Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-January 26, 2022-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear” (Isaiah 59:1).

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Has the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen or not” (Numbers 11:23).

God is omnipotent, that is He is all powerful. We just need to believe, trust in Him, claim His promises, and wait upon Him. Sin and unbelief are the things that can interfere in His working in our lives. God’s hand and His arm are long, reaching all the way from heaven to earth. An old time expression that came from the days of old west said, “The long arm of the law.” It means no matter how far a criminal flee, the authorities will catch up to him. God’s arm and hand are long enough to help us, provide for us, and strengthen us in whatever circumstances we are in.

In the wilderness, God promised to send meat to feed all the people. Even Moses pointed out in Numbers 11:21-22, “And Moses said, ‘The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand on foot, yet you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’ ‘Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?’” This is exactly how we think also: How can God do it in our lives? Our mortal minds can never fathom the greatness and power of God.

We look for God to come through the front or back door, and forget He can come through a side window. God chose to send quail in such quantities that it lasted a whole month. The Lord asked Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened? Now you will see whether whether what I say will happen or not.” Whether it was delivering His people from Egypt, parting the the Red Sea, or sending His Son Jesus Christ to be born of the virgin Mary, God can do it, and does do it.

God helps us and provides for us even when things seem impossible; He comes through at just the right time; and gives us strength when we think we cannot carry on. God’s arm and hand are not too short, but our faith is too small! Our great God can do great things, in great ways in our lives. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory.” God doesn’t promise to fulfill all our wants but all our needs. His provision is unlimited. He gives according to His riches in glory. There is an endless supply that will never run dry!

Let us not limit God, nor doubt Him. He has provided, is providing, and will provide. The hymn writer Joseph Hart wrote, “How good is the God we adore! Our faithful, unchangeable friend: His love is as great as His pow’r and knows neither measure nor end. For Christ is the first and the last; His Spirit will guide us safe home; we’ll praise Him for that is past and trust Him for all that’s to come.”

Have a blessed day trusting our great God to great things in great ways. Stay safe and healthy.

In His everlasting arms,

Dean

-January 25, 2022-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.”

(Song of Solomon 7:10).

In the book of Song of Solomon there is a love story between Solomon and a Shulamite maiden. It pictures the love of Christ, our Beloved, our heavenly Bridegroom, with the church, His Bride. The Lord has an incredible love for each believer, and His desire is toward us. In the NT, the church is called the body, building, and bride of Christ. In the OT, God is the Husband and Israel is the wife of Jehovah.

The best thing about our Christian faith is our relationship to our Lord Jesus Christ. Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. Our walk with the Lord is vital to our growth in Him. He desires this relationship even more than we do. In this beautiful book, the Shulamite says, “My beloved is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies” (Song of Solomon 2:16). Solomon says in Song of Solomon 4:7, “You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you.” There is an old expression that says, “Love is blind.” That may be true, but in Christ, that is how God sees us: without spot or blemish.

In Ephesians 5:22-31, Paul uses the analogy of Christ’s love for His Bride the church in the relationship between a husband and wife. He tells the husbands, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27). God sees us through Christ exactly this way. We are saved, forgiven, have eternal life, and are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. We are perfect, that is complete spiritually.

The Lord’s desire is toward us. He desires to bless us, keep us, strengthen us, and help us. He wants the very best for us at all times and in all ways. Psalm 45:11 says, “So the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him.” Our purity is symbolized in our white garments of salvation. Even today, most brides wear white wedding dresses.

May the Lord help us to draw near to Christ our Beloved, to worship Him and walk with Him; to live for Him and serve Him. He has made us holy, let us live holy lives for Him. He has given us everything in Christ and we belong to Him. Let each of us say, “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.”

Have a blessed day with the Lord, drawing near to Him, and worshiping Him. His desire is always toward each of us. Stay safe and healthy.

In His rich and matchless love,

Dean

p.s. – Today is our 600th consecutive day of daily devotionals on the blog.

-January 24, 2022-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the out outcome of their conduct” (Hebrews 13:7).

“Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give an an account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17).

Today’s verses are inseparably linked. Our spiritual leaders are such a blessing to us, both those who have led us in the past and those who currently lead us in the present. They may be pastors, elders, deacons, teachers, Sunday School teachers, missionaries, preachers, or other leaders. They have discipled us, taught us, counseled us, encouraged us, and helped us along the road of life. We can never thank them enough.

The writer of Hebrews tells us to remember those who have spoken the Word of God to us and whose faith has been so inspiring to us. It is up to us to follow their teaching and example. A believer should never be a loner but be involved in the lives of other believers. We must pass on our knowledge, understanding, and wisdom to others.

Not only do we follow their example, but we must obey them and submit to their authority. The word “rule,” can be translated “lead.” Leaders are to be shepherds. At times they must be very strong, but not overbearing, to keep the sheep in line. Peter, himself an elder, wrote in 1 Peter 5:2-3, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly, nor being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” Elders have a great responsibility which carries with it a great accountability to the Lord, who is Himself the Chief Shepherd of the sheep.

Our responsibility to them is to obey and submit to their authority. Their authority comes from the Lord. They must give an account to the Lord for how they have taught us and cared for our souls. As the writer points out, we should make their job easier and more joyful. There is a real problem with authority in the world today, and can affect the church as well.

May the Lord help us to obey our leaders, submit to their God-given authority, encourage them, support them financially, and pray for them. The Lord Jesus desires that everything be done decently and in order. There must always be good structure in all our churches.

Have a blessed day obeying our leaders and praying for them. They will be blessed and so will we. Stay safe and healthy.

In His service,

Dean

-January 23, 2022-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

(Psalm 118:24).

Today is a new day, there will never be another exactly like it. God gave it to us a gift. God is the Creator of all things, and He continues to make great things for us on a daily basis. We do not know what will happen today, but we trust the Lord and thank Him. It is exciting to see what God has in store for us today.

In the book of Daniel, God is called the Ancient of Days, and this title of God is mentioned three times in Daniel 7:9, 7:13, and 7:22. These are the only references of this title of God. God is the eternal God, thus with no beginning and no ending. He has all knowledge, wisdom, and power. When we call something or someone ancient, we mean very old. Though God is old, He still youthful and vibrant. When Jesus came down to earth, He came as the eternal Son of God, yet in His humanity He lived only thirty-three years. Yet after He died, He rose from the dead, and lives forever. We too will live forever with Him in heaven.

Because God has given us this new, blessed day, we will rejoice and be glad in it. Notice, the psalmist does not say, we should rejoice, but we will rejoice and be glad in it. We rejoice in the day because God made it and He has given us another day to live for Him and serve Him. We do not want to waste it. The Bible speaks much about rejoicing and being glad.

Psalm 126:3 says, “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad.” There is a wonderful Christian song that says, “I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter His courts with praise. I will say this is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice for He has made me glad. He has made me glad, He has made me glad, I will rejoice for He has made me glad. He has made me glad, He has made glad, I will rejoice for He has made me glad.”

Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice.” The Christian can rejoice when things are going well, but also when things are not going well. Our joy is not based on circumstances but on our relationship with Christ.

Let us then count today a blessed and wonderful day that God made for us. It is special and unique. We must choose to rejoice and be glad in it. We should sing His praise all of our days.

Have a blessed and wonderful day in Jesus who died to save us and rose to justify us. We have new life in Him. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace and goodness,

Dean

-January 22, 2022-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side, and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”

(Exodus 17:11-12).

The Israelites faced their first battle in the wilderness. They were attacked by Amalek, who is a type of the flesh, that causes us so many problems. Joshua was commanding the army and chose some men to fight. Moses stood on top of the mountain, and Aaron and Hur were with him. When Moses lifted up his hand, Israel prevailed, and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

Moses’ hands became heavy and weary so they put a stone under him; Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one of them on each side. The battle lasted until the end of the day, and Joshua and his forces won a great victory. God declared a perpetual conflict with Amalek from generation to generation. Moses built an altar and called its name, “The-Lord-Is-My-Banner.”

The lesson for us is to pray for our spiritual leaders, our fellow saints, and for ourselves in the spiritual warfare we are in. The devil is our enemy and we must put on the whole armor of God. Our spiritual armor, found in Ephesians 6:10-18, consists of the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the sword of the Spirit, and the gospel as our sandals on our feet. Prayer is also mentioned in Ephesians 6:18, which says, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”

We must pray consistently for each other and our elders, deacons, teachers, preachers, and servants in our churches. Just as Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands, so we need to hold each other up so that we can be victorious. We can’t let up, we can’t give up in our prayers. Will you commit to praying daily? We need diligent prayer warriors in the Lord’s work! There is power in prayer!

Have a blessed day praying and supporting the work of the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

In prayerful support,

Dean