Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-December 22, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26).

“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8).

We have all waited for family or friends to come and we get excited over the impending arrival. Then we they don’t arrive when we think they should, our excitement turns to worry. Sometimes they show up late, and we are so relieved. Millions of people will travel over the Christmas holidays; some will travel by car, others by plane, train, or bus. It may take hours to get there, but they come spurred on by love.

God works on a different timeline and timetable than we do. Peter tells us that a day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. Waiting is never easy. We know that God fulfills His promises at just the right time. As we remember, Simeon waited to see the Messiah and God promised he would live to see it. From Malachi to Matthew, there were 400 years, called the 400 silent years. Sometimes we must wait for years, but when the answer comes, it is so much better and sweeter.

Jesus was the long-expected Christ. His coming brought joy, hope, and peace to this world. God’s plan was devised before the foundation of the world. The hymn writer William Newell wrote, “O the love that drew salvation’s plan! O the grace that brought it down to man! O the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary.” From Bethlehem’s manger to Calvary’s cross, to the tomb, to a glorious resurrection, to His ascension back to heaven to sit at the Father’s right hand in glory. What a mission of mercy and labor of love for us!

Charles Wesley wrote this wonderful Christmas hymn, Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.” It may not be as familiar to you and so many of us, but it is tremendous hymn. He wrote: “Come, Thou long-expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee. Israel’s Strength and Consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art; Dear Desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart. Born Thy people to deliver, born a Child and yet a King, born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious Kingdom bring. By Thine own eternal Spirit rule our in all hearts alone; By Thine all sufficient merit raise us to Thy glorious throne.” This is the complete hymn in two verses.

May the Lord help us to wait patiently and expectantly for His Second Coming. He who came as the Lamb of God will reign as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He lives in our hearts to rule our hearts. He has forgiven us of all our sins and He calms all our fears. Let us live for Him and serve Him all our days!

Have a blessed day and a Merry Christmas. As we wait for Him to come, may we keep our eyes on Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-December 20, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace.”

(Luke 1:79).

Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist prophesied of Jesus the coming Messiah. There are three significant truths that he refers to: peace, light and life. Our Savior came as the Prince of Peace to bring them all to us. These three blessings are so needed in our world today.

• Peace – Jesus came into a world of conflict, turmoil, and strife. By Jesus’ death He gave us peace with God. Paul wrote in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 1:13 tells us, “But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.” The Prince of Peace has given us peace. There is now one body composed of Jews and Gentiles.

• Light – Jesus came as the Light of the world. He overcame the darkness by the light of His presence. He brought light to all who are in the darkness and the shadow of death. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” We as His followers bear the light of the gospel of Christ. There are so many lost souls today groping in the darkness with no hope. They need Jesus!

• Life – Jesus also brought us life abundant and eternal. He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” He wasn’t be arrogant in saying that He is the only way, He spoke God’s truth. We have life in and through His death, burial, and resurrection. Because He lives, we live with Him.

This wonderful Christmas hymn, Hark! The Herald Angel Sing, was written by the great preacher and hymn writer Charles Wesley. The music was written by the great composer Felix Mendelssohn. The third verse of this glorious hymn says, “Hail the heaven born Prince of Peace! Hail the sun of righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die; Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth. Hark! the herald angel sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King.’”

The words of this hymn are so deep and powerful. Our Lord came with healing in His wings, and laid aside His glory to be a Servant. He reconciled sinners like you and me to God through His death and resurrection. He our King, the newborn King, who reigns in heaven above and on the throne of our hearts. When Jesus reigns, peace, light, and life are our’s in abundance.

Have a blessed day living for Jesus in this world. Have a Merry Christmas! Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-December 20, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“And she brought forth her first born Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the Inn” (Luke 2:7).

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we be beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The baby Jesus was born. Just like a new borns, He required twenty-four hour care. He needed milk, changing, holding, and most of all loving. But He was different, He was the innocent, sinless Son of God. He, like all babies, was far from the speaking stage. All that being said, He was fully divine and fully human. We know very little of his upbringing. Luke 2:39-40 says, “So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.”

When He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem at the time of the feast (i.e., Passover), His parents packed up for the trip back home but they forgot one thing – their Son. They didn’t realize He wasn’t with them until they had made a day’s journey. They had relatives and acquaintances with them, and they made an about face, and went back to search for Him. Imagine Mary’s greatest fear, Jesus was lost! It took them three days to find Him; where was He? In the temple, sitting with in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.

Jesus first recorded words are found in Luke 2:49, “And He said to them, ‘Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business’”? We don’t know at exactly at what point He realized that He was the Christ, but it must have been sometime in those first twelve silent years. For thirty years He worked as a carpenter in Nazareth with His family, until being baptized by John the Baptist and being tempted by the devil. He then began His three year earthly ministry.

What Child is this? Who is He? The Son of God, the Son of Man, the Lord of all, the Prince of life and glory, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, the Messiah, the Son of David. The list goes on and on. The hymn writer William C. Dix expressed it so well in the great Christmas hymn, “What Child Is This.”

“The second line says, “Why lies He in such mean estate where ox and ass are feeding? Good Christian fear: for sinners here the silent Word is pleading.” The chorus says, “This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring Him laud, the Babe the Son of Mary.” Jesus even as a Babe was the silent Word who was pleading. Pleading for the world, pleading for each person, pleading for me and you. His mission was the cross to die in our place bearing our sins.

The lesson we can learn for our lives is to wait patiently for God’s will. It may take years, but God has a plan for us too. God is never in a hurry, His timing is perfect. He does everything in perfect order, without contradiction.

Have a blessed day walking with Jesus and have a Merry Christmas. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-December 19, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be for all people.’”

(Luke 2:10).

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there was not only joy, but great joy. He came to die for us and to pay the penalty of our sins. Because of that, we who are saved are filled with great joy all through our lives. Jesus came for all people, not just for the Jews. He came for me and for you. That is why He is our personal Lord and Savior.

Joy differs from happiness. Happiness is based on happenings, our circumstances, and our feelings, which all fluctuate. Joy, on the other hand, is based on our relationship with Jesus, which never changes. We have Jesus now and for all eternity. That is why no matter what we go through in terms of hardship, stress, pain, or sorrow, we can rejoice in the Lord. We know that He is in control, He is leading us, and our home in heaven awaits us at the end of life’s journey. The acronym for J-O-Y is Jesus first, others second, and yourself last. True joy comes from serving the Lord and helping and sharing with others.

This wonderful hymn was written by Isaac Watts, one of the greatest hymn writers, and the music was written by George Friedrich Handel, one of the greatest composers. The first two lines say, “Joy to the world! the Lord has come: Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and heaven, and heaven and nature sing. Joy to the world! the Savior reigns: Let men their songs employ; While fields and flocks, rocks, hills, and plains, repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy.”

You hear and feel the joy through the pages of this glorious Christmas hymn. It never grows old, it is fresh and flourishing like the perfect fresh cut Christmas tree. Whatever circumstances you had this challenging year, they melt away in the joy of the Lord. It says In Nehemiah 8:10,”The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah and those who returned from the Babylonian captivity rejoiced with great joy at completion of the walls around Jerusalem in but 52 days! They faced great persecution, interruption, and opposition, but God gave them the victory.

Let us thank God for the joy He gives us through the Holy Spirit. Whatever we face, what lies ahead, cannot change the joy in Christ our Head. Let His joy bring you great wonder this Christ. The shepherds rejoiced, the wisemen rejoiced, Simeon and Anna rejoiced in seeing Jesus! We see Him by the eyes of faith, but one day we will see Him face to face!

Have a blessed Lord’s Day rejoicing in the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-December 18, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

(Luke 2:20).

The shepherds who went to see the baby Jesus were not disappointed. They were faithful to the mission of finding and seeing Jesus. Anyone who is faithful will long to come to the Savior. The angels were faithful in announcing His birth to these ordinary, humble men.

The hymn, O Come All Ye Faithful, was a Latin hymn, translated into English by Frederick Oakeley in the 1800’s. It is one of my favorite Christmas hymns. The first line of the hymn says, “O Come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; come and behold Him, born the King of angels.” The chorus exclaims, “O come, let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord. Amen. O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. Amen.”

What struck me is the phrase to describe Christ as, “The King of angels.” It is not found in the Scriptures, but it is so true. Jesus the Son of God created the angels and rules over them. They are perfectly obedient to Him and they worship Him. Hebrews 1:4 says of Jesus, “having become better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” As great as they are, they cannot compare to Jesus, the Son of God.

When Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, He was weakened in His body have gone 40 days with no food. Three times the devil tempted Him, and three times, He refused and rejected him. He quoted the Scriptures each time. After it was over, it says in Mark 2:13 says, “And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.” Later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, we see an angel coming to strengthen Him, leading up to the cross. Luke 21:43 says, “Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.”

Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 26:53, when He was arrested, “Or do you not think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” In the time of Jesus, a standard Roman legion consisted of about 6,000 men. Twelve legions would be 72,000 angels!

In Hebrews 2:9, in referring to His death on the cross it says, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” In His humanity, and in particular in His position of suffering and dying in our place on the cross, He was a little lower than the angels, but now is crowned with glory and honor.

Yes, Jesus is the King of the angels, King of the Jews, and the King of kings, and Lord of lords. God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name which is above every name. One day every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Have a blessed day praising Jesus Christ our Lord, the King of angels. Christmas is just one week from today. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean