Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-March 27, 2023-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“So Solomon built the temple and finished it.”

(1 Kings 6:14).

When God leads to do something for Him, we must finish it. No matter how long it takes, no matter how hard it is, we need to do it. Anyone can start well, but the Lord wants us to be finishers. The Major League Baseball season will soon be starting. It is a long season of 162 games. Modern teams use five starting pitchers and the number of complete games where the starting pitcher finishes the game is becoming more and more rare. In the NBA and NHL there are very few players who play in every single game of the season. Kevon Looney, the center for the Golden State Warriors not only played every game last year, but he has also done it this year and the season is nearly over. He is called “an Ironman.”

The work of the Lord is more important than any sport, project, task, or anything on this earth. Even God who created the heavens and the earth finished His creative work in six days; Jesus finished the work the Father gave Him to do in His thirty three years. His ministry consisted of three years. He said in John 17:4, “I have glorified You in the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” Before He died, He cried out, “It is finished.” (John 19:30). Our salvation was completed.

There are many great finishers in the Bible: Moses finished the Ark; Jacob finished blessing his sons; Joshua finished conquering and possessing the Promised Land; Nehemiah finished the walls of Jerusalem, Solomon finished the first temple and Zerubbabel finished the second temple, and Paul finished his ministry. He wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. There are many, many more in the Scriptures.

To finish what God gives us to do takes hard work, perseverance, and faith. Often there are struggles, difficulties, challenges, and opposition. The Lord will give us strength to complete what we start. The Christian life is often referred to as a race, not a sprint but a marathon. It is also a war that we fight against the devil and his demons. He wants us to give every ounce of devotion to His service. There is no room for quitting, giving up, or giving in.

The Lord will not take us home to glory before our work for Him on earth is done. The great thing about Christian service is that each one of us must do our part. It may seem like we have a small part, but it is vital in the church. Let us finish it in His strength and for His glory. We are responsible for doing the work, God is responsible for the results.

Have a blessed day in the service of the Lord. May we be good workers and good finishers. Stay safe and healthy.

Finishing the work God has given us to do,

Dean

-March 26. 2023-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. “

(1 Corinthians 15:45-46).

There are two Adams: the first man that God created, through whom and sin and death came upon him and thus the whole human race; and Christ, the last Adam, through whom life and righteousness came to all who believe in Him. These two Adams represent what we call the two federal heads of the human race.

We are all born through Adam bearing his sinful image. Through Adam we became sinners by nature and by practice. Adam was a man of dust and his body, like our’s, will return to dust. Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Paul also wrote, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Adam surely was to blame, but we can’t excuse ourselves for our sins. The wages of sin is death and we are all guilty. Paul describes what we were in Adam and how sin and death affected our lives in Ephesians 2:1-3, “And you He made alive, who were dead in our trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. We were in a real mess.

But thanks be to God for Christ, the last Adam, who was born into this world as God manifested in the flesh, yet without sin. He died in our place, for our sins, and through the new birth we now have His life and righteousness. Death, sin, and devil were defeated at the cross. He died, was buried, and rose again. Just as we bore the image of the first Adam, we now bear the image of the last Adam. Romans 5:15-16 tells us, “But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came through one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came through many offenses resulted in justification.”

Christ is now our federal head, the Head of the church, the body of Christ. We are now in Christ, freely forgiven of our sins and possessors of eternal life and salvation. We have the new nature and all the fruit of the Spirit and all spiritual blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us thank and praise Him today that He is the last Adam. Through the first Adam paradise was lost, through the last Adam paradise was gained and given to us. Let us praise and worship our Lord today and forever.

Have a glorious Lord’s Day remembering the Lord Jesus and what He has done for us. Stay safe and healthy,

Living for Christ our last Adam,

Dean

-March 25, 2023-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

(Romans 5:5).

We all make plans and look forward to them happening, but sometimes God changes the plan. We should not be disappointed, because has He has another plan, a better plan. Only the Lord change a disappointment into His appointment. We don’t like changes, but God knows best. We should not be disappointed, but accept what He allows, adapt to it, and be appreciative of it. When we take off the ‘dis,’ and replace it with ‘His,’ we find rest and peace.

The word disappoint is defined as, “Something or someone that is not what you were hoping it would be.” It usually comes when expectations are running high and our circumstances don’t measure up to them. It can also occur when we praying for something not to happen and instead it does come to pass. Men of God such as Joseph, David, and Paul all experienced disappointment when their plans were changed. It is not if disappointments will come, but how we handle then when they do.

Joseph’s dreams seemed shattered several times. His brothers sold him into slavery. Then while serving and prospering in Potiphar’s house, Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of assaulting her. Then he was thrown into prison where again God blessed and prospered him. After successfully interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and chief baker, the cupbearer forgot him and he stayed in the prison for two more years, before being called upon to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. Then Pharaoh made him the prime minister and the rest is history. His dreams were fulfilled. He later told His brothers, who feared after their father’s death that he would seek revenge on them, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” He saw how God worked in his life for the good, to bring about good, for the greater good.

