Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-January 1, 2022-

Good morning, happy Saturday, Happy New Year,

“You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip abundance.”

(Psalm 65:11).

Today marks the first day of a new year. In fact, it is a new day, in a new month, and most importantly, in a new year. We leave the past year behind and move into a new, fresh, out of the box year. None of us knows what will happen this year, good or bad, positive or negative, healthy or unhealthy. Our lives are in God’s hands. He knows all things, and what is best for us.

We know one thing for certain: we can count on God’s goodness and abundance. He crowns our year, every year with His goodness. Goodness is one of God’s attributes, and because God doesn’t change, neither do His marvelous attributes. Even when things appear to be bad, God is always good. As someone said, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.” This is not only a catchy saying, but it is biblical and true. David wrote, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6). His goodness that followed us in years past will continue follow us this year.

Because God is good, He watches over us, provides for our needs, guides us in His paths and according to His will. Romans 8:28 is a known and blessed verse, a promise we can claim every day, of every month, and of every year. Paul wrote, “And we know that all things work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” In order to claim this promise we must love God (be saved and putting Him first), and be called according to His purpose (to be obedient to Him and walking according to His will). He will work everything out for our good. He is in control of everything and we should accept everything that happens as from His hands.

God’s path drips with abundance, it is the way of fruitfulness, joy, and contentment. We must make a choice to follow His path, and walk according to His plan. Sadly, there are times when we choose our own path, and soon discover how dry, barren, and difficult that path is. It looked so good at the beginning, but it was anything but. Lot made this terrible mistake, and paid for it dearly. Genesis tells us that Abraham and Lot split up over grazing land and the disputes between their herdsmen. Abraham gave Lot first pick, and He chose Sodom, Abraham left the choice up to God and God gave him and his descendants the land of Canaan.

It says of of Lot in Genesis 14:10, “And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that is was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.” On the other hand, after Lot made his choice, God told Abraham, “Lift up your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land you see I give to you and your descendants forever” (Genesis 14:14-15).

We can either have man’s best or God’s best. When we choose God’s way, we will be blessed in every way; if we choose man’s way, though it looks good, it will not be good. 2022 will be a good year if we choose to follow the Lord. He will crown our year with His goodness and His paths will drip with abundance. It doesn’t mean everything will be a panacea of easy and calm conditions, in fact, this year will have its share of trials, difficulties, hardships, and disappointments; but God will see us through by His goodness and the abundance of His grace in Christ.

Have a blessed day and every day of this new year. May God look favorably on you in 2022. Stay safe and healthy.

In His goodness,

Dean

-December 31, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday, happy New Year’s Eve,

“For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”

(Malachi 3:6).

Everything and everyone in the world changes. World leaders change, business changes, technology changes, sports stars and entertainers change, yes, the only thing that doesn’t change is change itself. We age, our hair grows gray, then white, and one day we die if the Rapture doesn’t come first. But our hope is beyond the grave to be with the Lord who never changes. He is the everlasting God. He has no beginning and no end. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

God is always faithful. He loves us so much. He can never love us more than He does right now, nor can He ever love us any less. Psalm 102:25-27 says, “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.”

It is comforting to know that God never changes; we can always count on Him. He is always with us, leading and guiding us. He has a plan for our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the thoughts (or plans) I think (or have for you) toward you,’ says the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.’”

We are at the end of 2021, and 2022 lies just ahead. Many can’t wait for the calendar to change, hoping things will get better. We can’t put our hope or confidence in the things of this world. We all want a better tomorrow, but that is out of our control. This coronavirus is still among us, many have become ill, and quite a few have died. We trust the Lord for what lies ahead, and we thank Him for all He has done for us and provided for us. Every year is a blessing when the Lord is with us. God has richly and abundantly blessed us, and we have so much to be thankful for.

The Prayer of Serenity, written by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, says, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” There are many things out of our control, we cannot change them; there other things we can and should change. God gives the wisdom on how to live, and what to say and what not say. Let us thank our unchangeable God!

Have a blessed last day of the year. May we all remember that God never changes, though everything in our world changes. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-December 30, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will be rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

(Matthew 11:29-30).

Yesterday we looked at the preceding verse in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus is the only One who can give rest to the soul. As believers we rest in Him, trusting Him to take of us. Today, we see the continuation of this beautiful section of Matthew. Our Lord and Savior now invites us to take His yoke, learn from Him, knowing that His yoke is easy and burden is light.

A yoke is a piece of timber, hollowed or made curving near each end, and fitted with bows for receiving the necks; by which means two are connected for drawing. Two oxen paired together, work together together to accomplish some particular work in the fields. Jesus’ yoke links us to Him as His servants to accomplish His work. We cannot accomplish anything without the Lord. We yield ourselves to Him and His will, and when we do there is rest for us. We struggle when we try to do things on our own.

Jesus said in John 15:4-5, in an analogy of a vine and branches, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” To be effective, successful, and productive for Christ we must yield fully to Him, surrender to His will, and trust in His mighty power.

Taking the yoke of Christ and placing it on our necks must be done willingly. Jesus will never force us to do it. He knows it is best for us. He is not a tough taskmaster, but rather is gentle and lowly of heart. He will never overwork us or give us more than we can handle. He gives us the grace to handle every situation. There is rest for us in surrendering to Him. It is such a great illustration of discipleship.

The Lord has so much to teach us if we will listen and learn. He clearly says, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” He does His work with us and for us, and the results are tremendous. John wrote in 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” Obedience to Christ is not a burden but a blessing; His will is best for us always, and His ways are right for us in every situation. His yoke does not restrict us, but rather frees us to be all we can be for Him.

Let us then choose to take the yoke, yield and surrender fully to Him, so that we can be effective for Christ every day. Think what we can accomplish through Jesus!

Have a blessed day finishing the year strong. Let us take His yoke, and do so willingly. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-December 29, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

(Matthew 11:28).

Jesus is the only One who can give rest to the soul. He calls upon each person who labors and is heavy laden to come to Him and find rest. We are all born sinners and we carry a very heavy load of sin. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” In the allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan portrays pilgrim, a sinner carrying a heavy bag up to the cross; and there at Calvary it rolls off his back and he is forever relieved. It is such a blessing to forgiven of our sins.

Isaiah 53:4-5 says our Lord and Savior, “Surely He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” Jesus died in our place on the cross, bore our sin, endured the wrath and judgment of God that was our due, then died, and rose again.

Only our Savior can take away the burden of our sin with its guilt, regret, shame, and heartache. He gives rest to our souls. The heavy burden is gone, our hearts are free. The hymn writer Charles Wesley wrote, “Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature’s night. Thine eye diffused a quickening ray; I woke — the dungeon flamed with light! My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.”

Who can adequately describe what the freedom from sin is like, the rest, the peace, the joy? Hebrews 4:9-10 tells us, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” When a person strives and works for his salvation, he gets exhausted and can never be saved from his sins sins that way. Only through the finished work of Christ on the cross can we receive salvation and eternal life.

As believers in this hectic world, we come to Christ for rest. He tells us to cast our burdens upon Him, for He cares for us. We have troubles, trials, and hardships, causing us pain and sorrow. He calls upon us to pray and gives us peace and rest. So there is rest in our souls at the time of salvation, and daily rest in and through the labors in life. Jesus is the ultimate “Rest Giver.”

Have a blessed day resting in Jesus, trusting Him for strength to face whatever is ahead. Our final rest will be when we get to heaven. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-December 28, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.”

(Isaiah 58:11).

As we speed toward the end of another year, let us look to the Lord and thank Him for His guidance and provision this past year. His guidance is continual. He is always there for us. He leads us and we follow Him. When we walk in His way and will, He will take care of us. It is when we go our own way that gets us into trouble.

The Psalmist Asaph wrote in Psalm 73:23-24, “Nevertheless I am continually with you; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” God gives so many great promises to claim. In today’s text, Isaiah mentions three ways that the Lord has blessed us and will bless us: satisfaction of the soul, strengthening of the body, and the springing up like a garden.

• Satisfaction of the soul – The soul is composed of the mind, the emotions, and the will. When the Lord is guiding us we can be confident that we are heading in the right way, at the right time, and at the right pace. His gives us the confident assurance of His presence and power. Psalm 17:15 says, “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” Is your soul satisfied in God alone?

• Strengthening of the body – The knows how frail we are physically, and we experience it as we grow older. He helps us right down to our bones. He has kept us healthy through this pandemic. Thank God we are still alive. It should make us so thankful for what He has done for us. Our bodies are important for we need to see, hear, walk, and work.

• Springing up like a garden – In a garden it takes a lot of water to flourish. Water in the Bible is a symbol of the Word of God and of the Holy Spirit. When we read the Scriptures, our souls get watered like a garden. Water refreshes and replenishes. We become like a well watered garden. God’s water never runs out, even in drought.

The Lord promises, “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Let us thank Him for His continual guidance by our continual reliance. He will help us spirit, soul, and body.

Have a blessed day following the Lord’s guidance. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

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