Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-April 2, 2022-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Rejoice with with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!” Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!” (Luke 15:6; Luke 15:9).

“It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found” (Luke 15:32).

In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells three parables, speaking of a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. In each case there was great distress and anguish in losing them but great joy over finding them. I am sure we have all lost things that are very important to us. We hunt and search, and pray to God that we will find them. It may be our keys, our wallet, our purse, our money, something very sentimental to us, or even our car in a vast parking lot.

There is always joy when we find what we are looking for. Jesus came into this world to seek us and save us. He was on a rescue mission to find us. There is great joy in heaven and among the angels when one sinner repents. Jesus doesn’t want to lose anyone because He loves everyone. In Luke 19:1-9, we have the account of how Jesus saved Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector. Jesus said in Luke 19:9-10, “…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 to save that which is lost.”

Oh, how thankful we should be that Jesus found us and saved us. We were lost in sin, separated from God, dead in our trespasses and sins, in darkness, without God and without hope in this world. Now we are saved. There is the greatest joy! We are found, in the light, alive from the dead, forgiven, set free, pardoned, cleansed, and we have eternal life.

John Newton wrote the famous and beloved hymn, “Amazing Grace.” He wrote, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.” Only the Lord can save and transform our lives. We were lost, now we are found!

In the parable of the lost son, also known as the prodigal son, the father waited for his son to return. It was a long, painful wait. The son used up and wasted his whole inheritance with sinful living, and ended up penniless and miserable. He ended up working on a pig farm. Pigs were unclean animals to the Jews, and he was feeding them while starving himself. He arose and went back to his father, willing to be as one of his hired servants. But his father forgave him, put a robe and ring on him, and threw a huge party for him in celebration of his homecoming. It reminds us of what our homecoming to heaven will be like when we will see Jesus and all those who are saved. We will be in glory forever.

Have a blessed day rejoicing in our salvation. Stay safe and healthy.

In His eternal love,

Dean

-April 1, 2022-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“…For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”

(Luke 12:48b).

The more knowledge we have of God and His Word, the more spiritual gifts we have, and more growth we have experienced, the more responsible and accountable we are to the Lord. One day every believer will stand before the Lord and give an account. We will either be rewarded or we will suffer loss of those rewards. Those who suffer loss will still be in heaven but will receive little crowns or no crowns to lay at our Savior’s feet.

God desires and requires that we be good stewards of what He has given to us. We need to use our spiritual gifts in the body of Christ. We can’t bury our talents in the ground, but we must use them for God’s glory. James 3:1 shows how seriously we as teachers should take our responsibility, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing we shall receive a stricter judgment.” The teacher is responsible not for himself and but also for those who hear him. The same can be said for preachers, pastors, elders, missionaries, Sunday School teachers, youth leaders, and others in the Lord’s work. God asks more from us.

Jesus chose twelve disciples and sent them out two by two; He also called seventy and sent them out two by two. They were responsible for spreading the message and serving others. They reported back to Jesus what they had done. We are not responsible for the results, they are in God’s hands, but we are responsible for being faithful.

The question is this: How faithful have we been to Jesus and His service? God has called us, equipped us, trained us, and He will make is fruitful for His glory. We have received much, and thus much will be required of us. It is not too late to commit ourselves fully to the Lord and serve Him until He comes.

Have a blessed day of using all we have to serve Him in all ways we can, and leave the results to Him. Stay safe and healthy.

In the Master’s service,

Dean

-March 31, 2022-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”

(Romans 12:3).

Right thinking about ourselves is so very important. Paul was the greatest apostle, missionary, preacher, and teacher of the Word; yet he was also one of the most humble servants of Christ. Paul knew, and taught us to recognize that everything we have is from God, we don’t deserve any of God’s blessings, and without the Lord we can do nothing. We are unworthy but not worthless in God’s sight.

Being humble is thinking soberly. We are not better than anyone else, and we should esteem others as better than ourselves. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:3-4, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” When we have the mind of Christ, we will be humble servants. Moses, for example, though one of the greatest leaders ever, was so humble. Numbers 12:3 says of him, “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.”

We should not feel comfortable speaking of ourselves, nor should we brag of our accomplishments. We need to remember that we are and always will be sinners saved by grace. The hymn writer James M. Gray wrote, “Naught I have gotten but what I received; grace hath bestowed it since I have believed; boasting excluded, pride I abase; I’m only a sinner saved by grace.”

God can use those who are a humble, broken, and emptied of self. James wrote, “But He gives more grace, therefore He says, ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’” (James 4:6). He also says in James 4:10, “Humble yourselves in the sight of God, and He will lift you up.” The humble person gives God all the glory all the time.

May the Lord help us to have the right mindset, as we live for the Lord and serve Him: not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. Let us esteem others better than ourselves and serve the Lord humbly.

Have a blessed and humble day not thinking of ourselves but of others. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace and service,

Dean

-March 30, 2022-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You are the potter, and we are the work of Your hand.”

(Isaiah 64:8).

God is the potter and we are the clay. He works in us and on us to make us the vessels that He wants us to be. Just as the potter works the clay with his hands until the vessel is completed, so He isn’t finished with us yet. God uses trials, pain, difficulty, and sorrow to work on us.

God is sovereign and He can do with us as He chooses. Jeremiah 18:6 says, “‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?’ says the Lord. ‘Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.’” God will never harm us. He always wants the best for us. He is a loving, merciful, gracious, patient, and kind God. We all need to change in order to be conformed to the image of Christ. God knows exactly what He is doing with us. We are both His children and His clay.

God sent the prophet Jeremiah to the potter’s house to learn spiritual lessons in order to teach Israel how God works. Jeremiah 18:3-4 says, “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.”

God saved us and changed our lives. We who once were sinners are now sinners saved by grace. We are saints of God. He has a lot of work to do in our lives. Philippians 1:6 tells us, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God will always finish what He has started. He is so patient with us.

We should be patient ourselves and others that God is working on. We shouldn’t complain, but rather be thankful for what He has done, is doing, and will do in our lives. Paul spoke of this in Romans 9:20-21, “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?”

Thank God He created us, saved us, and is working in our lives. He is most concerned with our character. He wants us to be like Jesus. He is still working on us. His strong, beautiful hands works on us the clay and He is making something beautiful. The hymn writer Adelaide Pollard wrote, “Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the potter, I am the clay! Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.”

Have a blessed day remembering that God is still working on us as the potter. He is molding us as His clay for His service. Let us be holy vessels for His glory. Stay safe and healthy.

In the Master’s hands,

Dean

-March 29, 2022-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.’ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.”

(Luke 5:5-6).

Jesus called four fishermen to be among His twelve disciples: Peter, Andrew, James, and John. They were also two sets of brothers. They were experienced fishermen who became fishers of men. Jesus got into one of Peter’s boats and asked him to move out a little from the shore so he could use the boat as a pulpit to preach the Word to the multitudes of people.

After Jesus stopped speaking, He told Simon, whom he later named Peter, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Jesus knew that they hadn’t caught a single fish that night. He gave Peter very specific instructions on what to do. He required his faith to be put into action. Launching into the deep is where we as believers rely most on the Lord. The deep waters are where we can’t touch the bottom, and we must swim using our spiritual muscles.

Jesus also tells Peter to let down his nets for a catch. Notice, Jesus says nets, plural. Peter on the other hand, indicated how he and partners had toiled all night and caught nothing. Without saying it, Peter was in affect showing his expertise on the Sea of Galilee and in fishing, and was almost discounting Jesus’ knowledge. He says, “Nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.” He will let down just one net, though he wasn’t expecting to catch anything. Life at times can be so frustrating, disappointing, and discouraging, especially we we try to do things on our own apart from the Lord. We strain, with no gain.

Peter learned a big lesson. Once he let down his one net, they caught a great number of fish. Peter had to call for help from his partners and soon their two boats started filling up so that they began to sink. I am sure this was their biggest catch ever, so much so that Peter responds to the Lord, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” Peter was fully aware that this was a miracle done by Jesus. He felt so unworthy of the Lord.

If Peter would have just let down his nets, the net would not have have started to break. Often our faith is little and we settle for little when God wants to give us much. All of these four fishermen left everything to follow Christ. It is interesting to note that after Jesus’ resurrection, He met them on the shores of Galilee. Just like this time, they caught nothing. But in this case, He told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. They did so and caught 153 large fish. The key was the net didn’t start breaking but they dragged it into the shore. There they enjoyed breakfast together. This account is found in John 21:1-13.

Let us learn our lessons well. When we step out in faith, obey the Lord fully, and rely on Him, we will be blessed to the fullest. He knows best, He knows everything about everything. We must launch out into the deep and let dow the nets.

Have a blessed day living for the Lord by faith and obedience. Let down your nets, have no regrets. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean