Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-May 22, 2022-

Good morning happy Lord’s Day,

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”

(Psalm 122:1).

David, the writer of this short psalm, was so happy to go into the house of the Lord and worship the Lord. David loved the and His people so much. Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.” Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” We have this verse over the entryway into our sanctuary at church. I rejoice every time I walk through those doors.

It is such a blessing, honor, and privilege to gather together as one body to remember the Lord in songs of praise and to hear the Word of God. As a very young man I learned the hymns and I love to sing. I also love to sing in choir as well as in our Worship Team. Martin Luther once said, “Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through music.”

Quite I refer to hymns in my devotions. The old hymns are so deep and direct us to the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. I can’t wait to be with Jesus in heaven and along with all the saints in glory, praise and worship Him forever. Joy will be a great crescendo then. Until then, let us continue to gather until He comes. Are you glad to enter the house of the Lord? It should bring us the highest joy!

Have a blessed Lord’s Day in His presence, praising His holy name. Stay safe and healthy.

In His eternal love,

Dean

-May 21, 2022-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

(Hebrews 12:11).

Being chastened by God is good for us and shows us that God is our Father and that He loves us so much as to discipline us for our good. There are times He needs to correct us. Perhaps we have done something or said something wrong, and God uses pain, sorrow, trouble, and affliction to get our attention. We must search our hearts to know what the Lord is showing us. God never enjoys seeing us in pain, but He knows it is necessary in our lives.

The key to our verse is the word “afterward.” Afterwards, after the pain of chastening, it yields good results for us, called the “peaceable fruit of righteousness.” It hurts during the process, it is not joyful at the time. God takes the long view of His work of chastening, and so should we. He won’t allow the pain any longer that necessary. Parents often say when disciplining their children, “This is going to hurt me more than you.” Kids can never understand this until a future day when they must discipline their own kids.

Hebrews 12:6 says, “ My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” The results are for our profit that we may share His holiness. Pain is gain, when we learn from it. Lessons learned through pain is where we grow most.

If we don’t learn from our chastening, God may have to take more severe measures to get our attention. So, let us learn from our chastening. The peaceable fruit of righteousness will be sweet.

Have a blessed day from the pain to the gain. Stay safe and healthy.

Learning from our loving Heavenly Father,

Dean

-May 20, 2022-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“And the Lord said to Moses: ‘Take Joshua the son on Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; set him before Eleazar the priest and before the whole congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight. And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.’”

(Numbers 27:18-20).

Moses was the greatest leader of Israel, and of the whole world. The key to his strength was his relationship with the Lord and his humility. Joshua was his protégé and he learned so much from him. There came the time for Moses to die and there was a changing of the guard. God made known to Moses that Joshua was His choice to lead the nation into the Promised Land.

Joshua knew it was God’s will, so he accepted the position. He had to follow in some very big sandals. I am sure he was a bit fearful of this daunting task; which is why both God and Moses encouraged him to be strong and courageous. Israel, like the church today, must have new leaders take over to lead us into the future. We should always love them, support them, appreciate them, and pray for them. It is never good to compare leaders or to criticize them. Just as the people followed and obeyed Moses, so they did with Joshua. He proved to be a great leader also, though his style was different, he did a wonderful job.

Joshua 1:9 is an excellent verse for leaders or any servants of the Lord, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” The Lord also told him several other important things: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Only be strong and very courageous. Do not turn to the right hand or to the left. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” Joshua 1:5b-8).

When God calls us, He equips us, and when he equips us, He uses us. Whether we preach or teach the Word, or we are a Sunday School teacher, or we sing in the choir or musical group, or whatever ministry or ministries we have. The Lord wants us to be faithful, the results are in His hands. With Him, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us; without Him we can do nothing.

Have a blessed day serving the Lord as He called you. Stay safe and healthy.

In His service,

Dean

-May 19, 2022-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“The king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners. So Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, ‘If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. And the Lord listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called Hormah.”

(Numbers 21:1-3).

Even before the Israelites reached the Promised Land they had to fight several tough foes that attacked them with no provocation: the Amalekites, the Sidonians, the Amorites, the Bashanites, and the Canaanites. In all cases the Lord gave them overwhelming victories. In this case, King Arad of the Canaanites even took some of them prisoners. The spiritual lesson for us is to always be on guard against the devil, putting on the whole armor of God. The devil looks for any cracks in our armor to fire his flaming missiles at us. He wants to take us out of the battle. He looks to pounce on us like a roaring lion.

Israel was not trying to provoke a fight or take the land of their enemies east of the Jordan. They were on the way to the Promised Land that God would give them. When they needed to cross national boundaries, they offered to pay for any water they and their animals would drink and to peaceably pass through. They were denied and rebuffed at every turn. They prayed to the Lord and asked for His help, vowing to destroy their cities. God listened to His people and answered their request. They utterly destroyed them and their cities. They named the place Hormah, meaning “utter destruction.”

Sadly, after such a great victory, the people of Israel became discouraged and spoke against God and Moses. This is something that can happen when we experience victory in our lives. The devil will tempt us to be proud, thinking we achieved it on our own. We must rely fully on the Lord, putting no confidence in the flesh. The Lord can defeat our most powerful foes.

Have a blessed day trusting God for the victory. He is able and more than able. Stay safe and healthy.

In His everlasting arms,

Dean

-May 18, 2022-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“‘Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the prophecy of this book. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work.’ He who testifies of these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

(Revelation 22:7; Revelation 22:12; Revelation 22:20).

There is nothing like the subject of the Lord’s coming to stir, encourage, and excite our hearts. The world is so evil, and things are getting worse everyday. The twenty second chapter of Revelation is the last chapter in the book and of the whole Bible. In all three verses, the Lord Jesus is speaking to every believer in these verses, “I am coming quickly.”

John also recorded the words of Jesus in John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Just as surely as He came the first time to die on the cross, rise from the dead, and ascend back to heaven, so too, He will come in the clouds to take us to heaven to be with Him, At the end of the seven year tribulation we will return to earth with Him to rule and reign with Him.

As we have said before, when something in the Bible is mentioned is it important, when it is repeated a second time it is very important, and when it is stated a third time, it is extremely important.Here, Jesus Himself repeats Him three times for emphasis. Each of these verses adds His words of instruction and encouragement.

• I am coming quickly – Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book – We have so much to learn from the book of Revelation of future events. When we learn and understand what is going to happen in the future, it encourages our hearts in the present. That is why Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me.” We can rest assured we will not experience the wrath and judgment of God and or any of the plagues mentioned in this book. God wants His people to know the truth.

• And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work – Jesus will reward us for our faithful service at the Judgment Seat of Christ. He will award us with crowns. For the lost, they will be judged at the Great White throne. Two books will be opened: the Lamb’s Book of Life, where only the names of the saved are written, and the book of all the works of the lost that they ever did. Revelation 20:11-12 says, “And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away. And there no place found for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”

God has already fulfilled so many prophecies in the Word of God, and He will fulfill all the rest of them the same way. John was so blessed and encouraged that he wrote, “Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus.” John was ready, and we are even more ready today. Paul wrote at the end of 1 Corinthians similar words, “O Lord, come” (1 Corinthians 16:22b). In the Aramaic, it is rendered “Maranatha, meaning our Lord comes.

• He who testifies of these things says, ‘I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus.” – Our Savior uses the word surely regarding His coming. We receive His personal assurance and guarantee that He is coming. The work quickly is not indicative of the time between His first and second comings, but rather that when these events begin to occur, they will come quickly.

May we be encouraged with the words, “I am coming quickly.” Let us proclaim the gospel so more people can be saved and be with the Lord forever.

Have a blessed day living for Jesus and waiting for His coming. Stay safe and healthy.

Living in the light of His coming,

Dean