David planned to build the temple but because he was a man of war who had shed much blood, this great task and blessing would go to his son Solomon instead. David didn’t sulk and complain, but instead made all the provisions before he died and instructed Solomon how to build it. Solomon said in 1 Kings 8:17-18, “Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.” When we plan to do something for God and can’t, He counts it to us as having done it. I got sick and can’t be at church tomorrow to sing in our Worship Team and open the meetings and do all my ministries and go out to lunch with family and friends. At first I was really disappointed but I recognized that God has a purpose in this and he will credit me for having in my heart to do it.

God changed Paul’s plans. Twice the Lord in Acts 16:6-10, Paul was forbidden and not permitted to preach the Word in Asia and Bithynia respectively, instead God gave him a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and pleading for him to, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” He concluded that God called him go there instead and preach the gospel.

May we realize that God’s will is the best thing for us. He will cause all things to work together for good as it says in Romans 8:28. God will turn our disappointments into His appointments. We may not find out until we get to heavens why things happened as they did. Let us trust in the Lord who knows best and thank Him. It is so assuring, comforting, and encouraging.

May a blessed day even when God changes our plans. Stay safe and healthy.

Resting in the sovereign will of God,

Dean

-March 24, 2023-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

(Hebrews 13:8).

Today’s verse is one of the most encouraging in the Scriptures. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. From eternity past through eternity future, He is always the same. Every prophesy, promise, and precept in the Bible points to Him. He is our Creator, Lord, King, Redeemer, and Savior. He Alpha and Omega, the Ancient of Days, the Almighty, the Son of David and so much more.

In the OT, Jesus appeared as the Angel of the Lord on numerous occasions. He came to Joshua as the the Commander of the army of the Lord. Joshua 5:13 says, “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, ‘Are you for us or for our adversaries?’ So He said, ‘No, but as the Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’ Joshua recognized Him as God appearing to him and fell on his face before Him and worshipped. The Commander of the army of the Lord told him,”Take your sandal off your foot, for the place you are standing is holy.” (See Joshua 5:13-15).

Our Savior was born into this world and died on the cross and rose again. He appeared to the apostles, to over 500 men, and later to the Apostle Paul; He then appeared to John, giving him the Revelation. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never leaves or forsakes us. We can face whatever comes today and tomorrow because He lives. He is our Great High Priest who intercedes for us and strengthens us. He is faithful in all things at all times. We can fully rely on Him for everything.

There is a wonderful hymn, entitled, “Yesterday, Today, Forever,” that was written by Jack Wyrtzen. It says, “Yesterday He died for me, yesterday He died for me, yesterday, He died for me, died for me — This is history. Today He lives for me, today, today, today He lives for me, today He lives for me, lives for me — This is victory. Tomorrow He comes for me, He comes, tomorrow He comes for me, He comes, tomorrow He comes for me, comes for me, comes for me — This is mystery. O friend, do you know Him? know Him? know Him? O friend do you know Him? do you know Him? do you known Him? Jesus Christ the Lord, Jesus Christ the Lord, Jesus Christ the Lord.”

What a great question, “Do you know Him?” Through repentance, confession, faith, and acceptance of Him into our hearts we are born again. He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. He will never change. Let us trust Him today and tomorrow and for all our lives. We know that He is with us; and He will be until the end of the age. We will be with Him in heaven forever.

Have a blessed day with Christ Jesus our Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

With our past secured, and our future procured, there is nothing in our present that can’t be endured,

Dean

-March 23, 2023-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22).

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).

The challenge for us as believers is to keep ourselves pure in a impure world. This is no easy matter, for we surrounded by sin, evil, wickedness, and temptation. We can only succeed by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist asked and answered the question, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word” (Psalm 119:9).

From movies to TV, to the internet, to books, and magazines, sin abounds everywhere. When we get saved we are made holy through the blood of Christ. Now we must pure lives. People watch and hear us everyday. They wait to see Christians fall or fail, then pounce on us with consternation. We aren’t perfect, but with the Lord’s help, we should strive to be separated from the world and set apart for the Lord.

Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount gave us the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. He pronounces a blessing on those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, on the meek, on the merciful, on the pure in heart, on the peacemakers, and on those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Purity of heart and mind is like uploading a new file and deleting an old one. When we pray and fill our minds and hearts with the Word of God we become more like Christ. In days gone by there used to be a sect called Puritans. Their goal was to live pure lives based on God’s Word.

The special blessing for being pure in heart is to see God, not only when we get to heaven, but also now in this life. John wrote in 1 John 2:2-3, “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

Let us then keep ourselves pure as our Savior is pure. May we become more and more like Jesus in our thoughts, desires, motives, actions, and words. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Striving to be pure in all things,

Dean