Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-December 13, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things that were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

(Luke 2:33-35).

Simeon had waited so long to see the Lord’s Christ and spoke some wonderful things of Jesus in verses 31-32, “Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” Just those words made Joseph and Mary marvel. Imagine their Son blessing the whole world, both Jews and Gentiles. In His first advent, He came to die on the cross and bring the offer of salvation to the Gentiles and to the Jews who believe in Him. His second advent to earth will be to restore Israel.

One important thing to notice is that the Holy Spirit is very careful in the words He uses here of Mary and and Joseph saying, “And Joseph and Mary His mother.” Christ was born from the virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit apart from man. Nowhere in the Scriptures does it call Joseph His father. God is His Father. This is likely why Joseph is absent in many passages, and most likely died early. He played his part and was fully obedient to God, then disappeared off the scene.

Simeon mentions four important things: this Child was destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel; for a sign which will be spoken against; a sword will pierce through Mary’s soul; and the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Each of these four things happened just as Simeon said by the Holy Spirit.

1. This Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel – Usually we hear the expression the other way around, “The rise and fall.” In this case Israel’s fall precedes its rise. Israel as a nation rejected Christ but later will come to accept Him after the tribulation. Christ will reign over the earth from Jerusalem and regather and restore Israel. We will reign with Him. Jesus was the rock of offense in His first advent. Those who believed in Him were broken, but those who rejected him were crushed to powder. He was the Stone that the builders rejected.

2. Christ became a sign which be spoken against or opposed – We see that the leaders of the Jews, the chief priests and scribes, rejected Him and called for His crucifixion. They stirred up the multitude to choose Barabbas to be released, a murderer, over Jesus the pure, innocent, sinless Son of God. There some who believed, like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus was despised and rejected.

3. A sword will pierce through Mary’s soul – This happened when Mary witnessed her Son crucified on the cross. She saw Him suffer physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually at Calvary. There was tremendous pain and anguish her heart. It was like a sword piercing through it. John 19:25 says, “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”

4. That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed – One is either for Christ or against Him, there is no middle ground, no gray area. What is in one’s heart is revealed. Some choose to believe in Him and others to reject Him. God sees and knows every heart.

After this Simeon is ready to die. He had seen the Lord’s Christ just as God promised Him. He prophesied of His life and death and how He would change lives. We are blessed to be His ambassadors and followers, to tell others of Him and His plan of salvation. The focus is always on Jesus not on us. We are His children and servants.

Have a blessed day looking forward to His second coming by serving Him today. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-December 12, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 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. So he came by the Spirit into the temple.” (Luke 2:25-27).

And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took him in his arms and blessed God and said: ‘Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation.’” (Luke 2:28-30).

This portion of Luke is one of my favorites, especially at Christmas time. Simeon was a godly Jew waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Luke says he was, “just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” There were quite a few like him in Israel in those days, but there was also something very different about him: God had promised that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

We don’t know whether he was ever married or had kids, but we do know he had a specific promise that he was clinging to with unwavering faith, even though he was getting very old. He probably shared this promise with a friend or family member over the years. Many of those his contemporaries had already died, but God kept him alive for this moment in time. If Simeon had a song from our times it would be: “God said it, and I believe it and that settles it for me.”

We notice the prominence of the Holy Spirit in this portion: the Holy Spirit was upon him (vs. 25); it had revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (vs. 26); so he came by the the Spirit into the temple (vs. 27). Three times the Holy Spirit is mentioned. In the OT, the Spirit came upon people but did not indwell them as He does those who are saved in the NT.

Once Simeon saw the Child Jesus, he immediately recognized Him as the Messiah, there was no question in his mind or heart. He took Jesus into his arms and blessed God. He made the remarkable statement about Him, “For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32).

None of us have seen Jesus with our natural eyes, but we have seen Him with the eyes of our hearts. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:8-9, “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith— the salvation of your souls.” Could Peter been thinking of what Jesus said to Thomas after he doubted? “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

We today are those who have not seen yet have believed. We will see Jesus when we die or if the Rapture happens first. John wrote in 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” We are so blessed as those who are saved by grace through faith. We shall only see Him face to face but we shall be with Him in heaven forever!

Let us rejoice that we have seen Jesus by faith and one day we will see Him with our eyes. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

Note: tomorrow will be part two on Simeon: His prophetic words to Mary and Joseph in Luke 2:33-35).

-December 11, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

(Isaiah 11:1-2).

Jesus was from the tribe of Judah and came forth from the lineage of David. Here in today’s text we notice the promise of His first advent. God promised that David would always have an heir to sit on his throne. In the NT we find two genealogies, one beginning with Abraham and going through David in Matthew 1:1-17. Matthew 1:1 says, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” Matthew portrays Christ as the King. In Luke 3:23 the genealogy traces the lineage backwards from Joseph all the way back to Adam. It traces His roots through Mary and Nathan the son of David.

Jesus came from the stock of David as the Branch. Isaiah 4:2 says, “In that day the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious; and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped.” Jeremiah 23:5 predicts, “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, that I will raise up to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.”

Genealogies are found frequently in the Bible, none more important than the genealogies of Jesus Christ our Lord. One of the titles of Jesus is the Son of David. Many people called Him this including those who welcomed Him into Jerusalem as He rode on a donkey in fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. They shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9b)!

Before Jesus began His earthly ministry, He was baptized by John the Baptist. The Spirit descended on Him like a dove. Everything He did was by the power of the Holy Spirit and according to the Father’s will. In Luke 4:16-19, Jesus read from the prophecy of Isaiah and said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

In Isaiah 11:2, the Spirit is mentioned four times in connection with wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. Jesus fulfilled all of these. He healed and helped so many in need. In Matthew 12:23 the multitudes were so amazed at what Jesus did healing a man with three conditions: demon possession, blindness, and muteness. They asked “Could this be the Son of David?” Oh yes He was! And He was the Son of God! Let us praise and worship Him!

Have a blessed day rejoicing in Jesus the Son of David. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-December 10, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

(John 1:10-12).

This portion of John’s gospel is so sad and yet so glad at the same time. For those who reject Him it is tragic; but for those who do receive Him it is ecstatic, an extreme contrast. It is the same today. As much as things change, the more they stay the same, especially when come to the human heart.

Our Savior was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. My spiritual teacher and mentor Bill MacDonald aptly wrote in his Believers Bible Commentary, “From the time of His birth in Bethlehem until the day He went back to heaven, He was in the very same world in which we now live. He had brought the whole world into being and was its rightful Owner. Instead of recognizing Him as the Creator, men thought that He was just another man like themselves. They treated Him like a stranger and an outcast.”

Things haven’t changed one bit. Though Christmas is all about Christ and His birth, people have substituted Santa Claus, parties, commercialism, and the like for the true meaning of Christmas. Just as the world in His day did not know Him, it does not know Him today. How sad!

Not only does the world not know Him, but when they hear of Him, they don’t receive Him. He came to His own (or as it can be translated, “His own things or domain”) and His own did not receive Him.” This refers in particular to the Jews, God’s earthly people, the very ones who should have recognized and embraced Him. Instead, they refused and rejected Him. Isaiah 53:3 says of the Messiah, “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

So few, compared to the myriads of people living today, have received Christ as Lord and Savior. The devil is working non-stop to keep people from believing in Him. Still, people are being saved today, both here in America and especially in many other parts of the world. This makes our hearts glad.

John goes on to us, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name.” This includes us. We are so blessed, privileged, and honored to be believers in Jesus Christ. As John 1:13 says, “who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” This causes us to rejoice!

It reminds us of the great hymn and Christmas Carol, “Joy to the World,” by Isaac Watts. He wrote, “Joy to the world! the Lord is come: Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing. And heaven and nature sing.” May our hearts be filled with joy this Christmas as we celebrate our Savior’s birth. We know Him and have received Him. We know the true meaning of Christmas that began in a manger, and culminated at the cross and in the empty tomb. He is alive at the right hand of God and is coming again.

Have a blessed day and Christmas season. Merry Christmas to all. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-December 9, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:36-37).

“And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

We have all heard the expression, “He was in the right place at the right time.” This certainly applied to this dear, sweet saint, Anna the prophetess. She was advanced in years, 84 years old, but she had great commitment, dedication, and zeal. She had experienced hardship in her life that served to deepen her walk with the Lord. She married young and was only married for 7 years before her husband past away and she was widowed. Insulted of sulking and asking, “Why me, Lord?” She dedicated her life to prayer, fasting, and service to the Lord. What a lesson for us when hardships, adversities, and trials come.

In fact, Anna did not the temple. She was there more than the priests or Levites! Her example was so encouraging to those who came into the house of God. I am sure she always had a smile on her face. She, likely other godly Jews, was waiting for the coming Messiah; her long wait was over. She got to see the baby Jesus. As a prophetess she knew that He was the promised One.

Luke wrote, “And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” She was truly in the right place at the right time to see the Christ. All the hard times she went through just made even more worthwhile! Was she ever thankful that her sight was still good, and she still had her mental and physical facilities.

So many times we miss opportunities and blessings when we are not at the right place at the right time. It should be our desire and practice to be at church for every meeting. Who knows, the Spirit may be working in an extraordinary way through the preacher. If we aren’t there, we may miss a real blessing! Can you imagine if she missed that particular day when Mary and Joseph came in to have Jesus circumcised and dedicated to the Lord?

May the Lord gives us the dedication, commitment, and zeal of Anna. Oh that we will be at the right time, at the right place, with the right results. When all three line up, we know the Lord is leading us in His will.

Have a blessed day in God’s will. Just wait and see what He going to show you and do in your life today. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean