Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-July 11, 2022-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and forget not all His benefits.”

(Psalm 103:2).

David wrote this beautiful psalm of praise and thanksgiving for all the things God has done for us. We as human beings tend to be very forgetful, so God repeats things for us to reinforce them in our hearts and minds. In both verses one and two of this psalm, he says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul.” Thanking and praising God is something we must give diligent attention to every day.

God has blessed us with so many blessings and benefits we can scarcely consider or count them all. They are as numerous as the stars in the heavens. David mentions just a few of them in verses 3-5, He forgives all our iniquities, heals all our diseases, redeems our lives from destruction, crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies, and satisfies our mouths with good things so that our youth is renewed like the eagles.

Paul in Ephesians 1:3 wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ.” Though the OT saints had many blessings and benefits in their day, we have way more. Living on this side of the cross, we are fully blessed. We have these blessings and benefits now and will enjoy them for all eternity.

We often think of benefits when thinking about a job offer. In considering a company’s compensation package, one must not only think of the salary but also the benefits of healthcare, dental care, vision care, and all the other benefits. In the Christian life, salvation is our main blessing and all the others spring from that. Our hearts overflow with joy and gratitude when we ponder His many blessings and benefits. There is nothing that will turn around your day like thanking God for all He has done in your life.

The hymn writer Johnson Oatman, Jr. wrote, “Count your blessings, name them one by one; count your many blessings, see what God hath done.” Allow for enough time, and even then, you will run out of time before you run out of blessings!

Have a blessed day thanking God for all His benefits. Stay safe and healthy.

Rejoicing in God’s mercy and goodness,

Dean

-July 10, 2022-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right in front of you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or to the left; remove your foot from evil.”

(Proverbs 4:25-27)

The best and wisest advice is found in today’s text: look straight ahead with distracted devotion to the Lord. God never intended us to carry the burdens of yesterday, nor worry about the potential problems of tomorrow. When we follow Christ and keep our eyes on Him, we will be happy and blessed. The Lord gives us sufficient grace at the needed time. Tomorrow’s grace is for tomorrow and will come tomorrow.

It is so important to ponder or consider and think about where we are going and what we are doing. Solomon said, “Do not turn to the right or to the left.” He is referring to spiritual detours. We have all taken spiritual detours at one time or another. The devil wants to tempt us, distract us, and get us off the path God wants us to be on. Our minds start racing and soon we are off our game. They say in athletics that the game is more mental than physical. In the Christian life this is very true as well.

We need fellowship with other believers, and especially to hold one another accountable. During the pandemic so many people did not do well spiritually. Some left our churches in search of something different or better. Things are starting to get better, but we all have to get used to going to all the services again and exercising our spiritual muscles. We pray for each other to walk closely with the Lord and serve Him. Just as we spoke of spiritual detours, there are also spiritual potholes also. We must be on guard. Just potholes on the road damage our tires and vehicles, the same is true of the spiritual potholes that damage us spiritually.

May the Lord help us to look straight ahead, be in the center of God’s will, and be watchful and prayerful. Have a blessed Lord’s Day.

In Jesus’ name,

Dean

-July 9, 2022-

Good morning happy Saturday,

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has eternal life.”

(John 6:47).

Today’s verse is our Scripture memory verse for this Sunday’s memory class. It is such a blessing to memorize Scripture, and study it, and meditate on it. We have so many kids in the class with young minds. It is wonderful to see their enthusiasm for the Word.

Jesus made the gospel very plain, “He who believes in Me has everlasting life.” It is simple, clear, and direct. Jesus is the only way to be saved. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No comes to the Father except through Me.” Thomas a Kempis said, “Without the way, there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; without the life there is no living.”

Believing in Jesus saves us and gives us eternal life to hold onto in a fearful and ever changing world. Every day I hear the news, more horrible things are happening. If we aren’t careful we can become discouraged or even numb to it all. We need to lay hold of eternal life and cling to Jesus. We look beyond this old, sinful world to being with the Lord. He comforts us, strengthens us, and upholds us. He is the Rock of our salvation. We need to keep going forward and serving Him.

When we have eternal life, we are saved forever and will be with the Lord heaven for all eternity. Our sins are forgiven and our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We are in the Father’s hand and in Jesus’ hand, and we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. What a great life we have in Jesus!

Have a blessed day with Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

In His heavenly love,

Dean

-July 8, 2022-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to the Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’”

(Nehemiah 8:10).

The people of Israel had just come through the seventy year Babylonian captivity. God brought that about because they rejected Him, disobeyed, and worshipped idols. God promised to bring them back to their land and He did. It had been years since they heard the Word of God publicly read to them and all the people wept when heard it. But this day was not a day for tears of sorrow, but rather joy, holiness, and celebration.

They rebuilt the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. They built homes and it was time to live for the Lord and to enjoy the blessings God had for them. The leaders told them to “go their way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those nothing is prepared.” All these words speak of the good land and God’s abundance. All were to share in the blessings, even those poorer people for whom nothing is prepared.

The early Christians were known for their love for each other and for sharing with those in need. They suffered and rejoiced together as one in Christ. They didn’t rebel or fight against the government but fought the good fight of faith against the devil, preaching the gospel and living fully for the Lord. Like our text today, they found the joy of the Lord to be their strength.

Joy is different from happiness: joy is based on the inner relationship we have with our Lord Jesus Christ and does not change; happiness is based on happenings, which constantly fluctuate. Joy is present, even coexistent, with sorrow, pain, and trouble. Joy gives us the strength to overcome all obstacles. It is not in us but it is the joy of the Lord. We must choose to rejoice in the Lord. Paul wrote, “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

Joy overflows from thankful hearts just like a river that overflows its banks. Our joy is sincere and without pretense. Joy comes as naturally as breathing to the child of God. We realize that everything that happens to us comes from the Lord and He gives sufficient grace to handle them. We live in this world but we are not of it. Still, we must buy and sell, eat and drink, go to school, save and plan for retirement. None of us knows how long we will be here on this earth. Joy in Jesus will give us strength and see us through things.

May we rejoice in the Lord in all circumstances. Lets be upbeat not down trodden. Stay safe and healthy.

Rejoicing in Jesus,

Dean

-July 7, 2022-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase. So your barns will be filled plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”

(Proverbs 3:9-10).

In every choice that we make and every path that we take, we must choose to honor God. We honor God when we please Him and put Him first in everything. God’s message came to Eli the priest through a man of God who came to deliver the Lord’s message to him. 1 Samuel 2:30 says, “Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.’”

Eli did not honor God but allowed his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas to sin and defraud the people who brought their sacrifices to the tabernacle and to commit vile acts. He did not restrain or rebuke them. They both died in battle and Eli died also. God deals with sin in severe ways. God is holy and we must be holy also.

When we honor God with all He has given us, it is a blessing indeed. He gives us wives, children, grandchildren, material possessions, money, and spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities. God honors those who honor Him. He promises to honor us and bless us. It says in verse 10, “that your barns may be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. We can’t out give the Lord; God delights to pour our His stupendous blessings in us!

In Luke 6:38, Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over it will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Let us then honor God all the days of our lives. May we hold nothing back, but give our all to Him and use everything we have for the glory of God. Stay safe and healthy.

Seeking to honor our blessed Lord,

Dean