Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-December 22, 2022-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“…Which He promised before through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and to be declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”

(Romans 1:2-4).

Jesus was born of Mary who was in the line of Christ. There are two genealogies of our Savior in the gospels: Luke traces our Savior through Mary (Luke 3:23-38); Matthew 1:1-17, traces the lineage of Christ through Joseph. A biblical scholar wrote, “Matthew is following the line of Joseph (Jesus’ legal father), through David’s son Solomon, while Luke is following the line of Mary (Jesus’ blood relative), through David’s son Nathan. Since there is no specific Koine Greek word for ‘son-in-law,’ Joseph was called the “son of Heli’ by marriage to Mary, Heli’s daughter. Through either Mary’s or Joseph’s line, Jesus is a descendant of David and therefore eligible to be Messiah. Tracing a genealogy through the mother’s side is unusual, but so was the virgin birth. Luke’s explanation is that Jesus was the son of Joseph, ‘so it was thought.’”

Normally most readers either skip over or skim through the genealogies of Christ and other genealogies in the Bible. But there is a real excitement in tracing Jesus’ roots. He is the Seed of David. Paul wrote, “Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel” (2 Timothy 2:8). This is exactly what we do every Christmas, and should do all year round. It is so encouraging.

God promised David that he would always have an heir to sit on his throne forever. Jesus is the Son of David and fulfilled every Scripture in the Bible. He is Lord, my Lord and your Lord. He didn’t stay a baby but grew up, served the Father and did His will. He died for us on the cross and rose again. Let consider and remember Him in every thought, word, and deed, for He is King indeed. May we honor, obey, and serve Him all our lives.

Have a blessed day as you ready yourselves for Christmas. Stay safe and healthy.

Giving glory to Jesus the Son of David,

Dean

-December 21, 2022-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?’ For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him’” (Matthew 2:1-2).

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:10-11).

The story of the wise men or Magi is such a blessing. It is found in Matthew 2:1-11. We have so many questions: who were these men? What was their background and profession? Where exactly were they from in the East? How many wise men were there? What were their names? What is the significance of their three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh?

The Bible does not tell us, and we won’t know until we get to heaven. There are many interpretations and traditions. Tradition has it that these men were three, their names in the Latin were: Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchior; the names in Hebrew were Galalath, Malgalat, and Sarachin. They traveled many miles on camels, but have actually rode on Arabian stallions. They were likely astrologers and or kings. They were men of great stature and prominence.

What we do know is that these wise men followed a special star in search of the newborn King of the Jews. They came to worship Him, opening their treasures and presenting to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They came a long way to give the best their country and they had to offer. By the time of their arrival Jesus was likely about two years old.

• Gold – God is one of most precious commodities in the world, even to this day. It is always associated with kings and other royalty. In this case, gold is symbolic of deity. Jesus was and is God. He now sits at the right hand of the majesty on high and rules in heaven and one day will reign over all the world forever. Titus 2:13 says, “Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”’ He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

• Frankincense – Frankincense is a white resin or gum. It is obtained from a tree by making incisions in the bark allowing the gum to flow out. It is highly fragrant when burned and was used in worship. It was used in the OT sacrifices. It was also a symbol of holiness and righteousness. By offering it to Jesus in worship it pointed to His perfect character and His sacrifice for us on the cross for our sins.

• Myrrh – Myrrh was a product of Arabia, and was also obtained from a tree in the manner of frankincense. It symbolizes bitterness, suffering, affliction, and pain. It pointed to Jesus’ willingness to suffer on the cross, bearing our sins, enduring the spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional pain as our Substitute and Savior.

These three gifts are so wonderful. It was because of the gifts of the wise men that we have the tradition of gift giving at Christmas. God gave His only begotten Son as an indescribable gift to us. Now we can worship Him at Christmas and every day of our lives. We should give Him our three gifts: worship, praise, and thanksgiving. The world misses the true meaning of Christmas.

Have a blessed and Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with our family, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ. Stay safe and healthy.

To Christ our King, we sing, giving Him thanks for everything,

Dean

-December 20, 2022-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

“And Joseph and Mary His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him” (Luke 2:33).

Mary and Joseph experienced one of greatest miracles in the history of mankind. The things they saw and heard about Jesus were so amazing it caused them to marvel. God does miracles even today. We should never be surprised by what God has done, is doing, and will do for us. It made Mary pause to ponder the things shared by the shepherds and by Simeon about Jesus and what would happen to her. A sword would pierce through her own soul when in thirty three years our Savior would be crucified on the cross.

The word ponder is defined by dictionary.com as “to consider something deeply and thoroughly; meditate often followed by over or upon.” This is exactly what Mary did. She took the things she heard about her Son to heart and treasured them there. It made a huge impact on her life. If God could do this miracle in the birth of Jesus, He could do anything. The same is true of us. If God could save us from our sins, He can do anything. He is a God of the impossible, improbable, and the incredible. The angel Gabriel told Mary, “For with God nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37).

When we take the time to ponder what God has done, we are reminded of His faithfulness; when ponder what He is doing, we are strengthened in whatever we are going through; and when we ponder what God is going to do for us in the future, we have such hope. There is a great hymn the Lord brought to my mind entitled, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.” The third verse says, “Praise to the Lord, who doth proper thy work and defend thee; Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee. Ponder a new what the Almighty can do, if with His love He befriend thee.”

Proverbs 4:26 says, “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.” When we treasure the Word of God in our hearts, it will affect us in countless ways. In Mary’s case, it happened years later when at a wedding in Cana of Galilee, where she, Jesus, and His disciples were in attendance. She knew in her heart what Jesus could do. She found out that they ran out of wine, a disaster at a Jewish wedding celebration. She Jesus told Jesus about it and He turned water into wine, the best wine. Only Jesus can take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. Wine is a symbol of joy. He turns our sorrow into joy. It was the first miraculous sign that Jesus did in Galilee where He manifested His glory. The incident is found in John 2:1-11. We will never run of joy when Jesus is in our hearts.

When we spend more time pondering, we will be less likely to find ourselves floundering. Have a blessed day meditating on the Lord and His ways. Stay safe and healthy.

Pondering anew what the Almighty can do,

Dean

-December 19, 2022-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger (Luke 2:15-16).

“Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds” (Luke 2:17-18).

The shepherds were great witnesses to the birth of the Christ Child, but they were not by far the not only ones we could call to the witness stand to tell what they saw and heard. They were though the most compelling. In court the more eyewitness and expert testimony an attorney can present to the jury the better. Their testimony must hold up under cross-examination. Today you are the jury and I will call many witnesses before you for your consideration.

1. The shepherds– Please tell us what happened that night. “We were out in the fields watching over our sheep when all of the sudden angels appeared to us. The glory of the Lord shone all around us. We were terrified. An angel told us that a Child was born in the city of David who is Christ the Lord. Then they really amazed us that He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and was lying in a manger. Then a multitude of other angels appeared praising God. We rushed to Bethlehem, found the inn, and sure enough Mary, Joseph, and the Babe lying in the manger. We spread the news far and wide to everyone we could.

2. The innkeeper – Please tell us what you know. “I have been the innkeeper for years, and have never seen our little town of Bethlehem so crowded. People flocked in from all over all Israel to be counted in a census that was ordered by Caesar Augustus. Each person had to be counted in the city of their birth. I had no vacancies in my little inn nor were there in homes in their area left for visitors to stay in. This young couple Mary and Joseph arrived and I had to give them the bad news. They were so disappointed and sad. She was pregnant and about to give birth. I felt horrible so I offered the only thing I had: my manger. There were animals there and it smelled pretty bad, but at least it was a dry, safe place. place. I heard her screams and went out a saw that she gave birth to baby boy. I was so proud and happy. I felt like a god parent.”

3. Simeon – Please tell us what you saw. “I was in the temple when all of the sudden a young couple brought in their eight day old Son in to have Him circumcised in accordance with the law of Moses. I knew right then he was the Messiah I had long waited for. God had promised me that I would not die until I had seen the Lord’s Christ. I was pretty old, but I knew God would fulfill His promise, and He sure did.” I praised Him and told Him I was ready to die now.”

4. Anna the prophetess – Please tell us what you saw. “I am a widow of 84 years old. My husband died young after we had been married just 7 years. I dedicated myself fully to the Lord. I never left the temple but dedicated myself to God with fastings and prayers night and day. At the very instant I came in I gave thanks to the Lord for I saw the baby Jesus with my own eyes. He was so beautiful and I could see the glory of God in His tiny face.”

5. The wisemen from the East – Please tell us your experience. “We were in our country far away from Israel. Suddenly a very unique star appeared in the night sky. We had to follow that star. We sensed that someone great had been born the King of the Jews. We asked Herod when we arrived after a very long arduous journey where the King of the Jews was born. He consulted his spiritual advisors who told him according to the prophet Micah the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. He told us to make careful search for the Child and bring him word so he could come and worship Him also. We followed the same star to Bethlehem and found the Child with Mary His mother. We fell down and worshiped Him. We opened the gifts we brought with us of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We were so happy. God warned us not to return to Herod but to take another path back to our country.” We too had great news to share back home. “

5. King Herod – I request that this witness be treated as a hostile witness. King Herod, please tell what you experienced. “I was furious with the men from the East who tricked me. They never came back to me. I ordered the execution of all the baby boys in and around Bethlehem two years old and under. I was certain this Christ Child would be no threat to my rule. I didn’t care who had to die. I never thought He would live.”

Now members of the jury you must decide for yourselves, what is your verdict? Is Jesus the Messiah? Do you believe in Him? Is He your Lord and Savior who later was crucified and rose again? My next case will be for the Resurrection of Christ. I have already compiled my list of witnesses.

Have a blessed day and Christmas Day. Jesus is the reason for the season. We still celebrate His birth after over two thousand years. Stay safe and heathy.

In adoration of His holy birth,

Dean

-December 18, 2022-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’”

(Luke 2:13-14).

This year Christmas falls on a Sunday, the Lord’s Day. At our church we are gathering to break bread as usual, then we will go home early to be with our families and friends. It will be a special day for us. Tomorrow, we have full services and will have our Christmas celebration with a Christmas sermon by our senior pastor, and three Christmas hymns performed by our Worship Team. Our pastor’s son is our leader and he will share a little about each of hymn writers. It will be a great blessing. I am blessed and privileged to be one of the singers.

As good as our voices and instruments may sound it will never compare to the angels. Angels are known for their beautiful voices with wonderful songs. It is interesting that none of the angels are named, not even their leader who announced the birth of Christ our King. Most times in the Bible one angel, named or unnamed appeared to a person or persons. There a very few exceptions. But here God sent a multitude of angels. It was a great privilege for them to be specially chosen for this special occasion. They spontaneously began singing praise to God. They sang of peace and goodwill toward men. That blessing is pronounced on the whole world, including us today. Immediately after their last song, they disappeared and went back to heaven, to their home base. They sought no glory, applause, or acclaim for themselves but praised God and gave Him all the glory.

What a lesson we can learn from these angels. They knew their place, performed their mission, so graciously and wonderfully. May the Lord help us to serve Him faithfully and give all the thanks, praise, worship, and glory! God has given us a voice to speak and sing with, hands, arms, legs, and feet to serve Him, and hearts to love and adore Him. Gloria Gaither wrote in one of the modern hymns, “Glory in the highest, glory to His name! Joy has come into our lives, we’ll never be the same. Glory in the highest! Worthy is our King! Come let us adore Him, and give Him everything.”

Have blessed Lord’s Day and upcoming Christmas Day. Stay safe and healthy.

Praising God and giving Him all the glory for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dean