Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-January 11, 2023-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”

(Matthew 10:16).

One great part of Jesus’ mission when He came into the world was to call disciples and equip them to follow Him and serve Him in this world. It is a huge responsibility for us to represent Him here on earth, preach and share the gospel, and to testify of His saving grace. Our Lord and Savior knowing this spent so much time in prayer for His disciples both in choosing them, calling them, teaching them, and being an example to them.

In this passage in Matthew 10:5-42, Jesus instructs the disciples how they should live and serve in a world that needs Him, but rejects Him. A disciple cannot be expected to be treated any differently than his master. Jesus said in John 15:18-20, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world love its own. Yet because you are not of the this world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” Being a disciple is both challenging and rewarding. Our rewards will come in eternity, though we are so blessed now on earth in living for Christ and serving Him.

Just as Jesus sent out the Twelve, He also sent out the Seventy. Our Lord prepared them for what was to come. He didn’t sugarcoat anything. He told them, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.” Sheep have no chance of survival apart from the care and protection of the shepherd. The Lord says that we should be both wise and innocent in this world. We live in the world but we are not of this world. We are citizens of earth but more importantly we are citizens of heaven. We should never comfortable in this world of sin and inquiry.

The Lord Jesus gives two contrasting traits we will need to be victorious and successful: wisdom and innocence. To be wise as serpents means to be constantly on our guard, to watch our back. Our eyes and ears should be wide open; we must be very careful who we trust, weigh what people say against what they do, test everything based on the Word of God, and have wisdom and insight. I think of that old saying, “Take it with a grain of salt.” That means that not everything someone says, or writes, or posts on the internet is true. A serpent is very smart, cunning, and careful, and we should be also. We should never be gullible.

Not only should we be wise as serpents, but also innocent as doves. This refers to how we treat others and speak to them. Being harmless or innocent means to live as Christ lived and to speak as He spoke. Our Savior taught us to love others, forgive as God has forgiven us, to turn the other cheek when wronged, and to go the second mile. It is better to suffer a loss than to lose our testimony before others.

Let us always be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Doves are white, symbolizing righteousness, purity, and peace. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Living for and like Jesus in this world,

Dean

-January 10, 2023-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“And the Lord said, ‘Here is a place by Me; and you shall stand on the rock.’”

(Exodus 33:21).

More than anything in the world Moses wanted to see God. The problem is looking directly at God could be deadly just like looking directly into the sun. We have same issue still today because we are still in our mortal bodies and are still sinners, but sinners saved by grace. God did make a way for mankind when He sent His only begotten Son to be born into the world as God manifested in the flesh. For Moses it was the greatest day of his life. God put him the cleft of the rock as He passed by. Moses saw His back but not His face.

The Lord is our Rock. There is a rock formation that stands in the water at Morro Bay in California. It is huge and stands some 576 feet. My family and friends spent many summer vacations in the nearby city of San Luis Obispo. We took the short drive to Morro Bay to a restaurant right on the water, and would see this massive rock each time. It served to remind us that Jesus is our Rock. When Joshua and the army of Israel was attacked by the Amalekites in the wilderness, Moses stood on the rock and when he raised his hands heavenward, Israel prevailed, but when his hands got tired and he lowered them, Amalek would prevail. So Aaron and Hur stood with him on the rock, holding up his hands until Joshua and the army of Israel won the victory.

When we hold each other up in prayer, God gives us the victory. No victory is possible in our own strength. David wrote in Psalm 61:2, “From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” There are times when the enemy attacks us, our circumstances seem unbearable, and we don’t know what to do: Jesus is our Rock that is higher than us. He is our shelter in the time of storm, our Rock of Ages.

There is a beautiful hymn entitled, “A Shelter In the Time of Storm.” It says, “The Lord’s our rock, in Him we hide, a shelter in the time of storm; Secure whatever ill betide, a shelter in the time of storm. A shade by day, defense by night, a shelter in the time of storm. No fears alarm, no fears affright, a shelter in the time of storm. The raging storms may ‘round us beat, a shelter in the time of storm; We’ll never leave our safe retreat, a shelter in the time of storm. O Rock divine, O Refuge dear, a shelter in the time of storm; Be Thou our Helper ever near, a shelter in the time of storm.” The chorus says, “O Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a weary land, a weary land; O Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a shelter in the in the time of storm.”

We all go through storms, some spiritual, some physical, some mental, some emotional, and some financial; let us stand on our Rock, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. He will see us through and never fail us. Another hymn says, “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

Have blessed day standing on Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

Resting and relying on the Rock,

Dean

-January 9, 2023-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends.”

(Job 42:10).

Job experienced great adversity, pain, and hardship. His three friends who came to comfort him were burdened for him and sat with him seven days before saying a word to him. Then each began speaking to him with words of blame instead of comfort. They, like Job, his wife, and everyone else weren’t privy to what was going on behind the scenes and how the devil was behind all Job’s calamities. God allowed all his trials to teach him valuable lessons on suffering. Job defended his integrity to the end, and in the end God had the last word. He dealt appropriately with Job and his three friends

God made it crystal clear that these friends were in the wrong and and Job was to pray for them. The moment that he did, God restored all of Job’s losses when he prayed for them. Intercession is an aspect of prayer that is beneficial to those who are being interceded for and for those who do the interceding. The word intercession means, “the act of intervening on behalf of another.” The Lord Jesus interceded on our behalf on the cross and He lives to make intercession for us to the Father. The Holy Spirit also intercedes for us as we pray for we do not know what to ask for. He turns our prayers into beautiful petitions that are like fragrant perfume, which in Scripture are called the prayers of the saints.

Intercession is a great privilege and awesome responsibility. Job prayed for his friends and God forgave them and richly blessed him. His end was better than his beginning. The Lord gave him back twice as much as he had before. He lived another 140 years and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. When he died he was old and full of days. There are two other great examples of intercessory prayer warriors in the Bible: Abraham and Moses. They stand out among the many in God’s Word.

• Abraham – The Lord showed him that He was going to come down to see the great wickedness in Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities in that region. Abraham loved his nephew Lot who was living there, and interceded for the city and Lot and his family. Abraham began by asking God not to destroy the city of Sodom if there were 50 righteous people in it, then if there were 45, then 40, then 30, then 20, and finally if there were 10. There were not even 10 there, but God sent two angels to get Lot and his family out before He sent fire and brimstone on the city, destroying it and all its people. This is found in Genesis 18:23-33.

• Moses – God was greatly displeased with the murmuring, complaining, rebellion, and disobedience of the Israelites in the wilderness. He told Moses that He would destroy them all and start a new people through him. Moses interceded on their behalf and God relented and spared them. His wonderful intercession is found in Numbers 14:11-21. God did wait until all those who left Egypt died before taking their children into Promised Land. The only two exceptions were Caleb and Joshua.

God hears and answers our intercessory prayers for our family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, governing authorities, church family members, spiritual leaders, and others. Let us recommit ourselves to interceding on behalf of others with the same fervor and sense of urgency that we pray for ourselves. When a Sunday School teacher asked the question to his class, “What is intercession?” One of the children aptly replied, “Speaking a word to God for us, sir”

Have a blessed day in intercession. Stay safe and healthy.

Speaking to God on behalf of others,

Dean

-January 8, 2023-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“Speak to the children Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined” (Numbers 15:38-39).

“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters” (Psalm 23:2).

Today we are considering two beautiful colors: blue and green. Both of them offer us significant lessons and symbolism. They are both found throughout the Scriptures, especially in the OT. God gave some people green eyes, and some blue, although many more have brown eyes.

• Blue – The color blue is known as the heavenly color. The robe of ephod worn by the high priest was made of blue. Exodus 39:22 tells us, “He made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.” Even the breastplate was artistically made with gold, purple, blue, and scarlet thread. There are those who suggest that blue symbolizes God, service to God, godly living, royalty, and riches.

Since blue represents so many wonderful things, it should serve to remind us why God left us here to live for Him and for heaven. The Israelites were told to make blue tassels to remind them and their children to keep God’s commandments always and to help them avoid false gods and the evil ways of the world. Blue comes in so many shades. The blue sapphire is one of the most beautiful gems on earth.

• Green – The color green represents God’s creation, freshness, newness, and vitality. Herbs, plants, trees, and grass are all green. Like the blue sapphire, jade is a wonderful green. Many rings are set with a jade stone. David speaks of the green pastures that we as God’s sheep feed on. It is a very serene and peaceful picture of the rest we have in Christ. In Scripture we are likened to trees flourishing beside the rivers of God’s grace.

Green is thus a color of growth in the Lord. in Psalm 52:8 the Psalmist David wrote, “I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.” Not only is the olive tree green but so is its fruit. It should be our desire to grow more and more this year and to stay green and healthy.

Let us then learn the lessons from the colors of blue and green. May we honor the Lord, think about heaven, and live for the Lord and serve Him. Oh that we make grow and make great progress this year. Red, scarlet, white are so encouraging. There are several other colors but I challenge you to study them on your own: black, purple, amber, gray, and turquoise. You will be blessed.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day and week, Stay safe and healthy. I hope you enjoyed the colors.

Looking to Jesus and following Him,

Dean

-January 7, 2023-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’”

(Isaiah 1:18).

In our first lesson yesterday we saw how God loves colors in our races, in the rainbow, and in all living things. Colors play such a vital part in our lives. God created a beautiful world but also a colorful one. I am sure that heaven will be even more beautiful and colorful. Today’s verse actually has four colors in it: scarlet, white, red, and crimson.

• Scarlet and Crimson – The color scarlet is a very deep red, and crimson is even a darker red. We all know what happens when you spill wine, grape juice or blood on a piece of clothing. It just won’t come out, so we discard it. Our sins were as scarlet and crimson. There was no hope for us. We were born in sin and conceived in iniquity. We were thus sinners by position and by practice. We were separated from God, dead in our trespasses and sins, without God and without hope in this world. We were lost and dead spiritually. Jesus came down and shed His precious blood to save from our sins.

One of my favorite hymns is entitled, “Nothing But the Blood” by Robert Lowry. It says, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. For my pardon this I see — Nothing but the blood of Jesus. For my cleansing this my plea — Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Nothing can for sin atone — Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Naught of good that I have done — Nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my hope and peace — Nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my righteousness — Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” The chorus says, “O! Precious is the flow that makes white as snow; No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Satan and all his wicked demons hate the blood of Christ because it completely defeats them. All our sins, past, present, and future are all under the blood.

• White – White is the most beautiful color when it is unspotted, unsoiled, uncontaminated. Jesus washed us white as snow. White in the Bible speaks of righteousness, holiness, and purity. When God sees us now, He sees us through His Son Jesus Christ. We are cleansed from our sins and clothed in the righteousness of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” We also read in Ephesians 5:26-27, “That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. How great is that?

On the Mount of Transfiguration Jesus glory shone through to Peter, James, and John. Both Moses and Elijah were also present. Jesus’ garments shone like the sun and became as white as light. Revelation 1:14 tells us, “His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like a flame of fire.” One day we will go to heaven and see Him, and we will be dressed in white robes of righteousness.

Let us thank God for the blood of Jesus and His righteousness. These two colors, red and white are the most prominent in all Christianity. They serve to remind us what we have in Christ now and for all eternity. Have a blessed and colorful day. Stay safe and healthy.

Cleansed by His blood, and dressed in white robes of righteousness,

Dean