Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-December 17, 2022-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which is for all the people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be the sign to you: you will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, and lying in a manger.”

(Luke 2:8-12).

These shepherds were privileged to be the first ones to hear of the news of Jesus’ birth. God’s highly regarded these shepherds. Jesus Himself said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” We can see why God so highly regarded the shepherds. Last night, one of our elders shared the background on these shepherds based on the Mishnah, the oral traditions of the Jews. They were no ordinary shepherds; they were actually priests who took care of the sheep before they were sacrificed on Passover. They made sure that each one was safe, well cared for, and most of all were without blemish. Normal shepherds lived and cared for their sheep in the wilderness, but these particular shepherds were near Bethlehem. They had a special tower that was very tall, and watched over their sheep day and night. They still did the dirty and hard work of being shepherds. They were not poor, but had sufficient funds, and they were not lowly, even though others in their profession were. And the swaddling cloths were very soft used on these special sheep. We do not know exactly how they got them to wrap Jesus in.

What a scene! An angel appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Christ. The profession of shepherding was important, but it was considered a lowly job. They worked long hours with little pay, all through the night in dark, cold temperatures. Not only that but they cared for sheep, many of which went astray. With all of that the shepherds loved what they did, and they really loved the sheep.

As the late Paul Harvey always said, “Now you know the rest of the story.” And what a story it is! These shepherds hurried off to Bethlehem and saw with own eyes the newborn King, Christ the Lord lying in the manger, a feeding troth for animals, along with Mary and Joseph. It was just as the angel of the Lord told them and they made known the wonderful things they saw and heard. They were in essence the first evangelists for our Savior, the Lord Jesus.

Let us proclaim Jesus to everyone and rejoice in our Savior’s birth, life, death, and resurrection. It is truly “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” The hymn writer Nahum Tate wrote, “While shepherds watched their flocks by night, all seated on the ground, the angel of the Lord came down, and glory shone around, and glory shone around.”

Have blessed and wonderful Christmas. Stay safe and healthy.

Bowing in awe before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and proclaiming Him,

Dean

-December 16, 2022-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“And she brought forth her first born Son, and wrapped Him swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was there was no room for them in the inn.”

(Luke 2:7).

The Holy Spirit chooses the words of Scripture very carefully, leading men to write them as God wanted them to be. He has a purpose for every word in every book, in every chapter in both the old and new testaments of the Bible. Thus all Scripture comes by the inspiration of God.

2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” The best definition of the word inspiration is found on the website gotquestions.com, which says, “In the context of the Scriptures, the word ‘inspiration’ simply means ‘God-breathed.’ Inspiration’ means the Bible truly is the word of God and makes the Bible unique among all other books.”’

In this glorious portion on the birth of Christ in Luke 2:1-7, the word “because” is used twice. Verses 4 and 5 say, “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary his betrothed wife, who was with child. verse 7 says, “And she brought forth her first born Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” It has been said the Jesus was born in a borrowed manger, died on a borrowed cross, and was buried in a borrowed tomb.

The word “because” is a very important and appropriate word used here. It is defined as, “the reason that, or since.” God had a definite reason for choosing a manger for His Son to be born in. A manger is simply a feeding troth for animals with all the sights and smells of the animals. It was a lowly place for the Son of God to be born in. God arranged the circumstances for it to happen just this way. There are many times in our lives where God does the same thing for us. Maybe we are running late, or our flight gets cancelled, or we get delayed or interrupted in some other way. We shouldn’t get upset or frustrated, but take everything from the Lord as part of His will and plan for us. We may not know until we get to heaven why things worked out the way they did. Let us leave the reasons and the seasons in God’s hands.

When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, after such a long journey there was no room for them in the inn. Crowds of people flocked to Bethlehem to be counted in the census decreed by Caesar Augustus. God directed him to do it at just the right time. It is important that the inn was full and the innkeeper offered them his manger. It is significant that there was no room for Jesus. Many people have no room for Jesus in their hearts and lives today. They have room for other people and other things, but not the Son of God.

There is room for work, business, politics, sports, family, friends, hobbies, and a host of things, but not for Jesus. In the last many years Jesus has been squeezed out of Christmas and replaced by Santa Claus and many other festivities, so much so that many don’t even know the true meaning of Christmas. Do you have room for Jesus in your heart, not only at Christmas but all through the year?

The unknown hymn writer wrote, “Have you any room for Jesus, He who bore your load of sin? As He knocks and asks admission, will you ever let Him in? Room for pleasure, room for business—but, for Christ the crucified, not a place that He can enter, in the heart for which He died?” Christ will not seek admission without our permission. He has given every person a free will, so He patiently wants for us to open our hearts to Him to be our Lord and Savior.

Have a blessed day and Christmas season with Jesus as the center and focus. Stay safe and healthy.

Giving Jesus first place,

Dean

-December 15, 2022-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”

(Matthew 9:35-36).

We have looked at why Jesus came, now let us think about would this world we like if He had not come. It is not a pleasant thought for world and for every person in it. How different life would be when we woke up this morning. In the famous movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the main character played by Jimmy Stewart was so down and discouraged, and saw no reason to live. So many bad things had happened to him. God sent an angel to show him what life would be like without him.

Sometimes this happens to us, when have a serious of losses, reversals, tragedies, mistakes, and or failures. All these happened to Job, but God turned things around in the end, and his beginning was better than his ending. Only God can save and restore, reconcile, and redeem; but none of those things would have happened if Jesus had not come. Everything would be as it was, and we would be the worse for it. We would not be any different than those who are lost. We would be just like lost lost sheep without a shepherd, with no direction, no purpose, no spiritual life, hope, peace, forgiveness, or joy. We would still be separated from God.

There would be no one to teach us, preach the gospel to us, and we would be sick and diseased. There would be no peace on earth or goodwill to men. There would be no Christmas and no Easter if Jesus had not come. It is such a sad, depressing thought! We would have nothing to live for and when we died, only hell would be in our future for all eternity.

John the Baptist would not have burst onto the scene to announce Jesus as the Lamb of God. After John was imprisoned by Herod for marrying Herodias and committing adultery, he sin, he sent some of his disciples to Jesus to find out if He was really the promised Messiah. He told them to take word back to John His message, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” (Matthew 11:5-6).

What comfort and encouragement John must have felt deep in his soul. His life, sacrifice, and commitment had purpose and was worthwhile. Jesus was the Messiah and brought light and life to this dark, sinful world. Jesus fulfilled all the prophesies of the Messiah. John as the forerunner of Christ who pointed people to Jesus.

If Jesus was not the Messiah, He would have been an ordinary man, religious, well intended; He would have been a teacher and philosopher, like so many others. The blind would still be blind, the lame would still be lame, the lepers would still be defiled in their flesh, the deaf would still be deaf, and the poor would still be poor without the good news of the gospel. There would have been no virgin birth, no perfect life, no crucifixion, and no resurrection. Paul would still be Saul. There would be no NT. In 1 Corinthians 15:14 Paul wrote, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.” Worse yet, as he said, “For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:16-17)!

Thank God Jesus did come and we do not have think of what it would be like if He had not come. We can rejoice, give thanks to God, and worship Him. Have a blessed day and Christmas season. Stay safe and healthy.

Thankful that Jesus came to save us,

Dean

-December 14, 2022-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“When Jesus heard that, He said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance’” (Matthew 9:12-13).

“The thief does not come except to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that may have more abundantly.” John 10:10).

In Part I, we considered how Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost and to serve and give His life a ransom for many. Today, in Part II, we will look at how Jesus came to call sinners to repentance and to give us an abundant life. Both of these are essential to true life: spiritual, eternal, mental, emotional, and physical. The Lord Jesus changes our lives in salvation, and gives us a holy and godly life through sanctification.

Jesus came to give the gift of forgiveness and eternal life to those who come to Him. The renowned author and pastor Max Lucado once said, “If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.”

• Jesus came to call sinners to repentance – The Pharisees, scribes, priests, spiritual, and political leaders rejected Jesus, even though there was dramatic, overwhelming, and conclusive evidence that He was the long awaited Messiah, the Christ. They turned a blind eye, deaf ears, and a closed and hardened heart to Him. It really took more faith to reject Him than to believe in Him. The great exception was Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night and spoke to Him and listened to Him. He belived in Him and helped Joseph of Arimathea take down His body from the cross and lay it in Joseph’s garden tomb not far from Calvary.

In order for anyone to get saved they must sense their need of Jesus. Until they do, they will never be saved. Those who are well don’t go to a physician but those who are sick or injured. Jesus is the Great Physician, for He can heal the spirit, soul, and body. Every human being is a sinner by birth and by practice. Only Jesus can save, heal, and restore us. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Sin is missing the mark, like a target in archery. We not only missed bullseye, but our arrows never even hit any part of the target, let alone the center.

• Jesus came to give life, and life more abundantly – For most of us our lives were in shambles before we came to Christ. There may have been a few who were rich, successful, prosperous, and influential; but though they may have it all in the world’s eyes, they were sad, lonely, and depressed on the inside. They tried their utmost to hide it, but down deep they knew it. God created us with a heart shaped vacuum that only He could fill.

Jesus came to give us not only eternal life in heaven but an abundant life here on earth. The joy and peace He gives us is incredible, unbelievable, and rich. The Christian life is abundant not because it is easy or carefree, on the contrary we experience many of the same trials, afflictions, and troubles the unsaved face. The difference is we have the Lord Jesus with us and in us. We have the Holy Spirit to convict us, teach us, lead us, and empower us. The song writer James M. Macintosh wrote, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy down in down in my heart to stay. I’ve got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart to stay. I’ve got the love of my blessed Redeemer down in my heart to stay. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength.”

Are you living the abundant life? Or do you sense Jesus far away? If we are not walking with Him we are walking alone, trying to make it on our own. He came to us, now we have to come to Him in confession and repentance. He wants to share His life with us, and for us to share our lives with Him!

Let us thank God that He sent His only and well beloved Son to call us to repentance and give us an abundant life. Have a blessed day and Christmas season. Stay safe and healthy.

Living joyfully and peacefully in Christ,

Dean

-December 13, 2022-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost’”(Luke 19:9-10).

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

If anyone wonders why Jesus came from heaven to earth, the Scriptures spell it out clearly for us. We don’t need to speculate, or attempt to figure it out on our own, or rely on what some religious person may impart to a select few. Jesus tells us in His own words. He came to seek and to save us, and to serve and give His life on the cross for the ransom of our souls. His name means Savior, or Jehovah is salvation.

I love the words of the modern Christian song entitled, “Lord I lift Your Name on High.” The song writer Rick Doyle Founds wrote, “Lord I lift your name on high, Lord I love to sing your praises. I’m so glad you are in my life, I’m so glad you are in my life, I’m so glad you came to save us. You came from heaven to earth, to show us the way; from the earth to the cross, my debt to pay. From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, Lord I lift your name on high.”

God’s plan of salvation was devised in eternity past long before He created man and Adam and Eve sinned , bringing in sin and death. It all started in God’s heart of love, grace, and mercy. William R. Newell wrote in the fourth verse of his hymn, “At Calvary,” the familiar words to many, “O the love that drew salvation’s plan, O the grace that brought it down to man! O the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary. The chorus says, “Mercy there was great and grace was free, pardon there was multiplied to me, there my burdened soul found liberty — at Calvary.”

• To seek and to save the lost – We, like the chief tax collector Zacchaeus, were lost, we were sinners, separated from God, without God and without hope in this world. When this short man climbed that tall sycamore tree, he wanted to see Jesus. He had probably heard many wonderful things about Him: of the miracles He had performed, of the lives He had changed, and the words He had spoken. He came to Jesus and He told him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” Zacchaeus repented of his sins, and received Him as his personal Savior. His life was never the same again. Wherever there are sinners, and we are all sinners, Jesus comes to those who see their need of Him. He never turns anyone away.

• To serve and give His life a ransom for many – When a person is held by kidnappers, they often demand that a ransom be paid for their release. Jesus gave His life on the cross to set us free from sin, death, and the clutches of Satan. Jesus paid our ransom and set us free. Jesus said in John 8:36, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” Jesus was the perfect Servant, who obeyed the Father’s perfect will to give us a perfect salvation. Jesus taught us that humility and service leads to greatness in the kingdom of God.

Thank God for Jesus’ birth into this world to seek us, save us, and change our lives. Satan did his upmost to keep Him from being born and growing up to save us from our sins. God fulfilled His plan to save man. Let us come worship and adore Him, Christ the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Thankful He came for me,

Dean