Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-October 18, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“Test all things; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:21-22).

In life we test many products, procedures, medications, and as we have seen recently, vaccines. We want safety for our children, spouses, families, and ourselves. We even have agencies in our country such as the Federal Drug Administration, the Center For Disease Control, the Product Safety Commission, among many others.

If we test everything so well, why shouldn’t we test everything we hear based on the Word of God? The Bible speaks of nearly every subject, either directly or indirectly. When we read something on line, see it on TV, on the radio, or on wherever source we get our news and information, we must test it for its accuracy, reliability, and trustworthiness. Nowadays, everyone has an opinion, and many celebrities speak on things they knew little about. We must be very careful.

Paul says, “Test all things.” Notice he wants us to test, not some things or most things, but all things. What does the Bible say about a particular subject? Chances are it will be diametrically opposed to what the world says, and vice versa. John wrote in 1 John 4:1-3, “ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard was coming, and now is already in the world.”

Today, as in John’s day, there are many false prophets, cults, and religions. They many sound good, but we must test everything by the Word of God, God’s standard. The devil is most dangerous as an angel of light with a Bible in his hands. He takes a little truth and sandwiches it between two slices of false, evil teachings. Because we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we know when something doesn’t sound right. The more we know the Word, the better we can defend ourselves from the attacks of Satan.

The people in Berea took the right approach to what they heard. They checked it out for themselves from the Scriptures. Acts 17:11 says of them, “These were more fair-minded (or noble-minded) than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

Paul tells us when we test all things the goal is to hold fast to what is good. Good always triumphs over evil. We should always seek good, pursue it, do good good, and stand on the truth. Conversely, he tells us also, “Abstain from every form of evil.” The word abstain is defined as, “restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something.” Many people do this at Lent. Sometimes things that seem harmless are evil and against God’s will. If something is questionable, don’t do it. Give up things in order to do better things, and even give up better things to do the best things.

May the Lord help us to test everything we read or hear by the Word of God. If God has shown you something is wrong, give it up. The Lord always has something better for us. Hold fast to what is good, and abstain from every form of evil.

Have a blessed day being on guard and testing all things according to Scripture. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-October 17, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall always be with the Lord.”

(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Jesus promised His disciples that He would come again and take them to be with Him. In John 14:2-3, Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” When we get saved we are assured of spending eternity in heaven. He is coming in the clouds to gather all His people together in glory.

Jesus’ coming is imminent, meaning He will come at any time. We need to be ready, watching always. His coming will be in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. 1 Corinthians 15:52 says, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” Here in today’s verse, Paul wrote, “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God…”

Though the coming of the Lord is instantaneous, still every living believer alive at the time of His coming will hear His shout and the voice of the archangel, which will be Michael, and the triplet of God. The dead will rise first, then we will alive will raised up. It will be so exciting! It is called in the NT “our blessed hope.” We as believers need to be waiting and watching.

Living in the light of the coming of Christ gives us the motivation to live a holy life, put Him first, do His will, and serve Him. John wrote, “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28). We want to be pleasing to Him in all we say and do. Jesus’ last words in Revelation 22:22, said, “….’Surely I am coming quickly.’

Have a blessed day serving the Lord until He comes. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-October 16, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

As believers we should always rejoice in and be thankful for our salvation. We are saved by grace through faith. We did nothing to deserve it or earn it. We are sinners saved by grace. The decision we made to receive Christ was the best decision any of us have made. The gift of salvation is the greatest gift we have ever received.

Before we were saved we were clothed in the filthy rags of our sins. Isaiah 64:6 says, “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” What a contrast to our present condition: clothed in the garments of salvation, and robed in the righteousness of Christ. Whenever we read of the robes of righteousness, they are always white, which symbolizes purity and holiness.

Revelation 4:4 says, “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.” The number twenty-four is representative of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. When God sees us, He sees us in and through Christ. Just like a prism diffuses light into beautiful colors, so too, Christ’s beauty shines on us.

Isaiah uses the analogy of the bride and groom and the beauty of their adornments. The bridegroom wore ornaments and the bride was adorned with her jewels. Jewish weddings are so wonderful, joyful, and beautiful. Jesus is our heavenly bridegroom, and we as His church are the bride of Christ.

May we remember our salvation and be joyful and thankful. We are clad in the garments of salvation and in the robes of righteousness.

Have a blessed day worshipping, praising, and thanking the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

Yesterday was our 500th post on the blog. All glory to the Lord.

-October 15, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’”

(Isaiah 57:15).

God delights in those who are contrite and humble; He sees the heart. Our attitude precedes our actions. God is holy, He sits on the throne of heaven, yet bends his ear and opens His heart to those who approach Him with sincerity and in truth. King David was a man after God’s own heart, not because he was perfect, but he humbled himself before the Lord and sought Him fully.

David sinned with Bathsheba and was guilty of adultery and murder. He repented, confessed his sins, and asked God to forgive him. David said in in Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart — These, O God, You will not despise.” God forgave David, but he and his family had to live with the consequences of his sins.

The word contrite is defined as, “feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt.” Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite heart.” A contrite heart, a broken spirit, and humble heart all go together. They all speak of seeing our sins, our weaknesses, and our utter dependence on God. James 4:6 says, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”

May God help us to be humble, contrite, and broken before Him. We can’t hide anything from our Lord. Let us draw near to God and He will draw near to us. God is always available and approachable. He loves us so much and delights to have fellowship with us.

Have a blessed day walking before the Lord in humility, contriteness, and brokenness. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-October 14, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“So shall My word be that goes from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

(Isaiah 55:11).

God has given us His Word, the Bible. We are so blessed to have the full counsel of God from Genesis to Revelation. God uses His Word in our lives to speak to our hearts, showing us what to do and not to do; He gives us His principles to live by and His promises to claim. Today’s verse is a wonderful promise that God will use His Word in a mighty way, showing us exactly what we need to hear on a daily basis.

There are four wonderful parts to this verse: God sends forth His Word, it will not return void, it will accomplish what He pleases, and prosper in the thing for which He sent it. We as His people must read it, study it, meditate on it, memorize it, obey it, and apply it to our lives. We can miss so many blessings if we don’t.

• So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth – The Bible is unlike any other book in the world for it is God’s Word. It is inspired by God and is profitable to all. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” From God’s mouth to our ears, the Bible gives us all we need to live, grow, and serve the Lord. It answers our questions and meets our needs.

• It shall not return to Me void – The word void is defined as, “Not having (something that is expected or wanted): completely lacking (something). Here it means empty, useless, or ineffective. In the case of God’s Word that can never happen. Sometimes it can happen to us but never to God. At times we do something, buy something, or say something, and it has no good results at all. It is worthless. God’s Word as described in Hebrews says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

• But it shall accomplish what I please – God sends His Word to accomplish what He pleases. This signifies that He is sovereign. No one can challenge or question Him. His wisdom, His will, and His work are perfect. He never fails or makes a mistake. He knows all things; the future is in His hands. He directs us perfectly in perfect way, according to His perfect will.

• And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it – God’s Word prospers despite man’s efforts to thwart it or his inability to understand it. We so often ask, “Why Lord?” There are things we just don’t understand this side of eternity. We must leave them in His hands. Job, after losing everything, not knowing why, said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

May we rejoice in the Word of God as in all riches. He has a purpose for sending us His message each day. He will speak to us, we just have to listen to His voice. His truth is always good and needed in our lives. He will do what is according to His pleasure and purpose. It will never return to Him void.

Have a blessed day seeking His Word for each day, never doubting or questioning. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean