Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-January 31, 2023-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’”

(Job 1:9-11).

When I was growing up we used an expression, “Teacher’s Pet.” It meant that the teacher liked and favored a certain student above the rest. He or she was well behaved and excelled academically. The other kids were jealous and envious. Job was a godly man and the Lord was proud of him. Job 1:1 describes him, “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” God used these words to Satan to point him out as His servant. He was a godly man, husband, father, and leader in his community.

Satan our adversary couldn’t take it; he had to discredit Job and thus make God look bad in the process. He asked the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He gives Job no props, no kudos for fearing God. He claims that Job only fears God because God protects him (made a hedge around him, his household, and all that he has); and blessed the work of his hands and prospered him. The challenge is now on. God allowed Satan to buffet him.

Do we fear God for nothing or do we just fear Him and honor Him when times are good, pleasant, and easy? What if we suffer, face sorrow or tragedy, persecution, great pain, or a terminal illness? Do we say, “I’m out of here. This happened in John chapter 6. There were those who were disciples, who upon hearing His strong words that one must eat of His flesh and drink of His blood, left Jesus, and walked no more with Him. He wasn’t speaking literally but figuratively and spiritually. Following Christ requires a total commitment. A true believer will follow Him no matter what.

John 6:66-68 says, “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” Satan continues his old tricks on us, but we do not fear God for nothing. Jesus is the truth and speaks the truth. Let us follow Him for who He is, not just what He has done or does for us. If we lose everything and have nothing left but Christ, we still have everything and all we need in Him.

Have a blessed day fearing the Lord and walking with Him in good times and bad. True commitment to Christ is nothing less than total commitment. Stay safe and healthy.

Fearing God at all times, with full commitment to Christ,

Dean

-January 30, 2023-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.”

(Psalm 13:6).

The sun rises each morning and sets as predictably at even tide. The earth rotates around the sun. The tides rise and fall; the amount of daily sunlight increases and decreases. But God God never changes and He never leaves us nor forsakes us. When we look back, we trace how He how has blessed us and as we look forward, we are confident of His blessings to come.

David began this psalm in a very low place. He asked the Lord four questions all beginning with the words “How long.” He asks, How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? (Psalm 13:1-2). Instead of falling apart, he falls on his knees turning to the Lord for His help. We all go through times similar to what David experienced. We feel alone and overwhelmed. Like David, we must cast ourselves upon His grace and mercy to see us through.

We may not know how long a trial will last, but we know it comes to pass not to stay. By the end of this short psalm David is once again rejoicing in the Lord. He joyously exclaimed, “I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.” His perspective changed dramatically by turning but his eyes off himself and his circumstances to the Lord and His mercy and blessings. He didn’t take a pill, nor did he see a psychiatrist, or read a self-help book; He sought the Lord. Life was again beautifully bountiful in the Lord.

The word bountiful is defined as, “large in quantity; abundant.” God deals bountifully with us. He loves us so abundantly and wants to love others the same way. When we are more thankful, we will be more positive; when we are more thankful and positive, we will be more content; and when we are more content, we will be more joyful. The Lord puts a new song in our hearts.

Let us say with David, “The Lord has dealt bountifully with me. Have a blessed, beautiful, and bountiful day in Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

Singing praise to the Lord in a major key in all times, good or bad,

Dean

-January 29, 2023-

Good morning happy, Lord’s Day,

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”

(Psalm 27:1).

If you came over to visit me in my home, you would see how many lights I have in it. I love light. It brightens everything and makes the house warmer. I just put up an outdoor solar light with a motion sensor over my garage. It comes on dimly at night and when there is motion detected, it gets very bright with LED brilliance.

In the spiritual realm we need to walk in the light of the Lord Jesus and His Word. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” David knew the Lord as his light and salvation. When the enemy closed in on him, he found the Lord to be his strength. He asked himself a great question that we should all ask ourselves today, “Of whom shall I be afraid?” It is a rhetorical question; the answer is no one and nothing when we walk with Jesus.

The Bible speaks of us as children of light, who are clothed in the armor of light and walk in the light. We can see where we are and where we are going; The light of God’s truth gives us guidance in this world of darkness. The hymn writer Phillip P. Bliss wrote, “No darkness have we who in Jesus abide— The Light of the world is Jesus; We walk-in the Light when we follow our Guide— The Light of the world is Jesus. Come to the Light, ‘tis shining for thee! Sweetly the Light has dawned upon me; Once I was blind, but now I can see— The Light of the world is Jesus.”

Let us then rejoice in Jesus our Light and follow Him. May we shine our lights before all those who are around. Proverbs 4:18 says, “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” Have a bright and blessed Lord’s Day. Stay safe and healthy my friends.

Walking in the Light of Jesus one step at a time,

Dean

-January 28, 2023-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

(2 Samuel 7:29).

David sought God’s blessing on his family: his wives, children, and his whole household. When Satan tempted him with Bathsheba, he sought to bring down David. But God forgave him for his sin. The devil then attacked his children. Though David was forgiven, he still suffered the consequences in his life and especially his children.

The same is true today. The church is made up of families. It seems that in our nation and in the church – families are under attack from the devil, the world, and the flesh. There are so many divorces, single parent households, and wayward children. So many single mothers are raising children without a father. More than ever before we need godly fathers, mothers, and children. We need families to pray and share the Word together. The old expression is so true, “Families that pray together, stay together.” What happened to the family altar?

Joshua was a strong leader of the nation but also of his family. He said in Joshua 24:15, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Children need guidance, direction, and discipline. Parents need to not only teach their children but be examples to them. The children in the world desperately seek role models. Athletes, entertainers, and other celebrities can’t compare to parents, especially godly parents.

Phillip, the evangelist and one of the seven deacons appointed by the apostles, took his responsibility of fatherhood very seriously. He and his wife raised four virgin daughters who prophesied. Phillip welcomed Paul and his companions into his home in Caesarea. He took the words of David and Joshua to heart.

There is a Christian song entitled, “The Family Prayer Song.” It says, “Staying together, praying together, any storm we can weather, trusting in God’s word. We need each other, fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers in harmony and love. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” God loves families and blesses those who seek and honor Him.

May our families be strong and united in Christ. As our families are healthy, our churches will be healthy. The key is love for one another as a family. Have a blessed Saturday serving the Lord: as families, as couples without kids, and as single folk. Stay safe and healthy.

Providing loving, godly, and supportive households,

Dean

-January 27, 2023-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11).

“Let all that you do be done with love” (1 Corinthians 16:14).

Love is the greatest attribute known to man. Only the believer in Christ can love in the way God intends it to be. God is love; God so loved the world; God sets the example of love. Of the nine fruit of the Spirit love is the top of list in Galatians 5:22-23). In the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, Paul wonderfully wrote, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophesy, and understanding all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have faith so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-4).

Love is found throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and is the best and brightest star in God’s universe. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved and reclined on His bosom said, “If God so loved us, we also ought to love another.” Love is the best motive in all that we say and do. What we do and say is great, but how we do it or say it far greater. No service for the without love will pass muster. Love helps us be a blessing to one another. We all know some people who undo the love’s laces, causing love’s shoes to fall off. Love is volitional, practical, and eternal.

• Love is volitional – Love is not just an emotion, it is an act of the will. We must choose to love others. Only Jesus taught us to love our foes as well as one’s friends; to love others as He loved us. This is why Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 16:14, “Let all that you do be done with love.” The old axiom is still true today, “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Someone once said, “People will respond better to you if you are polite than if you are rude.” We are most like Jesus when we love others as He loved and loves us.

• Love is practical – Love must always be practical and sacrificial. In describing love, Paul wrote, “Love suffers long as is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians13:4-8a). If we don’t love practically, we can’t love at all. Our love must be sincere and personal; sacrificial and deep.

• Love is eternal – Love outlives us, and lasts for all eternity. There are very few things in this world that lasts a lifetime, love on the other hand, lasts for all eternity. That is why Paul said, “Now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Once we get to heaven we won’t need faith or hope any longer, for we will be in God’s presence, but love will always be needed. When launching a space craft or satellite into space the rocket has enough fuel called propellant to boost it above the most of the Earth’s atmosphere, at just the right distance from the Earth, then it releases the satellite or spacecraft. So faith launches us, and hope propels, but then they fall away leaving love to soar through space.

Let us then love one another volitionally, practically, and eternally. The wedding vows, the ring, and the kiss each illustrate love: the vows show one’s volition to love the other person, the kiss is the seal to make it practical from this moment on, and the ring symbolizes that it is eternal, as the ring has no end. Stay safe and heathy loving others.

Loving as Jesus loves us,

Dean