care of us in His way and in His timing. Other things we see, hear, and know by faith are more real than reality itself.

Have a blessed day, growing in faith, abounding in faith, and walking by faith. Stay safe and healthy.

By faith understanding,

Dean

s

-April 4, 2023-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’”

The key is living well is to honor God, obey Him, and walk in His ways. We all want to be well, feel well, and stay well. Many people turn to vitamins, certain foods, diets, exercise programs, and self-help books. Many of these things are important and we should pursue health and wellness; but out spiritual, mental, and emotional health is even most important. As believers we must follow God’s plan for wellness.

The prophet Jeremiah is reminding the Israelites of what God had commanded them in the days of Moses. They started off well but did not continue to follow the Lord and the current generation had gone their own way and worshipped idols instead of the true and living God. Jeremiah wrote in the very next verse, “Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward” (Jeremiah 7:24). The same is true today. In so many ways we are going backward not forward. We are easily sidetracked by the things of the world.

If we want to be well, we must do God’s will and follow His directions. From our childhood, our parents and teachers, then later our bosses and spiritual leaders say the same thing: “follow directions.” God commandments are clear, His promises are sure, and His principles still work and work well. Psalm 128:1-2 says, “Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.” This short but beautiful psalm shows how fearing the Lord brings so many blessings on our lives and the lives of our families as well.

If we want to be well and to have the best quality of life, we must be obedient to the Lord and walk in all His ways. We can’t fix our complex problems without God’s help and direction. There was a man who couldn’t fix his DVD player. There were so many wires going everywhere. He called the company who installed it and they sent out a technician who took a look and went out to his truck and got some parts, and suddenly it worked. God is the creator and designer of everything and He knows how we work and when we follow Him, He works things out for us.

Let us seek God’s truth, His will, and His kingdom first and all things will be added to us. He has the answers we are searching for and the solutions we are longing for. Have a blessed day and be well. Stay safe and healthy.

Trusting and obeying, and being well,

Dean

-April 3, 2023-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“And certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.”

(Luke 8:2-3).

Jesus had many followers other than the Twelve Disciples whom He called the Apostles. After Jesus rose from the dead, He was seen by over five hundred men. Some of His most devoted followers were women. Three women are mentioned in particular: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna; but there many others as well. These three women were healed of evil spirits and were so thankful.

Mary Magdalene is mentioned many times in the gospels. There are others named Mary: Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary of Bethany, and one who is called “the other Mary. Mary Magdalene was among the last ones at the cross to witness His crucifixion and the first ones at the empty tomb. Our risen Lord appeared to her first and commissioned her to tell the apostles that He had risen and would meet them in Galilee. She loved the Lord so much. There is no biblical evidence of any immorality or similar sins. She was demon possessed and Jesus delivered from the bondage of seven demons who held her captive.

Much less is known of Joanna. We are told that she was the wife of Chuza, the steward of Herod. She was a prominent woman of means and she supported the Lord’s work and did the Lord’s work. She had access to Herod’s palace and likely witnessed and testified of Jesus there.

Susanna, the third woman mentioned by name, is even less known. She delivered from demons also and was a loyal follower and supporter of Christ. We would have to say that these women and many others were members of the “First Christian Women’s Club. Since they were all women of means they supported Him and the disciples from their substance. We don’t know how many others there were, but they were many. They put their money to good use. But they didn’t just give their money but gave their time and efforts as well.

These women show us the need to be workers and supporters of the Lord’s work. Prayer is something we all can do. It is of vital importance. It is also so needful to give our tithes and offerings, and to support our spiritual leaders and our local churches. Many women in the church play key roles in teaching, serving, and helping. Women have traditionally served and are serving in Sunday School and youth ministries. In recent years many of them have become home school teachers. So many put us men to shame with their devotion to Christ. I thank the Lord all the women in our church and women’s ministries that are thriving. Our pastor’s wife Sylvia is an excellent Bible teacher, counselor, and servant of the Lord. When a church has strong, committed workers it is blessed.

May the Lord continue to use each one of us, women and men, young and old, to serve Him and support His work. Have a blessed day.

Serving the greatest Master in the grandest way, for His highest honor and glory,

Dean

-April 2, 2023-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“‘Return to your own house, and tell them what great things God has done for you.’ And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”

(Luke 8:39).

Jesus had just cast out many demons from this man. According to this passage in Luke 8:26-39, his condition was helpless and hopeless. He had been in this situation for a long time (v.27); he wore no clothes and did not live in a house but rather dwelt among the tombs (v.27); he was kept under guard and was bound with chains and shackles, which because he of superhuman strength he broke like they were strings. The demons drove him away from family and friends and into the wilderness (v.29).

Before we were saved we were dead in our trespasses and sins, under the control of the devil, without God and without hope in this world. We were on our way to hell. Praise God for the day we received Christ. Our lives were radically and eternally changed. We were pardoned, cleansed, and forgiven. This transformed man was then found sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind (Luke 8:35).

This man was so happy, so joyful that he wanted to be with Jesus, but our Savior had another plan for him. Jesus told him, “Return to your own house, and tell them what great things God has done for you.” What a powerful testimony he had especially with those who knew him before. Our households are our first mission field. He then expanded it to include the whole city. Mark in describing this account mentions Decapolis, meaning “ten cities.”

Many can argue against our message but no one can dispute that our lives were changed. Not everyone in our homes, among our friends, neighbors, or co-workers will receive our message. In some cases our family members are the hardest to reach for Christ. We must remember we are not responsible for the results, but only to be faithful to proclaim the gospel and share the great things God has done for us.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day representing our Lord Jesus Christ. Stay safe and healthy.

Telling of the great things He has done for us,

Dean