Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-November 2, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name): ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’”

(Jeremiah 33:3).

The context of today’s verse is Jeremiah being shut up in the court of the prison for his message that Babylon would conquer Judah and take the people into captivity because of their sin. God’s Word came to him to encourage him. Our text is so encouraging for us today as well. It is both an invitation and a promise.

• Call to Me – God wanted Jeremiah to pray to Him. It God’s desire that we pray at all times, good and bad, happy or sad. He knows what we are going through and wants us to pray to Him in the midst of our trouble, pain, and sorrow. Psalm 50:15 says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” He is available for us 24-7. Hebrews 4:16 tells us, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Our Heavenly Father is never too busy for us and will never turn us away. He delights when we come into His presence in prayer.

• I will answer you – God answers our prayers in His timing and according to His will. He will either say yes, no, or wait. It may seem God is moving too slow, but He always has a plan and purpose. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him to knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). When God answers our prayers we should glorify Him and share it with others.

• And show you great and mighty things, which you do not know – God loves to exceed our needs and desires and surprise us with something even greater than we asked. In Ephesians 3:20-21, Paul wrote, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” A great God does great and mighty things! This is why the Psalmist wrote, “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad” (Psalm 126:3).

Let us remember that God wants us to call to Him day or night, anytime will be just right. He will answer us and show us great and mighty things which we do not know. We have His word on it.

Have a blessed day calling on the Lord and seeing Him answer and work in our lives. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-November 1, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“Ah, Lord God! Behold You have made the heavens and earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for the Lord” (Jeremiah 32:17).

“Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ‘Behold, I am the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me’” (Jeremiah 32:26-27)?

Jeremiah had a very difficult ministry of proclaiming a very unpopular message to a very obstinate people in Judah. Because of their sin, idolatry, rebellion, and disobedience, they would be taken into captivity by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar. After 70 years they would regathered and restored to their land. It is in the context of that promise that have these verses on God’s unlimited power and faithfulness.

There is nothing too hard for the Lord. He can do all things except to lie or deny Himself. Hebrews 6:18 says, “That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation.” Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:12-13, “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” Other than these things and that He will do only His perfect will, there is nothing God cannot do.

The angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary in Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” She could not understand how she as a virgin could give birth to a baby who was the Son of God, but she accepted it. Luke 1:38 says, “Then Mary said, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.” God’s outstretched arm is powerful and unstoppable, He is unlimited in His sovereignty, authority and dominion.

No matter how impossible things may look to us in our present circumstances, He is the God of hope. Doctors may give up hope, friends may forsake us, and everything may go against us, but God is for us and will be with us. Nothing is too hard for Him. God reminded Elijah that 7,000 people in Israel had not bowed the knee to Baal; and to Paul that He had many people in the city of Corinth and that no one would attack him or hurt him.

We just need the faith to believe. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe than that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” We must believe, then we will receive. There are so many miracles in the Bible that show God’s great power. From the parting of the Red Sea, to the deliverance through the fiery furnace and the lions’ den, to the virgin birth and the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and so much more.

May God give us the faith to believe and trust in Him. He never fails, He will prevail! There is nothing too hard for the Lord. Things may look dark and foreboding now but His sunshine will shine again in the morning. His grace is sufficient for us and we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.

Have a wonderful day in the will of Him who can do all things. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-October 31, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“For as often as you eat of this bread and drink of this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”

(1 Corinthians 11:26).

Our delight is to remember the Lord’s death on the cross and resurrection each week. It is our privilege and our responsibility. The pandemic has greatly affected us in this regard. The remembrance meeting is called the Breaking of Bread, the Communion service, and the Lord’s Supper. Some churches celebrate it once a quarter or once a month, but the NT pattern was every Sunday, the first day of the week, the resurrection day.

Acts 2:41 describes the gatherings of saints, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” It tells us that they met for breaking of bread on the first day of the week. Acts 20:7 says, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.”

When we gather together to remember the Lord, we take the break first, a symbol of His body, then the cup, the wine, a symbol of His shed blood. In 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, Paul wrote, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat, this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’”

When we gather to remember the Lord, we are joining together as one to proclaim the Lord’s death til He comes. Once the Lord comes and takes us home to glory we will no longer need the symbols any longer; we will see the Lord face to face and be with Him forever. But now, who do we proclaim the Lord’s death to? We proclaim it to the Lord Himself, in the presence of the angels, and to all the believers present, as well as to anyone who is unsaved who may be attending the meeting. The breaking of bread is just for believers, but there are times when some unsaved do come and they witness this beautiful service.

May the Lord help us to remember our Savior in His sacrifice on the cross for us. We sing hymns, pray, and take the break and wine in remembrance of Christ. The opportunity to break break is our joy. Next Sunday, we resume our communion service. I can’t wait. We have been cautious during the pandemic. Let’s proclaim loud and proud: Jesus died, rose, and is coming again.

Have a blessed day of remembering the Lord in praise and worship. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-October 30, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

(2 Timothy 3:12).

The apostles and many believers in the NT times suffered persecution for their faith in Christ. Instead of being something negative, they rejoiced in the Lord they could suffer for their blessed Lord. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5:10-13, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Peter and John were arrested in Jerusalem for publicly preaching in the name of Jesus. They were beaten and warned not to speak anymore in the name of Jesus. Acts 5:41 says, “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” In many parts of the world today, believers are suffering persecution for Jesus’ sake. We pray for them, and they pray for us. Persecution purifies the church.

Persecution comes in many forms: physical beatings, humiliation, deprivation, confiscation of possessions, false accusations, and even martyrdom. Even in the U.S.A. Christians are mocked, ridiculed, and discriminated against. When “we desire to live godly in Christ Jesus we will suffer persecution.” It doesn’t say we may suffer persecution, but we will. The devil doesn’t waste his ammunition on uncommitted Christians; they are of no threat to him. He goes after the godly Christians living for Christ, speaking for the Lord, and serving Him.

How should handle those who persecute us? Argue? Fight back? No! Jesus gave us instructions in Matthew 5:44, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Paul wrote, “Repay no one evil for evil. If it possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place for wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:17, 18, 19).

Have a blessed day living godly, speaking for the Lord, and serving Him. And when you are persecuted, consider yourself blessed and worthyto suffer for Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-October 29, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

(2 Timothy 2:15).

Paul’s second epistle to Timothy is more personal than his first epistle, and Paul encourages him just prior to his own death at the hands of the Roman leaders. Paul uses himself as example in chapter four, and encourages him to fight the good fight, to preach the word, and carry on the work of the Lord after he goes home to be with the Lord.

In today’s verse, Paul the aged, challenges Timothy, the younger, to “be diligent to present yourself approved to God.” What is important is to be approved to God, not man.” So many today are “man pleasers not God pleasers.” There are many preachers that avoid the uncomfortable subjects like sin, repentance, separation from the world, one’s thought life, and other challenging topics that are so needed today. Many want to be politically correct, but in so doing fail to be spiritually correct.

Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2-5, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For a time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn themselves away from the truth, and turn to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” This is good advice for us today.

Paul wanted the work of the Lord to go forward, and that he would be “a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We all want to finish strong as Paul and Timothy did. Paul uses himself as an example when he wrote, “I have fought the good fight of faith, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Paul was not ashamed, he had given his last ounce of strength and devotion in the service of Christ.

The phrase, “rightly dividing the word of truth,” means to know the word, practice it, and teach it accurately, doctrinally, and practically. It involves us knowing what it says, what it means, and what it means to us. We need to know the Scriptures and where to find things. Are you a worker who presents himself approved to God and is not ashamed? There is so much to learn, and the more we learn, the more we realize how just how little we really know.

Have a blessed day learning, growing, serving, and being approved to God. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean