Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-July 31, 2022-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people He was stricken.”

(Isaiah 53:8).

Jesus’ purpose in coming into this world was to die in our place on the cross to save us from our sins. He was the holy, undefiled, spotless, sinless Son of God. He was the only One qualified to take our place as our Savior and Substitute. It says in Hebrews 7:26-27, “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.”

Jesus was arrested, tried, and convicted unjustly. When the Jews demanded He be crucified, Pilate the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done” (Matthew 27:13). His wife even sent him a message, “…Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him” (Matthew 27:19). All the charges against Jesus were false. He didn’t deserve to die. He died for us. We were the sinners, guilty, lost, and separated from God. He was taken from prison and from judgment. He was cut off from the land of the living. We know it was God’s eternal plan for our salvation. He died for Jews and Gentiles, men and women, and people from every tribe, and tongue, and people and nation.

Isaiah tells us the details of His substitutionary death: He bore our griefs, carried our sorrows, was wounded for our transgressions, was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace fell upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed (See Isaiah 53:4-5). He died so that we wouldn’t have to. He bore our sins so that by faith in Him and His finished work, we might be saved. He was treated like a criminal, though we were the criminals. He was the just, we were the unjust.

The hymn writer Isaac Watts wrote, “Was it for crimes that I have done, He suffered on the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!” O how He suffered for us on the cross. Let us worship, praise, and thank Him today! May we never forget the price that was paid for us!

Have a blessed Lord’s day giving Jesus all the glory for our salvation.

In His eternal praise,

Dean

-July 30, 2022,

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.” You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.”

(Psalm 73:23-24).

Today’s text is a “lightbulb moment.” The psalmist Asaph became envious of the wicked and fell into a pit of discouragement. This can happen when we start looking around at what others have, especially rich, unsaved people. We forget how rich we are in Christ and how much God has blessed us in Christ. Then we don’t thank the Lord as we should, and become unsatisfied.

In verses 2-16, Asaph saw how the unsaved seemed to be prospering and he seemed to be lacking. He uses such words to describe them as: no pangs in their death, firm strength, having no plagues, having pride like a necklace, eyes bulging with abundance, having more than their hearts could wish for, speaking loftily against God with no affects, at ease, and increasing in riches.

Then the lightbulb came on when Asaph went into the sanctuary of the Lord and he “understood their end.” Their end is the way of spiritual death and God’s judgment. They will be in hell forever. Even in this life if you peel away the veneer of prosperity, success, riches, and success in the world, most unsaved people are not happy. They lust for more, they find no peace, all because they do not have Christ in their lives. They have a void in their lives that only Christ can fill.

When the Lord opens our eyes, we can clearly see how blessed we are. Asaph says, “Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.” This is our present joy, and then he says, “You will guide me with Your counsel.” And if that weren’t enough, he adds, “And afterward You will receive me to glory.” We have been blessed in the past, are blessed in the present, and will be blessed in the future.

One of greatest blessings is to continually be with the Lord. Through all the trials and difficulties, as well as the pleasures and blessings. So many times we allow the demands, distractions, and duties of life to keep us away from the closeness we need with our Savior. Our busyness keeps us us from God’s business. Soon we find as did the church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation, we “have left our first love.” The Lord holds our hand, but sometimes, we like excited children in a candy store, pull away from His hand. It saddens His heart.

May our eyes be open to all the blessings we have now and for all eternity, and thank the Lord. He is with us and will never leave us nor forsake us. Life’s journey is short in this world, though it may seem long when we are in pain and going through hard times. He with us, and we are with Him: the perfect union for a great communion! When we wake in the morning, Jesus is with us, we we sleep at night, Jesus is with us; when we go to school or work, Jesus is with us; when we walk or drive, Jesus is with us. Yes, He is with wherever we go.

Have a blessed day thanking the Lord and having the right perspective. We must take time to be reflective in order to have the right perspective. Stay safe and healthy.

With eternity in view,

Dean

-July 29, 2022-

Good morning happy Friday,

“Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens” (Exodus 18:21).

“All these were of the sons of Obed-Edom, they and their sons and their brethren, able men with strength for the work: sixty-two of Obed-Edom” (1 Chronicles 26:8).

God does not choose and call people randomly to serve Him. He sent Samuel to choose one of Jesse’s eight sons. He rejected the first seven, but instead choose David, the youngest, a shepherd boy to be the next king after Saul. God told Samuel not to be impressed by the outward appearance of these young men. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him.’ For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”

Whether in the OT or the NT, God looks for men of ability and quality. It may be to be king as with David or other leaders as in our text today, or to be elders and deacons in the church. God has high standards for His servants. In Exodus 18:21, a man had to be able, fear God, be men of truth, and hate covetousness. In 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Paul lists the qualifications for both elders and deacons. He also shared the qualifications of elders in Titus 1:5-9. The elders of our church recently chose a new deacon and announced him to the congregation on Wednesday evening.

Someone once said, “God does not call the equipped, but equips the called.” God sees our hearts as well as our potential. None of us feel we are worthy to be called to serve the Lord. It greatly humbles us. We must do His work with the gifts and abilities that He has given us. We should all strive to have the same qualities of elders and deacons. God is looking for a few good men.

A number of years ago the Gaither Vocal Band sang a beautiful song entitled, “A Few Good Men.” The lyrics say, “What this dying world could use is a willing man of God who dares to go against the grain and work without applause; A man who’ll raise the shield of faith, protecting what is pure; whose love is tough and gentle; a man whose word is sure. God doesn’t need an orator who knows just what to say; He doesn’t need authorities to reason Him away; He doesn’t need an army to guarantee a win; He just needs a few good men. Men full of compassion, who laugh and love and cry; men who’ll face eternity and aren’t afraid to die—Men who’ll fight for freedom and honor once again—He just needs a few good men.”

We need more able, strong, willing, surrendered, and dedicated men and women to serve Him today. God never lowers His standards to raise up His godly servants. May we be faithful to the Lord and His work for He is so worthy.

May the Lord use us mightily in His service. Stay safe and healthy.

In humble service to God and His people,

Dean

-July 28, 2022-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“…According to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.”

(1 Peter 1:3b-4).

When we are saved we receive all the blessings of salvation. There are three tenses of salvation: Past: we are saved from the penalty of our sins; Present: we are daily saved from the power of sin; and Future: we will saved from the presence of sin. It is our future that is before us in today’s text.

The definition of an inheritance is, “the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations.” In our society, it it is usually money or other material things that are conferred from parent(s) to offspring upon the death of the former. The problem with earthly inheritances is that they can be contested, lost, stolen, or at best spent and gone so quickly. My experience with an inheritance was good because of the investments I made over twelve years ago when my dad passed away. Because of that I was able to retire in 2020. Not everyone’s experience is as good as mine.

As good as my inheritance was, it was far inferior to my heavenly one. Every believer is guaranteed an inheritance in heaven which is reserved for us. Those who receive an inheritance are called heirs, and such we are in Christ. Everything that belongs to Christ belongs to us. We who were once sinners and spiritually bankrupt now possess all the riches in glory in Christ.

Paul wrote to the Romans, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:14-17). God made us His adopted sons and we have all the blessings and privileges that Christ has.

Peter describes our inheritance as incorruptible, undefiled, that does not fade away, and is reserved in heaven for us. It is our’s now to rejoice in but is waiting for us in heaven to be enjoyed for all eternity. Each of these statements adds luster to our inheritance.

• It is incorruptible – This means it is immortal and imperishable. It lasts forever. Bill MacDonald commented, “Incorruptible means it can never corrode, crack, or decay. It is death-proof.” When athletes received a crown for winning the Olympic Games in Paul’s day it was a corruptible crown of a garland of flowers or a wreath of leaves that would soon wither away. Our crowns and our inheritance are incorruptible.

• It is undefiled – It is pure, holy, and perfect. It is in what we call “mint condition.” It will never dim, tarnish, or lose its value. It is sin proof. Man cannot spoil it or soil it.

• It is does not fade away – It lasts forever. Most things in this life do not last. They break, they wear out, or we spend them on temporal things. Even gold, silver, and precious stones last only in this life. Our inheritance in heaven is waiting for us in unparalleled beauty and splendor.

• It is reserved in heaven for us – When something is reserved for you, it is there waiting for your arrival, in your name, just for you alone. We often reserve hotel accommodations, rental cars, air or cruise transportation, or any other amenities. But sometimes there are mixups and a trip can be ruined. Not so of our heavenly inheritance.

May the Lord encourage us to rejoice and look forward to our inheritance in heaven. It will be the best. Adopted sons, heirs and joint heirs with Christ, enjoying a great inheritance. It doesn’t get get any better than that!

Have a blessed day counting your blessings. Stay safe and healthy.

In His eternal family,

Dean

-July 27, 2022-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“Then King David went and sat before the Lord; and he said: ‘Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that you have brought me this far?’”

(1 Chronicles 17:16).

God established His covenant with with David. He promised that his kingdom would be an everlasting kingdom and that his seed would always sit on his throne. It is called the Davidic Covenant. When God makes a promise, He keeps it perfectly forever. Though David had his share of trials, tribulations, and troubles, God was with him and blessed him abundantly.

So many Christians question why they are suffering so much, and ask, “Why me, Lord.” Instead, David turned things around and in effect said, “Why am I so blessed?” The answer to both of these questions is the same: God loves us. He has shown us abundant mercy in not giving us what we deserve, and grace, in giving us what we do not deserve.

When David sat in the Lord’s presence and considered where he came from and where he was then, he considered himself greatly blessed and was truly thankful. He said, “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that you have brought me this far?” He who once was a shepherd boy, the youngest of eight sons of Jesse, from the tribe of Judah; Now he was king over all Israel and was one of the greatest kings ever. God gave him victory over all his enemies.

It is easy to complain about what we do not have. Anybody can do that, we sometimes do ourselves. But it takes thought and effort to see our blessings all around us and to thank God for all He has done for us. Case in point, when tennis great and hall of gamer Arthur Ash contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion after heart surgery, it would have been easy to complain, become embittered, and wallow in self-pity. Instead, he maintained a grateful spirit by asking, “Why my winning Wimbledon? Why my marrying a beautiful, gifted woman and having a wonderful child?” Someone once said, “With unwanted burdens come undeserved blessings.”

It says of Noah in Genesis 6:8, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” This is true of every believer in every generation. The late preacher, singer, and songwriter Andre Crouch wrote the wonderful words, “How can I say thanks for the things You have done for me? Things so undeserved, yet You gave to prove Your love for me; The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude. All that I am, and ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee.”

Let us then ask, “Why Me? Why am I so blessed? He has brought us to this point, through the pandemic, and provided so graciously and generously to us. We are so blessed and should be so thankful. In a world of negativity, let us project positivity; in a world of ungratefulness, let us thank God for everything; and in a world of dissatisfaction, let us be satisfied in Jesus.

Have a blessed and thankful day praising God in every way. Stay safe and healthy.

With abundant joy and thanksgiving,

Dean