Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-October 4, 2022-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and my soul knows very well.”

(Psalm 139:13-14).

When we like David pause to reflect on how God made us, we can only praise and worship Him. The human spirit, soul, and body is fearfully and wonderfully made. Only a great and loving God could do this. The human body is what David is marveling at here in Psalm 139. If you have any health concerns, you see how the whole body is connected and an issue in one part of the body affects the whole body. The psalmist begins his thoughts of his origin even while he is in his mother’s womb. The expression, “You have covered me in my mother’s womb can be rendered, “You have wove me in my mothers womb.”

Just think of your body with its cells, blood vessels, tissues, organs, muscles, joints, bones, ligaments, and tendons —everything works together like a well oiled machine. God keeps our hearts beating and our lungs breathing for seventy or more years. Even as we age, and we feel our age, it keeps right on going — just a little slower and with a few more aches and pain here and there. Mankind is God’s greatest creation. He made us from dust and gave us such an intricate body.

If one just considers the eye, the ear, the brain, and the heart; each of them is marvelous to behold. Doctors and researchers are still amazed at our bodies. We were created by a wise and loving God. We didn’t just evolve over time. We thank God for doctors even though their knowledge is so limited compared to God’s. God even made our bodies to heal themselves.

Everyday we should thank and praise God for what He has done, is doing, and will do for us. He is our helper, keeper, preserver, and deliverer. Let us marvel at how God made us and praise Him.

Have a blessed day marveling that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Stay safe and healthy.

In holy wonder at an Almighty God,

Dean

-October 3, 2022-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.”

(Proverbs 29:25).

Many verses in Proverbs contrast two opposite things. Today’s verse is an example of this. We must make a choice which one to choose. On the one hand there is the fear of man and the other is the fear of God. Our flesh always gravitates toward the former, our spirit toward the latter. We get into trouble when we base our thoughts, words, and or actions on pleasing man; we are blessed when everything is based on trusting and pleasing God.

• The fear of man brings a snare – The word snare is defined as a trap for catching birds or animals, typically one having a noose of wire or cord.” A Fowler is the person who hunts wildfowl. The devil is our enemy and he tries his utmost to trap us using the world and our sinful flesh. God doesn’t want us to be trapped but to be safe. God warned the Israelites of being snared by the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. Sadly, they didn’t heed the warning: after a time they adopted their gods and eventually God took them into captivity in Assyria and Babylon.

For us as believers today we must be on guard against wrong thinking and behavior that will hinder us and ensnare us. The fear of man comes in many forms: peer pressure, and the conformity to man’s thoughts, values, ways, attitudes, and lifestyles. The fear of man is on full display on the form of political correctness. Many are paralyzed by this condition, even among Christians. While we want to be loving, sensitive, and tolerant, we can’t compromise our beliefs. We must stand on the truth and for the truth of God’s Word. We live in a very sinful, permissive society where anything goes. We as committed Christians are often called narrow-minded and intolerant. It is easy to be snared by the fear of man.

• But whoever trusts in the Lord will be safe – By trusting in the Lord we are making the right choice. In Him there is freedom from sin and the ways of man. Our perspective is completely opposite man’s perspective. When we fear God, we seek to please and obey Him, leaving the consequences to Him. It will always be a battle, but the Lord assures us of the victory.

God wants us to be victorious and safe from man’s influences. This means we must be separated from the world and set apart for the Lord. David wrote in Psalm 56:11, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” We should be God pleasers not people pleasers!

May the Lord help us to examine our own hearts, asking the question how much does the world cloud my vision of what is right and wrong, good and evil. We must base our thoughts, words, and actions on the Bible not on man’s ways. Let’s not be snared by the devil. So many today call good evil, and evil good. The world is so broken.

Have a blessed day trusting and fearing God. It will keep us from being snared. Stay safe and healthy,

Trusting and pleasing the Lord,

Dean

-October 2, 2022-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me” (John 14:1).

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

We live in troubled times in a troubled world. There are spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and financial troubles. There are troubles that we cause and those that come from our sources. Jesus told us in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Though there are daily troubles, and we all face them, but Jesus gives us peace to overcome them. We are troubled but we can still have an untroubled heart. Twice in the our verses today He says, “Let not your heart be troubled.” His peace soothes, comforts, and strengthens our hearts under any and all circumstances. In Psalm 50:15, the Lord says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

The world will never know the peace of Jesus because they do not know Jesus. I love the bumper sticker that reads, “No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace.” It is so true. I don’t how people in the world make it without the Lord! Faith combined with prayer leads to peace, a peace which passes understanding.

Have a blessed and peace filled day with an untroubled heart. Stay safe and healthy.

Under His everlasting arms,

Dean

-October 1, 2022-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“…And a king whose troops are with him.”

(Proverbs 30:31c).

Today is the of our series on “Lessons From Creatures.” We have studied lessons from ants, rock badgers, locusts, spiders, lions, strutting roosters, and male goats. The last on in this chapter is a person, a king with his troops. There is something majestic about a king in his royal attire leading his troops into battle. Of all the kings mentioned in Scripture, David led His troops in such a great and grand way. He never lost a battle. He is a type of Christ, our King. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

It is a precious consideration of Jesus Christ our King. His kingdom is forever and we will live and reign with Him. After the Tribulation, we will return with Him. He will rule for 1,000 years on earth before the eternal state begins.

Revelation 19:11-16 says, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: King Of Kings And Lord Of Lords.”

There will be no greater King than He, and we as believers are children of the King. His kingdom and glory are forever. He is God with all power and authority. No one can thwart Him or question His authority. He is sovereign over the world and the universe. We will bow before Him, worship and praise Him. He will defeat all His foes. Jude in his epistle says by the Holy Spirit, “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.’”

Have a blessed day oh children of the King. What an association we have with Him! Stay safe and healthy.

In living for and serving our King, long live the King!

Dean

-September 30, 2022-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“A greyhound. A male goat also. And a king whose troops are with him.”

(Proverbs 30:31).

The male goats are the leaders of the flock. They are rivals with each other, always trying to gain the upper hand. Male goats have strong horns with which they can fight and defend themselves and other members of the flock. Often, two male goats will butt their horns and fight until one is vanquished and made to submit or one of them dies. It is a picture of leadership, pride, and self-reliance. Male goats are leaders not followers.

Jesus taught us to be first, we must be last; to accept the low, humble place; and be leader-servants. When we humble ourselves we will be exalted, but when we exalt ourselves we will be humbled. True strength of character is love, humility, and sacrifice for others. In the NT, we as Christians are called God’s sheep. We are never called goats.

There is a story told of two goats each trying to pass a steep mountainous trail that only one could safely pass. Neither would give an inch and they began to fight one another by butting heads with their horns. Suddenly, one goat said to the other, “If we continue like this, neither one of us will survive. We will knock each other over the side and down to our death. I will lay down and let you walk across my body. Then you can pass first, then I can safely pass across.” “Great idea, said the other. Thank you so much for your willing sacrifice on my behalf.” The two became lifelong friends from then on.

This story originated with Aesop and there are many variations of it. It has great implications for us as brothers and sisters in Christ. If we argue, demand our own way, and fight amongst ourselves we cannot show the love of Christ. We need leaders among us who are men of steel (strength) and velvet (tenderness, love, and kindness). This is where true greatness lies. It wasn’t easy for the first goat to lay down and let the second goat walk over his body. 1 John 3:16 says, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” Jesus set the example for us to follow.

Have a blessed day of humility and sacrificing for others. The stronger always helps the weaker, and ducks under. Stay safe and healthy.

In serving the Greatest Master,

Dean