Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-October 23, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

(1 Timothy 1:17).

Right in the middle of this wonderful chapter of 1 Timothy 2, Paul bursts forth in praise to God. He had just been describing himself as the chief of sinners and remembering God’s mercy shown to him. He praises our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ as the the King eternal. Jesus is the King of the Jews, the King of kings, and the King who reigns forever and ever.

Jesus our King was born to die and born to reign. After He died for our sins, rose from the dead, and ascended back to heaven, He sat down at the right hand of God. We are children of the King. We have all the blessings of heaven and an inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and reserved for us in heaven.

Our King is all powerful, almighty, and unconquerable. Paul says He is immortal, invisible, and alone is wise. No one can compare to our sovereign King. He is immortal, living forever; He is invisible, unseen by human eyes; and all wise. We are on the King’s side and He is on our side. He is so strong yet so loving, kind, and compassionate to us. Paul gives all honor and glory to the Lord forever and ever.

May the Lord help us to praise and worship Him, live for Him and serve Him. Let us do His will fully and further His kingdom. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Have a blessed day in praising and worshiping the Lord and serving Him faithfully. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-October 22, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith.”

(1 Timothy 1:5).

Paul, the spiritual father and mentor wrote to his spiritual son in the faith Timothy. The two of them had served the Lord together for quite a few years. Paul sent him to Ephesus where he served as pastor. This epistle, as well and 2 Timothy, give instructions to young Timothy on how to serve and conduct himself as a preacher, teacher, and pastor.

Today’s verse is so encouraging and teaches what is really important every time we hear the Word of God, whether we read it, hear it in a sermon or in a Bible study. It is God’s will that it affect us and produce action and change. It is not enough to fill our minds with mere head knowledge, it must be put into practice. Paul calls it, “The purpose of the commandment,” or as it may be translated “The goal of of our instruction.” The NLT renders this verse as, “The purpose of our instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a genuine faith.”

Paul instructs us of three things that should result in our lives: love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.” God does not want to just inform us but to transform us. Martin Grier wrote, “The law of God is not to be kept in books, but in the midst of our hearts, that we may rightly understand the same, admire it, and observe it.” To know the Word, understand it, and to apply it to our lives is the purpose or goal for us.

• Love from a pure heart – In the NT, love is the key virtue. It is the first fruit mentioned in the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. It is called the law of love. Paul devotes an entire chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, to it. Our love for one another must spring from a pure heart. Paul wrote in Romans 12:9, “Let love be without hypocrisy…” There are very few things that are pure in this world. Our love is based on the love of Christ and should be 100% pure, undefiled, untainted, and us uncontaminated.

• A good conscience – It is so important to have a clear conscience. For so many who don’t know the Lord, their consciences gnaw at them by day and especially by night when they try to sleep. A clear conscience is our best pillow. Paul said in Acts 24:16, “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.” What a worthy aim and ambition! Only Christians can attain it. Is your conscience quiet or is it chatty?

• A sincere faith – Our faith must be genuine, the real thing. Sincere or genuine faith operates optimally under all conditions favorable and unfavorable, good or bad, positive or negative. We must trust the Lord to help us through whatever we are facing. In fact, our faith grows best under trial. We should be honest in what we are going through and not try to dismiss it or down play it. This way we show our weakness, frailty, and vulnerability, as well as God’s love, power, and glory.

May God help us to learn, grow, and mature in Christ throughout our lives. God’s Word used by the Holy Spirit will result in holy lives. Let our love be pure, our conscience be clear, and our faith be sincere.

Have a blessed day in the Word and don’t forget the goal. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-October 21, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or by our epistle.”

(2 Thessalonians 2:15).

Paul as a Jew, knew a lot about traditions handled down from Scriptures, and as a Pharisee, he was aware of the traditions of the elders which were in affect were merely the commandments of men. Jesus had harsh words of condemnation for them. The traditions that Paul is speaking of here are good traditions that he had taught the saints which were from God. Paul had taught them God’s Word both in person and by epistle (letter).

The word tradition is defined as “The handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction.” In the days of the OT and the early church the Bible was not yet in its completed form. Today, we have the full revelation of the whole counsel of God.

Bible teacher and commentator H.A. Ironsides once commented, “They were not to let anything turn them aside from the truth which had been proclaimed. Do not misunderstand what the apostle says as to traditions. Paul did not add human traditions to the Word of the Lord; but he told these Thessalonians certain things by word of mouth, and he urged them to “hold fast these teachings,” as well as those in writing. Today we no longer have inspired apostles proclaiming the Word. We have no need of traditions: we have the Scriptures complete.”

The lesson for us today is to stand fast and hold onto the teachings of the Scriptures with a vice- grip. Nothing and no one should sway us to deviate from the truth. Satan can’t do it no matter how hard he tries. Paul also wrote to the Corinthians, “Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you” (1 Corinthians 11:2).

I really like our verse in the New Living Translation, “With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.” How is your grip on the teachings of Scripture? What happens when trials, tribulations, afflictions, or catastrophes come into your life? The Bible is our lifeline to encourage us and help us through. If we have head knowledge only, it help us is very little. But if our faith is Christ the solid rock, we can withstand the most severe storms of life. Jesus is our anchor that holds strong and true and nothing can affect me or you.

Have a blessed day standing fast and holding to the teachings we have learned. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-October 20, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: ‘Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.”

(Jeremiah 4:3).

The nation of Israel had been divided into two parts: ten tribes in the north, called Israel, and later named Samaria; and two tribes in the south, called Judah, that included the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. This took place during the reign of King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. The Lord brought it about. When Rehoboam attempted to go to war to reunite the nation, God stopped him. 1 Kings 12:24 says, “Thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.’ Therefore they obeyed the word of the Lord, and they turned back, according to the word of the Lord.”

The northern kingdom plunged into idolatry and set up their own worship of false gods and idols. The southern kingdom continued to worship the Lord, carry out the sacrifices under the Levites and the priests, many of whom moved south to follow and serve the Lord. There was constant wars between the two kingdoms. Judah continued on well for a while, and the were some godly kings. All the kings of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. Sadly, Judah began to worship idols and false gods also, though they continued to follow the sacrificial system at the same time. No one can serve the Lord and idols, and God had to deal with them. Both the kingdoms were taken into captivity. Jeremiah, called “the weeping prophet,” proclaimed God’s Word of repentance to them. They rejected him, his message, and in particular the Lord.

The message in our verse tells the people of Judah and Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.” The word fallow means untilled. Ground that was left dormant grew thorns and weeds and had to be cleared out so that it could be replanted and once again become fruitful and useful. God is using the agricultural analogy to speak of human hearts. This phrase used here in Jeremiah 4:3 is also found in Hosea 10:12. It serves as a spiritual warning to believers who have backslidden and who need to repent and get right with the Lord.

The Easton Bible Dictionary says, “The expression, ‘Break up your fallow ground means, do not sow your seed among thorns, i.e. break off all your evil habits; clear your hearts of weeds, in in order that they may be prepared for the seed of righteousness. Land was allowed to lie fallow that it might become more fruitful; but when in this condition, it soon became overgrown with thorns and weeds. The cultivator of the soil was careful to “break up” his fallow ground, i.e., to clear the fields of weeds before sowing seed in it. So says the prophet, ‘Break off your evil ways, repent of your sins, cease to do evil, and then the good seed of the word will have room to grow and bear fruit.”

God wants us to be right with Him and do what is right in His sight. He desires us to be fruitful and more fruitful. Most of us have experienced how hard it is to clear out weeds from our yards. It is painstaking, sweat producing work. It is even more challenging in the spiritual realm. We must clear away the thorns and weeds of bad habits, bitterness, jealousy, envy, strife, division, and other evil things. It is a painful but needed process to prepare our hearts before the Lord. We must all take a self-assessment of our hearts and lives, and then take action.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:31, “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.” Judgment always begins at the house of the Lord. Let us all then prepare our own hearts by breaking up the fallow ground, clearing out the weeds, fertilizing the soil through confession and repentance, and sowing the good seed of the Word of God so that we will be fruitful and more fruitful for Jesus.

Have a blessed day breaking up and clearing out anything that is hindering our walk with the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-October 19, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:24).

We can never have too many reminders of God’s faithfulness. He has been faithful and will continue to be faithful for the future, right in through all eternity. We all have experiences of His faithfulness over the years. He has always taken care of me and provided for me. We are still in this pandemic; God has kept us healthy and alive. So many in our country and throughout the world have died. Just yesterday, former general, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State Collin Powell passed away as a result of Covid 19 and the underlying health conditions that he had.

God is faithful in season and out of season. Each morning the sun rises and each evening it sets. Our times are in His hands. Genesis 8:22 says, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” This is God’s promise to us. After the Flood, God made a covenant with Noah and the whole earth not to ever send a cataclysmic, worldwide flood on the earth ever again. He put his rainbow in the sky as a reminder of this covenant. It is called the Noahic Covenant. I still get exited to see the rainbow in the sky.

In the preceding verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul wrote, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That pretty summarizes how He takes of us in spirit, soul, and body. He is faithful to us spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, materially, and financially. God has called us and He will do it! The “it,” covers everything in our lives. We have God’s word on it, for it, in it, and through it. It doesn’t get any better than that!

One of my favorite hymns is: “Great is Thy Faithfulness by Thomas O. Chisholm. The chorus says, “Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided — Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me! Amen.” God’s faithfulness is always there, and it shows in His wonderful love and care. Let us remember these three words today: God is faithful. He is faithful and He will do it, whatever your “it” happens to be.

Have a blessed day delighting in God’s faithfulness today. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean