Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-November 8, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words of Jesus which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, ‘Is this not Joseph’s son?’”

(Luke 4:22).

The people of Nazareth were amazed at the words of Jesus, yet they did not believe in Him. He was a hometown prophet, teacher, preacher, but He was too familiar to them. The old expression is true, “Familiarity breeds contempt,” is so true. They knew his earthly father Joseph, who a carpenter as was Jesus; they knew all his family members, and their educational and social backgrounds; and they could not understand where he got all His knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. They failed to realize that He was the Messiah, the Son of God.

Matthew 13:57 describes in their sad and stunning rejection of Jesus, “So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in His own house.’ Now He did no mighty works there because of their unbelief.” Divine omnipotence was affected by their unbelief.

The words that Jesus spoke are those the Father gave Him to speak and were words of truth, spoken in grace, mercy, kindness, and love. No one could catch Him in His words, and the religious leaders finally gave up trying. He spoke to the people in parables, using earthly things that people were very familiar with to teach spiritual and heavenly truth. He told it like it was, not sugarcoating the words of truth. The Jewish religious leaders, who should have believed in Him and welcomed Him, were His greatest critics and rejected Him; but there were some who did believe like Nicodemus and others.

Not only were the words of Jesus beautiful, they were powerful as well. When the chief priests and scribes sent soldiers out to seize Him, they couldn’t do it. They returned back with the response, “No one ever spoke like this Man.” (John 7:46). It was not yet the time for Him to go to the cross for us. Even these hardened soldiers in the Roman army were amazed at the power of His words. Later, when they came to arrest Him, He asked them whom they were seeking. They replied, Jesus of Nazareth, and when He acknowledged that He was the One, they fell to the ground.

Some Bibles have the words of Jesus in red. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John record them, but He said even more, He did even more. His life changing message was carried forth by the apostles and others. Souls have been saved, believers have been instructed, strengthened, and encouraged. The hymn writer Phillip Bliss wrote, “Christ the blessed One gives to all wonderful words of life; Listen well to the loving call, wonderful words of life. All the wondrous story, showing us His glory: Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.”

How have the words of Jesus affected your life? Have you heeded them? Do you live by them? He called each of disciples by two simple, yet powerful words, “Follow Me.” Will you follow Him freely and fully? His gracious, powerful words draw us to Himself. Tomorrow, part II, the Works of Jesus.

Have a blessed day listening to Jesus and obeying His words and all the Word of God. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-November 7, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

(1 Timothy 2:1-2).

We all know prayer is God’s will for all of God’s people. It is our communication systems with headquarters in heaven. God welcomes our prayers and desires that we pray always. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” Jesus told us to ask, seek, and knock.

Paul tells us first how to pray, then who to pray for, and finally how prayer benefits us all. Paul reminds us of several forms of prayer: supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving thanks. Each one is distinct and important. He then tells us who to pray for: all men, kings, and those in authority, and that prayer benefits us in being able to live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and reverence.

• Forms of Prayer – supplications are requests that we bring before the Lord for others and ourselves; prayers are speaking to the Lord, praising Him and worshiping Him; intercessions are asking God on behalf of others in need; and giving of thanks is clearly showing our gratitude to the Lord for giving us so much and answering our prayers. We thank the Lord that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, presenting our prayers in the best and most beautiful way. Jesus also intercedes for us to the Father.

• Who to pray for – We are told to pray for all men, meaning all men, women, and children, for their salvation and for those who are saved for their spiritual good, growth, and service. We are also to pray for kings and all those in authority. We are to pray for our president, Vice President, the members of Congress, the members of the Supreme Court, our governors, state legislators, and our local majors, city council members, and others. These folks need our prayers for wisdom to make the right decisions for us all. All let us not cease to pray for our church leaders, elders, pastors, deacons, and others in their very important work.

• The benefits we gain by praying – When we pray for those in authority, whether in our local church or in the government, we are blessed. Paul us that we are able to live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and reverence. Quiet lives are lives free of government interference, in freedom, liberty, and justice. Peaceable lives mean that there is peace in the nation, our state, and local communities. When we obey civil and spiritual authorities, we need not fear them. They are put in place by God for our good. Much is said about this in the NT.

Prayer is such a blessing in so many ways. It is hard work, and Satan will oppose us, but we must pray and keep on praying. Someone one said, “The devil will tempt you to omit prayer, postpone prayer, and shorten prayer.” Jesus said, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. , The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). Pray by night and by day, for that is the victorious and godly way!

Have a blessed day praying. Prayer not only gets us through the day, but makes the day better. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-November 6, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,’ says the Lord.”

(Isaiah 54:17).

God protects His people, His servants. In ourselves we are no match for the devil and His evil forces. He knows our weaknesses and attacks us when we are at our weakest, but God is far stronger than all the hosts of wickedness. Satan is a defeated foe. Christ crushed his head at the cross of Calvary. Still though, he fights on relentlessly, powerfully, and mercilessly. He never quits or takes time off.

God protects us from the devil’s onslaughts and gives us the victory. The devil forms his weapons against us but they shall not prosper. Psalm 91:7-8 says, “A thousand may fall at your side; and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near to you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked.” When Satan incited God against Job, God gave him permission to buffet him. In the end Job came through his great trials and was victorious; and Satan was stymied, thwarted, and defeated.

Satan is behind all the evil in the world and he uses people to try to harm us and make us look bad. We must always we remember the devil will keep firing his flaming missiles against but they can’t get through the shield of faith, and all the other armor we put on. Ephesians 6:10-11 says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Are we attacked? Praise God we are on the right track, on the right side, doing God’s will, and serving Him. The devil, as we said before, doesn’t waste his ammunition on uncommitted Christians. Let’s thank God for His protection. No weapon formed against us shall prosper.

Have a blessed day fighting the good fight of faith, and relying fully on the Lord’s protection. He is our defense. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-November 5, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“And of the angels He says, ‘Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.’” (Hebrews 1:7).

“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14).

In the book of Hebrews, the writer builds the case that our Lord Jesus Christ is superior to angels, the law, the Levitical priesthood, the sacrifices, and anything or anyone else. Our subject today is angels and the role they play, especially in watching over us and protecting us. Throughout the Bible, angels are mentioned over and over; and how they carried out God’s will in the affairs of men.

Angels are perfect created beings. There millions of them, just like the stars in the heavens. Interestingly, there are only three named in Scriptures: Lucifer, who fell into sin and rebellion and became the devil, Gabriel who was sent on very important matters, and Michael, the archangel who also played a very important role. it says when Lucifer fell he took with him one third of the angels, who became demons. There is a continual, unseen battle between the angels and the demons.

One angel is so powerful, and way more powerful than any human being and all human beings combined. Their power comes from God who created them. He sends out as ministers to carry out His commands. They also worship God night and day. As great as they are, they are not redeemed by the blood of Christ like we are. In fact, one day we will rule over them as well as ruling with Christ over the world during the Millennium. Now, they serve us and help us.

Angels are invisible, though they can appear in human form as we have seen in Scripture. Angels appeared in this form and spoke to Abraham and Sarah, Gideon, Daniel, Mary, Joseph, the women at the empty tomb of Christ, and many others. Jesus is called the Angel of Lord. He appeared in what is known in theological terms as a theophany, which is a pre-incarnate form in the OT. From the context of the passage we can tell whether it is a regular angel or the Angel of the Lord.

The amazing thing is that God assigns each angel to watch over us and protect us. They intervene in dangerous and potentially deadly situations. I know there have been times His angel has protected from serious accident and death. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” When we get to heaven, I am sure we will meet the angels who watched over us. I will personally want to thank my angel. Angels are like God’s secret agents, working behind the scenes. They are also great singers as was shown when a group of them sang to the shepherds in announcing the birth of Christ.

Angels play an important role, yet God did not give them the assignment of proclaiming the gospel to the lost. That is our job as sinners saved by grace. Let us be thankful that we are privileged to serve the Lord. We are never to praise or worship angels, but rather praise and worship the Lord. While we sleep and while we are awake, angels are battling the forces of evil in the heavenly places, protecting us, and watching over us.

Have a blessed day in confidence knowing the angels are working on our behalf. Stay safe and healthy.

In his grace,

Dean

-November 4, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share.”

(1 Timothy 6:18).

Christianity is all about doing good and helping others. Paul tells us to do good and be rich in good works. We don’t do it to be saved but as result of our salvation. God has been good to us and we should be good to others. In so doing, he urges us to be “ready to give and willing to share.” Both speak of our attitude as well as our actions.

• Ready to give – If there is a need, we should be ready to give. There are always people in need just as there were in biblical times. When Judas saw the extravagant gift that Mary of Bethany poured out on Jesus, her fragrant perfume valued at three hundred denarii (a year’s worth of wages), he asked the question, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? He said that not because he cared for the poor but wanted to take what was in the money box. Jesus told him to leave her alone because she kept it for the day of his burial. Then He made the statement, “The poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.” (See John 12:1-7).

No one had to tell Mary to give the perfume she had kept for the day on her wedding, she did so on her own. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” Mary was definitely a cheerful giver. Paul said in Acts 20:7, “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is better to give than to receive.’” Though these words are not found any of the four gospels, Jesus had said them. It was likely disseminated among the early Christians.

• Willing to share – When God blesses us with abundance, we should be willing to share it with others. We don’t need to be rich to give, but must have hearts full of generosity. 1 John 3:17 says, “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” Love prompts giving, and giving is the result of God’s giving to us.

In Luke 3:11, John the Baptist said, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” Sharing with others is what we teach our kids, which is great, but we need to remember this ourselves also. Sharing is caring.

May the Lord help us to do good, being rich in good works. We will then be ready to give and willing to share. God is the greatest giver and we should follow His example.

Have a blessed day of going good, giving and sharing with others. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean